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Blue Note reissues

I became a serious vinyl convert less than a year ago and ever since have been buying records regularly to enlarge my collection. I listen almost exclusively to jazz and buy new reissues of jazz releases, most of them on Blue Note, but also Prestige, Riverside and Columbia.

To say that I am disappointed by the quality of the vinyl is an understatement. Virtually every record is warped, which I can live with, reluctantly. A bigger problem is the distortion that becomes more and more prevalent on reissues. It's a short buzzing sound, which sounds kind of like the sound of lost airwaves on the radio but higher in pitch. I know it's not my cart as I have records that sound perfect, and it's in the the same spot on faulty records so it must be a quality issue with transfer and manufacture.
I also own quite a few used original pressings or old reissues and none of them have a similar defect, which leads me to believe that it is a current problem with quality control. It is extremely frustrating as I've spent thousands of dollars on my rig and record cleaning machine only to spin warped records that sound distorted.

I know this topic has been discussed many times here on A-gon but I would actually like to do something about it. I know many designers and manufacturers read the forum, but it seems not record companies' reps as it's not getting any better. As a community of many thousands who pay a lot of money to indulge in our hobby and passion, I think we should be able to exert some level of pressure on companies like Blue Note to release products of high quality. I'm open to ideas and suggestions. Where I could, I emailed the record company, but Blue Note for example has not contact info at all. Also, I'm afraid single emails won't do much.
actusreus
dopogue
1,773 posts
 
I've bought quite a few of these, including at least a dozen 45 rpm Blue Note reissues from Acoustic Sounds and Music Matters, and NEVER experienced this problem with any of them. A few are not the sonic equals of the original pressings, presumably because of tape deterioration, but that's the limit of my personal dissatisfaction. Am I that lucky?

I don't see any point in trying to "pressure" the present-day Blue Note, since the only thing the present company has in common with the original one is the name on the label. But good luck.
dan_ed
2,451 posts
 
Well, good luck with your crusade against the pressings. I do sympathize but we've all be dealing with the reissues for years and many of us have given up on the majority of them. Vote with your dollar and don't give them any more business.

One series I can recommend is the Music Matters Blue Note reissues. I was an early subscriber and still continue to enjoy every release from them. They are more expensive at $50, but that is heavier vinyl and 45 rpm. It is really not such a bad price if you have tried to score quality, original jazz pressings. The jackets are of excellent quality and display some of the best photography I have ever seen on a record jacket. You won't find any of the major hits in this series but it is a collection of solid jazz from the Blue Note library.
rccc
216 posts
 
I second the Music Matters recommendation. I still buy other reissues and return them if their quality is not up to snuff. If enough product is returned the manufacturers will get the message.
actusreus OP
733 posts
 
The stuff that I buy is usually $10 for a record and since I don't have a lot of records, it is very attractive to me, rather than $30 180 gr "audiophile" releases. And it has become so prevalent that I just find it very difficult to ignore. Almost every record I buy has at least one tune where you can hear half a second buzz and it's warped on the outside so that the clamp on my Scout can't do much about it.
Just yesterday I bought a beautifully designed "Slow Drag" by Donald Byrd and after cleaning it with the AIVS formula, I started to listen only to get distortion several times on several different tunes. No CD would make it into stores with such defects; why does vinyl?

I find it very difficult to believe that it is only my experience since I buy brand new records and it's not an isolated problem at this point. I know many 'Goners have expressed their frustration with current vinyl pressings and I think we should demand better quality control. Returning records to my dealer will probably only hurt my dealer who already is trying hard to survive in this economy, and won't send a big company like Blue Note a message. What I think would are letters from hundreds of vinyl enthusiasts expressing their disappointment with the current state of vinyl pressings, and demanding better quality control. I am more than willing to draft such a letter so that others can use it as a template and simply sign it and mail it. I just need to know that there are enough of us who are willing to support my effort.
sibelius
256 posts
 
Yet another recommendation for the Music Matters Blue Note Series from a very happy subscriber. Uniformly excellent sonics with first class packaging produced by people who clearly love what they are doing. Several of these are already out of print. I'm guessing 5 years from now most of these jewels will be gone and folks will slap themselves for not getting them while they could. Buy one and check it out - your ears will thank you.

If you can't decide - I'll throw one out there for you - Open Sesame by Freddie Hubbard. A classic.
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