LF: Herb Geller - Fire in the West, Japanese Toshiba CD reissue

[J.A.W.]

I'm looking for the Japanese CD reissue of Herb Geller's Fire in the West, Toshiba TOCJ-5398, in excellent or better condition.

Please PM me if you're selling a copy or know where I can get one. I can pay through PayPal only.

I'm not interested in the Spanish Fresh Sound reissue.

Edited July 25, 2006 by J.A.W.

[J.A.W.]

Up

[J.A.W.]

Up again.

[Head Man]

Hans, did you ever manage to locate a copy of this?

If you did, what's the sound like?

[jazzbo]

There's a newer edition released last year by EMI Japan. In my opinion that one sounds quite nice and it's a good session.

Edited July 24, 2012 by jazzbo

[J.A.W.]

Hans, did you ever manage to locate a copy of this?

If you did, what's the sound like?

Yep, I did, quite a while ago. I haven't listened to it in ages, but if I remember correctly it sounds like many TOCJs from that era and I liked it better than the later reissue Lon is referring to. Your mileage may vary

Edited July 24, 2012 by J.A.W.

[Head Man]

The reason I ask is because I have a copy of the Fresh Sound reissue, the sound of which is pretty poor, and I wondered how the sound of the Japanese reissue compared to that. I don't really want to shell out for a Japanese copy if it doesn't sound any better.

Has anyone heard both reissues and can advise?

[Larry Kart]

IIRC, the original Jubilee LP issue sounded like crap, too. Fresh Sound, however, says that the original issue was on Bel Canto stereo tape, without of course saying if that was the source for their crappy sounding CD. What are the odds that the Toshiba or EMI Japan were working with original tapes? If not, I would guess that there's only so much you can do with filtering/etc. what came out on Jubilee.

[J.A.W.]

I honestly can't remember how good or bad my TOCJ sounded, but, as I said above, I liked it better than the later Japanese reissue. I got rid of the Fresh Sound a long time ago.

Edited July 24, 2012 by J.A.W.

[Head Man]

IIRC, the original Jubilee LP issue sounded like crap, too. Fresh Sound, however, says that the original issue was on Bel Canto stereo tape, without of course saying if that was the source for their crappy sounding CD. What are the odds that the Toshiba or EMI Japan were working with original tapes? If not, I would guess that there's only so much you can do with filtering/etc. what came out on Jubilee.

I'm feeling a bit bruised at the moment because I recently shelled out for a Japanese re-issue of Gigi Gryce's "Reminiscin'" only to find out that it sounded just as bad as the copy I already had on one of those cheapo re-issue labels.

Oh.... remember the days when major labels still reissued jazz music from master tapes?

[jazzbo]

I've had both the Fresh Sound and this new one. The new one is a distinct improvement.

[Big Beat Steve]

I have this LP on a 60s U.K. vinyl pressing (reissue or maybe actually first UK issue?) on the EMI Stateside label (Stateside being one of EMI's (semi-)budget labels AFAIK). Sounds O.K. enough to my ears, quite clear and crisp and certainly not muffled.

But of course I have nothing to compare it with. Now if others say the original Jubilee LP sounded crappy too (was it the fidelity of the session that was crappy or just the pressing quality of the Jubilee vinyl?) I wonder where this EMI Stateside pressing stands. Any impressions by any long-time (U.K.?) collectors?

[JSngry]

I found my copy of the Jubilee issue in 1987 at some off-brand thrift shop in suburban Little Rock (nothing else even remotely like it there, gotta wonder what the story there was...). It's one of those old LPs that was worn in such a way that there is a constant hiss of surface noise, but virtually no pops or crackles. I always thought it sounded kinda good like that, the music is wholly audible and well-balanced and from what y'all are saying, it's probably for the better that it's not a clean copy.

[J.A.W.]

I have this LP on a 60s U.K. vinyl pressing (reissue or maybe actually first UK issue?) on the EMI Stateside label (Stateside being one of EMI's (semi-)budget labels AFAIK).

Stateside was originally a U.K. label, indeed owned by EMI, that issued American recordings, hence the name. It was formed in the 1960s and it's now mainly a reissue label. I had quite a few Stateside LPs back in the 1960s.

Edited July 24, 2012 by J.A.W.

[Tom in RI]

I bought a sealed copy of this lp on Jubilee quite a few years ago, there were bubbles in the pressing (still are, in fact).