wmeugene
Well-Known Member
That is why I stopped order from Amazon UK and absolutely will not order from Europe unless I have no choice. My warp rate on records from Europe is something like 90% and I blame the Trans-Atlantic journey for that.
Vinyl Me Please Anthology
- Thread starter mdmost
- Start date
Selaws
Well-Known Member
I have been listening to the XFM tapes on loop for around 5-years solid now (literally listen to at least 2-3 episodes everyday at work and there was a hilarious episode where Ricky and Steve try to come up with the best heavy metal band names. Some of the highlights were Humanity Manatee, Deathlyhem, Brain Hammer.....
Bloodlemons
Well-Known Member
I am starting to struggle with the idea of cancelling the Herbie box order. I realized that I already have Takin' Off (and Inventions & Dimensions) BN80/KPG pressings and, honestly, they sound great, and were very affordable. It seems like I could add a handful of carefully-chosen later titles and be pretty happy. Is there anything specific to the Anthology box that I won't be able to get elsewhere/later? And, if so, is that unobtainium likely to be that important to someone who didn't even remember he already had two Hancock albums in the stacks?
agutierrezb
Well-Known Member
I would say the only BIG get is Maiden Vogaye, which hasn't had a widely available quality reissue in a while. I believe 1+1 is a first time on vinyl, but it is far from his most essential or interesting album. I'd say you can get a pretty solid Herbie fix elsewhere, maybe even scoring a Japanese pressing of Maiden Voyage
TCell
Well-Known Member
I'm in the same predicament.
Maiden Voyage - All the audiophile reissues (Analogue Productions, Music Matter) are OOP and super expensive. One would think this will get another high end reissue at some point, but who know when.
Piano - First vinyl reissue. This album is the hidden jewel in this set.
Live Under the Sky - First Vinyl reissue. Great live set from VSOP.
1+1 - First time on vinyl. Non-essential.
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Bloodlemons
Well-Known Member
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
@Mather - I spun the MOV Thrust today, and around three days ago and can recommend it! I did a good comparison though to make sure I could recommend the pressing! I recalled you saying you think the MOV Miles Davis Live / Evil pressing sounds great, and as I had that too, I wanted to compare it to the MOV thrust and the MOV pressings of Still Bill and +judgments, which I assume you have! I know you have Crossings too, so listened to that a few times as well, so I can compare!
I like the remaster MOV did for Thrust - it’s got great separation and sounds clean, even though it lacks a bit of dynamics and sounds a tiny bit digital! It sounds great loud and overall it’s clean, fun and you can hear the link below that the separation is great. The maracas for example really sound like they are being played in the room!
The Miles Davis’ Love / Evil MOV pressing does sound very good, and I think sounds just as good, if not, a little bit better than the Speakers Corner pressing for Man-Child! The Live / Evil MOV pressing is really dynamic, has great separation and is loud! The pressing sounds a bit bright/hot, but in a good way - the saxophone sounds killer on that pressing! The Speakers Corner pressing for Crossings is a tiny bit better than the MOV pressing for Live / Evil: which shows how strong that Miles Davis MOV pressing is!
The Miles Davis Kind Of Blue MOV pressing is absolutely superb too! I think I like it just as much as the MoFi Kind of Blue, if not, a little bit more as the remaster sounds extraordinary!
The MOV Still Bill and +Justments both sounds good and is on the same level as Thrust. They all sound clean, clear and sound good loud but lack a bit of dynamics, just like you’ve mentioned with a lot of MOV pressings! If you like the MOV pressing for Still Bill, which I do, then get Thrust. The Speakers Corner for Bill Withers’ Just As I Am is better than the MOV pressings for Still Bill and +justments and better than the Speakers Corner pressing of Man-Child! The Speakers Corner pressing for Just As I Am is very much on the same level as the Speakers Corner pressing for Crossings; both sound excellent, clear and really jump out of the speakers; you can really feel the instrumentation on those pressings!
Here is a picture below of how I listened to the pressings and compared, so I could get a good overview of how strong the pressing for Thrust really is;
The Analogue Productions pressing for Head Hunters was better than Just As I Am and Crossings. I gave that a listen back to back with Thrust too, just as they are both fusion Herbie Hancock albums!
I like the remaster MOV did for Thrust - it’s got great separation and sounds clean, even though it lacks a bit of dynamics and sounds a tiny bit digital! It sounds great loud and overall it’s clean, fun and you can hear the link below that the separation is great. The maracas for example really sound like they are being played in the room!
The Miles Davis’ Love / Evil MOV pressing does sound very good, and I think sounds just as good, if not, a little bit better than the Speakers Corner pressing for Man-Child! The Live / Evil MOV pressing is really dynamic, has great separation and is loud! The pressing sounds a bit bright/hot, but in a good way - the saxophone sounds killer on that pressing! The Speakers Corner pressing for Crossings is a tiny bit better than the MOV pressing for Live / Evil: which shows how strong that Miles Davis MOV pressing is!
The Miles Davis Kind Of Blue MOV pressing is absolutely superb too! I think I like it just as much as the MoFi Kind of Blue, if not, a little bit more as the remaster sounds extraordinary!
The MOV Still Bill and +Justments both sounds good and is on the same level as Thrust. They all sound clean, clear and sound good loud but lack a bit of dynamics, just like you’ve mentioned with a lot of MOV pressings! If you like the MOV pressing for Still Bill, which I do, then get Thrust. The Speakers Corner for Bill Withers’ Just As I Am is better than the MOV pressings for Still Bill and +justments and better than the Speakers Corner pressing of Man-Child! The Speakers Corner pressing for Just As I Am is very much on the same level as the Speakers Corner pressing for Crossings; both sound excellent, clear and really jump out of the speakers; you can really feel the instrumentation on those pressings!
Here is a picture below of how I listened to the pressings and compared, so I could get a good overview of how strong the pressing for Thrust really is;
The Analogue Productions pressing for Head Hunters was better than Just As I Am and Crossings. I gave that a listen back to back with Thrust too, just as they are both fusion Herbie Hancock albums!
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
Here are some videos so you can hear it all @Mather and see:
Thrust:
Thrust #2:
Man-Child:
Head Hunters:
Live / Evil:
I would give the MOV Thrust (and MOV Still Bill & +justments) pressing a 7.5/10,
I would give the Speakers Corner pressing for Man-Child an 8.5/10
The Speakers Corner pressing for Crossings and Just As I Am a 9.3/10
The Miles Davis MOV pressing for Live / Evil a 9/10
Finally, AP pressing Head Hunters a 10/10
Thrust:
Thrust #2:
Man-Child:
Head Hunters:
Live / Evil:
I would give the MOV Thrust (and MOV Still Bill & +justments) pressing a 7.5/10,
I would give the Speakers Corner pressing for Man-Child an 8.5/10
The Speakers Corner pressing for Crossings and Just As I Am a 9.3/10
The Miles Davis MOV pressing for Live / Evil a 9/10
Finally, AP pressing Head Hunters a 10/10
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
What do you think @Mather ? Gonna grab the MOV Thrust for a good price or wait until it gets a really quality pressing by the likes of Analogue Productions or Speakers Corner? It can’t be an Acoustic Sounds reissue or Time Poet reissue as it’s a Columbia release! Not sure when it will get a really high quality pressing, but the MOV pressing does sound nice! Like I enjoyed it and I think MOV did a great job with the remaster, even if it’s quite digital sounding!
Selaws
Well-Known Member
Nice review buddy!
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
Thank you, I wanted to go a bit more into detail about some of the pressings but I already wrote an essay! I thought it would've been too much to read! I still low-key really want to get that Herbie Hancock Anthology Boxset! I actually listened to The Piano again recently and it's a stunning - it's a very unfolding and beautiful album that really sees Herbie flourish and bloom with his paint playing! It's a huge get for the boxset! And I do really enjoy Rivers: The Joni Letters too! And Future Shock is wonderful as well, as is the live album included on it!
I really hope the pressings are quiet for this Boxset! My instincts say that the pressings will sound really, really good for this Anthology, but I can't fully trust GZ, even though I think the pressings will be quiet. I couldn't even purchase that Bill Evans Some Other Time boxset after reviewers on Discogs were saying their pressings were noisy and that RSD release was pressed at RTI !!!
Selaws
Well-Known Member
Interesting what you said about the Bill Evans release. I recently had a replacement for their Bill Evans in England lp and decided to play once before cleaning and again after. There were a few pops on the first play (which looks to be the issue with the Some Other Time) but after a clean they completely disappear.
I personally love the Resonance records releases but a lot of people comment on the recording quality being average (the Bill Evans Top Of The Gate is a prime example). By their very nature these recordings are almost always amateur recordings of previously unheard sessions. They were not recorded in a top of the range studio, they were mostly recorded in a club with a live audience. They should be seen as historic artefacts as far as I am concerned, and an opportunity to hear the musicians in a set-up or era which only has limited recordings elsewhere. With all that being said, they are far from 'poor' recordings anyway. Im always surprised when I hear them, they are great imo.
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I think I'm going to grab the Bill Evans Some Other Time release as the music on that release is wonderful! I just really want to get that Pro-Ject record cleaning machine you have first, as that's a complete game-changer! That's probably why the pops went away when you have Bill Evans in England a clean - because you're using a top quality record cleaning machine with a very nice built-in vacuum!
I just got a letter from one of my Super accounts that I had AUD$470 left and I had no idea, and when I made an account, turns out that I have AUD$850 because I got a bonus AUD$400 for having a low super income! I've applied to take out that money and if it gets approved that I can have the money in my bank account, I'll be buying that record cleaning machine + the Bill Evans RSD release!
Definitely agree with you in reference to how the performances were captured on tape during those sessions - it really is like a historic artefact! That's how I view the Charlie Parker RSD release that came out last month! I was a bit disappointed with the sound quality but it's because of how the recording was captured/the setting! I see it more like a historic artefact! Same goes for the Big Bill Broonzy live in Nottingham 1957 - vinyl sounds a bit rough but I really enjoy it and It is like a piece of history on slab! Love it!
Rowan
Well-Known Member
I ordered it. I've been streaming The Piano if not daily then every other day since I first played it about a week ago and that pretty much swung it for me. At the end of the day, you know, fuck it. We're all morons really
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
♥
Mather
Unknown Member
Hey great reviews there Nathan, thanks for doing that. Yeah your recordings of Thrust and Man-Child both sound really nice I think you've convinced me to give those pressings a go. Do you have Mwandishi yet? That's the other one I was looking at. I have the AP 33 Head Hunters and it's incredible, so no surprise on that one. I do think I'll likely pick up the 45 of it eventually. If I find it for a good price... Well done though, solid comparison review. Cheers!
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NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
Yeah, they are nice pressings! And that’s with an Elys 2 Cartridge; which is not a great cartridge! Looking forward to spinning all the Herbie fusion albums with a more higher quality cartridge!
I’ll definitely be grabbing the AP 45RPM Head Hunters as I know it will be an improvement over the AP 33RPM; even though the 33RPM sounds great!
No, I don’t have Mwandishi! It’s a great album but if there were more Herbie Hancock albums I was going to get in the future, it would be Sextant, Secrets and Sunlight. Sextant isn’t Herbie fusion but I love that album so much and Secrets and Sunlight are just funky albums that have that acid jazz-Funk flavour I really like!
duke86fan
Well-Known Member
probably get that exact before you buy that headhunters. you already have the 33 so waiting a little while (or a good while seeing as international shipping is the worst thing) for the 45
NathanRicaud
Well-Known Member
100%! I plan on getting the Rega Exact MM Cartridge really soon! It’s more than double the price of the Elys 2 cartridge, so I expect the Rega Exact MM cartridge to be amazing in comparison!
After I purchase that, and a record cleaning machine, I’ll be very happy with my overall system/way of maintaining records! I don’t have the best speakers, but am happy with them, especially for a small room like mine! The mini bookshelf stands the speakers are on further help isolate the sound and I think they pair nicely up with my Rega Brio amp!
marshall
Well-Known Member
Secrets is great and clean originals are cheap. Sound great too.