The Blue Note Thread
- Thread starter stpaulbrowns
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Slimwhit33
Well-Known Member
Just picked up this Blue Note box set to wet my CD appetite a bit. 
jamieanderson1968
ninniest jackaninny
Damn I think the video is longer than the album is
jamieanderson1968
ninniest jackaninny
He shelves his records in chronological order!?! Not sure what to think of that
Selaws
Well-Known Member
I haven't watched the video, but is it chronological with mixed artists? I arrange mine by artist with their discography in chronological order, but I assume most people do that?
With Blue Notes and a few others (Impulse, Steeplechase, Enja) I go with catalogue number.
jamieanderson1968
ninniest jackaninny
With mixed artists, across labels it seems. So in the 1966 section would have Miles Davis beside John Coltrane beside Stanley Turrentine
avecigrec
Well-Known Member
Psychopath.
He obviously has far too much time on his hands.
(One day I might get mine arranged alphabetically after my last move.)
My copy arrived today, so I can actually listen to the album, probably in half the time it took to watch the video
jamieanderson1968
ninniest jackaninny
It is a great album. His review is actually quite interesting, I was half listening while making dinner last night.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
Not sure if this was brought up or not here recently, but Blue Note Review vol 2 seems to be in stock at the BN site:
account.bluenotereview.com
not sure if it was ever sold out but i know some people were trying to find a copy.
Blue Note Review: Volume Two - Blue Note Review
Already a Member? Click here to login. New Members: You are becoming a member of Blue Note Review. Your credit card will be charged today for Volume 2 and you will receive an email with tracking information once your Blue Note Review ships. As a member of Blue Note Review, you will be the first...
account.bluenotereview.com
not sure if it was ever sold out but i know some people were trying to find a copy.
jamieanderson1968
ninniest jackaninny
I would really consider them the first Tone Poets. Harley, KPG, RTI, the whole deal except for gatefolds (which not all TPs have anyways).
uvwxVinyl
Well-Known Member
Something I'm curious to hear opinions on is the RVG sound vs the new mastering from Cohearent (Boom Boom).
I remember on the old forum there was an opinion that went around that modern reissues could never live up to the OG RVG first pressings. This was before the Tone Poet series existed, so the benchmark would have been against the MM/AP pressings.
I understand the collector's value of a first pressing but listening to the Tone Poets/BN80/Classic I find it hard to believe an original can top this for sound quality. The price point is just amazing as well.
I personally feel really fortunate to have been able to build up a great collection of AAA blue note records without having to spend more than 30€ on a single record.
I remember on the old forum there was an opinion that went around that modern reissues could never live up to the OG RVG first pressings. This was before the Tone Poet series existed, so the benchmark would have been against the MM/AP pressings.
I understand the collector's value of a first pressing but listening to the Tone Poets/BN80/Classic I find it hard to believe an original can top this for sound quality. The price point is just amazing as well.
I personally feel really fortunate to have been able to build up a great collection of AAA blue note records without having to spend more than 30€ on a single record.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
It's a bit like comparing apples to oranges if price factors into it. I'd have to think that the Tone Poets win over everything....you're not likely to find NM original pressings for $40 and under.
The BN pressings I really love are the japanese "From The Original Master Tapes" Series. Not sure if they are digital or analogue...nobody seems to want to answer the question. But KG cut a lot of them and they are mono. They sound incredible. The attention to detail is pretty great as well--deep grooves, flat edge, beautiful jackets. Sadly they are very very expensive now and I think I read they only made 1,000 of each pressing. I really regret not picking up more when I had the chance before the prices exploded. A buddy of mine has listened to some RVG originals versus the same titles in the FTOMT series and prefers the japanese pressings.
The great thing about the OGs though is that you can get a pretty beat up looking copy and it will still sound great. They were cut pretty hot from my understanding and it's rare that the surface noise is heard above the music in my experience. So I'm not shy about buying OG Blue Notes if they are cheaper and marked as "G+ or VG".
Selaws
Well-Known Member
I agree, for quite a while nothing really met up to the original RVG pressings in my opinion (although there were likely to be exceptions to the rule).
When it comes to comparing OG’s with the likes of the Tone Poets I think it’s got to the point where rather than comparing which is better in terms of quality, it’s now a case of comparing different elements. I.e. rather than “the OG sounds so much better” it’s now “the drums on the OG have that bit more of a snap” or “the separation on the Tone Poet sounds more clear” etc.
For what it’s worth, I always aim for the OG’s unless there is a known issue with them because I like the idea that it’s what the musicians and engineer heard at the time of their release and, presumably, what they wanted the album to sound like.
It's not a case of modern reissues can't live up to originals. It's simply that they never can be, will be or should be equal to originals.
The equipment used today to cut lacquers is often better. Certainly the tape playback equipment is.
Today's reissues are not limited by the playback equipment or range of uses back in the day. That means they can be cut with wider dynamic range, a wider soundstage, and less high and low cutoff.
Original Van Gelder BNs sound fantastic. Rich, punchy, exciting, and white hot.
The whole idea of the MM series, continued in the TP series, was to pay tribute to RVG by taking his fantastic master tapes and giving them the best possible representation possible TODAY. Without limiting, hard frequency limiting, and any of the other compromises RVG had to make back in the day. They are an interpretation that represent what the potential of those tapes can achieve.
The AP BN series is not IMO the best representation of the tapes. Hoffman formula.
So, the short answer is that an original cannot beat a MM or TP for sonics, assuming the master tape is in perfect condition. But an original is what RVG did with those tapes directly, and so has authenticity and history going for it.
uvwxVinyl
Well-Known Member
I don't have any OGs and probably never will go out of my way to look for one as long they keep up the great work on the reissue campaigns. I'm curious though for those who have a few RVG albums and have compared to the modern ones - how close is the representation by KPG. I expect that he's a fan of RVG as for his new label I was reading that he's acquired a house with similar "acoustic properties" as the one RVG uses to do many of the BN recordings.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
In most cases, he's not really trying to mimic the RVG original pressings. He's more cutting to what the label wants. It's why the AP sounds different from the BN Classic which sounds different to the Music Matters even though he worked on all 3.