Jazz Vinyl: Four For the Money
I mentioned yesterday that there were a bunch of jazz records I was watching on eBay. Here are a few more, starting with: Paul Chambers, Go, VeeJay 1014. This was an original pressing with the maroon label. We don’t often see VeeJay records getting collectible prices, but this one has appeared before in the Jazz Collector Price Guide. The previous top bid was $189. This one sold for $255, in M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. What always excited me about this record was the appearance of Cannonball Adderley as a side man, but the listing highlights Wynton Kelly instead. I guess it worked. The record fetched top dollar. Speaking of Paul Chambers, there is this: Paul Chambers, Whims of Chambers, Blue Note 1534. This is a West 63rd pressing, which makes it a second pressing. Early and nice, and some would even characterize it as an “original” Blue Note, but definitely not a first pressing. I’m always curious to watch the market for these second pressings because they look great and sound great but, for a collector, there’s always the knowledge that, hmmmm, I don’t have an original. This one is in VG+ or VG++ condition for the record, and VG+ for the cover. The price is around $200 and so there there is one bidder, with the auction closing tomorrow.
Here are a couple for the $1,000 bin:
Sonny Clark Trio, Time 70010. This was an original pressing. The record was listed in VG++ condition and the cover was VG+. The price was $1,009.
This one hasn’t officially entered the $1,000 bin yet because the auction is ongoing and, in actuality, it will probably sell for more than $3,000 when all is said and done and all the bids have been placed: Hank Mobley, Blue Note 1568. This is an original pressing without the R, and it looks to be in VG++ or M- condition for the record and probably VG++ for the cover. There’s another day to go and the price is in the $1,800 range.
Aha! Both sides of this 1568 have the same address: 47 West 63rd – NYC. As we’ve seen, the “true” first pressing of 1568 should have 47 West 63rd – New York 23 on side 2.
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I say “true”, because thankfully I still remember THIS extensive comment by Don Lucky, explaining that in a run of merely 600 copies it’s a bit silly to discuss the labels to confirm a “true” first pressing. After all: 1568 has only been pressed once, so EVERY copy of that run is a first pressing. Besides all that, after its initial release in that run of 600 copies, 1568 has never been reissued besides in Japan on both vinyl and CD and in the U.S. by Scorpio (I guess late nineties/early years 2000).
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I would really be surprised if ANYONE can show us a reissue of 1568 on Liberty or United Artists. Don’t show us Japanese or Scorpio 1568 reissues, ’cause we all know of their existence. Show us a reissue of 1568 on either Liberty or United Artists; if they are out there, then I wouldn’t mind bidding on one of those as they’re the oldest reissues that are closest to the original pressing and probably much cheaper 🙂
I am the proud new owner of the Paul Chambers Go…I am missing some of the early VeeJays, including this one…I was happy to find it in great condition from a great seller…
Paul Chamber “Go” is Hell of an album. Congrats Big Bear.
Mattyman,
I agree with everything you say. Except that 1568 was reissued by Classic Records in early 2000s and by Music Matters in 2011 or so in 45 rpm format. I think the copy you have is Scorpio and is interesting to me because it’s clearly in Stereo, and sounds good. I would think that if it was re-channeled it usually sounds bad which always made me wonder if this was recorded in Stereo too. Your copy is the only evidence I’ve ever seen though, all the pressings I have are MONO.
You’re correct, Mike: the Scorpio reissue (nevermind the proverbial bad quality of their pressings, ’cause I enjoy mine) is most definitely stereo. The stereo image is identical to other stereo (or binaural if you want) Blue Notes from that same era, absolutely no ‘electronically re-channeled’ bullcrap. It’s stereo. But what I’m talking about is that we know that 1568 was once released by Blue Note in a run of 600 copies and that it was never reissued after that, not by Blue Note (there are no second or later Blue Note pressings) and also not by Liberty or United Artists. I never saw them being offered on eBay, did any of us ever see one? Of course, we have Japanese reissues, Scorpio, Music Matters, etc, etc. But those are all from much later. I’m just intrigued by why Blue Note has no 2nd or later pressings and why there are no Liberty or UA pressings of 1568. I just don’t get it. What was it with 1568? I mean even on CD 1568 doesn’t exist. It does in Japanese CD reissues, naturally, but it’s never been reissued on CD in the U.S. or Europe; not even as one of those newly remastered RVG editions. WHY is that?
I recall reading a post by Joe Harley (of Music Matters) regarding the stereo tape of 1568 in which he said they evaluated both the mono and stereo tape of this title and found the stereo too primitive and unbalanced so they decided to go with the mono for the 45rpm reissue.
@ Aaron: my comments are not about mono/stereo versions of 1568. Let’s forget about the mono/stereo bit, ’cause it’s dilutes the real subject 😉
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In short: what I’m aiming at is why 1568 has always been such a ‘weird’ thing in the BN catalogue. In short: 1568 was pressed once in one run of 600 copies. After that, BN never released any 2nd or later pressings. Liberty never reissued it, nor did United Artists. BN never reissued it on CD in either the U.S. or Europe, not even as an RVG remaster. We only know of Japanese reissues of 1568 on LP and CD and of course the many, many reissues of 1568 on the known audio file labels like Music Matters and the budget imprint Scorpio. Still those were all from much later eras. So the question remains, sorry if I’m beating this into the ground but I’m hoping for some answers, how come that BN never made 2nd or later pressings and how come that Liberty nor UA ever reissued it? I mean, they have reissued tons of BN titles in the late sixties and throughout the seventies.
One logical answer would be : because 1568 was the poorest seller album from a poor seller artist. After all , Tina Brooks True Blue also was never reissued…Maybe LIberty did not pay any attention on it…It would be interesting to list some records that were never actually released by Liberty. More than 1568 and 4041, i bet…
Sounds reasonable, Michel… At the same time it’s not surprising that 1568 wasn’t a big seller if they only pressed 600 copies. But then again: True Blue has been reissued many times on CD by Blue Note in the U.S. and Europe, including bonus cuts. Not so for 1568. OK, there may be more titles that were never reissued by Liberty or UA, so I get your point. It’s just that I have a few UA reissues from the 1500 series, they really sound great and are quite affordable and a UA reissue of 1568 would still be the closest I could get to the original 1st BN pressing, you see? 🙂
I think it would be great come up with a list of Blue Notes titles where there was only one initial pressing with no 2nd pressings or Liberty/UA reissues. Obviously Japanese pressings and US pressings from the 1980s onward would not qualify. So far we have:
1568
4041
What else?
Not 100% sure but I have never seen any repressings of:
1515 & 1516 Jutta Hipp at the Hickory House vol 1/2
1517 Gil Melle – Patterns in Jazz
1537 Lou Donaldson – Quartet/Quintet/Sextet
1545 Lou Donaldson – Wailing with Lou
1560 Hank Mobley – Hank
1561 Sabu – Palo Congo
1567 Curtis Fuller – The Opener
1574 Hank Mobley – Peckin’ Time
1575 Lee Morgan – City Lights
1583 Curtis Fuller Vol. 3
1587 Bennie Green – Back on the Scene
1590 Lee Morgan – Candy
And then I stopped checking…
I’ve seen Hickory House pressings on UA.
Good list, but there definitely is a Liberty pressing of:
1575 Lee Morgan – City Lights
Fred Jackson : Hootin and Tootin
Bennie Green : Walking nd Talkig
Leo parker : Let me tel you about it
On the 4000 series… (to be continued)
re- the sound quality of “Go” 1st pressing , i would be interested in hearing about this from you guys, i dont have an original. but i have an original “1st bassman” and it could be a lot better, not nearly on a vangelder stamped level….i recently aquired “GO” as a very early cd-pressing, made in japan for a small early usa cd company run out of Hawthorne, CA (!!)- who knows, what generation tape copy these guys got, or how and where in the world they got it, but the SQ is stellar, when the drum solo kicks in it floored me. I really would be interested to know how it is on the original
Thanks for the Liberty/UA overview, guys. I’ll list the few that I have this weekend 😉
In my collection I have the following UA reissues:
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1513: Thad Jones – Detroit/New York Junction
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1524: Kenny Dorham – ‘Round About Midnight at Cafe Bohemia
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1536: J.R. Monterose
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And on LondonJazzCollector you can also find excellent UA posts about Curtis Fuller – Bone & Bari BLP 1572, Louis Smith – Smithville BLP 1594 and Kenny Burrell – At The Five Spot Cafe BLP 4021.
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So the story continues. When certain first pressings are too expensive, some early UA reissues are a good and cheap alternative as some of the UA copies sound really good.
Mattyman, I think we are trying to find Blue Notes that weren’t reissued. I agree that early UA reissues can be excellent as long as they have RVG or Van Gelder in the deadwax. The one that weren’t reissued will be a much shorter list than the ones that were!
I know, Aaron, but by listing titles that were reissued by either Liberty or UA, we also take away any insecurities when someone is in doubt about a certain title. If, for instance, you scroll a few comments up, you’ll find the comment of Paul A. (to which you also replied that there is a Liberty pressing of City Lights), who gives a few good ones that he so far has not seen as a repress, including Fuller’s 1567, and I can now say that there is a UA pressing of Curtis Fuller – The Opener. See it here. I just keep a list with all the titles everyone mentions here and I keep track of the ones that exist as Lib. or UA. That way, slowly but surely, the “100% never reissued by either Lib. or UA” pop up much faster and we have a much more conclusive list that way I think.
Thanks to all, I will take both the Hickory House titles, City Lights and The Opener from the list (special thanks to Mattyman for the link to the interesting pics!).
Michel: by coincidence I saw a Liberty pressing of Walking & Talking in my local record shop (in Amsterdam) last weekend (with a different cover), so it definitely does exist! I have also seen stereo copies of Hootin’ and Tootin’ (without the ear) so that one has been reissued too.
To be continued…