expensive CD's where the quality of the material was so good...

[Rooster_Ties]

A few that come to mind (all from Dusty, with their prices -- and I think their prices are usually better than most, at least on this kind of stuff)...

<<< John Betsch Society -- Earth Blossom ... CD

Strata East/Heavenly Sweetness (France), 1974. New Copy .... $18.99 -- such a cool date, really exceeded my expectations going in (which were decently high to begin with).

<<< Eddie Henderson -- Eddie Henderson Anthology Vol 2 -- The Capricorn Years: Realization/Inside Out ... CD

Soul Brother (UK), 1973. New Copy .... $18.99 -- worth every penny, and I wouldn't have flinched if I'd had to pay even $10 more. Hell, in retrospect, I probably would've paid $40 for this date on CD, as much as I love it. One of my top-10 all-time favorite 70's jazz CD's.

<<< Marcus Belgrave -- Gemini ... CD

Universal Sound (UK), 1974. New Copy .... $18.99 -- a really short date (36 or 37 minutes, as I recall), but really sweet. When it was all said and done, I did NOT mind the price. (And I was fully prepaired to really start bitchin' when I saw it clock up that short -- like $2 per minute -- like $0.50 per minute, sheesh!)

<<< Mombasa -- African Rhythms & Blues ... CD ~~and~~ Mombasa -- African Rhythms & Blues 2 ... CD

Spiegelei/Sonorama (Germany), 1975 and 1976. New Copy .... $18.99 each -- Sweet Jesus, are these dates cool. The first one is kinda short (36-ish minutes), and the second one longer (like 44), but man -- they BOTH totally kick ass like nothing I've heard in ages. The 2nd one is even better than the first (grooves harder, with more brass soloing, and more true funk/afro/jazz tunes), and the 2nd one also seems to be easier to get these days -- so feel free to start there, really.

How about you?? What EXPENSIVE discs (expensive at retail, so I'm NOT talkin' inflated OOP prices) have really been worth the expense.

Edited September 10, 2008 by Rooster_Ties

[sidewinder]

I guess you could argue that the Henderson Capricorn is quite a good deal as it includes both of the Capricorn LP releases on one CD (this one is also available from them as a 2LP set). Great one to get, I agree (as is Soul Brother's other Henderson issue of the Blue Note/Capitol sessions).

Edited September 9, 2008 by sidewinder

[sidewinder]

This one merits inclusion - currently out of stock at Dusty but was over the $20 mark when available. And worth every cent based on the scarcity of the original and the quality of the music.

[AllenLowe]

anything by ACE -

[clifford_thornton]

Gemini is pretty damn good. Still don't have that Shihab.

[Chas]

I've never regretted paying full retail price for this one :

<<< Marcus Belgrave -- Gemini ... CD

Universal Sound (UK), 1974. New Copy .... $18.99 -- a really short date (36 or 37 minutes, as I recall), but really sweet. When it was all said and done, I did NOT mind the price. (And I was fully prepaired to really start bitchin' when I saw it clock up that short -- like $2 per minute, sheesh!)

I dig that one too , but it should be noted that it's ~ 50 cents per minute , not $2 per minute . Mixed Bag's Tribe date is another one worth the bread .

[Rooster_Ties]

I dig that one too , but it should be noted that it's ~ 50 cents per minute , not $2 per minute . Mixed Bag's Tribe date is another one worth the bread .

Done fixed it now. I was trying to crank out this thread as I was due out the door to another meeting.

Edited September 10, 2008 by Rooster_Ties

[felser]

Clifford Jordan - In The World

Marion Brown - Vista

Stanley Cowell - Illusion Suite

Archie Shepp - For Losers, The Magic of Juju, Things Have Got To Change

all are single LP-length Japanese imports I shelled out the $19.99-$24.99 asking price for. Don't regret any of them.

[Royal Oak]

20 dollars? When I first started buying jazz CDs in the 90s they were 15 British pounds sterling, as standard.

[sidewinder]

20 dollars? When I first started buying jazz CDs in the 90s they were 15 British pounds sterling, as standard.

Indeed. The big chains such as HMV were the worst culprits.

[Rosco]

I always chuckle when I see what are considered 'expensive' CDs by our American cousins are still 2/3 of the price I'd expect to pay in a regular store here.

I've seen ECMs at £17.99 at HMV. Even the RVGs go for £10.99.

[Cliff Englewood]

This one merits inclusion - currently out of stock at Dusty but was over the $20 mark when available. And worth every cent based on the scarcity of the original and the quality of the music.

Hey sidewinder,

I saw this one myself and was more than a bit curious, but I had just purchased the Fresh Sounds 2 cd set and wasn't sure it would be up to the same standard, is it?

[Daniel A]

I always chuckle when I see what are considered 'expensive' CDs by our American cousins are still 2/3 of the price I'd expect to pay in a regular store here.

Yeah, full price here is around $29 for one CD. BTW I got the Shihab at 18.99 from Dusty. A steal!

[king ubu]

Yes indeed - those spoilt americans! I considered 13$ from True Blue a steal for years, before I got internet and noticed they were rather expensive...

[Stefan Wood]

This rocks the house, and is well worth the $30+ for this double disc set:

[papsrus]

I always chuckle when I see what are considered 'expensive' CDs by our American cousins are still 2/3 of the price I'd expect to pay in a regular store here.

Yeah, full price here is around $29 for one CD. BTW I got the Shihab at 18.99 from Dusty. A steal!

I'm sure someone can explain this, but ... since CDs are apparently cheaper in the U.S., why not buy them here? If you were able to buy several CDs from one source and have them shipped as a single order (presumably cutting the cost of mail a bit) wouldn't this be more cost-effective?

[Daniel A]

I'm sure someone can explain this, but ... since CDs are apparently cheaper in the U.S., why not buy them here?

That's what we're doing!

[mikeweil]

<<< Mombasa -- African Rhythms & Blues ... CD ~~and~~ Mombasa -- African Rhythms & Blues 2 ... CD

Spiegelei/Sonorama (Germany), 1975 and 1976. New Copy .... $18.99 each -- Sweet Jesus, are these dates cool. The first one is kinda short (36-ish minutes), and the second one longer (like 44), but man -- they BOTH totally kick ass like nothing I've heard in ages. The 2nd one is even better than the first (grooves harder, with more brass soloing, and more true funk/afro/jazz tunes), and the 2nd one also seems to be easier to get these days -- so feel free to start there, really.

Mombasa! I can't remember how often I saw these guys live - the conga drummer of the second, Tom Nicholas, was my first idol. But these CDs are lame, sound compressed, controlled - the band was a killer live, and was never recorded adequately. Lou Blackburn agreed when I asked him about this. If you like the albums that much, you would have gone crazy over them at a live performance!

[Bluerein]

But there's always the catch of being charged by the customs if the order is too large or to expensive. Most (if not all) shipments upto $60 are usually OK in the Netherlands but this varies per country.

[sidewinder]

This one merits inclusion - currently out of stock at Dusty but was over the $20 mark when available. And worth every cent based on the scarcity of the original and the quality of the music.

Hey sidewinder,

I saw this one myself and was more than a bit curious, but I had just purchased the Fresh Sounds 2 cd set and wasn't sure it would be up to the same standard, is it?

Cliff - I don't know the Fresh Sounds Shihab set but can vouch that this one is top notch Shihab. Up to the best standard of sessions like 'Seeds' and 'Companionship' and the work with CBBB etc.

I don't have the CD but I have one of those Oktav Japanese facsimile LPs, which sounds fantastic. Recommend that next time this comes in at Dusty, press the trigger marked 'fire' .

[Royal Oak]

I always chuckle when I see what are considered 'expensive' CDs by our American cousins are still 2/3 of the price I'd expect to pay in a regular store here.

Yeah, full price here is around $29 for one CD. BTW I got the Shihab at 18.99 from Dusty. A steal!

I'm sure someone can explain this, but ... since CDs are apparently cheaper in the U.S., why not buy them here? If you were able to buy several CDs from one source and have them shipped as a single order (presumably cutting the cost of mail a bit) wouldn't this be more cost-effective?

It is paps. I've been buying from the US for about 18 months. Plus, the big US sellers have a much bigger range of titles.

Edited September 10, 2008 by rdavenport

[rshurman]

I've always found it serves mankind when I buy an expensive Japanese Blue Note reissue; it's the quickest way to generate a much cheaper American issue.

[Jim Alfredson]

With me, it's paying more than $60 for a long out of print vinyl. All of sudden, it materializes on CD, re-issued from thin air!!!

[bertrand]

Is Chuck Nessa on vacation?

[Bill Nelson]

Is Chuck Nessa on vacation?

Is that a rhetorical question?