The Magnificent Goldberg

Mm, can't say I'm greatly in favour of subscription fees. It makes e-music like the old record clubs. But if you don't want anything this month, because you've already got too much recent stuff to listen to, well tough, still pay. I absolutely can't absorb more than about 200 albums a year - preferably fewer; 170 last year and that was slightly too many as I only listened to 85% of the albums I've had for longer than two years. MG

Ronnie Foster Emmanuel Riggins Shelton Laster

Going from bad to worse here. Glad to see Welsh Water apologising for us not having water the other day. They didn't bring us a bunch of flowers, though. MG

Manufacturing makes up the smallest percentage of the actual cost of making an album. The big chunk comes from paying the musicians, paying the studio, paying the producer (if there is one), paying the licensing fees for covers, paying the artist for the artwork and layout, paying for radio and print promo, etc. You can print up 1000 CDs for about $1000. But good luck selling them if the material is recorded badly, has no promotion, etc. You're right, I know, because you've been there, done that, and at least broken even. But that's for a small, specialist, operation. To me, the general level of download pricing seems too high. (And it's even higher in Britain, as itunes charges £0.99 per track.) Pricing in the record industry usually reflects the relative difficulty of obtaining the material. That's why, for example, I'm prepared to pay more for a CD that has to be imported from Ghana than one that EMI manufactures in Britain. But with downloads, there is no relative difficulty in obtaining the material. The inherent difficulty is, as you say, in the investment/R&D costs of producing the recording, plus associated costs. So it seems reasonable to charge more for new recordings (and new digitisations - is that a word?) than for old ones. But old ones are most of what every record company has got. So the price for almost everything should be cheapo. MG

Fred Waring Tex Beneke Rudy Vallee

Alan-a-Dale Jerry Vale Harper Valley PTA

Thanks. MG

I think that Amazon may be the reason for this. As you say, they now have an MP3 catalog comparable to iTunes, charge roughly the same prices, have no DRM and a higher bitrate. How can iTunes compete without adjusting? Well, they COULD have thrown their system open to other vendors, as Amazon does for CDs, and just taken a commission or whatever off them. I look forward to the day when downloads will be available from alternative vendors, as CDs are now. But watch out for claims that Caiman have a downloadable copy of the Train wreck MG

Well, back in the forties, when a dollar was worth a lot more than it is now, a 78 (two songs) on Bluebird or Decca's Sepia series cost 35c - 3 for a dollar. Normal priced 78s, Victor or Decca, were 79c. Many idies were faced with much higher costs by independent pressing plants and a lot of their records were priced at $1.05, while shellac was rationed. Then they came down to 79c. Records have fallen in price, in absolute terms as well as relative to other goods, since then. It's easy to see this looking at the King records discography, because their catalogue numbers incorporated the price. So here's the page for the 10" LPs. http://www.bsnpubs.com/king/01king10.html If you look at the Earl Bostic LPs, they were normally $2-95 with 8 tracks; 37c per track. When 12" LPs came along, they were typically $3-95 for twelve tracks; 33c per track. I just checked on Amazon.com what you'd have to pay for "Dance to (the best of) Earl Bostic" which was the same tracks as one of his 12" LPs and it was $3.13. That was from an Amazon seller. (Sure, you can pay an awful lot more for an OOP Blue Note.) But the essence of this download system is that it hasn't YET created a proper market, in which rival firms are trying to compete, and offering their downloads for prices that they think will secure the level of sales they want. And the consequence is that prices are too high (particularly in view of the absence of manufacturing costs). My 2c. MG

Yes, it's on the one I haven't got. MG

Randy Weston Pharoah Sanders Maleem Mahmoud Ghania

I have quite a few memorable versions of this song. I just looked through my collection and found several great versions, funnily enough mostly on records where two "stars" were combined. Groove Holmes & Gene Ammons Stanley Turrentine & the Three Sounds Teddy Edwards & Les McCann Lou Rawls & Les McCann David Newman & Clifford Jordan Buddy Tate & Wild Bill Davis Al Grey & Jimmy Forrest Arnett Cobb & Milt Buckner David Newman & Ray Charles In addition, there are great versions by Ike Quebec and Norman Simmons. Arnett and Jug both recorded great versions for the Moodsville label. As it happens, I've just been listening to the Cobb/Buckner version, ("Again with Milt" - Black & Blue) which is a killer. But my two favourites are by David Newman/Ray Charles and one I bought only about eighteen months ago but is so strikingly dramatic it became an immediate favourite - it's by O'Donel Levy. This version is taken in 6/8 and has a terrific "soul" vocal, presumably by Levy himself. It's not, of course, much like any of the other versions. It's on the album "Everything I do gonna be funky" (Groove Merchant). MG

Yes, but today is the actual 70th birthday. MG

Oh, gee! I'd forgotten it was today! Not played a SINGLE Blue Note all day! I'll line up a favourite for just before bedtime Grant Green - Green is beautiful - one of Francis' best jobs! MG

One of my orders for EMI deletions turned up today MG

Had forgotten. Dan, what label is it on? What's the title? It's not mentioned as far as I've seen. MG

Not Pink Floyd MG

I like lots of Hampton Hawes. But "Green leaves of summer" (my LP is a UK edition and doesn't look as vivid as the repro posted earlier) is only my second favourite. Tops is "High in the sky" on Vault. Bottom is "Movie musicals" also on Vault. Don't know why I keep that one - inanition I suppose. MG

I can; I'm sure you wouldn't lie about a thing like that Yeah, I sold every one of my Chris Connor LPs in 1969, when I was on the dole. Got most of what I want back on CD now. MG

My favourite instrumental version is the Green/Young/Jones/Mobley one on "I want to hold your hand". For vocal versions, Ray Charles' version has ALWAYS got me. It's on "Dedicated to you" his second ABC album. And probably on any number of compilations (well, maybe). MG

Missed this! Many belated birthday wishes, Nate. MG

Spent a lot of the morning with the Blue Mitchell box. MG

Unless I'm missing something HMV isn't gone yet - we seem to be taking a rumour as gospel. Although I don't know how they can continue as a music retailer with the prices that they charge, even in the post-Christmas "sales". I was in on Saturday to spend some vouchers that I'd been given for Christmas and their jazz sales seems to consist of Kind of Blue. Sure it's rumour, but indicative of a serious situation. MG

A dusting of snow last night; then a short drizzle; then freezing again. Roads and patio v dangerous. MG

Will get to the Doodlin' Lounge later today - thanks Jim. Leon was about the only organist who could play a proper Funk bassline. His left foot could have been in Kool & the Gang, Fatback Band, Parliament or the JBs. Last recording Leon made, I think, was on Karl Denson's "Dance lesson #2" (Blue Note), recorded Jan/Feb 2001. Must listen to this one again later. MG