Trane - Fearless Leader box

[Hot Ptah]

If you have the Coltrane Prestige box (just recently out of print, I know), is there any reason to get this Fearless Leader box?

[Stefan Wood]

Only for the upgraded sound.

[kulu se mama]

j and r music had this on their site for $11.98.

i ordered 2, but they cancelled them.

dang.

[gslade]

Hey am I the only one who got a freebie with my set? When I opened the box from Concord I found a copy of Red Garland at the Prelude along with my Trane box! No mention of it on the included shipping order.

Nope, I received the same CD today - plus they Fed Ex'd it overnight, which was an upgrade.

I also received the Red Garland 2 disc set as a freebie along with the Coltrane box and about another 25 discs. Very nice

[Aggie87]

From the way it sounds, I've got about 3 box sets that are similar. The Faces box set, the Marley Legend Sound + Vision set, and the Billie Holiday Ultimate Collection Sound + Vision.

These are mini-boxes (booklet style), and one disc snaps in place so that it overlaps another disc in the packaging. Can't find any pictures of this setup on-line, though.

[Aggie87]

I received a promo of the Fearless Leader box recently. While the music and remastering are good and I appreciate the new liner notes, I'm not too happy about the jewel box design, which causes one CD to lay

over the other on each segment of the box. There's too much potential for disc damage.

Any on-line photos out there that demonstate this?? (Or at least give some hint of the packaging configuration.)

Haven't seen one of these sets in person yet (and given the state of the stores around here -- I might not see one for months).

If you (or anyone else) are really that curious about the packaging, I noticed there is a picture of it in the current JazzTimes (w/Miles on the cover), on page 2. It shows how the discs overlap when they are in the box.

Edited October 11, 2006 by Aggie87

[Big Al]

Somebody 'splain why this box--at 6 CDs--costs the same as the Miles Prestige Quintet box--the one with only FOUR discs!!!

Edited October 14, 2006 by Big Al

[Guy Berger]

Somebody 'splain why this box--at 6 CDs--costs the same as the Miles Prestige Quintet box--the one with only FOUR discs!!!

Market segmentation.

Guy

[Rooster_Ties]

Miles sells more than Trane.

[jazzbo]

Four Miles equals six Trane.

Secret formula of the jazz illuminati.

[Evonce]

Accepting Coltrane, Garland, and Chambers as virtual constants, let M = Miles factor to adjust for the price equivalence of 4 and 6 CDs. In doing so, we can also calculate the unspoken superiority of Philly Joe Jones over Art Taylor, not to mention the negative effect of Freddie Hubbard's few errant phrases:

(CGC)*M + PJJ / (standards + beer opener) x ("legendary") - (700 x Steve Allen) x 4 = value N

(CGC) + AT + flugel / chord substitutions (- FH + # of blues) x (16 log5) x 6 = value N

Rock on. I listened to both boxes today - can't shake the Trane fix.

[Chuck Nessa]

Concord must have shelled out some bucks to the Davis estate for the "unissued" material.

[felser]

Accepting Coltrane, Garland, and Chambers as virtual constants, let M = Miles factor to adjust for the price equivalence of 4 and 6 CDs. In doing so, we can also calculate the unspoken superiority of Philly Joe Jones over Art Taylor, not to mention the negative effect of Freddie Hubbard's few errant phrases:

(CGC)*M + PJJ / (standards + beer opener) x ("legendary") - (700 x Steve Allen) x 4 = value N

(CGC) + AT + flugel / chord substitutions (- FH + # of blues) x (16 log5) x 6 = value N

Rock on. I listened to both boxes today - can't shake the Trane fix.

Bad news. Hubbard doesn't play on the Trane set (it's Donald Byrd, though the errant phrases argument still holds), making the Hubbard factor zero which threatens to make the Trane box value spiral as # of blues approaches zero (I don't have a keystroke for the limit sign). 'Course it could be argued that the Steve Allen sides also approach zero in value (as does the entire fourth disc unless you're a musician) as you take the differential between 1 and, say 10 occurrences of hearing them, which somewhat evens things out. However, while Coltrane's presence is a constant, the value of his playing is much more significant on the later leader sides than on the earlier Miles sides, and the difference between Philly Joe and Taylor does not come close to making up for that. So, therefore, the equations have to be handled as an inherent inequality, JC Box> MD Box.

[Chuck Nessa]

Hubbard doesn't play on the Trane set

Yes he does.

[Evonce]

"However, while Coltrane's presence is a constant, the value of his playing is much more significant on the later leader sides than on the earlier Miles sides..."

Damn it, I knew somebody would catch that immediately. Scatch the equations, I've obviously been drinking.

[felser]

Hubbard doesn't play on the Trane set

Yes he does.

So he does. I missed him on that 12/26/58 session on CD 6. Thanks Chuck, my bad! The Trane box is still the better deal.

[Aggie87]

So essentially, buying all three of these boxes equals the same thing as buying the previous Coltrane Prestige box.

[Ken Dryden]

Actually, I think I have all (or most) of the Davis material on a bootleg LP that also included

some rare Art Tatum broadcasts (which have since appeared on the Live series issued by Storyville).

[tatifan]

So essentially, buying all three of these boxes equals the same thing as buying the previous Coltrane Prestige box.

funny you say that - i thought the same thing.

the packaging is waaaaaaay nicer.

for me, i never picked up the previous prestige box due to mastering and packaging...

-e-

Makes me feel better about missing on the big box during the Concord blowout.....also makes me much more inclined to pick up "Fearless Leader" knowing it won't be a "hanging chad" of Coltrane's Prestige output.

[jazzbo]

So essentially, buying all three of these boxes equals the same thing as buying the previous Coltrane Prestige box.

funny you say that - i thought the same thing.

the packaging is waaaaaaay nicer.

for me, i never picked up the previous prestige box due to mastering and packaging...

-e-

funny you say that - i thought no reason to buy this new one and the subsequent two because i have the complete box, have NO problem with the packaging (what's wrong with it?) or the mastering (it sounds great!)

[Aggie87]

I tend to agree with Lon - I have the European mini-cube box, and think it sounds fine as well!

[Ron S]

Indeed, Fantasy's late-80's/early-90's mastering is generally pretty hard to beat. Not that it hasn't been done, but the sound of Fantasy CDs from that era is definitely not inferior, and shouldn't be condemned out-of-hand, IMHO.

[JSngry]

Is there mutilated tape on "Russian Lullaby"?

[Evonce]

Fearless Leader is the fourth (!) version of SOULTRANE that I've owned, and yeah, it is still a bit "mutilated" in certain spots. Less noticeable than the previous editions, though, going on memory.

Still a thumbs up from me for the sound and packaging of this set.

[JSngry]

Not sure that I see the need for including the mutilation. Do a good LP dub if you have to & digitalize it in.

that can be done, can't it?