The Magnificent Goldberg

Well, I'd like to say The complete Lionel Hampton Decca sessions but since that wasn't and won't be issued, I'll say The complete Lionel Hampton Victor sessions - some of the most joyful music I've ever heard. (But I'd still prefer the Decca stuff, because it's more commercial.) MG

Richard Wagner Porter Waggoner Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson

In the great scheme of things, although I know nowt about the LofC, I can't imagine that the public policy (ie political) rationale for providing additional resources to deal expeditiously with the Chick Webb metal parts can be even slightly more than zero. After all, who cares about this? (Yes, I know WE care, but most of us aren't US voters, frankly. And even if we were, there are probably fewer than 5,000 of us in the entire world.) But I CAN see a public policy rationale for saying stuff like, 'Hm, not sure.' 'Not yet decided.' 'Probably...' Rather than, 'Fuck off Cuscuna, we don't give a toss.' And that accounts for Mosaic eventually deciding to go with what they can go with, because the music's good and because there's some sunk costs which would otherwise be irrecoverable. What I wonder is, why Universal chose to send the stuff to the LofC, when the Smithsonian would probably have welcomed the material under the same sort of conditions Moses Asch got them to agree to about Folkways. MG

Ronnie Cuber Pablo Picasso Norman Granz

Oh well, my mileage definitely DOES vary MG

SWV TLC NWA

Isn't it a bit ironic that now that the adult you can afford to buy all that music in physical form you wax lyrical about subscription on demand AM radio. I can't afford to buy everything I want, by any means. Afford in terms of cash, time to listen and space. And when I have to be taken into the old folks' home because I keep wetting the bed or something, and I say, 'where can I put these thousands of LPs, CDs and K7s?' I can well imagine the short reply I'll get, and I'll be glad a substantial proportion of them are on my hard drives. MG In The Netherlands chances of getting into an old folks home have been reduced to zero due to the neoliberal solutions to the crisis. They want you to stay at home and prefer the neighborhood and family to help you out. Else they'll try to take as much of your savings as they can. Our happy new 'participation society'. At least they won't confiscate your LP/CD collection. Oh, you think my cassettes are in danger? MG They need those to fix the uneven table legs of the civil servants's desks. MG

Isn't it a bit ironic that now that the adult you can afford to buy all that music in physical form you wax lyrical about subscription on demand AM radio. I can't afford to buy everything I want, by any means. Afford in terms of cash, time to listen and space. And when I have to be taken into the old folks' home because I keep wetting the bed or something, and I say, 'where can I put these thousands of LPs, CDs and K7s?' I can well imagine the short reply I'll get, and I'll be glad a substantial proportion of them are on my hard drives. MG In The Netherlands chances of getting into an old folks home have been reduced to zero due to the neoliberal solutions to the crisis. They want you to stay at home and prefer the neighborhood and family to help you out. Else they'll try to take as much of your savings as they can. Our happy new 'participation society'. At least they won't confiscate your LP/CD collection. Oh, you think my cassettes are in danger? MG

Spent most of the afternoon and early evening with Ray Charles - Singular genius: the complete ABC singles - Concord MG

Lovely set! MG

Isn't it a bit ironic that now that the adult you can afford to buy all that music in physical form you wax lyrical about subscription on demand AM radio. I can't afford to buy everything I want, by any means. Afford in terms of cash, time to listen and space. And when I have to be taken into the old folks' home because I keep wetting the bed or something, and I say, 'where can I put these thousands of LPs, CDs and K7s?' I can well imagine the short reply I'll get, and I'll be glad a substantial proportion of them are on my hard drives. MG

Oh, I forgot a very funky and electronic version of 'With a little help from my friends' by Junior Mance, on the album of the same name. MG

Of course, it should go without saying that I've always been a lo-fi fanatic MG

Actually, the version of "Can't Buy Me Love" I was thinking of was on an Impulse Twofer from the 70s or perhaps very early 80s that encompassed live recordings -- the Showboat, perhaps? -- with Shirley Scott, Arthur Edgehill and a bass player I presume but my memories faulty. Oh yes, that was 'Queen of the organ', done live at the Front Room in Newark. MG

A good one. I'm not clear why Roach wasn't served well by CD issues. What didn't Cuscuna not like about this album , it's great! I don't think he liked Roach. There may have been something personal about that. Rhoda Scott said that, apart from Charles Mingus, Roach was the most Afrocentric person she'd ever met. I dare say Roach was as liable to rub people up the wrong way as Mingus (who never used Grandassa models for any of his album sleeves). MG

They're free. I bought the CDs a few years ago, so now I don't have to buy a new version of the CDs. I like MP3s anyway. Can't be asked to cart a load of CDs around when I'm out. MG Not sure about that. One of the albums with bonus cuts was on Rogue; probably no bigger than Nessa. They're unissued cuts from a 1990 session and almost enough for a separate LP, which they could have issued then. Listening to the Concha Buika now and it sounds fine. MG

Stanley T's version of 'Can't buy me love' is from the 'Mr Natural' LP and in the Mosaic box of his incomplete BN quintet recordings. Not the best Willis Jackson, but not the worst, by any means Includes 'Yesterday', 'And I love her' and 'Hard day's night' The Beatles wrote pretty decent ballads for other people to make effective. David Newman's version of 'Something' is a hell of a lot more passionate than George Harrison's. Almost ANYBODY'S version of 'Eleanor Rigby' is more effective than the Beatles' - Jazz Crusaders; Charles Earland, Lonnie Smith - lots to choose from. Another is 'Here there & everywhere' by Stanley T from the 'Look of love' album. Willis Jackson and Clarence Wheeler & the Enforcers have both done mighty versions of 'Hey Jude'. And Charlie Brown did a very effective version of 'The long and winding road' on his LP 'Why does everybody keep picking on me'. Oh, so did Willis Jackson on 'Gatorade' which also features 'Hey Jude'. And don't forget Maceo Parker's version of 'For No one' on the 'Funky music machine' album. George Freeman did a nice version of 'Let it be' on his album 'Introducing George Freeman with Charlie Earland sitting in' on Giant Step. MG

Got some spam from Amazon UK this morning to say that they'd added a number of downloads to a thing called 'my cloud player' (fuckin' 'ell!) which were the contents of CDs I've bought from them (not sellers) over the past few years. So I downloaded the ones I hadn't already ripped to my HD and found that two of the downloads contained bonus tracks not on the originals!!!! Wow! Thought you'd like to know, folks MG

Reuben Wilson (et al) - Boogaloo to the Beastie Boys - Scufflin' Much more enjoyable than 'Boogaloo to Beck - Lonnie smith & David Newman on the same label. MG

Can I have a download please? MG

Oh yes, the Ace of Clubs is going for a fiver on Amazon UK now. I'll see what the local shops say. MG

Oh, found it now - it's this Original on Decca or LP reissue on Ace of Clubs or CD reissue on Vocalion. I bet you can pick up original LPs of this quite reasonably. Will have a butchers when I'm in Cardiff next. MG

Definitely NOT! MG

Billy Casper Caspar the friendly ghost The Canterville Ghost

Oh, a nice Jimmy Ponder album is 'Something to ponder' - Muse. How many jazz musicians have recorded 'The creator has a master plan'? MG