Rooster_Ties

Got through the last of the 3 discs today (part of it twice, actually). And, I plan to spin them all, again (2nd time for each one!) by the end of the day Monday, if I can, or at least by sometime next week. Damn good choice for an Album of the Week!!! So much to talk about. So much to think about - given what would happen to Lee so soon after these dates. Can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts on this one. ===== By the way, since I know the topic will come up (as it has recently in other threads) -- about BN or Mosaic releasing all the other tracks recorded for this album, which would amount to something like a 6 CD set, or maybe closer to 7??... ...I'm torn... On the one hand, I'd be all up for every alternate live version ("alternate take"), in the spirit of the Miles "Complete Plugged Nickel" set. Sure, it's a no-brainer, I *love* this material. But, on the other hand, there are a bunch of other things I'd love to hear (and own comercial releases of), before I got to hear/own the "Complete Lighthouse Lee Morgan Sessions". Or maybe another way of saying it is by way of an example. I would trade the lesser half of the Miles "Complete Plugged Nickel" set, in exchange for a few live Miles recordings from the 1967 shows from the European tour in late Oct. and early Nov. (which have never been released legitimately). Or, if you like, I can state it this way: If I *had* to give up either 1) ever hearing the 3 or 4 hours of the Miles '1967' that I have heard, or 2) give up ever hearing half of the Plugged Nickel recordings... ...I'd definitely keep the 1967, and pitch half the 1965 PN stuff. I *love* the PN material, but it's not critical that I have every version of every tune recorded over those two nights. (Or at least not as critical as it is having the 1967 material too.) Similarly, there's a bunch of other stuff I'd love to have before I'd pine day and night for the unreleased Lee Morgan "Lighthouse" alternate material. And I say this as someone who **LOVES** the Lee Morgan "Lighthouse" recordings. ( Did I beat that horse to death enough?? )

I think that's the most I've ever paid for one CD, ever. Even 10 years ago, when I was buying bootlegs here and there - I think the most I ever paid was about $35 for one disc. Yeah, it was crazy, but I was lusting after that one elusive Lee Morgan session (the extra session on "The Procrastinator" TOCJ), which was the 2nd-to-last session he ever recorded as the leader. I did not, however, do any similar bidding for "Sonic Boom". (A friend was nice enough to burn it for me, and make a color-copy of the liner-notes.) Some small consolation is that I do really love that extra session from 1969 (from the Procrastinator TOCJ). IMHO, it's damn near every bit as good as session as anything Lee recorded (as the leader) anytime after 1966.

Was a time when I was looking for Lonnie Smith's "Turning Point", which has only ever been on disc as a TOCJ. I've seen it a time or two on eBay, but always for more than I wanted to spend. Then I never saw it again, and now I'm not really looking any more.

The TOCJ of "Procrastinator", the one with the extra session not found on the U.S. domestic version. Paid like $53 for mine on eBay, and then scored an extra one for a friend a couple months later for $25 (a steal, IMHO). Real pain in the ass to find, although "Sonic Boom" is still probably harder to find.

Yup, I think if you bought 10 of the very first 12 Conns, you could mail the OBI's in and get a free watch. I did, and still have the watch to this day!! I wore it as my 'daily' watch (for work, M-F) for about 5 years, until I moved on to something else. There were fancier BN watches available too (maybe still are?), I think for about $60 each - but I always like the 'freebe' one better.

Ouch!!!!!!!!

Would love to hear some other opinions about this disc, especially as to how it might compair with Herbie's "Death Wish" soundtrack, which I sorta like, kinda sorta. By the way, some online searching for more info about "The Final Comedown" indicates that the movie has/had an alternate title, "Blast". Not sure why, if one of the titles was for the video release?? Or if it was released overseas, and got a new title that way?? No idea. Maybe it's in the liner-notes for the new CD release. In any case, here's a poster from the "Blast" release...

Thanks Chuck, for explaining yourself a bit more on the Murray topic, much appreciated. Murray is one of those guys I maybe ought to like more than I do - but, for some reason, he just doesn't speak to me all that much. I concur with Chuck, that he often does hire very good sidemen, and his releases are usually 'good', but rarely (for me anyway) not a lot better than just 'good'. Then again, (and again, speaking just for myself), they're not ever much worse than 'good' either. I guess that's what's so strange about him. I usually really like somebody's output, or it just doesn't do very much for me at all. And Murray's weird, for me, in that he falls somewhere in the middle.

By the way, I found these all from one seller on eBay, and all are currently open auctions. (Click HERE for general search on the words "Blue Note Spain" in the description.) His lists these blue and orange BN's as all being from "Special issue The BLUE NOTE COLLECTION Series for Spain". Anybody know how many of these (and which ones) are being released in Spain?? (Wish the BNBB was up, I'd ask Tom about this.) I checked, and the Larry Young does have the alternate take, but the Sam Rivers doesn't have any alternates. What a weird series, to redo the colors of the classic covers like that!! Hard to believe that BN would approve of such a thing, but maybe they've had some weird success with people buying music by color over there. Certainly the covers would be even more visually linked this way - although the choice of colors is really ugly (IMHO), and how can you change history like that?? (Harkens back to those "Applause" reissues on BN titles, with the piss-poor monochrome versions of a few of the classic covers.)

I think the total I paid on eBay for the one I got (and gave to Jim) was about $53 (including shipping). I think the final bidding topped-out around $48 or $49 or so. Previously, I had seen it go in the low $70's, once, and then twice (in the same two week period) it went with "buy it now" prices in the range of $90-$110.

The "Complete Don Wilkerson" isn't anything I'd go to much effort (or expense) to get --- but for the $12 I paid for mine (used), I thought it was a pretty decent deal. Nothing exciting, but not the worst BN release I've ever heard either...

Sound samples here: Olympus: The String Quartet Tribute To Yanni Be afraid - be very afraid!!

Yes, Chuck, (sincerely) please do share your thoughts on Murray with the group. I'm no big fan of Murray, but I have heard him play live a couple times - and although he's not real high on my list of favorite tenor players (not by a long shot), I also didn't get the feeling that he was trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes, musically speaking. (I heard him with a piano trio once, and once with a just bass and drums as a trio. The trio date was heavier, and I will admit to somewhat liking Murray's work on bass clarinet (in any context) - in fact, quite a bit better than on tenor. His "Ballads for Bass Clarinet" disc is probably my favorite Murray disc, with John Hicks. I like it quite a bit, but don't love it.) Then again, perhaps your "I think Murray is a fake" comment is somehow related to him in some non-Musical way???? I did speak with Murray on two occasions, and found him to be very aloof, and very off-putting. And not "aloof" in the way that I found Wayne Shorter to be (Shorter might be a little spacy to talk with, but you can tell he just thinks about the world in different ways, and that somehow comes across as 'strange' in conversation with him.) But, rather, Murray just struck me as being a bit of a jerk, or at least he seemed like someone that had a chip on his shoulder. I think I've owned about 6 or 8 Murray CD's over the years, but have since traded away all but 2 or 3 of them. PS: One Murray CD that I've thought about trading away, several times in fact, is his disc with all Grateful Dead tunes, arranged for octet. But every time I listen to it, to confirm my not really wanting it any more - I somehow find something to redeem it. (And I'm absolutely *NO* fan of the Dead, so that's NOT the reason.) Yes, Chuck - I'd be really interested if your thoughts somehow jive with some vague but real 'uneasiness' that I've had with Murray's music for several years now. Thanks in advance!!

Oddly enough, I'm not sure I ever knew (at least until now) that "Solid" didn't come out around the time it was recorded. (Or maybe I knew at one time, but then promptly forgot it.) "Solid" is such an *incredible* album, how could it have not come out at the time?????!!!!!!!!! Joe Henderson and James Spaulding - what an *incredible* front line!!!! And so, then, is this cover... one of those by Patrick Roques?? I don't have my "Solid" CD handy (buried in a box somewhere), or I'd check myself. (AMG doesn't list Partrick in the credits for "Solid", but not all of his efforts have been included in every AGM entry, where they could/should be.)

As a side note, haven't I seen the title of this movie frequently translated into English a couple different ways?? My memory tells me "Lift to the Scaffold", or something like that - but I vaguely remember some other "English" title floating around often, as well. Heck, I probably don't even have "Lift to the Scaffold" right, and lord knows I don't a word of French besides a few cuss words!!! PS: Maybe "Elevator to the Gallows"?? or something like that??

Been a while since I've listened to any of Zappa's really complicated Synclavier work. Right now I'm listening to...