This Jazz Sunday, doing some comparing and contrasting, first up, Dexter Gordon:
Dexter Calling is a good record. Nice swinging hard bop. Killer ensemble. This is, of course, the VMP Ant version and it sounds amazing. Deep quiet stage, nice separation, everything sounds just like you want it to. We all know about the cover. Heavy weight, a little dished. Pricey.
Go! is a masterpiece. One of those records, where it’s not quite the level of ensemble as Calling, but everything gels. This is a 75th anniversary edition. Stage is not as deep, it sounds like a recording. There is slight distortion on the highs and a bit of surface noise through out (nothing detracting from the music but you know ... present.). It’s thin, from a digital master, and flat. Liner notes intact. I bought it for like $9.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, if you are just starting out in Jazz or really on your audiophile journey, the 75th series can usually be had sub $10 and for that price, they are a bargain, especially since the series contains some of the more essential records. This example is admittedly better than others and folks have definitely had their mileage vary, but for $10, I’d rather have Go! than the audiophile version of Calling.