Teasing the Korean

Well, I haven't actively searched for LPs in about 6 years, since we moved. But for about 25 years, I routinely scoured record stores, thrift stores, flea markets, and yard sales, primarily on the East Coast, but also in other cities, for second-hand vinyl. Over those years, I would search for various genres - basically anything except rock, folk, or country. This would include jazz, pseudo-jazz, jazz vocals, jazzy pop vocals, classical, film scores, Latin, Brazilian, soul, R&B, funk, crime jazz, spy, French pop, Moog, sitar, exotica, oddball instrumental. Probably others I've forgotten. I haven't been on a quest to assemble a complete Decca collection. The point of this post is that, based on things I know they released that would interest me, I have for 25 years come across far less of it than I would similar sorts of releases by contemporaneous labels such as Capitol, Columbia, and RCA. Really talking about Decca releases from the 1950s and 60s, as their 1970s albums pop up more in my experience. I mentioned several specific Decca things from this era in my original post. But there are others I didn't mention, like George Russell, for starters. These were just examples. I realize this is all anecdotal, but it sure feels like there is a pattern with Decca from that period.

Well, and a lot of them are hard to find now, at least in the cities I've lived and/or visited. Compared to used copies of artists on Columbia, Capitol, and RCA.

Yeah, that's what I have. It's your best bet, especially if you are in London. Also, I had a typo. The Private Hell album was a 10". They added the 4 tracks to make it a 12".

Bob & Barbara's on South Street is a neighborhood bar that time forgot. The often have an organ trio. Worth going for a combination of the atmosphere and music. https://www.bobandbarbaras.com/menu

If you like stuff like this, then yes. Private Hell 36 was a noir scored by Stevens. The "soundtrack" album - it was probably a re-record, as was typical - was on a mono Coral 10". For the Jazz Themes for Cops and Robbers 12" LP, they added four more tracks, stuff like "Peter Gunn." The four new tracks, IIRC, are stereo. They made the mono Private Hell 36 stereo by running the mono signal down the center and overdubbing bongos and vibes, panned left and right. If you have the Rhino Crime Jazz CDs, you may already know this track. Decca's releases in the aggregate seem very conservative compared to what Capitol, Columbia, and RCA were releasing in the 1950s and 60s. There were of course some gems along the way, like the two George Russell LPs. The scarcity of these albums is exacerbated by the fact that most of this stuff probably perished in the Universal fire, if MCA hadn't already thrown out a lot of stuff in the 1970s.

Yes, US Decca, Coral, and Brunswick, the latter of which had a faint presence in the US as part of Decca during the LP era. I have a few things on Coral, such as Manny Albam's West Side Story and Steve Allen's Music for Influentials. I also have a Euro reissue of Leith Stevens's Jazz Themes for Cops and Robbers, which was an expanded version of his 10" album Private Hell 36. But not much more than that. Yes, especially the double Greatest Hits albums, which were then reissued by MCA in the 70s (on horrible pressings, incidentally).

I'm really talking about finding used copies. Granted, the longer something stays in print, the more likely you are to find a second-hand copy later. I generally don't run across used copies of Decca LPs with the frequency I find things that were on Capitol, RCA, Liberty, Columbia, and other labels, in the cities I've lived or visited. Part of it may that Decca probably had fewer things that would appeal to me. If I were looking for country music or Lenny Dee, I may feel differently.

I do occasionally see Decca country stuff, but I never ran across Decca's pop or jazz stuff anywhere near to the degree as that of Decca's contemporaries. Maybe I happened to be in the wrong places at the wrong time.

As I mentioned earlier, his dope 1969 Blue Thumb LP A Bad Donato is amazing. Here is the whole album.

Spurred by @mjazzg's recent post about Quartette Tres Bien, I ask: Did US Decca have terrible distribution in the 1950s and 1960s? Over many decades of record hunting, I find that Decca releases from this period, compared to those from other major labels, are very scarce. For example, I almost never see Sammy Davis's Decca albums, at any price. I have only two albums by Quartette Tres Bien, but if they had been on, say, Capitol, I'm sure I would have their entire catalog by now (and probably for cheap dough). I rarely see Peggy Lee albums on Decca, and I never see any of the three Gene Rains albums. (Rains was Decca's answer to Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman, and is IMO better than both.) About 20 years ago, I miraculously found, for a dollar, a pristine copy of Dave Pike's Manhattan Latin. I have never stumbled upon another at any price, before or since. I am curious to hear about others' experience with finding US Decca LPs from this period, and would love to know if there is any hard evidence that their distribution was lacking.

I have two of their albums! A variation on the ubiquitous 1950s-60s piano trio format by adding bongos. I would have all of them if I can find them, but that is a topic for another thread. (Don't miss my upcoming Decca thread!)

Ask @JSngry or @Larry Kart.

RIP. A Bad Donato on Blue Thumb is his masterpiece. Love his tune "Amazonas." @Rabshakeh This should be moved to the artists forum before it sinks without a trace.

I had first seen Blow-Up because of Herbie Hancock and Yardbirds involvement. It quickly became a favorite film for other reasons. I don't think I was aware of Jane Birkin during the first few viewings.

Tonight's dinner music: Julie London - About the Blues (Liberty, mono) Arrangements by The Great Russ Garcia.

Yes. You once previously mis-characterized me as a Barry fan. The only scores I like by him are his Connery-era Bond scores, The Ipcress File, and The Knack. I find his music overall to be boring. There must be 50 film/TV composers I prefer over Barry. Now, if you want to talk about someone worthwhile that Jane Birkin was married to, you should be talking about The Great SERGE GAINSBOURG.

I have also found pristine vintage covers with a trashed LP inside, and placed a clean reissue LP inside of the vintage cover. Some record collectors bristle at the thought of this, but I don't care.

Bro is a foody, so he is your man. Hang tight. If you are in Fishtown, both of those record stores are worth going to. I found LPs and CDs at both in recentish years.

The Passayunk store is Beautiful World Syndicate. The Fishtown stores are Phila Record Exchange and Milkcrate Cafe (also a coffee shop). Also Brewerytown Beats in Brewerytown, especially if you are into soul and R&B.

Serge & Jane - Histoire de Melodie Nelson RIP Jane.

My brother lives there, and I will ask for an update. When I was last there, pre-pandemic, the best stores were in Fishtown, easily accessible from the El (Market-Frankfurt line). @felser can help too.

The ignorance in Florida is appalling.

Based on her appearance and manner of conversation during the exchange, I did not get that impression at all. Unless she is part of a youth squad being trained to out others. Maybe someone deliberately placed the book there to ferret out the unmutuals!

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/16/culture/jane-birkin-dead-intl/index.html

I've seen it, but I've never heard it either. You can listen to her vocal on "New York's My Home" from "Manhattan Tower" and decide how much of a "blues" singer she is.