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Analogue Productions announces May 21st release of ultimate Kind Of Blue LP

What makes this version the ultimate Kind Of Blue?

- Source is the 3-track master tape.

- The three songs recorded at a slightly incorrect speed (the multi-track recorder, unbeknownst to the recording engineer, was running slow!) have been speed-corrected. The speed issue was not noticed until Classic Records did their release of the album, back in the 1990’s. All pressings prior to that have the three songs playing slightly out-of-tune!

- Mastering done by Bernie Grundman.

- Analogue productions owner Chad Kassem acquired the rights to the UHQR name and process from MoFi awhile back. This LP is manufactured in the UHQR fashion at QRP, each LP being 200 grams of Clarity vinyl. Clarity vinyl LP’s have a opaque milky white appearance, the vinyl being 100% free of the carbon element in non-Clarity vinyl. The quietest LP’s in the history of LP manufacturing. The LP pressing cycle is a very long (by LP manufacturing standards) 1.5-2 minutes, allowing the warm vinyl to cool before being removed from the press. That time minimizes the chance of warped LP's.

- The album is a single disc that plays at 33-1/3. Hallelujah! I think breaking up an LP side into two halves destroys the flow of the music as it was meant to be heard. I prefer to sacrifice the small increase in sound quality that 45 RPM affords to keep the music intact.

- The LP is packaged in a deluxe box (each copy numbered), with a booklet containing historical information about the album.

The album is limited to 25,000 copies worldwide. MoFi’s 1-Step pressing of Carole King’s Tapestry album, announced a coupla months ago at a retail price of $125.00, has sold out prior to release date. Kind Of Blue is a much more sacred album in the minds of many music lovers, so if you are interested in this new AP pressing of the album, I wouldn’t wait too long to order it. It is listed on the Acoustic Sounds and Music Direct websites, but not on Elusive Disc.
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bdp24's avatar
bdp24 OP
9,788 posts
 
@perkri: Amen, brother! Seems like there’s nothing a person can say that won’t elicit an argument from someone.

As audioquest4life says above, the panel discussion on YouTube today was just great. In it Chad Kassem was asked how many of the 25,000 copies of his KOB have already been purchased. The answer was 16,000, in two days! At this rate, they’ll all be gone in a few days. As Chad says, buy now or cry later.

The Clarity vinyl being used for all the UHQR releases is the way forward for audiophile pressings. If you watch the panel discussion video on YouTube (just do a search for "45 RPM Audiophile"), you’ll learn why. You'll also get the answer as to why standard original record company LP pressings vary so much sample-to-sample in sound quality. The guys on the panel are experts in the field, Bernie Grundman being a mastering engineer for over fifty years.
perkri
907 posts
 
@bdp24 

So true! I don't know any audiophiles who "show off" their gear or records to anyone. They share what they have with joy!


simao's avatar
simao
1,819 posts
 
Look, I have several vinyl copies of KOB, including a 1959 OP with only several clicks and pops here and there. I get the idea of a re-release with better sonics, trust me. But this is nothing but a cash grab for a select audience. And yes, unfortunately, many of the audiophiles I’ve met have used music to show off their system rather than vice versa; The acquisition of gear trump’s the enjoyment of music on that gear.


I’m sorry to come across as negative, whenever I see another re-release with limited availability, packaged with artwork and more liner notes, etc, I cant help it think that this is geared towards a well healed niche audience.


And I get it, if that’s the case, then so be it. But now you see why this is a graying hobby. The people who can afford to shell out triple figures on such an audio experience tend to be older and more insular. No wonder the younger audience, millennials and below, dive toward streaming.


Anyhow, I'm sorry to come and crap in the corn flakes in this discussion. I mean no disrespect to people who are looking forward to this release. And maybe, if I ever got it, and heard it, I would feel differently.
perkri
907 posts
 
@simao 

Thanks for that brother! My comment was not directed at you specifically, but rather the constant poo pooing by so many on this forum.

I'm not a fan of consumerist culture myself. I didn't design this system, but have to live within it. 

And when there is something produced that I can enjoy, I get excited about it, others motivations are of little consequence to me.

Didn't feel like you crapped in my cornflakes. Perhaps denied a sprinkling of sugar, but I shouldn't have the sugar anyway...
bdp24's avatar
bdp24 OP
9,788 posts
 
When it comes to audiophile reissue pricing: some of the reissues sell for less than a mint copy of an original. The Electric Recording Company titles, though THE most limited (sometimes only one hindered copies of a title are produced), are often reissues of LP's that are all-but-impossible to find, and when you do find them their prices run into the thousands. OF COURSE premium audiophile reissues are not for the average person. Neither is a high end audio system.
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