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Music Matters 33RPM

Mike, where have you see the prices for the Tone Poet series? This is all very badly timed when I need to save money, but also mouthwatering.[/QUOTE]

Those were the prices on Amazon. They’ll be widely available though as distribution is through Universal in the UK.
 
mikechadwick said:
Mike, where have you see the prices for the Tone Poet series? This is all very badly timed when I need to save money, but also mouthwatering.
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Those were the prices on Amazon. They’ll be widely available though as distribution is through Universal in the UK.[/QUOTE]

Yes being distributed by Universal both in the states and Europe, but then they are Global. In the states the two titles Wayne Shorter & Chick Corea issued so far have all been pressed by RTI, but Joe Harley is saying they had much under anticipated the pre order demand for the Tone Poet series so maybe they will engage other pressing plants. Reports by people who have received the Shorter & Corea in the states (issued earlier there) say the mastering and pressing are excellent and similar to the Music Matters standard, but cheaper (no licensing costs as Blue Note owns the masters?). They are not on the the SRX vinyl that Music Matters now uses.

Quite a bit of chatter about this Tone Poet series and quality so far on the Steve Hoffman forum.

Hopefully if they do use other pressing plants the QC remains high, always a worry if they are pressed in Europe that we get the same mastering and pressing tape (would this be a digital copy? ). I just brought the 2019 Rhino reissue of Joni Mitchell, Blue that was supposed to be the Kevin Gray master. It's not. It is on Blue vinyl, but not 180g and not RTI. Probably the same as used for the 2014 issue when the states got the Kevin Gray and Europe got a different mastering and pressing.

I think I might risk ordering the Wayne Shorter, Ecetera to see what it's like and take it from there. Some coming up that I would like to have. More expensive here though as usual than in the states $34.99 there = £27, but on Amazon at £37.58. Perhaps these will be imports rather than pressed in Europe? Still much cheaper than the new Music Matters prices especially after shipping and import duties.
 
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You\ve highlighted a common problem - great RTI pressings in the US with “no idea what the provenance is” European equivalents. Fingers Crossed.
 
Mastered by XXX & pressed & Plated at RTI or QRP in the states can be completely different in the EU
this means due to cost vast major of EU pressings are GZ media & not from Pallas , Optimal in germany
 
Interesting interview with the Tone Poet himself, Joe Harley, about the Tone Poet series, including the release schedule. Note, there is no mention here or in Joe’s posts on Hoffman forum that the series will be pressed by any other than RTI, distributed worldwide by Universal. According to Joe’s posts, preorders so far have exceeded predictions by a factor of four, so JH and Universal distribution are ‘leaning heavily’ on RTI and Stoughton Printing to increase production.

https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/tone-poet-joe-harley-blue-note-interview/
 
daytona600 said:
Mastered by XXX & pressed & Plated at RTI or QRP in the states can be completely different in the EU
this means due to cost vast major of EU pressings are GZ media & not from Pallas , Optimal in germany
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The pressings I have from the German Optimal plant have all been fairly good. Of the Blue Note 75's I brought, on pressing quality and leaving out the provenance of the master, the Optimal's were much better (quieter, cleaner, flatter) than those pressed by the US United plant. Problem was although I was buying in the UK it was a lottery whether you got an Optimal or a United pressing. Luckily most of those I got were from Optimal. Given the number of complainers about United in the states I would hope they would not even consider United if they need more capacity than RTI can supply.
 
Yes, I found the same regarding the EU vs US 75th reissues, although the EU had imperfections too. Ultimately most of the ones I have pale next to the Music Matters releases, although from what I remember, they did a very nice job with Larry Young's 'Unity'.
 
Elephantears said:
.... although from what I remember, they did a very nice job with Larry Young's 'Unity'.
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Yes I also found Larry Young's - 'Unity' and Kenny Burrell's - 'Midnight Blue' were two of the best Of those I brought. I think this can probably be put down to the fact that they were amongst the earliest reissues for BN75 and were mastered by Alan Yoshida in 2012/13. My copies of these don't show any pressing plant indicator in the dead wax so there may have been a different (better) pressing plant used as well.
 
Picked up my copies of the Wayne Shorter & Chick Corea today. Happy to say they are the US pressings. Looking forward to listening later on this evening.
 
My copies of both now on their from Amazon. They still have a few copies left, but it seems they will soon be sold out here and in the US. Not sure what the pressing run was for these first two but as noted above they much under anticipated the demand in general.
 
I’m listening to the Wayne Shorter as I write. The packaging is excellent and the recording/pressing is superb. Fantastic dynamics to the sax and drums in particular.

I can’t see how anyone that likes Blue Note, and is prepared to pay a premium price, will be disappointed.
 
Just ordered these and can't wait to get them. Both albums are new to me and even listening on Airplay streaming from Youtube they sound great.
 
I have started a new thread for 'Tone Poet Blue Notes' as it seems it should be an easier place to find comments about these rather than under Music Matters 33.
 
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