What's the big deal with the Conns?

[GA Russell]

Many of you treat the Conns as if they are special.

What makes them any better than a regular Blue Note reissue?

Inquiring minds want to know!

[Indestructible!]

Well, they cost more $$$ than the average BN release, so they must be better, right?

Cheers,

Shane

[Chuck Nessa]

The original idea behind the series was to issue "limited" editions of less popular titles.

[GregK]

The original idea behind the series was to issue "limited" editions of less popular titles.

how limited are they if you can get some of them in BMG?

[GA Russell]

I had a hunch that might be it.

[Brandon Burke]

The original idea behind the series was to issue "limited" editions of less popular titles.

how limited are they if you can get some of them in BMG?

I don't understand your point. Are you referring to titles that are only a couple/few years old? Of course they're available.

Older titles, on the other hand, (True Blue, The Empty Foxhole, etc) were unavailable in the States for several years once their Conn pressings sold out.

[BbM7]

I think we're talking about items that were not POPular in their initial release - hence the 'connoissuer' moniker. The Connoisseurs are, of course, widely available as reissue material.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

If I recall correctly, a version of "Ready For Freddie" was available through one of the record clubs LONG after it went out of print as a Connoisseur.

Some things now have been re-reissued (as RVG series) so the Connoisseur issues aren't as important as they were originally.

What was nice was that the Connoisseurs started out as never-reissued first time on US CD (I think this changed with Sonny's Crib, which still corrected the original CD issue) so it was exciting to be able to get all those sessions on CD.

And then there was the wristwatch.

Mike

[Brad]

I guess the whole idea, if I'm not repeating anybody, that these were titles that might be harder to get and would have a more limited audience, hence the title of the series, whereas the RVGs would have a wider audience. I think over time that may not have been proven correct, e.g. Soul Shouting, True Blue and so on.

Edited May 16, 2005 by Brad

[Swinging Swede]

Ah, yes, the classic BN album Soul Shouting.

[Kalo]

Yeah, the original idea was limited edition reissues of titles that were of interest mainly to collectors, stuff that was previously unissued on (U.S.) CD.

The new batch offers the Elmo Hope Blue Note and Pacific jazz sessions, which have already been available on two separate American reissues. So what gives?

[Big Wheel]

Yeah, the original idea was limited edition reissues of titles that were of interest mainly to collectors, stuff that was previously unissued on (U.S.) CD.

The new batch offers the Elmo Hope Blue Note and Pacific jazz sessions, which have already been available on two separate American reissues. So what gives?

I think it's mainly that they are running out of sessions in the vaults to issue, but like the idea of having "regular" and "limited edition" product lines. Since they'd rather not rebrand the Connoisseur series as something else, the Connoisseur line just becomes shorthand for "titles we don't think will sell very well." If they restricted themselves to things that hadn't been issued on domestic CD before, it would be a tricky business to release the Hope as a limited edition that wasn't part of their Connoisseur brand.

(FWIW, I would have much preferred that the Hope have come out as an RVG!)

Edited May 15, 2005 by Big Wheel

[gdogus]

I guess the whole idea, if I'm not repeating anybody, that these were titles that might be harder to get and would have a more limited audience, hence the title of the series, whereas the RVGs would have a more limited audience. ...

Well, that certainly clears it up.

[Morganized]

And then there was the wristwatch.

Mike

That's IT! How it all got started. Of course, some of us came to the party a little late and missed out on the watch. Still had to find that CONN! Now that so many are out in regular release

Patience is definitely a virtue.

[Tony Pusey]

I missed the watch and got pissed off when I heard that Ubu got the cuckoo clock!

[Brad]

I guess the whole idea, if I'm not repeating anybody, that these were titles that might be harder to get and would have a more limited audience, hence the title of the series, whereas the RVGs would have a more limited audience. ...

Well, that certainly clears it up.

You're right not too clear. What I meant was that the RVGs were for a wider audience.

[sidewinder]

I missed the watch by 1 CD ( ). That first couple of batches of Conns were outstanding, with 'True Blue', 'Judgement' and 'Leeway', amongst others.

[Clunky]

That first couple of batches of Conns were outstanding, with 'True Blue', 'Judgement' and 'Leeway', amongst others.

I was aware that the first batches of Conns were pretty special. Despite ordering them through a specialist CD store I still only managed to get half of them or less ( distribution to stores seemed to be non existant). Likewise for the WCC series, these seemed to be impossible to find ( in the days prior to the web)

[sidewinder]

I was lucky enough to be visiting NYC when I bought the first bundle of these and got them at a very good price from that great (alas no longer) Tower Records on Broadway. They were even playing tracks from 'True Blue' on the radio that week. I guess they would have been harder to come by at that time in the UK. Distribution in the US and Canada was good.

[David Ayers]

Speaking of the wristwatch - mine is no longer working. So I'm thinking of bringing all my Conns back to the store to get a refund!

[DMP]

My watch didn't work.

[jazzbo]

Mine undoubtedly needs a new battery, but it worked the last four times I changed the battery.

However, I don't wear a watch but about once every three years! And I actually prefer my old Timex "GI Issue" looking watch with the olive drab nylon web strap. . . .