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I know that globalization only works for the rich, but it does strike me that what is being imposed on regular customers is not only against the spirit but possibly the letter of NAFTA, GATT, Trans-Pacific Partnership, etc. I mean these are shitty deals for citizens no doubt, but to be squeezed out from any benefits accruing from them (like being able to benefit from small-scale international shipping) just rankles.

Believe me, not disparaging that set, but I do have a lot of Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Stravinsky and even Sibelius. (I've just never been able to get into Bruckner, Mahler or Wagner, though I have them fairly well represented as well.) I'm making a conscious effort to go through the last few sets I ordered to make sure I have listened to everything at least once. This means a fair bit of Isaac Stern and some David Oistrakh. Not such a terrible fate I guess...

holy smokes! that's insane! how awful. You want insane, the price of "international" shipping to Canada is the same as to Europe. Tell me that's fair when it's being trucked up from Seattle or Buffalo or some such place. It used to be $1 more than domestic shipping. Capitalism works .... for the rich. Seriously. NAFTA This, MF'ers. Oddly enough, the flip side is that if you are a Canadian seller (on Amazon.ca) and you (perhaps accidentally) say that you will ship to the States, then the amount Amazon.ca will reimburse you will come fairly close to covering mailing a CD but nowhere near the cost of mailing a book or DVD. I had to stop offering to ship to the States unless it was just a single CD. I can't even make it work for a CD box set.

holy smokes! that's insane! how awful. You want insane, the price of "international" shipping to Canada is the same as to Europe. Tell me that's fair when it's being trucked up from Seattle or Buffalo or some such place. It used to be $1 more than domestic shipping.

I hear that. The number of CDs that I have upgraded just for sonics alone can be counted on approximately one hand (I did get a few Monk and Mingus sets that had duplicates but also filled gaps and supposedly had better sonics). Now I have been tempted more often for bonus tracks, and of these SHM releases, the only ones I am seriously considering are the ones with bonus tracks. I'm sure some people see this perpetual upgrading/enhancement as a good thing, but I just see it as a deadweight. The dead hand of the past and all that. I hear all these upbeat stories about how jazz is more vibrant than ever, etc., etc., and then I see where are companies putting their marketing dollars (presumably matching what is actually selling) and I despair. Ok, ECM and some of the smaller labels are still putting out new product and, less frequently, new artists, but the majors, no way. Well, I could go on, but really what's the point...

I have to say I think I am through collecting the war horses (maybe I just mean the chestnuts), even when done by great conductors. I basically am only going after sets if there is something quite distinctively different (like a lot of the French repertoire which I don't have, or Russians other than Tchaikovsky). I'm sure this really is a great set, but I'm just not going to get around to most of it. However, I will admit that I was intrigued by the Prokofiev 5. I was pretty thrilled to find what should be the performance on this box paired with Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto on this CD from Archipel: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005IMZGUO/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hmm -- it sounds like something I would like. Maybe I should read it in conjunction with reading (or rereading) some Flann O'Brien novels. But probably not in 2014...

Nope. I'm boycotting it. It's so tainted it isn't of any interest to me. Maybe if the IOC Board is completely dismantled and refurbished I'll pay attention again.

Yes, I would prefer a minor league system and getting major athletics out of universities. The problem is that state legislatures have proven over the past 10 years to be such lousy stewards of their systems that this would probably be the last straw. Half of them probably only supply any state funds at all just so they can root for the teams. It's a sad state, but it is what it is. If the unionization thing really took off, the economics are such that these guarantees they are seeking over medical benefits and scholarships would probably force all the non-revenue producing sports to simply shut down.

Just out of curiosity, why not? If they figure they're getting a raw deal, why not band together (they are a team, after all) to try to rectify it? I think the practical logistics will be a problem. What if the players union at some point decides that they will only compete against other unionized teams? I really hate the emphasis many unions have on work rules, and think this would eventually creep in here as well. But mostly despite all the issues involved with being student-athletes, they still are students and I don't think undergraduate students should be in unions, Conversely, if this movement really took off, it would probably at some point doom college sports at smaller universities. And this is something that I would like to see.

There's a lot more over at the Trib. Now they claim they are only interested in shoring up access to medical coverage but also to have more say over scholarship guarantees, which is a pretty huge red flag. I would be awfully surprised if they succeeded, not least of which is that Northwestern is a completely private university. They might have had more success starting this movement at a public university. I generally don't think student players should be unionized, but realize there are plenty of problems with the status quo.

Now that might of interest -- if somebody recommended their favorite 3-5 recordings that are also on emusic.

Quite a few of his books have a humorous twist to them, esp. Maureen Birnbaum: Barbarian Swordsperson. I'd say When Gravity Fails et. al. is his most serious series, which sort of tapped into the whole Neuromancer/Snowcrash cyberpunk world. I might actually save them for last, as I think they are probably his highest achievement.

I don't think I've read this one, though I read a fair bit of his other work. Have you read When Gravity Fails, and then the rest of that Trilogy? I remember liking the first one a lot.

Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil. I have to admit I didn't really think much of this novel. It is totally disorganized, with the point of view skipping around from the clients in this opium den, to the owner, to some of the employees and back. I'm truly astounded that it was shortlisted for the Booker. Anyway, to complement this, I am finally reading de Quincey's Confessions of an English Opium-Eater. This version goes back to the original, punchier 1821 version but then has long sections from the 1856 revision printed at the back.

Made it up here to Canada. Thanks! Lots of listening over the next couple of weeks...

How about some of the instruments that P.D.Q. Bach featured in his various compositions? I'm thinking mostly of the tromboon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tromboon#Tromboon), but there were others just as ill-advised. Re: #10 on this list, I really don't think I want vegetable soup made from the vegetables that musicians have been beating and presumably blowing on and/or through...

In terms of price/CD, this is quite a bargain, but I haven't decided if I am going to bite or not: 51 CDs for under 50 pounds (Sir Colin Davis: RCA Legacy) http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GWE4NQU/ref=s9_simh_gw_p15_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0JK1H0WYA20PB61583NV&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=455344027&pf_rd_i=468294 Looks like quite a lot of Mozart, Brahms, Schubert and Sibelius, mostly symphonies and a few concertos. Vocal pieces, such as arias, requiems and Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, round out the set.

Yeah, I saw that. I figure it will probably come back in stock (at a higher price), but I am a little peeved today.

Leaning towards getting the dl rather than waiting. Can somebody indicate which tracks feature Wilkerson and which feature Cobb? Thanks!

Do you mean you "got" a physical copy, or you got in on the pre-order price? I almost pre-ordered a copy and am kicking myself a bit. On the other hand, sometimes Amazon just cancels pre-orders in these cases where the price and availability change radically. But not always...

I think this is one where I will pass (on the Richter). I just tend to prefer his non-solo work, as well as tending to think that his earlier work with Russian orchestras (on the Russian Classics series) is preferable.

Ricky: This is indeed exciting and I'll definitely be ordering, though probably not pre-ordering. I do have a question about the 1955 Milan material. Everything that was recorded (and saved) is going to be on the set, or only the material that wasn't on the album (I presume Ambassador Satch)? What about anything that was issued from that missing reel? Thanks. Eric

Yours was the first post I saw when I opened up the thread to post my latest reading, Iris Murdoch's "Nuns and Soldiers." A Murdochian coincidence. I read Conradi's bio last year and generally liked it, although I thought it could have used some editing to slim it down. Plus I think he spends too much time on her pre-novel writing days, and too little on the period when she became a novelist. Still, I found it very informative and highly useful to understanding the novels. I've been on an extended traversal of all of Murdoch's novels. I've come to know most of her "moves" but I enjoy reading them quite a bit. I had read a few Murdoch novels in the 60s, but recently read or re-read the first eight. I definitely thought there was a falling off in quality/character in the last two, The Unicorn (1962) and The Italian Girl (1964), so decided at that stage to go no further. However, on reading Conradi's bio I find him agreeing with me, but also praising the novels of what he calls her maturity in the 70s. So I expect to be reading The Sea, The Sea, The Black Prince and A Fairly Honorable Defeat sometime soon. Yes, those last three are quite good, although "The Black Prince" is rather grim (although not without humor); it's her Dostoyevskyan mood it seems. I agree on "The Italian Girl," rather stunted, almost like a novel that failed to develop. I would say my faves so far are "The Philosopher's Pupil," and "The Book and the Brotherhood" (these two late works), and then "A Severed Head," "The Nice and the Good," and "The Bell." I've still got a few left to go though, then maybe re-read some Well, Bill's walk through her books has intrigued me. I decided to get Under the Net (her first) and The Sea, The Sea. I guess this will allow me to judge her early and then mid-career peak to decide if she is an author I wish to follow or not.

I think I'm gonna give this one a pass...