Big Al

Will report back once I listen to it. Still reveling in the Garland Quintet stuff! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Completely off-topic here, but THANK YOU for mentioning GoogleDocs. I've been racking my brains for months now trying to remember where I saw this online spreadsheet and that's where it was! :

Coupla things. First, I believe that Chuck indicated this and almost all of the "intelligent" packages were developed under Fantasy's watch, and just were released by Concord after the transfer. Second, good luck hearing back from Concord on any of this. They've ignored several emails I've sent on related topics over the past couple of years. I am very thankful this set finally saw the light of day after many years, but don't expect much new. Maybe if the work was already done on the Miles sets in the past we'll see them, but I agree that the Miles/Rollins set, while very nice in and of itself, may not be a good harbinger of what is (not) to come. Yeah, I'm not holding my breath, just remaining hopeful. I remember sending them an e-mail this time last year asking about this particular box, and they actually responded in a couple days time, IIRC. Funny thing is, at that time, Concord says there were no plans to release this box. I'm glad they changed their mind!

Got mine yesterday and put in disc four immediately. I don't know about the rest of y'all, but "All Morning Long" NEVER sounded this good, IMHO. And it's not like I have the greatest sound-system in the world. Jamil Nasser's bass is so PRESENT. The whole disc sounds extremely roomy, uncluttered, and organic. I can't wait to listent to the rest of the box. Speaking of the "All Morning Long" sessions (for lack of a better term), I am *so* glad the CD programmers decided NOT to be strictly chronological by putting "Tenor Madness" at the beginning of disc 2, thereby letting everything else fall nicely into place. This is ESPECIALLY effective on the "All Morning Long" sessions, leaving them on two discs instead of staggering them over three discs on the old box. (For that matter, all three of these boxes have been very good about keeping all of the sessions as together as possible. This makes for much easier listening, IMO) My only complaint is with the booklet, and even that is a minor one: mostly discographical stuff like incorrect track listings when notating which side of a record the songs are on, as well as other typos whose details apparently are so minute their escaping my cluttered mind. Overall, a HIGHLY enjoyable release, and one I would've gladly paid retail price had I not found the Best Buy link (thanks again, guys)! On a semi-related note, I continue to be impressed by Concord's packaging of boxes like this, and wish they would do more of them. I know that a similar plan was supposed to be in place for all of Miles' Prestige recordings; with the release of the Miles/Sonny collection, I wonder what the odds are that the remaining sessions will be released in box form. I e-mail Concord about this; if I ever hear back from 'em, I'll post it here.

Amen!!!

Correct. BASRA was supposed to be issued in the US, but was pulled at the last minute. And that's all I'm gonna say, lest this thread gets dumped into the Politics forum......

I was just going to mention how much I enjoyed his performance in the Thomas and the Magic Railroad movie that came out in 2001. I thought he was completely believable in that role, and I guess that would be my definition of a good actor: someone who can convince me that they ARE the character they are playing. Off-topic: did anyone notice a lot of Easy Rider connections in that movie?

Between FEARLESS LEADER and INTERPLAY, is there a clear winner or are both just really good (and basically equal in strength)? They are both really good and equal in strength, IMHO. Chances are if you get one, you'll end up wanting the other two. I admit I'm biased, though: Trane's Prestige period is my favorite of his, which is not a knock against Atlantic or Impulse; just what moves me on a grander scale. I realize I'm in a minority here.

Unfortunately, not enough people exercise the necessary discretion to implement usage of said "ignore" function. As a result, as you said, "trolls and assholes" end up taking over unless the iron fist is applied. Thankfully, Jim/Use3D rarely use that function, which is a testament to their overall commitment to responsible free-speech and their infinite patience with the humanity that gets displayed in the political forums.

Stuff like this makes me SO glad I locked myself out of the political forum. It also makes me pray for Jim's mental health, cuz he has to deal with that shit on a regular basis.

Oh yes! There is much treasure to be mined within these 8 discs!

Well.... I guess it's only fair. Everyone else has had a turn reissuing this stuff.

AAAARGGHHHH!!! WHY did I open this thread? WHY did I go to Rhapsody and queue this up? WHEN am I ever gonna learn???? 7/4, between this and all your "Listening to " notes on FaceBook, I'm either gonna have to unfriend you or get a second job!!!

Love TOM CAT, and I actually prefer the RVG (political views notwithstanding. I think). Love the phrasing, and so wish that Blakey and Tyner had recorded together more often.

Just got my shipping notice! It's on its way! Me too. Listened to disc 4 of FEARLESS LEADER last night. Been spinning the first two boxes in anticipation as well!

Happy birthday, Marcus! Hope your day is filled with lots of great music!

Yet

Lon beat me to it. I wholeheartedly agree!

Does the Ray Charles Atlantic box count?

What Lon said! If you already have the old box, there really isn't a reason to upgrade. If you're like me, though, and don't have any Coltrane Prestige (or "didn't," before these boxes came out), this is definitely the way to go.

Mine's on the way as well!

True dat. The Cowboys offense wore out the Cowboys defense. They simply ran out of gas, aloowing the Broncos two touchdowns on two straight possessions.

My favorite kind of BFT!!! Can't wait to download and listen!

Me! Me! Me! Me!

This will be my final post in the MLB thread for this year, now that the Rangers playoff hopes are officially over, despite the fact that when the crushing reality of this past month settled in it was too late to do anything about it. The Rangers don't deserve to be in the playoffs, and I've been saying that since August. Still, there's something bittersweet about watching the Red Sox "back into the playoffs" after losing six straight, knowing it was my team that opened the door for them. So, for anyone who cares, Big Al's Rangers Quick Year in Review: GOOD: 1) They finished above .500 for the first time in years. Seriously, if anyone had told me the Rangers would be above .500 for most of the season, I woulda danced for joy. And this was supposed to be a rebuilding year! Who woulda guessed a legitimate playoff chase would've been a part of this season? Not me, that's for sure. 2) A bumper crop of young pitchers proved themselves this year. Hopefully, they'll be around for a while and won't get traded to another team for a "veteran." 3) Michael Young's graceful transition to third base and his mentoring of Elvis Andrus. He could've been a real ass about this whole situation, but did the right thing by swallowing his pride, helping his team, and in the process having one of the best year's of his career. It's a crime that he's been in the majors this long and doesn't have a World Series ring to show for it. If anyone deserves to be traded to a real contender, it's Michael Young. 4) They played amazingly well against teams that are better than them, even going so far as to take the season series from the Red Sox and taking a series from the Yankees in New York. BAD: 1) Ron Washington could be the most underachieving manager in the MLB. More than once I heard fellow fans gripe that a lot of his managerial decisions cost the Rangers games. The sad fact is, the Rangers had the talent this year to take them far; they just don't have the manager who knows how to take them further. I wish this were Wash's last year, but Rangers management has taken this year as a sign that Wash is the right man for the job. Yes he is, as long as mediocrity is your long-term goal, because Washington lacks neither the experience nor the killer instinct that is needed to get into and play October baseball. 2) CJ Wilson needs to go. Period. End of story. He's the Brad Lidge of the Rangers. Ron Washington's continued use of him continues to boggle the mind, because Wilson could not be trusted with a lead any smaller than five runs. 3) They couldn't beat losing teams if their playoff lives depended on it. In fact, it did, and it goes a long way in explaining why the Rangers are not in the playoffs this year. I don't know that I can call this a "good" year, because even though there were far more positives than negatives, the negatives were huge and, once again the Rangers are not in the playoffs. So, even though it wasn't a "bad"year per se, I hesitate to call this a "good" year when so much more could've been accomplished. This was yet another mediocre "coulda been" season, certainly not the first and far from the last, if the last 35+ years are any indication. The Rangers will always be my team, but I honestly don't believe I'll ever see them in the playoffs again in my lifetime. Happy playoffs, to those of you whose teams are playing. Personally, I think it's the Yankees year again, but what do I know? Anything is possible, which is why this will always be my favorite sport and why the Rangers are my favorite team. See y'all next season.