Coltrane Box at Best Buy

[Ragu]

Someone on the Steve Hoffman site passed on the tip that Best Buy has the Coltrane Box The Impulse Albums Vol.1 for $11.99. According to the website none of my local stores had it, but I ordered it from the website and even with shipping and tax it came to under $15. I know there are reservations about this set, but at this price...

[robviti]

According to the website none of my local stores had it, but...

just for the heck of it, i did a search of all the best buy stores in more than ten states. not one of them has this listed as "available," so it will be interesting if you (and i'm sure there are others here) actually receive it. good luck.

[sthomas]

According to the website none of my local stores had it, but...

just for the heck of it, i did a search of all the best buy stores in more than ten states. not one of them has this listed as "available," so it will be interesting if you (and i'm sure there are others here) actually receive it. good luck.

I've just checked my order status and the set was apparently shipped

yesterday. So it looks like we will receive it this time ... unlike the

Sly set some months ago.

[WD45]

According to the website none of my local stores had it, but...

just for the heck of it, i did a search of all the best buy stores in more than ten states. not one of them has this listed as "available," so it will be interesting if you (and i'm sure there are others here) actually receive it. good luck.

Even their big stores no longer seem to stock ANY jazz. I remember picking up the Dragon 4CD set of Miles in Europe 1960 at one in the neighborhood. That disc was flanked by a complete selection of the mini-LP Miles reissues of a few years back. Now nothing at all.

[7/4]

According to the website none of my local stores had it, but...

just for the heck of it, i did a search of all the best buy stores in more than ten states. not one of them has this listed as "available," so it will be interesting if you (and i'm sure there are others here) actually receive it. good luck.

Even their big stores no longer seem to stock ANY jazz. I remember picking up the Dragon 4CD set of Miles in Europe 1960 at one in the neighborhood. That disc was flanked by a complete selection of the mini-LP Miles reissues of a few years back. Now nothing at all.

My local BB store is un-stocked for the holidays. Pretty sad.

[Ragu]

My set arrived in perfect condition today and if anyone is still interested, the price is still valid on their website.

[Ken Dryden]

Our local Best Buy's CD selection is a joke period. Don't even get me started about their lack of valuable jazz, there's far too much crap by Kenny G, Jane Monheit and other lightweights.

[mjzee]

Good deal; I've just ordered it. I already have the "Classic Quartet" box set, but that doesn't include the Village Vanguard or Duke Ellington albums.

[Teasing the Korean]

Which albums are included in this set?

[Uncle Skid]

Our local Best Buy's CD selection is a joke period. Don't even get me started about their lack of valuable jazz, there's far too much crap by Kenny G, Jane Monheit and other lightweights.

Same here, but I was absolutely astounded to see this box set on the shelf at a local Best Buy:

Jelly Roll Morton - The Complete Library of Congress Recordings (Rounder)

I think is was $89, which is a great price for this set... still regretting not grabbing it while I was there. Looks like it's still available on line at that price.

[Aggie87]

Which albums are included in this set?

Info here.

[Tjazz]

Our local Best Buy's CD selection is a joke period. Don't even get me started about their lack of valuable jazz, there's far too much crap by Kenny G, Jane Monheit and other lightweights.

Same here, but I was absolutely astounded to see this box set on the shelf at a local Best Buy:

Jelly Roll Morton - The Complete Library of Congress Recordings (Rounder)

I think is was $89, which is a great price for this set... still regretting not grabbing it while I was there. Looks like it's still available on line at that price.

I think you can buy the Jelly Roll Morton for less thru deepdiscount.com (free shipping/no tax)

$81.96

deepdiscount

Edited December 16, 2007 by Tjazz

[Tjazz]

I ordered the Coltrane from bestbuy.com on 12/10 and it arrived today. $14.47 total. 5-CDs

[Uncle Skid]

Thanks, Tjazz,

[BruceH]

Our local Best Buy's CD selection is a joke period. Don't even get me started about their lack of valuable jazz, there's far too much crap by Kenny G, Jane Monheit and other lightweights.

Actually, I'm surprised they stock any CD's at all. That probably won't last.

[ASNL77]

Bestbuy must be thinking that America is the centre of the universe or that other people who don't live there aren't equiped with CD players... They don't ship outside the US! How can any business justify this type of policy? Shame, this set has a few sessions I have only got on vinyl. And because I haven't sorted out a turntable in my car yet, this one would have been handy!

Edited December 16, 2007 by ASNL77

[Teasing the Korean]

So in other words the individual CD releases have better sound and bonus tracks. If that's true I think I'll pass on this one, even though the price is tempting. I have most of these on LP anyway.

[RDK]

So in other words the individual CD releases have better sound and bonus tracks. If that's true I think I'll pass on this one, even though the price is tempting. I have most of these on LP anyway.

What indication that the sound is inferior?

[jazzbo]

A friend of mine gave me this set when it first came out.

No reason to get this is you have the other digipaks (except you MAY find the sound better, if that matters enough), but the sound is excellent in these nice little digipaks.

Edited December 17, 2007 by jazzbo

[Teasing the Korean]

What indication that the sound is inferior?

That was my understanding from other things I've read, but I could be wrong. All my Coltrane is on vinyl, so I can't address the sound quality issue either way.

[mikelz777]

For what it's worth, here's the AMG review with comments on the sound quality:

As part of its Originals series, the Verve Music Group has begun reissuing — at a budget price — the Impulse! recordings of John Coltrane in box set form, as well as single-disc titles. This first volume focuses on some seminal entries from 1961 and 1962. In chronological order they are Africa/Brass, Live at the Village Vanguard, Coltrane, Duke Ellington & John Coltrane, and Ballads. Keep in mind that these are newly remastered — yet again (and one suspects they are the Japanese remasters issued here for the first time) — and present the albums as they originally appeared. In other words, if you bought The Complete Africa/Brass Sessions, this is a step back in material since there are no bonus tracks and it is the Africa/Brass album as it appeared in 1961. The same goes for Live at the Village Vanguard, which has already been treated to its own box set, and here is the CD version of the original LP. There are arguments both ways. The more critical view is that once you give someone something you can't take it away again (as Blue Note did with its Ultimate Blue Trane edition, which was pared back for its Rudy Van Gelder remaster). The other argument is purely economic: how many times do you need to purchase the same recording? There are no extra liners here or any kind of booklet, merely the albums as they appeared in a single budget-priced box with all the original liner notes. It's a tidy solution, and for those who did not purchase these recordings already, this is a great way to dig into the Coltrane legacy. For others it may be a head scratcher, or a budget buster. Addressing the latter quandary, the argument is simple: sound. These are the best-sounding reissues of these records listeners have ever gotten in the United States.

Edited December 18, 2007 by mikelz777

[RDK]

For me, the only reason is the price. For less than $15, it make a great gift and/or a spare copy of the music for my office.

[Noj]

My copy just arrived.

[mjzee]

Got mine today. The packaging is nice, nostalgic and silly - it's the original covers, including liner notes, shrunk down to CD size; i.e., the liner notes are largely unreadable. But they're fun to see.

[Noj]

I listened to the whole set last night. It was my first time hearing several of the albums, including the one with Duke Ellington which is an instant favorite.