Jump to content

Complete Roland Kirk on Mercury (mp3) $10


captainwrong

Recommended Posts

http://us.puretracks.com/catalog/details.a...42284663021_mp3

Someone pointed this out on the eMusic board as a Canada only thing, but I can confirm I downloaded this here in the US. Three caveats: 1) 192kbp CBR only (make sure you don't hit the WMA version by mistake.) 2) The bonus track/disc 11 is missing (you might be able to snag this elsewhere.) 3) no booklet (which is a big drag to me, anyone hook a fella up with a spare? LOL)

Still, considering this is $200+ on the second hand market, I think I'll live with the faults. There were some other UMG/Verve boxes supposedly available in Canada for $10 (Bill Evans, Billie Holiday, Hank Williams, Ella's Songbooks) but I didn't see 'em in the US. I'm guessing this is a limited time thing (or a screwup) like the Rhapsody deal a month or two ago, so YMMV and I wouldn't wait around if I were you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hint for those living in the U.S.: while the registration for the site requires you to input a Canadian province and postal code... they don't actually ask for an address and you don't need one when entering your CC number for a purchase. They don't, after all, need to mail anything to you. It appears to work. :w Though I will say the site navigation and download manager sucks. Lots of box sets can be had for bargain prices.

More info at the emu boards... http://www.emusic.com/messageboard/viewTop...?topicId=116071

Edited by RDK
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hint for those living in the U.S.: while the registration for the site requires you to input a Canadian province and postal code... they don't actually ask for an address and you don't need one when entering your CC number for a purchase. They don't, after all, need to mail anything to you. It appears to work. :w Though I will say the site navigation and download manager sucks. Lots of box sets can be had for bargain prices.

More info at the emu boards... http://www.emusic.com/messageboard/viewTop...?topicId=116071

Yeah, I think I was the one who discovered the Canadian thing. ;) (I post as Rob G. there.)

Anyway, the site is horrible to navigate, the download manager is awful and some people even had their files with a wma extension even though they were mp3s. My biggest beef is everything I've bought has required a bunch of retagging. It's all been box sets and not one has had the disc numbers included anywhere in the information. Dragsville, but thanks for the cheap tunes. Can't say I'll be back when this dries up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I nailed the cheap tunes, but never noticed the place to specify MP3 so I got WMA. Anybody know of a bulk converter?

Conversion would only make sense if you've got to have them in MP3 format for some reason (for example if your portable doesn't support WMA), as the files would have to be de-encoded from WMA and then re-encoded at the risk of additional compression artifacts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems to be downloading OK. All I need now is a rust old ex-ammo tin :crazy:

Are you downloading the WMA version? Are you going to convert it to MP3?

Yep - its the WMA version. Good enough for me !

The only problem is that you get a random bundle of track files, so it will be Xmas before I reconstruct the 18-CDs runnning order !

Edited by sidewinder
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keith Jarrett Sun Bear Concerts 6CD

http://us.puretracks.com/catalog/details.a...42284302821_mp3

At the Blue Note 6CD

http://us.puretracks.com/catalog/details.a...31452763822_mp3

Impulse Years 1973-1974 and Mysteries 1975-1976 are both 9.99 for WMA only.

I had no need or opportunity to claim to be from Canada.

Edited by randyhersom
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Clifford Brown WMA's do not have unique filenames, while the Kirk and Hank Williams MP3s do, so if you go for the Brownie, you'll need to a implement a naming convention as you save the files - I just used the track number as a three digit number with leading zeros and an underscore before the filename they provided. I have been able to listen to a few tracks through my computer, the first time I listen to each I have a few extra clicks to tell it to go ahead and get the licensing info on the Web. The music is worth it, but the MP3s are a far better alternative when competetively priced.

It'll take me a few days to get to renaming the Kirk files, but I'll share my batch file when I do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was considering grabbing a couple of the Motown sets, but I hate DRM'd WMA and have no way to play the files (directly at least) except through WMP on my computer. I use Squeezbox at home - and love it! - but it won't play the DRM'd files, making them almost useless to me. :angry: I suppose I could burn them and then re-rip them - which would also allow me to attach the metadata automatically from the web.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Their websites and downloading mechanics are completely clunky, but this is an amazing find. You have to take into account WMA vs. MP3, US vs. Canadian sites, Windows XP vs. Vista, etc. But once you figure out what works best, it goes ok. The bottom line with Windows Vista is that if you are downloading MP3s, and download all tracks at once off their regular site, you'll actually download WMA. You need to click on the link they provide for Vista users, but then to get MP3s, you literally need to click each track, one at a time, to get MP3s. This just doesn't work on huge collections like the Evans Complete Verve. And many of the discounted titles on the US site are WMA, so I downloaded most of mine off the Canadian site. No surprise, I ended up using my older laptop with XP on it, instead of my newer desktop with Vista on it. XP was simply much easier to use with puretracks.

Bottom line, with a little inconvenience (but avoiding the worst of it), I was able to download the 7 or so sets I wanted in MP3 format without much issue, got them all into itunes without much hassle, and am good to go. Amongst others, picking up the Jarrett Complete At the Blue Note, Bill Evans Complete Verve, and Ella Complete Songbooks sets for $9.99 each is incredible.

Edited by jeffrey r
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Their website and downloading mechanics are completely clunky, but this is an amazing find. You have to take into account WMA vs. MP3, US vs. Canadian sites, Windows XP vs. Vista, etc. But once you figure out what works best, it goes ok. The bottom line with Windows Vista is that if you are downloading MP3s, and download all tracks at once off their regular site, you'll actually download WMA. You need to click on the link they provide for Vista users, but then to get MP3s, you literally need to click each track, one at a time, to get MP3s. This just doesn't work on huge collections like the Evans Complete Verve. And many of the discounted titles on the US site are WMA, so I downloaded most of mine off the Canadian site. The MP3s from puretracks are totally unprotected, as opposed to the WMAs.

Bottom line, with a little inconvenience (but avoiding the worst of it), I was able to download the 7 or so sets I wanted in MP3 format without much issue, got them all into Itunes without much hassle, and am good to go. Amongst others, picking up the Jarrett Blue Note, Evans Verve, and Ella Complete Songbooks sets for $9.99 each is incredible.

Edited by jeffrey r
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...