What music did you get for a Christmas gift?

[mikeweil]

Luckily I had talked my wife in getting me the Georgie Fame five CD box set - it is sold out already, only the 4 LP version (with MP3 download option of the bonus material) is still available.

It is a lovingly made set, with a nice essay in the booklet, a set of postcards and a poster with Fame and a young Mick Jagger, and plenty of bonus material on each CD besides all the outtakes, singles, EPs and B-sides on the 5th CD - excellent remastering.

Now what music did y'all find below the Christmas tree?

[Dan Gould]

From my wife:

 

Early Christmas present to myself:

Edited December 27, 2015 by Dan Gould

[paul secor]

My wife and I both have pretty much everything we need or want, so we just give each other a few small Christmas gifts.

This year, I picked out a few books that I want to read: 

     

           

Once again I have to read thread titles. No music this year, just books - music for my eyes, though.

Edited December 28, 2015 by paul secor

[GA Russell]

I usually receive each Christmas a few boxes which were released during the year.

Erroll Garner - Complete Concert by the Sea
Roland Kirk OAS
Django Reinhardt OAS
Shirley Bassey OAS
Coltrane - The Heavyweight Champion
Miles - At Newport 1955-1975
Sarah Vaughan OAS

[David Ayers]

Can we change the thread topic to "what music gifts did you receive that you didn't specifically ask for?" 

[mikeweil]

Well, I did ask for it - and I'm glad I got it!

But while we're at it: The best unexpected music related gift this year was a large volume about Arnold Schoenberg's life and works, with plenty of documents and photos - a good friend's mother wanted to dispose of it, she calls herself a music lover, but of different tastes, or whatever; when he noticed, he grabbed it and told her he knew somebody who would appreciate it. I do, and will be forever grateful, as it's a wonderful book!

Edited December 29, 2015 by mikeweil

[Lyin' Wolf]

Mosaic Condon/Freeman

The Complete Them 64-67

David Gilmour Rattle That Cage

[medjuck]

10 minutes ago, Lyin' Wolf said:

The Complete Them 64-67

I was taken aback by how good this cd was, but  the liner notes made it clear that the recorded Them was usually Van Morrison and a back-up band often made up of studio musicians. 

[sidewinder]

On 27 December 2015 at 6:48 PM, mikeweil said:

Luckily I had talked my wife in getting me the Georgie Fame five CD box set - it is sold out already, only the 4 LP version (with MP3 download option of the bonus material) is still available.

I've been in a few HMV stores over here over the past few weeks and most of them have it in stock in the CD version for £44 I think. I'm tempted - would be nice to get hold of 'Sound Venture'.

Mr Fame used to live fairly locally and was known to catch the occasional gig in the local jazz club..

Edited December 29, 2015 by sidewinder

[Lyin' Wolf]

8 hours ago, medjuck said:

I was taken aback by how good this cd was, but  the liner notes made it clear that the recorded Them was usually Van Morrison and a back-up band often made up of studio musicians. 

I spent a lot of time today listening to the first two discs.  I am a big fan of Morrison's and really enjoyed hearing these early recordings.  Some really good shit!

 

It was indeed interesting to read about the musicians they brought in to record in the studio - Jimmy Page and Alan White among them.  I enjoyed readings Van's take on things as well - especially as he tried to break free into his own career.  I'm going to have to go back and listen to what I have of his early solo stuff in this new context.

Edited December 29, 2015 by Lyin' Wolf

[danasgoodstuff]

44 minutes ago, Lyin' Wolf said:

I spent a lot of time today listening to the first two discs.  I am a big fan of Morrison's and really enjoyed hearing these early recordings.  Some really good shit!

 

It was indeed interesting to read about the musicians they brought in to record in the studio - Jimmy Page and Alan White among them.  I enjoyed readings Van's take on things as well - especially as he tried to break free into his own career.  I'm going to have to go back and listen to what I have of his early solo stuff in this new context.

I've got the first two discs on a previous issue, interested in how good/different the last disc is...

[medjuck]

After one listening I'd say a couple of the takes are quite different and   they're all good.  One might be tempted to ask how many versions of Gloria and Here Comes the Night do we really need but it's interesting to here how they loosen up. ( The original release of Gloria now seems fairly restrained.)

[mikeweil]

15 hours ago, sidewinder said:

I've been in a few HMV stores over here over the past few weeks and most of them have it in stock in the CD version for £44 I think. I'm tempted - would be nice to get hold of 'Sound Venture'.

Mr Fame used to live fairly locally and was known to catch the occasional gig in the local jazz club..

As I said I'm glad I have it - remastering is excellent. There's a lot of R&B, Bluebeat etc., but his singing and the band's groove is always good - Chris Welch's booklet essay with many quotations from an extensive interview with Fame is a great read, covering a fascinating period in British pop history. Lots of stories about how he ran into trouble for his crossing over between rock'n'roll, R&B, jazz, pop and soul - including being kicked out of a Basie tribute by Wynton Marsalis himself! 

As I see it, Germany's mailorder shops are sold out and cannot get any more copies of the CD version, some dealers may have copies in stock, though. No more stock at amazon.co.uk, either. No idea how many copies they had made, but it seems to be rather limited. If you don't like it you'll probably be able to resell at a good price.

Back in my school days, all I got to hear was the singles - none of the EPs or LPs to be seen in local record shops, so it's like a trip back in time, listening to music I always wanted to hear but could not get at the time. There was a local kiosk selling the New Musical Express - I remember reading about so much music that looked interesting but was not played on German radio - but that's another story.

[sidewinder]

The LPs are not cheap over here - been on the lookout for a good copy of the Sound Venture. Rays Jazz had one but it was over £100. 

Might just treat myself to this set next time in in HMV. My wallet doesn't thank you for the recommendation.. 

[duaneiac]

I got my copy of the Georgie Fame boxed set in the mail today.  I had ordered it from Amazon.uk back on Nov. 19, but they were out of stock for a while.  With shipping to the US, the 5 disc set came to only $37.51.  Not bad.  Cheaper than buying it from US Amazon.

The packaging is very nice and the enclosed book looks like an actual short book, not just some hastily written liner notes.  I'll have to make time to read it soon.  I would have wished they had used a larger typeface.  Mr. Fame's core fans are likely not youngsters anymore and small print is not a favor to them/us.  I could have done without the packet of photos and the poster if that meant they could have added a few pages to the book using a larger font size.

Edited December 31, 2015 by duaneiac

[kh1958]

Two box sets for Christmas, Joe Castro, Lush Life and the Kenny Wheeler Black Saint/Soul Note set.

[T.D.]

The Andrew Hill Black Saint / Soul Note box.

[Eric]

57 minutes ago, T.D. said:

The Andrew Hill Black Saint / Soul Note box.

Nice - congratulations!  A lot of ways to enjoy AH in those sessions.

[Pete B]

My lovely wife ordered a copy of the new Mosaic James P Johnson for me.  I anxiously await its arrival....

[A Lark Ascending]

I didn't get any music - people learnt long ago to let me buy that by myself! - but I did get an exercise bike. As someone who has never played sport or exercised beyond walking I needed something I could use routinely without having to go on display. 

So what I've got is a rather interesting new way of listening to music. I pick a 30 minute sequence off the iPod and off I go. Not Rap, Techno or Eye of the Tiger (and I don't own a sweat band like Mark Knopfler) but everything from Beethoven (watch the scherzos) to Irish folk (watch the jigs and reels) so far. Early days but I've managed 7 miles a day consistently so far - much more enjoyable than I'd imagined. 

Hopefully keep me alive longer so I can get through all those records on my shelves another time.  

Edited January 4, 2016 by A Lark Ascending

[mikelz777]

The 2-CD version

[danasgoodstuff]

I took the $ my mum sent me and a coupon down to Music Millennium and bought myself the 5 Royales Soul & Swagger (5CD box 'n book), only to find out there's the more completer Definitive on 3 dbl CD sets, but I think I'm good.

[Shawn]

Nada.  

But I did order a new stylus for my turntable so I'm looking forward to playing some albums that I have not been able to audition yet.  

[niels]

No music, but many great books:
- Proust - In search of lost time (Vol.1, 4 and 5)
- Milan Kundera - The Art of the Novel (essay)
- Honoré de Balzac - Lost Illusions
- Fjodor Dostojewski - The Dream, White Nights, the Meek One
- Fjodor Dostojewski - The House of the Dead

 

[sidewinder]

On 27 December 2015 at 6:48 PM, mikeweil said:

Luckily I had talked my wife in getting me the Georgie Fame five CD box set - it is sold out already, only the 4 LP version (with MP3 download option of the bonus material) is still available.

 

Looks like it's imminently back in stock with Amazon UK.