Absurd Sonny Rollins RCA-Victor deal

[colinmce]

This has likely been posted before, but if anyone's interested, the Original Album Classics set containing all of Sonny's RCA output is available for 10 bucks new on Amazon.

I actually didn't know this existed and just picked one up at the record store-- I thought I was getting a deal at $35, but oh well.

link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00...p;condition=new

There are also Monk and Miles versions, but those are far more haphazard.

[colinmce]

I should say all of his RCA albums-- the extra material found on the 6xCD Complete RCA-Victor recordings set is obviously lacking.

[AllenLowe]

good enough for me - I just ordered it -

[Chuck Nessa]

still a great deal

[Tom 1960]

A couple months ago, I purchased this at a local music store for $20. The music is great. Being able to read the liner notes however is impossible. A great example is the back cover of "The Bridge". The print is so tiny and faded, even with my reading glasses on there is no way I can make things out. Good deal though if you want to purchase a bunch of Sonny Rollins releases on the cheap.

[JSngry]

I should say all of his RCA albums-- the extra material found on the 6xCD Complete RCA-Victor recordings set is obviously lacking.

No Now's The Time.

http://www.sonnyrollins.com/cd_view.php?cd_id=38

That's definitely a great deal for waht you get, but somewhere, somehow you gotta have Now's The Time too, I think.

Edited December 4, 2009 by JSngry

[GA Russell]

The price is coming down! I got it last year for Christmas from an Amazon Marketplace retailer. I think the price was $13.99 plus $2.99 shipping.

[mjzee]

Some of those Original Album Classics collections are pretty amazing for the cost.

I picked up the Miles, which has Round About Midnight, Milestones, 1958 Sessions, Miles Ahead and Porgy & Bess, a few weeks ago for $9.50 or so:

Miles

I've been thinking about the George Benson for awhile (Bad Benson, The George Benson Cookbook, It's Uptown, Body Talk and Beyond The Blue Horizon for $9.69):

http://www.amazon.com/Original-Album-Class...ref=pd_sim_m_12

The Ellington's also a great value at $9.55 (contains Ellington Uptown, Such Sweet Thunder, Black Brown & Beige, Anatomy Of A Murder and First Time):

http://www.amazon.com/Original-Album-Class.../ref=pd_sim_m_8

And how about this Jeff Beck for $15.23 (Rough And Ready (1971), Jeff Beck Group (1972), Blow By Blow (1975), Wired (1976) and Jeff Beck Group With Jan Hammer Live (1977)):

http://www.amazon.com/Original-Album-Class.../ref=pd_sim_m_4

Keep in mind that those titles in the series that are at higher prices will, based on experience, come down to these levels eventually.

[colinmce]

I should say all of his RCA albums-- the extra material found on the 6xCD Complete RCA-Victor recordings set is obviously lacking.

No Now's The Time.

http://www.sonnyrollins.com/cd_view.php?cd_id=38

That's definitely a great deal for waht you get, but somewhere, somehow you gotta have Now's The Time too, I think.

Ah, thanks. Hard to keep them all straight as their availability is so sporadic.

[Joe Bip]

I should say all of his RCA albums-- the extra material found on the 6xCD Complete RCA-Victor recordings set is obviously lacking.

However, it looks like this set has four alternate takes missing on the Complete set (which I just recently bought for better or worse but haven't yet received): You Are My Lucky Star, I Could Write a Book, There Will Never Be Another You, and Yesterdays.

I also wonder if they remastered these again since 1997, but even if they did they're probably not too different. I have good vinyl pressings of a couple of these, as well.

[colinmce]

No idea about remastering, but I can say that I listened to Our Man In Jazz and it sounded weirdly good-- Bob Cranshaw was right there.

[JSngry]

However, it looks like this set has four alternate takes missing on the Complete set (which I just recently bought for better or worse but haven't yet received): You Are My Lucky Star, I Could Write a Book, There Will Never Be Another You, and Yesterdays.

What's listed as an alternate of Yesterdays plays as "Brownskin Girl"...that whole Disc 3 track listing is f-ed up - insert "Don't Stop The Carnival" as #2. move everything else down one, and lose that alternate of "Yesterdays". It's not on there.

As for the other three, they were originally on 3 In Jazz, and if the "complete" box leaves them off, then that is a major fuckup. But they're not alternates.

[JSngry]

add that "Don't Stop The Carnival" was not on the original US What's New, but was on a 70s French 2-fer LP reissue, part of a series that put out the original RCA LPs as a series of 2-fers...they did something else weird on that one too...left off "Jungoso" or something...never really figured out why they did that. I had the original LP (found it at a music store right the in Gladewater, that & Goodman in Moscow, talk about unexpected, and at age 15!), then this frence series comes out and I'm all WTF did they do to "What's New"?

I still don't understand.

[Chuck Nessa]

Back in the '60s the Euro version of "What's New" included Don't Stop and omitted another tune (maybe Jungoso).

Edited December 4, 2009 by Chuck Nessa

[JSngry]

ah.

I prefer the American issue.

[mjzee]

I should say all of his RCA albums-- the extra material found on the 6xCD Complete RCA-Victor recordings set is obviously lacking.

However, it looks like this set has four alternate takes missing on the Complete set (which I just recently bought for better or worse but haven't yet received): You Are My Lucky Star, I Could Write a Book, There Will Never Be Another You, and Yesterdays.

All 4 of these are included in the RCA box (assuming the Yesterdays is the version with Coleman Hawkins). The box also has Don't Stop The Carnival and Jungoso.

[clifford_thornton]

When I clicked on the link, they also tried to give me a $44 sourcing fee... oof!

[AndrewHill]

Man, I've been looking for these albums, sans The Bridge, for years so I'm glad to see the bulk of them grouped together in a pretty handsome package.

[RDK]

Glad I already have the old RCA box - one could go broke buying all these deals!

[Joe Bip]

I should say all of his RCA albums-- the extra material found on the 6xCD Complete RCA-Victor recordings set is obviously lacking.

However, it looks like this set has four alternate takes missing on the Complete set (which I just recently bought for better or worse but haven't yet received): You Are My Lucky Star, I Could Write a Book, There Will Never Be Another You, and Yesterdays.

All 4 of these are included in the RCA box (assuming the Yesterdays is the version with Coleman Hawkins). The box also has Don't Stop The Carnival and Jungoso.

According to JSngry, Don't Stop the Carnival is on both. I know Jungoso is listed on the track listings for both. As for the "bonus tracks" (which I supposed were alternates) of "You Are my Lucky Star," "I Could Write a Book," and "There Will Never Be Another You" on Disc 2 of Original album classics. According to the track runtimes listed at Barnes and Noble they are all almost exactly the same length as the tracks on Disc 4, so I guess this confirms what JSngry said: they're not alternates and they just repeated the same takes. It seems like a pretty sloppy release but undeniably a good value.

[Noj]

I couldn't resist and ordered the Rollins, Ellington, and Beck. I'll have a copy of Such Sweet Thunder up for trade soon, although I'm not sure I'll find anyone in this crowd who doesn't have it.

[jazzbo]

Those are great Ellington albums, you'll enjoy them.

I've bought the McLaughlin and Weather Report boxes. I had earlier cd copies of most of the Weather Report, and none of the McLaughlin (old vinyl copies though). Great value.

[king ubu]

I'm a bit confused about Sangrey's posts above...I have the 90s 6 CD box (black, similar design to the metal spine Miles boxes, but no metal spine).

Disc 3 there is "Our Man in Jazz" (#1-3) and the three tracks from "3 for Jazz" (#4-6).

"Don't Stop the Carnival" is on disc 1 (#7, #1-5 are "The Bridge", with #6 the sessions for "Our Man in Jazz" begin).

"Brown Skin Girl" is on disc 2 (#4), and there's no alternate of "Yesterdays" listed. In fact, the only "Yesterdays" there is is from the "Sonny Meets Hawk" album (which is #1-6 on disc 4).

[king ubu]

So are there different versions of the box around?

And as to the "debate" on alternate takes and outtakes etc: there's some pretty good stuff on those other albums (The Alternative Sonny Rollins"), including a "52nd Street Theme" clocking in at just under a quarter of an hour, and an almost 13 minute version of "Trav'lin Light"!

[mjzee]

So are there different versions of the box around?

And as to the "debate" on alternate takes and outtakes etc: there's some pretty good stuff on those other albums (The Alternative Sonny Rollins"), including a "52nd Street Theme" clocking in at just under a quarter of an hour, and an almost 13 minute version of "Trav'lin Light"!

I think what some here are calling "The Box" is the Original Album Classics 5-disc set mentioned at the beginning of the thread; it does come in a box-like sleeve. Others are comparing that to the '90's 6-CD box.

The challenge with the Original Album Classics releases, based on my experience with the Miles and Monk sets, is that the individual discs are in mini-replicas of the original LP covers, but the discs themselves are the latest remastered versions, with alternate takes and additional songs included. There are no mention of these extras on the LP covers, but they are mentioned on the outer box. But those listings are, perhaps, sometimes not correct.