Exactly. Another thing nobody seems to stop and think about is that these records are almost 70 years old. You're not going to find these titles in near mint condition, it's just not gonna happen. And on the very rare occasion that by some miracle you find copies of these that have been slumbering away on a shelf for the past 7 decades with only a few plays on them, not a lot of people have tens of thousands of dollars just laying around to buy them. These records in this condition are nothing to be ashamed of.
Thanks for the honest evaluation. My collecting these rare items just isn't going to happen. However I have made similiar purchases for records that are not so rare. Slowly these are leaving my collection as I develop a better appreciation for the artists and music that I find appealing to me. I would like to see a video on what your process is in determining what and how you approach the purchase of a used record. Great video!
Well done and thanks for your open, honest approach. Everyone would like mint but there is a historical value to have early copies of these records. That said if you saw these live or had the chance to hear them how much would you have paid? Great site though deserve way more subscribers.
Wax based furniture spray and a micro cloth can help bring back shine on covers and rid the smell of mold. I've used bleach and water mixture on a swab to remove black mold spores as well.
That’s interesting… I’ve heard using WD-40 but that’s very temporary in terms of gloss restoring (plus it’s difficult to avoid staining if there are any breaks in the lamination)
Those Blue Note Plastylite pressings are warhorses. I've got 25 of them, the worst grading being VG. But the VG grading play virtually as well as VG+ gradings on their contemporary label releases like Prestige, Riverside etc. Great video - thanks!
I thought you were going to say that I’m glad you’re not in the room with me to see the tears falling down my cheeks😢 I have four of the albums you’ve shown in the Music Matters series and love and cherish them all. Great video with a unique approach.👍
I found this video fascinating even though I’d rather a nice clean reissue over a old beaten up original every day of the week. Was very interesting to see what even the “bad” copies are worth and what collectors like yourself are happy to settle for in the curation of your collection. I like to think about the journey those records have been on before they ended up with you. And I absolutely loved that you shared your “worst” copies, it’s really refreshing to see this kind of thing.
Your preference makes MUCH more logical sense, I acknowledge that. There has always been something charming about beat up records, but it shouldn't be at the expense of having a copy you actually listen to!
@@jazzvinylcollector even though I prefer a clean reissue it’s impossible as a jazz record collector to avoid having to buy second hand records as many never get reprinted after a certain point so I can still relate to having less than perfect copies of records as well as a few disasters in my collection! I have a badly trashed old Stan Getz record which is so bad that I play it every now and then just to see if it’s really as bad as I remembered it. It always is!
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Thank you for making me feel better about compulsion for buying beat up records. Thank God I don’t pay your prices!!!
Excellent video idea. There’s that fine line between condition and price..sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. If I’m buying lesser condition records I try to pay a price that I think I won’t lose much on if I ever sell it in the future. Of course that’s not an exact science and may not always work out..but…
yea that's right. generally i don't win ebay auctions, and some say the auction winner is the first loser because they've paid more than anyone else's value for a record, but my focus is typically on what I can get for a deal. In some cases, emotion ends up winning and I end up with a G record for a few hundred bucks though
Another great video! I have a lot of BNs with marks all over them and they play pretty well. Granted they do have some noise but that is to be expected, some of these records are over 60 years old! And it's crazy to me that you'll most likely make all of your money back plus some if you indeed decide to sell and upgrade your copy. Yes $100+ for a g+ record is a lot of money, but BN these days is a collectors label and thats how the market sees these rare presses especially those with the Lexington or w47 labels.
yea that's right. Funnily enough as the interest in BN originals has grown, my acceptance of 2nd and 3rd pressings has increased as well. It may end up being a happy medium where I can find the not-quite-originals (or certainly modern audiophile represses) in place of some of these
@@jazzvinylcollector so that’s the thing, recently I have splurging in lib and ua blue notes and it’s seriously hit or miss. I would advice anyone if it doesn’t have rvg in the runouts stay away! For example, Ldt+3 comes to mind because I just got it in the mail. A lib no rvg and it sucks, one of the worst sounding records I own. The audio is up and down. Maybe it’s a pressing defect in my particular copy. So for anyone reading this, my advice don’t buy and blue notes that don’t have the rvg metal parts. Just don’t do it.
I was in the Air Force and got stationed in Okinawa in the early 80’s and met an old head who was heavily into Japanese vinyl and he warned me way back then that my UA’s which most if not all of my BN’s were back then were pressed on the same stamper no matter when I bought it. So if your album was pressed in the early 70’s you were good, but that same stamper pressed copy’s sold in the late 70’s too. So if your pressing was in the late 70’s you got a garbage pressing. He told me that in 1981 and I kinda listened to him, but now I clearly understand what he was talking about.
@@marksutton8054 The Japanese BN especially the king pressings are very high quality and audiophile level. I would buy those king pressings over a 70s Bn west coast press.
Did any of you all get into Japanese blue notes? I have one 70s Japanese press of Night Dreamer that sounds pretty sweet, but that’s all I have (in general though I’d rather wait for a US pressing unless it’s impossible).
Now I am curious to look for statistics on the depth of the grooves of different labels, years, plants, etc. More depth would explain a rough looking record still playing well.
Love your honesty and not taking it too seriously. A collector once told me « playable does not equate listenable » and that’s been my guiding light for collecting. Also, playing such poor condition records will shorten the life of the stylus. 😅
yea, one reason why I don't spend big money on the stylus (not that I play poor conditions all the time, most of my collection is in great shape) but because 95% of my stuff is original/vintage and the stylus encounters more marks and scuffs than if I was buying only new. I use a Nagoaka MP-110 and it seems to handle whatever I throw at it like a champ, but I do have to replace it every year. Someone made the comment that I should swap in an old stylus whenever I play the lesser condition stuff, which I think is a great idea
@@jazzvinylcollector I have installed the Nagaoka MP-110 on my partners turntable, it’s great value for money, and tracks really well, especially the inner grooves. Sounds a lot more musical than the ortofon blue or red when I audition it.
As someone with a visual arts and design background I have no qualms about valuing covers. Particularly old litho processes, tip-on sleeves, lamination, etc. No, you can’t play the cover, but you can play a decent reissue - and only very rarely do they get the covers right on those.
Everyone collects for different reasons and that's what's great. It's cool to have Blue Note originals. I also value old records just for the artifact. But I am too cheap to pay those prices for unplayable records.
Yea I’m somewhere in the middle. I don’t like to / shouldnt have paid so much for some of these. And normally I don’t. But sometimes that desire to get an OG gets the better of me
I am enjoying your channel thanks for sharing your experiences. Have to say that I am kind of amazed how much you paid for records clearly found in a flooded basement. 😁
Two things I'm curious about: 1) what would you grade these and 2) how do they sound? It is so cool to have OG pressings of these rare early Blue Notes but I'm not sure if I could justify it to myself if they didn't sound at least halfway decent still.
16:00 I used to be confused about the sheen on framed originals. I got a 1501 Miles and it looked original but the sheen / gloss worried me because I didnt want to buy a laminated reissue. There should really be more mentions of this aspect regarding early 1500 series covers. If I passed I might have missed my biggest blue note score, 120$ for an EX/EX copy, almost unbelievable.
it's tough to tell sometimes. Then there are those who attempt to clean non laminated covers because they look shiny enough, and that can end up real bad! Well done on that purchase though, that sounds like a fantastic deal
Really enjoyed your video and appreciated your bravery telling the prices. Very appreciated! But…. Make fun real fun for us please, let us hear them play! Lol Too curious to hear how they play, of course specially the worst in condition ones. Big ups and regards from Italy G
That's a great idea actually... I tell you what, I'll do a follow-up video focused on rare prestige records in bad condition and I'll try and include some clips!
Hi Chris. I appreciate your honesty in this video. Not sure I agree with the prices that you spent on these records. 😬 But if you’re enjoying the music, then there isn’t a right or wrong price. Did you get these records online or through a local record store? As others have stated, the price and hype on jazz (and classic rock) OG records are rising. I suggest sell/trade up for what you want, b/c prices will not be going down anytime soon 🙇🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
I think that's right, at least in terms of prices for top condition stuff not going down soon. I got most of these through ebay or discogs, but one or two via IG sellers, so it was more of a gamble - did the seller truly mean G condition or are they undergrading - and a few are actually okay players!
wow! I'm getting close to 90,. so I am thinking I should find out what my collection might be worth. Dates mostly from 1954 to 1964. Probably a good many 10" and original pressings. vinyl is good, covers sometimes not so. I need to find a trustworthy guide and helper. At my age vision is compromised, and hearing still working. An interesting fact is that I am one of three college roommates all of whom are still alive, healthy, listening,and with much material. What do I do?
Oh yeah. Those deep groove Blue Notes were super industrious. I got a few like a first press Art Blakey “Moanin” that looks G+ at best for only $30 that definitely plays VG to VG+ with just a little surface noise from time to time that the music over powers.
When I got back into vinyl collecting after taking years and years off I too wanted to only purchase OG or 1st press releases. Some or most were over priced and many I did land the sound stage was just to ruff for me. I started to settle on in Blue Note cases Liberty pressings at minimum. But someone turned me onto Analogue Productions and their 45’s and I thought I’m going about this the wrong way. Do I have to have something I can put up with the noise or just buy an audio file if available and listen to it like it’s supposed to be listened to. I found Music Matters soon after and I spent my money there before they started changing their prices.
I think that's a great strategy. I too have starting buying AP and MM titles, meanwhile when I first started collecting, there was a vast chasm between OG collectors and audiophile collectors with very few people dipping their toe in both. I think some of the recent reissue efforts combined with so many more folks entering the vinyl community has helped blur the line, and that's a good thing
I started joining a few vinyl groups on Facebook one in particular The Jazz Vinyl Lovers where I started questioning this practice because I was spending a lot of money and I learned to take care of my stuff at an early age, so my collection that I started to build in the mid to late 70’s still sounded great. Especially my Japanese reissues I purchased my 3 years in Okinawa and 2 more years in Japan. So I was amazed at how bad these originals were sounding, but I could now brag I had an original and posted in the group proudly. The thing is they were hard to listen to.
Recently discovered your channel and have been enjoying your videos. I live in the ATL metro area. I havent had much luck finding great jazz records locally and primarily rely on Discogs. Can you shoot me names of some local vinyl shops that do a good job of stacking jazz records. Thanks.
For sure. There are a couple of shops that have been getting some great jazz in over the last month or two. The two that come to mind first and foremost are Wuxtry and Ella Guru. We're talking Blue Note, Prestige, New Jazz, etc. Another shop that recently relocated and has been getting in some great older stuff on Savoy, Bethlehem, etc. is Record Loft ATL which is located off of Moreland in the East Atlanta Village area (2 blocks from my place!)
I've done it a million times. Bought a ( super ) beat up copy of different records for super cheap. Play it. If I don't like it. Nothing lost. Buy new copy later. I did that as early teen w/ no money.
That’s the thing a few years ago I would have paid the same price for it until I stumbled on Analogue Productions and then Music Matters and I became more obsessed with the sound quality instead of having to have an OG or 1st pressing. I paid $49 for that same John Jenkins and although I had to get used to 45’s at first the sound quality was unbelievable. Now that Music Matters has stopped repressing I have had great success with the Tone Poets and Classics. It stopped making sense to me to buy something I had a hard time listening to.
What I find really disturbing about this thing is that people still charge hundreds of $ for a record that's actually unplayable and should be in the 1 $ bin. That's the reason I don't buy secondhand Blue Note and really appreciate the new series from Blue Note, Tone Poet Series and Classic Vinyl Series.
There is a lot of hypocrisy in this community. Some supposed audiophiles who claim they will never step foot in a thrift store also seem to have the most elaborate and expensive record cleaning machines. How does that work? Come on. And there are others who won’t show some of their collection on TH-cam because the outer sleeves are beat up. Which is ridiculous, as some of the best playing records in my collection have beat up sleeves. Probably because they are afraid what kinds of comments they may receive. Social media has had an often ridiculous impact on this hobby.
yea I agree. I'm to blame at times on Instagram especially, but I try to be more transparent like calling something a repress rather than trying to represent everything i have as original, or being up front about the condition. In the end, people respond to positive feedback and admiration better than criticism though, so it can be tough. Funnily enough, I'm more comfortable making videos like this, than videos that highlight "most valuable records in my collection" or something similar
@@jazzvinylcollector I just wish that more of these self proclaimed “audiophiles”, particularly those who were duped by the MoFi fiasco, would be more transparent. I know they are going to thrift stores, just like the rest of us.
I'd rather not have an extremely rare record if I can't find it in EX or NM condition. If there's any hearable line or crackling then I get rid of it. I can't stand the noises, it drives me crazy. This mean I'll never own some records, but I'm ok with that !
I like the honest approach Chris! For myself I have never been into getting poor condition records for the sake of having an original in my collection so I only stick to VG+ and up with an occasional VG thrown in. I know that I'm never going to play a poor copy because it will annoy me. My Blue Note collection is a mix of originals, usually found at a decent price and later pressings (Liberties, UA, Japanese and more recent audiophile issues). I will certainly pick up copies like you showed here but they need to be cheap and I will probably resell them eventually.
Your mentality is really where i'm trying to get to, it's just been a process. I have been buying some Music Matters reissue stuff lately as well as the Disk Union DBLP series, so I suppose that's a positive step
I'm sure you can hear every note and nuance through all of those scratches on the OG. Newbie collectors naively bought the Music Matters pressing for 1/4 of the price or box set covering these album with bonus tracks or cd with bonus tracks but you can hear the digital. Actually the digital artifacts are way louder than the music.
Gotta say I’m surprised at the price you paid for some of these, haha. Personally I could see myself paying $50 for a beat up historical artifact, but I could never do $100, $200 and up
yea there have definitely been times I've gotten caught up in bidding, although not as much as of late. I've been very fortunate to build a collection with top condition stuff cheaply through some fortuitous collection purchases, and then sort of offset that with spending too much on others I suppose
@@jazzvinylcollector yeah even with my very modest collection, I’ve had some great deals that offset some more disappointing purchases, so I can relate to that.
I’m confused. Are (were) you interested in the music or the media? Yes there is some overlap but the prices you’ve paid for these bad recordings is just astounding. You’re paying for these things like they’re hot stocks in a market bubble.
Completely fair comment, lol. So in the past I was interested in having at least a placeholder of some of these, and can definitely say that I was hoping these were undergraded when I bought them (it's just in many cases they weren't). Lately, I've been trying improve the quality of the records I keep and selling off lower condition stuff. These are the most egregious examples of bad purchases though (most of my collection is VG+ or better). I am interested in finding modern reissues of these titles so I can sell off the lesser condition stuff but funnily enough, I can probably make back my money (or most of it) on these should I decide to sell them because of how crazy the market has gotten.
Great video Chris, very interesting. Always a treat to get some insight into how other collectors approach this hobby. When I first started collecting strictly original 1st pressings I had the same philosophy as I have today, which is trying to find these albums in as good as possible condition, both vinyl and jacket. Cause I know I wouldn't be happy listening to records with severe issues. That has of course been expensive and as a result I've only been able to get a handful of albums into the collection each year. But I'm happy I got a lot of them before this recent craziness. Don't get me wrong, they were expensive as hell before as well, but not in the same league as the going rate on eBay for rare titles these days. I've always tried to find albums in VG++ to M- shape, both jacket and vinyl. Sometimes a VG+ jacket will do. I prefer the vinyl to be cleaner than the jacket if I had to choose. The vinyl has always been the most important thing, but the jacket is quite important as well I think. Also, I've been focusing on quality over quantity in my years collecting. I'd like to get some more stuff faster into the collection, but as I'm only after 1st pressings, even the more non-desirable stuff or lesser known titles costs a lot. But there's so many great titles that can be had for way less than a rare Blue Note, so it feels more sane to purchase maybe 10 albums for the price of one. Still, it all comes down to what titles you really want and what artists you're most into. It's hard to save up and wait forever for (in my case) those Henderson, Shorter and Hancock titles on Blue Note to maybe show up. I've been fortunate to find some of them recently but it takes some character to resist spending money on other albums while you wait, so when that title you're really after finally shows up you can afford it. Overall, a cool-headed approach to this hobby can be difficult to master. Sorry for the rambling. 🙂
Your approach takes patience and is quite impressive, as is your collection. I don't think I've seen another collector with your consistency in fact. I think my challenge was that when I started I could never justify to spend so much on any one item, so I started with lesser condition titles. These days, I'm somewhere in the middle where I don't want anything in less than VG+ condition, but I also typically can't afford (or perhaps justify the price necessary for) NM titles. It's a balance that we all work through I suppose
@@jazzvinylcollector I've started to become more and more reluctant to pay the prices necessary for many of these items. Maybe I'll just try and focus on more affordable titles. Let's see what happens.
We need more collectors who are transparent like this! Really enjoy your content.
thank you!
Absolutely. 💯
sheeesh. some of these in G+ condition have sold of upwards of 1k. i’d say great buy on your part
Exactly. Another thing nobody seems to stop and think about is that these records are almost 70 years old. You're not going to find these titles in near mint condition, it's just not gonna happen. And on the very rare occasion that by some miracle you find copies of these that have been slumbering away on a shelf for the past 7 decades with only a few plays on them, not a lot of people have tens of thousands of dollars just laying around to buy them. These records in this condition are nothing to be ashamed of.
Thanks for the honest evaluation. My collecting these rare items just isn't going to happen. However I have made similiar purchases for records that are not so rare. Slowly these are leaving my collection as I develop a better appreciation for the artists and music that I find appealing to me. I would like to see a video on what your process is in determining what and how you approach the purchase of a used record. Great video!
Thanks for being real.
I still struggle with how different people grade records.
You’re quickly becoming one of my fave VC channels. Thanks for the videos and your honesty. Cheers! -budgetphile
thank you!
Well done and thanks for your open, honest approach. Everyone would like mint but there is a historical value to have early copies of these records. That said if you saw these live or had the chance to hear them how much would you have paid? Great site though deserve way more subscribers.
I found that fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed that. Thanks.
A fascinating look into the mind of an irrational collector, no doubt!
Wax based furniture spray and a micro cloth can help bring back shine on covers and rid the smell of mold. I've used bleach and water mixture on a swab to remove black mold spores as well.
That’s interesting… I’ve heard using WD-40 but that’s very temporary in terms of gloss restoring (plus it’s difficult to avoid staining if there are any breaks in the lamination)
Those Blue Note Plastylite pressings are warhorses. I've got 25 of them, the worst grading being VG. But the VG grading play virtually as well as VG+ gradings on their contemporary label releases like Prestige, Riverside etc. Great video - thanks!
I have the Kenny Burrell w/ the Warhol cover that looks like it survived a shipwreck!
That title can’t be found in any other condition it seems!
I thought you were going to say that I’m glad you’re not in the room with me to see the tears falling down my cheeks😢 I have four of the albums you’ve shown in the Music Matters series and love and cherish them all. Great video with a unique approach.👍
Brilliant video. I have plenty of beat 1500 series titles that I keep in my collection. They can’t all be crispy OGs
I found this video fascinating even though I’d rather a nice clean reissue over a old beaten up original every day of the week. Was very interesting to see what even the “bad” copies are worth and what collectors like yourself are happy to settle for in the curation of your collection. I like to think about the journey those records have been on before they ended up with you. And I absolutely loved that you shared your “worst” copies, it’s really refreshing to see this kind of thing.
Your preference makes MUCH more logical sense, I acknowledge that. There has always been something charming about beat up records, but it shouldn't be at the expense of having a copy you actually listen to!
@@jazzvinylcollector even though I prefer a clean reissue it’s impossible as a jazz record collector to avoid having to buy second hand records as many never get reprinted after a certain point so I can still relate to having less than perfect copies of records as well as a few disasters in my collection! I have a badly trashed old Stan Getz record which is so bad that I play it every now and then just to see if it’s really as bad as I remembered it. It always is!
Thank you for making me feel better about compulsion for buying beat up records. Thank God I don’t pay your prices!!!
I didn't realize that the 1500 series was that sought-after. I have a few and keep finding them in not so great conditions in Detroit
But all Lexington 10"red are such a WITCH to find in any shape!All of these mint,run in the four figures,I would think.
I'm from Uruguay, enjoying your videos!
Thank you!
Excellent video idea. There’s that fine line between condition and price..sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. If I’m buying lesser condition records I try to pay a price that I think I won’t lose much on if I ever sell it in the future. Of course that’s not an exact science and may not always work out..but…
yea that's right. generally i don't win ebay auctions, and some say the auction winner is the first loser because they've paid more than anyone else's value for a record, but my focus is typically on what I can get for a deal. In some cases, emotion ends up winning and I end up with a G record for a few hundred bucks though
What a great topic. Really enjoyable video. All amazing titles. I'll pick up trashed originals on the cheap any day of the week.
Exactly like some of my purchases, though not for Blue Notes. Very informative. Thanks, Chris
Fabulous video
Another great video! I have a lot of BNs with marks all over them and they play pretty well. Granted they do have some noise but that is to be expected, some of these records are over 60 years old! And it's crazy to me that you'll most likely make all of your money back plus some if you indeed decide to sell and upgrade your copy. Yes $100+ for a g+ record is a lot of money, but BN these days is a collectors label and thats how the market sees these rare presses especially those with the Lexington or w47 labels.
yea that's right. Funnily enough as the interest in BN originals has grown, my acceptance of 2nd and 3rd pressings has increased as well. It may end up being a happy medium where I can find the not-quite-originals (or certainly modern audiophile represses) in place of some of these
@@jazzvinylcollector so that’s the thing, recently I have splurging in lib and ua blue notes and it’s seriously hit or miss. I would advice anyone if it doesn’t have rvg in the runouts stay away! For example, Ldt+3
comes to mind because I just got it in the mail. A lib no rvg and it sucks, one of the worst sounding records I own. The audio is up and down. Maybe it’s a pressing defect in my particular copy. So for anyone reading this, my advice don’t buy and blue notes that don’t have the rvg metal parts. Just don’t do it.
I was in the Air Force and got stationed in Okinawa in the early 80’s and met an old head who was heavily into Japanese vinyl and he warned me way back then that my UA’s which most if not all of my BN’s were back then were pressed on the same stamper no matter when I bought it. So if your album was pressed in the early 70’s you were good, but that same stamper pressed copy’s sold in the late 70’s too. So if your pressing was in the late 70’s you got a garbage pressing. He told me that in 1981 and I kinda listened to him, but now I clearly understand what he was talking about.
@@marksutton8054 The Japanese BN especially the king pressings are very high quality and audiophile level. I would buy those king pressings over a 70s Bn west coast press.
Did any of you all get into Japanese blue notes? I have one 70s Japanese press of Night Dreamer that sounds pretty sweet, but that’s all I have (in general though I’d rather wait for a US pressing unless it’s impossible).
Now I am curious to look for statistics on the depth of the grooves of different labels, years, plants, etc. More depth would explain a rough looking record still playing well.
Love your honesty and not taking it too seriously. A collector once told me « playable does not equate listenable » and that’s been my guiding light for collecting. Also, playing such poor condition records will shorten the life of the stylus. 😅
yea, one reason why I don't spend big money on the stylus (not that I play poor conditions all the time, most of my collection is in great shape) but because 95% of my stuff is original/vintage and the stylus encounters more marks and scuffs than if I was buying only new. I use a Nagoaka MP-110 and it seems to handle whatever I throw at it like a champ, but I do have to replace it every year. Someone made the comment that I should swap in an old stylus whenever I play the lesser condition stuff, which I think is a great idea
@@jazzvinylcollector I have installed the Nagaoka MP-110 on my partners turntable, it’s great value for money, and tracks really well, especially the inner grooves. Sounds a lot more musical than the ortofon blue or red when I audition it.
Transfer them over to Cd,maybe.
Great video, really enjoy the topics you are coming up with for the channel. And appreciate the honesty too!
Thank you! Now I have to somehow convince folks I have nice records too
Great video! Love the transparency (and sarcasm)
Great video! Just wish you could do some needledrops on these suckers ,but well we can't have everything... Peace
Cool idea for a video!!! I also have some bad condition blue notes
these beat up copies have to end up somewhere other than a landfill!
As someone with a visual arts and design background I have no qualms about valuing covers. Particularly old litho processes, tip-on sleeves, lamination, etc. No, you can’t play the cover, but you can play a decent reissue - and only very rarely do they get the covers right on those.
Everyone collects for different reasons and that's what's great. It's cool to have Blue Note originals. I also value old records just for the artifact. But I am too cheap to pay those prices for unplayable records.
Yea I’m somewhere in the middle. I don’t like to / shouldnt have paid so much for some of these. And normally I don’t. But sometimes that desire to get an OG gets the better of me
I am enjoying your channel thanks for sharing your experiences.
Have to say that I am kind of amazed how much you paid for records clearly found in a flooded basement. 😁
the mold spores take their own solos on my copies!
Two things I'm curious about: 1) what would you grade these and 2) how do they sound? It is so cool to have OG pressings of these rare early Blue Notes but I'm not sure if I could justify it to myself if they didn't sound at least halfway decent still.
Hey Chris, great topic! Enjoyed it. Guess we all got these sound wise annoying copies hidden somewhere…
16:00 I used to be confused about the sheen on framed originals. I got a 1501 Miles and it looked original but the sheen / gloss worried me because I didnt want to buy a laminated reissue. There should really be more mentions of this aspect regarding early 1500 series covers. If I passed I might have missed my biggest blue note score, 120$ for an EX/EX copy, almost unbelievable.
it's tough to tell sometimes. Then there are those who attempt to clean non laminated covers because they look shiny enough, and that can end up real bad! Well done on that purchase though, that sounds like a fantastic deal
Really enjoyed your video and appreciated your bravery telling the prices. Very appreciated!
But…. Make fun real fun for us please, let us hear them play! Lol
Too curious to hear how they play, of course specially the worst in condition ones.
Big ups and regards from Italy
G
That's a great idea actually... I tell you what, I'll do a follow-up video focused on rare prestige records in bad condition and I'll try and include some clips!
That would be great actually! Thanks!
I enjoyed this very much.
Hi Chris. I appreciate your honesty in this video. Not sure I agree with the prices that you spent on these records. 😬 But if you’re enjoying the music, then there isn’t a right or wrong price. Did you get these records online or through a local record store? As others have stated, the price and hype on jazz (and classic rock) OG records are rising. I suggest sell/trade up for what you want, b/c prices will not be going down anytime soon 🙇🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
I think that's right, at least in terms of prices for top condition stuff not going down soon. I got most of these through ebay or discogs, but one or two via IG sellers, so it was more of a gamble - did the seller truly mean G condition or are they undergrading - and a few are actually okay players!
wow! I'm getting close to 90,. so I am thinking I should find out what my collection might be worth. Dates mostly from 1954 to 1964. Probably a good many 10" and original pressings. vinyl is good, covers sometimes not so. I need to find a trustworthy guide and helper. At my age vision is compromised, and hearing still working. An interesting fact is that I am one of three college roommates all of whom are still alive, healthy, listening,and with much material. What do I do?
One thing I’ve noticed from collecting poor quality blue notes is that they are still playable, that microgroove works so well
Oh yeah. Those deep groove Blue Notes were super industrious. I got a few like a first press Art Blakey “Moanin” that looks G+ at best for only $30 that definitely plays VG to VG+ with just a little surface noise from time to time that the music over powers.
Great video. I have many in similar condition and similar prices.
When I got back into vinyl collecting after taking years and years off I too wanted to only purchase OG or 1st press releases. Some or most were over priced and many I did land the sound stage was just to ruff for me. I started to settle on in Blue Note cases Liberty pressings at minimum. But someone turned me onto Analogue Productions and their 45’s and I thought I’m going about this the wrong way. Do I have to have something I can put up with the noise or just buy an audio file if available and listen to it like it’s supposed to be listened to. I found Music Matters soon after and I spent my money there before they started changing their prices.
I think that's a great strategy. I too have starting buying AP and MM titles, meanwhile when I first started collecting, there was a vast chasm between OG collectors and audiophile collectors with very few people dipping their toe in both. I think some of the recent reissue efforts combined with so many more folks entering the vinyl community has helped blur the line, and that's a good thing
I started joining a few vinyl groups on Facebook one in particular The Jazz Vinyl Lovers where I started questioning this practice because I was spending a lot of money and I learned to take care of my stuff at an early age, so my collection that I started to build in the mid to late 70’s still sounded great. Especially my Japanese reissues I purchased my 3 years in Okinawa and 2 more years in Japan. So I was amazed at how bad these originals were sounding, but I could now brag I had an original and posted in the group proudly. The thing is they were hard to listen to.
Recently discovered your channel and have been enjoying your videos. I live in the ATL metro area. I havent had much luck finding great jazz records locally and primarily rely on Discogs. Can you shoot me names of some local vinyl shops that do a good job of stacking jazz records. Thanks.
For sure. There are a couple of shops that have been getting some great jazz in over the last month or two. The two that come to mind first and foremost are Wuxtry and Ella Guru. We're talking Blue Note, Prestige, New Jazz, etc. Another shop that recently relocated and has been getting in some great older stuff on Savoy, Bethlehem, etc. is Record Loft ATL which is located off of Moreland in the East Atlanta Village area (2 blocks from my place!)
@@jazzvinylcollector Awesome reply. Will check em out this weekend. Keep up the good work.
I've done it a million times. Bought a ( super ) beat up copy of different records for super cheap. Play it. If I don't like it. Nothing lost. Buy new copy later. I did that as early teen w/ no money.
Side 2 of that Jenkins looks like a cat danced on it 😆
Still cool to see even if they are trashed.
Great video.
That’s the thing a few years ago I would have paid the same price for it until I stumbled on Analogue Productions and then Music Matters and I became more obsessed with the sound quality instead of having to have an OG or 1st pressing. I paid $49 for that same John Jenkins and although I had to get used to 45’s at first the sound quality was unbelievable. Now that Music Matters has stopped repressing I have had great success with the Tone Poets and Classics. It stopped making sense to me to buy something I had a hard time listening to.
I love that actually. It isn't beat up, it's just a cat got the zoomies and the record was the victim
50's record players with a penny for the needle.
What I find really disturbing about this thing is that people still charge hundreds of $ for a record that's actually unplayable and should be in the 1 $ bin. That's the reason I don't buy secondhand Blue Note and really appreciate the new series from Blue Note, Tone Poet Series and Classic Vinyl Series.
Wild man!
There is a lot of hypocrisy in this community. Some supposed audiophiles who claim they will never step foot in a thrift store also seem to have the most elaborate and expensive record cleaning machines. How does that work? Come on. And there are others who won’t show some of their collection on TH-cam because the outer sleeves are beat up. Which is ridiculous, as some of the best playing records in my collection have beat up sleeves. Probably because they are afraid what kinds of comments they may receive. Social media has had an often ridiculous impact on this hobby.
yea I agree. I'm to blame at times on Instagram especially, but I try to be more transparent like calling something a repress rather than trying to represent everything i have as original, or being up front about the condition. In the end, people respond to positive feedback and admiration better than criticism though, so it can be tough. Funnily enough, I'm more comfortable making videos like this, than videos that highlight "most valuable records in my collection" or something similar
@@jazzvinylcollector I just wish that more of these self proclaimed “audiophiles”, particularly those who were duped by the MoFi fiasco, would be more transparent. I know they are going to thrift stores, just like the rest of us.
cheaper than paying $1000+ on these grails. nice lp's there
I'd rather not have an extremely rare record if I can't find it in EX or NM condition. If there's any hearable line or crackling then I get rid of it. I can't stand the noises, it drives me crazy. This mean I'll never own some records, but I'm ok with that !
I like the honest approach Chris! For myself I have never been into getting poor condition records for the sake of having an original in my collection so I only stick to VG+ and up with an occasional VG thrown in. I know that I'm never going to play a poor copy because it will annoy me. My Blue Note collection is a mix of originals, usually found at a decent price and later pressings (Liberties, UA, Japanese and more recent audiophile issues). I will certainly pick up copies like you showed here but they need to be cheap and I will probably resell them eventually.
Your mentality is really where i'm trying to get to, it's just been a process. I have been buying some Music Matters reissue stuff lately as well as the Disk Union DBLP series, so I suppose that's a positive step
@@jazzvinylcollector the Disk Unions are great although those have skyrocketet in price. Glad I bought a bunch when they were still affordable.
@@jazzvinylcollector oh, and I love your videos by the way! To the point without excessive blah blah. 👍😀
Brrrrr!
I'm sure you can hear every note and nuance through all of those scratches on the OG. Newbie collectors naively bought the Music Matters pressing for 1/4 of the price or box set covering these album with bonus tracks or cd with bonus tracks but you can hear the digital. Actually the digital artifacts are way louder than the music.
Gotta say I’m surprised at the price you paid for some of these, haha. Personally I could see myself paying $50 for a beat up historical artifact, but I could never do $100, $200 and up
yea there have definitely been times I've gotten caught up in bidding, although not as much as of late. I've been very fortunate to build a collection with top condition stuff cheaply through some fortuitous collection purchases, and then sort of offset that with spending too much on others I suppose
@@jazzvinylcollector yeah even with my very modest collection, I’ve had some great deals that offset some more disappointing purchases, so I can relate to that.
Couple of hairline scratches 😂
few signs of play!
Nice gloss
Well, I wouldn't have bought any of these records in this condition to be honest. In your next video, try to show us listenable records, thanks.
I’m confused. Are (were) you interested in the music or the media? Yes there is some overlap but the prices you’ve paid for these bad recordings is just astounding. You’re paying for these things like they’re hot stocks in a market bubble.
Completely fair comment, lol. So in the past I was interested in having at least a placeholder of some of these, and can definitely say that I was hoping these were undergraded when I bought them (it's just in many cases they weren't). Lately, I've been trying improve the quality of the records I keep and selling off lower condition stuff. These are the most egregious examples of bad purchases though (most of my collection is VG+ or better). I am interested in finding modern reissues of these titles so I can sell off the lesser condition stuff but funnily enough, I can probably make back my money (or most of it) on these should I decide to sell them because of how crazy the market has gotten.
It's because of the ridiculousness of the availability of these early Blue Notes.Theyre just not out there,guys.Good luck in finding them!!!!
Great video Chris, very interesting. Always a treat to get some insight into how other collectors approach this hobby. When I first started collecting strictly original 1st pressings I had the same philosophy as I have today, which is trying to find these albums in as good as possible condition, both vinyl and jacket. Cause I know I wouldn't be happy listening to records with severe issues. That has of course been expensive and as a result I've only been able to get a handful of albums into the collection each year. But I'm happy I got a lot of them before this recent craziness. Don't get me wrong, they were expensive as hell before as well, but not in the same league as the going rate on eBay for rare titles these days. I've always tried to find albums in VG++ to M- shape, both jacket and vinyl. Sometimes a VG+ jacket will do. I prefer the vinyl to be cleaner than the jacket if I had to choose. The vinyl has always been the most important thing, but the jacket is quite important as well I think. Also, I've been focusing on quality over quantity in my years collecting. I'd like to get some more stuff faster into the collection, but as I'm only after 1st pressings, even the more non-desirable stuff or lesser known titles costs a lot. But there's so many great titles that can be had for way less than a rare Blue Note, so it feels more sane to purchase maybe 10 albums for the price of one. Still, it all comes down to what titles you really want and what artists you're most into. It's hard to save up and wait forever for (in my case) those Henderson, Shorter and Hancock titles on Blue Note to maybe show up. I've been fortunate to find some of them recently but it takes some character to resist spending money on other albums while you wait, so when that title you're really after finally shows up you can afford it. Overall, a cool-headed approach to this hobby can be difficult to master. Sorry for the rambling. 🙂
Your approach takes patience and is quite impressive, as is your collection. I don't think I've seen another collector with your consistency in fact. I think my challenge was that when I started I could never justify to spend so much on any one item, so I started with lesser condition titles. These days, I'm somewhere in the middle where I don't want anything in less than VG+ condition, but I also typically can't afford (or perhaps justify the price necessary for) NM titles. It's a balance that we all work through I suppose
@@jazzvinylcollector I've started to become more and more reluctant to pay the prices necessary for many of these items. Maybe I'll just try and focus on more affordable titles. Let's see what happens.