CharlesTolliver - The Ringer

[Tom 1960]

I'm presently listening to this album on Spotify and it sounds quite good. I would be interested in others thoughts on this release and seeing that its on the 1201 label any comments pertaining to this label?  Originally released on Black Lion.

[Pim]

I don’t know the relation between 1201 and Black Lion but 1201 looks like the Black Lion distributor in the US or something. Anyway I’ve got Wardell Gray’s One for Prez in 1201 and that release is fine. So is Archie Shepp’s Montreux Two. 
 

on the Ringer: that’s a freakin great record. But to me, most of Tollivers output is pure gold.

[Tom 1960]

6 minutes ago, Pim said:

on the Ringer: that’s a freakin great record. But to me, most of Tollivers output is pure gold.

I originally posted the release sounded quite good. That obviously was an understatement. It is freakin' great! 

[felser]

My very favorite Tolliver album.  Awesome.  1201 is fine, though absolutely no frills.   The album was originally on Freedom records, so any other label is a lease (at best).   I first owned it as a reissue on the Arista-Freedom label in the mid-70's, then got the Black Lion CD in the early 90's.

[Niko]

My fading memory says that 1201 was by the same German company as Black Lion, around 2000 they had two series, the crappy "Jazz View" and the premium (though not premium looking) 1201... I have a few of their CDs and at least some of them sound really good (the Grant Green aka Dave Bailey album)

[clifford_thornton]

Original album was released on Polydor in the UK, which is the version I have and it is indeed a stellar recording. 

[sonnymax]

56 minutes ago, clifford_thornton said:

Original album was released on Polydor in the UK, which is the version I have and it is indeed a stellar recording. 

[colinmce]

FWIW the only generally available CD issue was on Black Lion; no 1201 CD. Certainly a great candidate for reissue, ideally with the OG Polydor cover!

[sambrasa]

I've got this CD version from 1994.

[Pim]

6 hours ago, sambrasa said:

I've got this CD version from 1994.

Praise yourself lucky

[BFrank]

10 hours ago, felser said:

My very favorite Tolliver album.  Awesome.  1201 is fine, though absolutely no frills.   The album was originally on Freedom records, so any other label is a lease (at best).   I first owned it as a reissue on the Arista-Freedom label in the mid-70's, then got the Black Lion CD in the early 90's.

I haven the Freedom issue on vinyl and Black Lion on CD. Definitely a great album!

[Rooster_Ties]

Black Lion on CD here. I’ve see 1-2 other covers on LP only, and the Black Lion cover is the only CD version I’ve ever seen ‘out in the wild’ - so to speak.

Not a fan of the Black Lion cover, and if any other options could be had cheaply ($15 or less), I’d probably upgrade to any new/different cover, and ‘gift’ my Black Lion copy to someone else here in DC (I’ve got a few local friends who aren’t deep collectors, who I wish I could give a lot more of these great titles to - dates that really shouldn’t be so darn obscure and hard to find).

[mhatta]

Around 1994, Tokuma Japan re-issued some Freedom releases on CD.  I think some of them (including The Ringer and Ornette's "Who's Crazy" ) were the first CD reissues in the world.  And yes, The Ringer is something else.  One of my favorite young Tollivers (another is "Grand-Max").

[Tom 1960]

Well I received my copy emphasis on copy of The Ringer yesterday in the mail. I failed to read some of the reviews on Amazon which in fact stated it is a CDR. Not really happy about that but then I only spent about $8 for the disc. No frills is right.Just the names of the songs and nothing else. That said it is a pretty amazing album and I've already played it twice.

[funkytonk]

If you do vinyl, Arista reissued it in the late 70s, and it can still be had inexpensively. I picked up a copy earlier this year for around $8-10 I think, along with the Arista press of Paper Man (another one that was originally on Polydor/Black Lion in the UK).

[Late]

I haven't picked up this latest Japanese edition. Thoughts from those who have?

[Rooster_Ties]

If it could be had for about $14-$16, I probably would bite — but $25 is too rich for my blood. I had to with Stanley Cowell’a Brilliant Corners, to get any sort of decent sound. But my Black Lion Ringer sounds more than decent enough — much as I love the date.

[sidewinder]

I found a NM LP copy of the Arista Freedom version of this one from 1975 last week. Great sound - and for less than £10 !

[BFrank]

If you like Tolliver, this is a must-have

[felser]

18 hours ago, BFrank said:

If you like Tolliver, this is a must-have

My favorite Tolliver album.

[T.D.]

On 9/4/2021 at 8:28 PM, felser said:

My favorite Tolliver album.

I bit the bullet and ordered the Japanese reissue, shipped but not yet arrived.

[Tom 1960]

On 9/6/2021 at 10:53 AM, T.D. said:

I bit the bullet and ordered the Japanese reissue, shipped but not yet arrived.

Great Tolliver. You should be very happy.

[T.D.]

20 minutes ago, Tom 1960 said:

Great Tolliver. You should be very happy.

Definitely am. In a rare spending spree, I also bought Japanese reissues of Julius Hemphill's Dogon A.D. and Stanley Cowell's Blues for the Viet Cong. Extravagant but worth it, all three are outstanding.

[Tom 1960]

15 hours ago, T.D. said:

Definitely am. In a rare spending spree, I also bought Japanese reissues of Julius Hemphill's Dogon A.D. and Stanley Cowell's Blues for the Viet Cong. Extravagant but worth it, all three are outstanding.

I almost pulled the trigger on Blues For the Viet Cong but I figured I spent enough money already.