new artie shaw - super cheap Import Box

[tranemonk]

According to jazzmatazz and cduniverse, there's a 10CD box coming out about Artie Shaw from a German label...

here's the URL ...

http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?...ic&frm=lk_jzmtz

I'm assuming it's kinda like the Proper Box... but 10CD's for $17???

Anbody know anything about this????

[homer9600]

Beware of 10-CD German box sets. They tend to heavily use noise reduction and process the hell out of disk transfers. Some German companies re-channel for a phoney stereo affect.

This box retails for 49.95 at Collectors Choice Music web site. My experience with CD Universe is that when they post new imports, they slap a price on them that is ridicously below retail. You pre-order it and it never comes in-stock. Then they cancel the order. Usually by that time the price is raised to where they intended it to be. They tend to be a bit frustrating to deal with in that respect.

I would tell you to wait until you have some feedback on the quality of the Shaw 10-CD box in terms of sonics before you purchase it. Even it sixteen bucks (god fobid CD Universe should ever have something in stock that they advertise) it may be so annoying to be unlistenable.

If you want to collect Shaw a better idea may be to get the 8-CD Bluebird box and fill in from other Bluebird and Chronoligical Classics releases. Hindsight, Storyville and other labels have some great radio transcrptions of Shaw available with really good sound. The Shae band playing live is even more fun to listen to than the studio recordings.

Anyhow, that's my nickel.

[neveronfriday]

This is the DOCUMENTS/TIM box.

I have their Errol Garner box which is, uhm, bearable. I bought it that time for virtually no money on eBay, just because much of the Garner stuff is so difficult to get hold of.

The DOCUMENTS/TIM boxes are a varied bunch. Some of the boxes are quite good, but others are so heavily no-noised that they are an audiophile's nightmare.

I would turn to other sources for Artie Shaw material. I always recommend the RCA Jazz Times/Indispensable series. They are usually readily available from Amazon marketplace dealers and were quite good when they were released in the 90s. Actually, in the light of many heavily eq'd and boosted "remastered" issues of 2000 and later, many 90s releases were actually better.

The Bluebird material is also very good.

So, try the DOCUMENTS/TIM box if you can blow some money (you might get lucky) ... otherwise take the other routes outlined here or above.

[MartyJazz]

Also go to the Hep Jazz Records/CDs site (click here) to find some indispensable Shaw IMO. One set I cannot recommend highly enough that is available there is the the 3 disc box of Shaw's 1944-45 band (mostly RCA Victor, some Musicraft sides) which featured Roy Eldridge, Dodo Marmarosa, Barney Kessel, Herbie Steward, etc., with arrangements by Buster Harding, George Siravo, Eddie Sauter & Ray Conniff. Truly a terrific outfit with a very forward sound.

[tranemonk]

thanks for all the comments... Nice to know what to stay away from....

I will probably check out the Artie Shaw 3-CD box...

at least I'll be able to hear that one.. .

[Tjazz]

amazon site - caiman_com

I went to the Amazon site and noticed that Caiman_con was selling it for $10.27 new! With shipping it came out to $12.76 total for me. (I notice the price has gone up to $16.52 plus shipping)

Just got it, seems fine to me.

Small box like the SELF PORTRAIT, but with 10 CDs in individual paper covers and NO booklet. There's no info about the tracks, but each cover has the titles (authors) and time. The outside of the box also lists all the tracks for each of the 10 discs.

Total time 12:41:18

Edited May 9, 2005 by Tjazz

[homer9600]

$12.76 - you can't go all that wrong for that price Tjazz - if it's awful, you haven't lost much. Nice catch.

What is the sound like on these discs - can you comment? I have some Shaw material on Chronological Classics which ranges from excellent to marginal.

[Tjazz]

I compared the first track "The Japanese Sandman" from the box set to the same track on ESSENCE OF ARTIE SHAW (Columbia Legacy 1994) CD. The sound seemed the same to me.

I don't know if the tracks on the box set were stolen from other released CDs or what? It's a German box set. No discorgraphy info was included.

Edited May 9, 2005 by Tjazz

[Chuck Nessa]

If it's really that cheap they are not paying artist royalties (like all Euro PD labels) or music publishing royalties (as they should by EU standards).

Nomatter the rules, these boys be stealin'.

[brownie]

That Artie Shaw 10CD box is available at €10.9 ($13), a special sale at one of the Virgin store here. Going to get it. At that prize, it's a steal!

It includes all the Artie Shaw sides from 1936 to 1945.

Got an Astor Piazzola 10CD for the same prize last week. Excellent sound, the splendid music had me dancing the tango!

[FrancoisD]

It includes all the Artie Shaw sides from 1936 to 1945.

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I haven't checked in detail, but at least two titles are unaccountably missing from this compilation : 062769-1 Why Shouldn't I? from March 20, 1941 (CD 8), and 067747-1 Is It Taboo? from Sept. 3, 1941 (CD 9). Also, the set includes only a small part of the 1945 sessions: 15 dates are missing from that year alone.

[brownie]

I have that Shaw box by now. It goes up to the June 7, 1945 session for RCA and finishes with 'Tabu' which also closes the Chronogical Classics Artie Shaw 1942-1945 volume. Which suits me fine since it's the first of the Classics Shaw releases with the following one (1945). Still waiting for Classics to get back to business and continue to release more stuff.

In the meantime, for the cost of a secondhand CD I have a full box with 247 sides by the Shaw band. The box does not say it is complete. A few sides may be missing. There are no liner notes. Just the names of the tunes on the back of each CD. I won't be complaining.

Hope they will issue Fats Waller boxes now!

[neveronfriday]

Guy,

do you know how it compares to the three RCA Jazz Tribune double-CDs? I've got volumes 1-2 (32 tunes covering 1938-1939), volumes 3-4 (28 tunes covering 1940-1942) and volumes 5-6 (32 tunes covering 1944-45).

I'm mostly interested in the sound, if you have one of these to compare it to the box set with. Since there are obviously more recordings on the box set, I would probably get that one as well if the sound is somewhat comparable.

[brownie]

NeveronSaturday, can't compare with the Jazz Tribune series from French RCA. Didn't have those because I already had several albums from the French RCA Black and White series which preceded the Jazz Tribune LPs and CDs. I have not listened to these earlier RCA in quite a long time.

I have started listening to that 10CD box and all I can say is that's one of the best investment I have made in quite a long time. What I have heard is very good. I am ready to bet the box material was picked up from the Classics releases.

Before purchasing the Shaw box, I bought the 10CD box on Astor Piazzola from the same people and am still stunned with the quality of the music and its reproduced sound.

As far as I am concerned I think there is no hesitation to have to get those boxes. You can't go wrong on these super Bargains!

[neveronfriday]

Thanks!

I'm off to do some online shopping ... again.

[neveronfriday]

Found one for 9 Euro on eBay. Postage is very low, so ... a steal, I guess.

[couw]

Found one for 9 Euro on eBay. Postage is very low, so ... a steal, I guess.

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zweitausendeins has it for 9.99

[neveronfriday]

I know, but thanks anyways.

I got so much broken stuff from them lately that I've been cutting down on my purchases considerably. It's a pain in the neck to return CDs all the time. I got a Gillespie CD without booklet, about 20 CDs with those "plastic teeth" of the jewelcases falling out, completely busted jewelcases, one unplayable CD, etc. I'm getting SERIOUSLY tired of their positively shoddy packaging. And my bearded mail lady does NOT take care of anything she handles. I have the feeling she tapdances on the stuff.

[couw]

off late, my only problem has been that they packed me one disk too many. The nice lady I exchange emails with told me to keep it. It's a disk full of banjo stuff. Pretty cool

for about a minute and a half...

[neveronfriday]

off late, my only problem has been that they packed me one disk too many. The nice lady I exchange emails with told me to keep it. It's a disk full of banjo stuff. Pretty cool

for about a minute and a half... 

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Maybe we could give it to my bearded, tap-dancing mail lady?

It might help herget rid of her aggressions before she handles my stuff.

Probably not though.

I think she looks into the mirror every morning before listening to the music and ... any self-control goes out the window.

[neveronfriday]

Just to add to Brownie's praise of the box above. It is indeed a steal at that price. Even my critical ears like what they are hearing. This is, by the way, different from the Errol Garner box I mentioned above, but it is definitely from the same outfit.

Like it and will watch out for future 10CD releases.

[jazzbo]

I've bought the Piazzola box. . . .

I've listened to a few discs so far on my best system and they're a little on the fatiguing side. . . but they sound fine on my second system and in my work computer.

Beautiful music from the late sixties through the early eighties! At about 14 dollars total NOTHING to complain about.

[king ubu]

Is this the one? That's cheaper for me (if I add something else so I won't pay for shipping) than 2001:

http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000...9608497-6626424

Thanks!

ubu

[neveronfriday]

Is this the one? That's cheaper for me (if I add something else so I won't pay for shipping) than 2001:

http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000...9608497-6626424

Thanks!

ubu

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Look at couw's post above. Zweitausendeins has it for 9.99.

[king ubu]

Is this the one? That's cheaper for me (if I add something else so I won't pay for shipping) than 2001:

http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000...9608497-6626424

Thanks!

ubu

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Look at couw's post above. Zweitausendeins has it for 9.99.

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Yeah, but they charge 8.50 € for shipping, no matter how many items I order. Amazon has free shipping to Switzerland with all orders from 20 € upwards, thus... I'll add another of the soon-to-be-OOP LPRs (or that hipnosis thing - paging couw!!!) and that's cheaper, than, all together.