My 1982 OJC (with a very similar obi that says 5.98) of Sonny Rollins with Modern Jazz Quartet is mastered by George Horn., not RVG as you say yours is. I believe most if not all 1982 OJC’s were done by Horn. GH in the runout.
My favorite thing about watching your videos is how you make me get even more excited about my jazz records. The energy is so damn infectious! Now...that 2011 repress of Waltz for Debby I would love.... Still workin on getting a copy of Workin'. I loooove that Yusef. It is always on the TT. That pressing sounds pretty darn good to my ears. Fine for me. Enjoyed every minute of this. Cheers Bob!
Hi Bob, lucky for US based folks, but up here in Europe its either used or something like double price. Got lucky and found Coleman Hawkins - Night Hawk in mint condition for EUR 10 in local shop, that's the only one from OJC I own:-( Cheers.
Nice share brother, heaps of great advice there I certainly have had trouble justifying the MOFI versions of the Bill Evans when the OJC are just so tasty.I guess it depends on the type of music fan you are
I agree with you, OJC pressings are great (especially Bill Evans). But if you really want to hear a definitive digital version of Workin' (which actually sounds a lot better than the OJC pressing); then check out the DCC Gold CD (GZS 1063) mastered by Steve Hoffman.
That dunking Cardinal t-shirt is an absolute original jazz classic. Thanks for the shout-out, bud! The source for that 2011 “Waltz” is, I believe, our lord Jesus Christ. Also, I gave you the Coltrane for free. Just saying. No big deal. IT WAS FREE BOB.
from SH forums: I think i can clarify this: some ojc reissues from the 2010s are aaa even if they dont have GH on the deadwax. For example Waltz for Debby or the Miles Davis Quintet Relaxin, Cookin, etc. The reason, i read it here somewhere (and fremer said so too i think) is that someone took the stampers to RTI back in the day, so apparently this ojc new reissues, if pressed at rti (with the numbers and the dot on the deadwax), are all aaa. Thats why Waltz for Debby sounds so good, and also Village Vanguard.
great review. agree it is about the music not the static object. Great sounding new pressing can be the best way to hear the musical genius of the players.
I grew up during that timeframe when OJC was starting to put out these LPs.. And I thought they were great, especially for the price of just a couple of bucks. Also- There were a lot of “2-fers” being sold too.. these were fantastic bargains. It was like being in a dream for jazz fanatics. The recent pressings of these OJ Classic by Craft records is nothing short of outstanding. On Waltz for Debbie, we can finally make out some of the background conversations going on in the audience while the recording was rolling. It’s that clear. I’m kind of old now.. finally being able to buy a lot of these great hard to find blue note, Impulse, Prestige, and other great Jazz titles.. especially the AAA cuts- is a treat. The recent Blue Note 80 and Classic Vinyl remasters are superb and a great value.. the Tone Poet are outstanding even considering the price- still a bargain. Good times are here again for jazz vinyl fans. Good video, young man.
Looks like these OJC will raise in price in the future, everybody loves them, I compared some to originals, sometimes I like the OJC more. Still the best bargain but how long?
@@DanielGonzalez-tw8nu I live in Austria, here originals are not easy available. You have to order them and pay the premium that sellers ask, OJC is a good way to build a Jazz collection here.
You beat me to it! I have to say that my Sonny Rollins And The Contemporary Leaders OJC is my best sounding. My Art Pepper - Art Pepper + Eleven OJC was pressed at QRP. On the SH forum OJC thread someone compiled a list of 20-30 titles that are determined to be AAA.
Great video Bob....I have so many Ojcs....I recently picked up Portrait in Jazz by Bill Evans and man that record sounds fantastic and the Yusef Lateef is ther other fantastic sound...got to pickup the Thelonious Monk to compare....I have the first ojc that came out in the mid to late 80s and t sounds great....these records are great for the price....the first ojcs had tip on jackets non gloss but nice....I play my records on my high-end turntable for the stereo copies and my mono records on my Thorens td124 with a Grado mono cartridge and man it sounds great....enjoy them Bob....Ed in New York.....😎🎶🎵🎶🗽
Heriberto sounds like you have two fantastic turntables! There is no better option for that hard to find rare bird than a OJC. I just couldn’t keep torturing myself looking under every stone for those Evans trio records or brilliant corners. Cheers sir, keep em spinning.
@@BOBBRADLEYCHANNEL ....Thank you Bob...you can call me Ed and I thought I had scripe to your channel....I got to do that....yes Bod I got a Nottingham Hyperspace turntable from England which I bought many years ago with a long and crazy story....expensive turntable which I got at the end for little money....my Thorens td124 with SME arm...I got the table from my local Jazz dealer from Jazz record Center here in New York a must place to visit if you are ever in New York city....I send the table out last year to get a full resto mod and it came back beautiful and perfect and I run Single ended 2a3 tube amp and tube line and phono preamp.....Bob ojcs were at a music shop at the time J&R Music for like 5 for 20 BUCKS !!!! WOW....🤤.. .That was back like in 1988 or 89 or 90....man it was great....Bob I'm a musician I play Cuban music Latin Jazz and Big band Latin Music....I play professional Bongo drums....You can hit me up on my e-mail bongocha@aol.com.....if you ever have any questions about any Jazz record if I have it....hahaha....Cheers....listening to Something else by Cannonball Adderley from the Classic Records reissue from the 90s mono 200 gram on Quiex sv-p....sounds amazing 😎🌃🌉.....Ed from New York....👍👍👍
Thanks Ed, I have in fact been to New York and visited the jazz record center :) sounds like you have a beautiful system. From the the sound of your collection and listening habits you are clearly an individual of sophistication and taste. I’m always happy to see kindred spirits watching the videos. Playing music is not easy and us musicians have to stick together. Salute! Keep em spinning
Really excellent advice (a true rarity on UA-cam) for anyone looking to start out a jazz vinyl collection that doesn't either know what they are doing and/or doesn't have a ton of money. I see so many novices buying these DOC and Waxtime garbage LPs, mainly because they don't know any better and they are "priced to move". Even the worst pressing of an OJC LP (of which there are few) will be so much better than those garbage, public domain LPs polluting our record bins. OJC LPs in NM condition are easy to find and very affordable. These are LPs you will keep in your collection for ever. Great video, fantastic advice. 👽✌️
I don't have these new OJC, but i have several 80's OJC, and they all sound really good. Look for GH in the deadwax ! George Horn did excellent remasterin job back in those years ! Nice video Bob
In the (mid) 80's. The Original Rock Classic CCR series, was remastered at Fantasy by the original engineer. Odds are they're analog. They sound badass. Jazz can blow me, don't care.
Excellent video Bob. Thanks for this. I used to go to my local record store and buy up all the rare mono Blue Note. Def would cost an arm and a leg. Think the newer pressings sound better? Just went to Acoustic Sounds after watching your video and bough some OJC Bill Evans lol!
They might only have a slight edge depending on the condition of ones original pressing. If you have a really clean OG well those are a joy to listen to. The ojc is def pressed well mostly by RTI so by default it’s gonna be quiet and pressed well and that def matters. It’s really a preference situation I would say.
I have the original 80’s version of that Waltz for Debby with the “GH” etchings on the dead wax, it sounds amazing, you are in good hands with these since all of the George Horn cuts are from AAA analog tapes
I just ran across this thread from 2015, Original Jazz Classics (OJC) deadwax info, which is closed for replies but which I can clear up. The "GH" that may appear in the deadwax of Fantasy OJC's up to 1986 is me, Gary Hobish. (I did most of the OJCs until then, at which point I left George Horn's Fantasy mastering staff and was replaced by Phil DeLancie). At that time, deadwax inscriptions by the M.E. at Fantasy were not commonly done. Additionally, to the best of my recollection to that time all OJC titles were cut from the original analog masters. (In addition to mastering, I was also the librarian of Fantasy's vault).
This is pretty much my approach to buying Bill Evans, buy cheaper but great sounding reissues & hunt for the less expensive & later period stuff that is still widely available.
OJC cds are getting harder to find now. Beware that Concord, who bought the Fantasy catalog, is currently issuing cd-r's as cds which are flooding the market. Tower records used to stock tons of these in their jazz section which would be a site for sore eyes today.
My OJC collection is extensive. Are there OJC's that you've ran across that don't sound good? Because I have Bill Evans OJC's from 2009, 2011, 2015 and 2018.
I’ve never heard a bad 1980s OJC, although the great ones certainly stand out. The recent ones are more hit and miss but, again, the misses are still really good, especially considering the price. I honestly can’t recall an OJC that I thought was a fail.
I really like Bill Evans brother! I must have missed this video when you first released it man I was going through UA-cam and it popped up...LoL. Glad it did✌️🎷🎺
The greatest OJCs, imo, are the late George Horn mastered ones from 82-85. Sadly, George passed away this year, but his mastering legacy is undeniable. This is becoming more common knowledge these days, but look for GH in the run-outs, which is the vast majority within those years. These are AAA. Also ones with SLM (Sheffield Lab Matrix) are AAA. They all sound fantastic. You can hear faint tape hiss on these AAA cuts. Very little EQ was done, imo. These OJCs are easily on par with modern audiophile versions. The earliest ones have nice heavy tip ons. Some can be found NM for $10-15... Think about that for a sec. Oh also, many of the lesser known titles like the Andre Previns are phenomenal. Even the Red Norvo, which I bought sealed for $8 is an absolute gem. Then there are the lesser known monos - all good! But maybe we shouldn't tell the world? ;)
You are correct, there isn’t a clear resource on the web to help people figure out which OMC’s are cut from the tapes. So the George ones are going up in price all the time ! Cheers
from what i read online - steve hoffman reckons theyre all AAA , deep into the 90s i accodentally bought some of these before knowing what they were (my local shops in the UK are thin on the jazz front - so i buy anything that looks clean and interesting) i got some contemporary reissues that sounded great and then Out of the Forrest - Jimmy Forrest - not traditionally a huge jazz classic - but when i played it at home it blew my mind as the sound quality was ridiculous .... i have been hunting down OJC records since , basically any records they pressed in the 80s that i know i will listen too, i have a list of them on discogs now that is about 50 deep , i have been telling guys about them but it seems alot of audiophiles think if something is cheap it cant be any good - suits me , i will keep buying great sounding records for 10-20£ while they buy the same records on classic / analog productions (which are great too) but cost £100 each here ... i have my fair share of modern audiophile stuff and the OJC is up there if not better than many stop telling everyone haha
@@BOBBRADLEYCHANNEL : New info on old OJC deadwax thread (SteveHoffman, apr 2020): The "GH" that may appear in the deadwax of Fantasy OJC's up to 1986 is me, Gary Hobish. (I did most of the OJCs until then, at which point I left George Horn's Fantasy mastering staff and was replaced by Phil DeLancie). At that time, deadwax inscriptions by the M.E. at Fantasy were not commonly done. Additionally, to the best of my recollection to that time all OJC titles were cut from the original analog masters. (In addition to mastering, I was also the librarian of Fantasy's vault. And furthermore : At a certain number in the OJC-2xx range (I don't remember the exact number), the LPs bear the CD mastering credits; I think in another thread I saw something about OJC 270 or 280 was when the mastering changed. And this comment by Steve H. himself: MOST (not all, but maybe 90%) of the OJC LP's were cut from the original analog master tapes. How do I know this? Because the OJC (along with the original) LP mastering notes are in the master tape boxes! Now, this does not mean that they were mastered the way I would do it, but many of them sound wonderful, and they are cheap. " Go for it!
@@BOBBRADLEYCHANNEL Yes great puzzle indeed 🤨 .... btw, here a good example for (Prestige, no OJC) John Coltrane Soultrane : my copy is a 1972 reissue : It may say stereo on the cover, but this album is pure, glorious MONO, with sound that is full-bodied, relaxed, Tubey Magical and tonally correct. . Rudy Van Gelder did the mastering, and my guess is he decided to leave the sound mono and simply not tell anyone. Who can blame him? He engineered it in mono, so why fix what ain’t broke because they printed the cover and the label with the word “stereo” on them in order to generate more sales? So our thanks go to Rudy for doing a good job!
Great topic to discuss, Bob! I’ve heard the early years of OJC (‘83-‘85/‘86) were analog sourced and some really early titles were done in mono. Probably towards the end of the 80s, they went digital to stay up with the times and also correspond to the release of these titles on cd. I’m not sure about more modern releases though. Definitely had some good points about being able to find really rare titles for a great price! I’ve got quite a few Prestige titles on OJC that I know I would never find an original of and they sound great!
I’ve always felt record collecting was a hobby of patience if you wait long enough you’ll eventually find it or a nice pressing will happen. That said with the relatively high pressing quality of OJC and the price … I can have the music while I wait :) thanks for checking out the video, cheers!
These seem like some nice options. I still need to explore more jazz. I have Blue Train, Art Blakey and the Jazz messengers"jazz corner of the world" and Horace Silver "Horacescope" 2nd press mono blue notes I think I want to try out some Thelonious Monk , Lee Morgan and Sonny Rollins albums.
Back in the early 80’s, OJC said they where digital master. They were actually all analog. Back then all things digital was seen to be better than analog. &Remember digital ready speakers?
Great vid Bob! I have loved my OJC albums. Two I picked up on vinyl recently that I am loving are Teddy Charles Evolution (1989) and Miles Davis and Horns (2011). Amazing value for all of their pressings in my opinion. Even my Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet (1987) on CD (GASP!) sounds wonderful. Thanks!
@@BOBBRADLEYCHANNEL Yes! When I saw it the first time, I couldn’t believe the cover was drawn by Don Martin. So cool. Apparently he did some other Prestige titles as well.
Top notch vid, Bob! I’ve got many OJC’s, and they sound fantastic. I’ve got no problem with them, especially the AAA ones. They all sound pretty good though. If I really want a great pressing, I’ll try and get an Analogue Productions one, but they can be pricey. Great collection of OJC’s! Thanks, Bob!
I bought that same pressing of Waltz for Debbie this year. I agree with your assessment. In fact I bought an 82 OJC of another Bill Evans title based on my experience with WFD. You’re spot on that OJC is the way to go for great pressings for artists where audiophile reissues or OG pressings for for big sums.
ojcs are the best bang for your buck in the jazz world i have over 100 in my collection of 700 jazz records that i own. I have many titles that are strange titles that are very hard to find. Almost all of my ojcs were cut between 1983-1989 i dont recommend buying the new ones!
Great video Bob. Good to see some love for the OJCs in the comments too. I’ve never been disappointed. Bill Evans Moonbeams current press is really good. Cheers Graham
If you google ojc pressings their is an interesting discussion on analogue or digital sources. Evidently the ojc early/late 1980's were mastered from the original tapes.The groove line on the label is about 1" in from the record label where the deep groove use to be on the originals. The later ojc's that were digitally sourced in the nineties and later have the same groove about 1" circling the spindle hole hole on the label. Of course this is not verified by Fantasy Records but in this discussion their was an original mastering engineer on the early releases and did say they were mastered from original analogue tapes!...looks like you have some nice ojc's. I cant afford originals anymore!
Great video, Bob. I'm a huge fan of OJC pressings and seek them out whenever I can. They are slowly rising in price but still offer great value. I especially love the Bill Evans releases.
Absolutely, until these Evans records get the full AAA Treatment it is in fact the best we have. Luckily for us they are pretty great sounding :) cheers
Great video! I just bought an OJC of Red Garland. His albums are so hard to find so I was thrilled to finally have one of his albums in the collection. Take care.
We need a AAA database for all vinyl recordings. Original pressings might have a little more of everything, but that also means they'll have a little or a lot more surface noise and I can't stand surface noise on quiet jazz pieces it destroys the experience imo
Hello Bob, I remember when you posted about Colossus and Tenor Madness I went and ordered them right away and you are right they sound fantastic. Every record you suggested to buy I did and you haven't steered me wrong yet I want to Thank you and JLP for all of your recommendations.
Super well done Bob. Perfect timing. The shop just got in a large collection of 80s repressings, not just OJC but tons of Impulse titles. Will be digging into many boxes with this video in mind.
Thanks for this perspective Bob! I just recently had this same question in my mind whether or not new OJC's were worth it because i saw all the amazing prices on AS.
If it’s a record you can’t seem to get find or it’s just unavailable, I figured what do I have to lose… most are pressed at RTI so we know that part will be pretty solid. Thanks for checking out the video, cheers!
Good info! I just recently started listening to jazz and didn't know about OJC. I'll have to look into them. I've got a lot to learn about jazz, lol. Hopefully I can find a reissue of that Yusef Lateef album. Thanks for sharing!
hi again bob, just saw this vid again for the the 3rd time. just wondering. does your 2011 waltz for debby sound as good as the other bill evans OJC LPs that was made in the 80s?
I think it was speculated on Hoffman, but I do not believe it is AAA. No tape hiss and mastered by Phil in 91... That, of course, takes nothing away from the fact that it sounds great.
It was heavily speculated on Hoffman and it is clear they do have access to the tapes, it’s sounds great. It’s tricky there isn’t a clear resource on the web in regards to ojc’s and what the source material is. We have to go on the word of industry people like Hoffman, and Kevin etc…. But it’s truly unknown I suppose.
I remember in the early 00s the ojc going in europe ( greece in particular) from ...9 euros to 12.90 euros at the most, euro was 1/1 with dollar at the time . I am 44 and buy records 27 - 28 years almost non stop. The audiophile ( and not only audiophile) greedy vinyl overpriceing as if there is no other customers apart from middleaged or overaged white folks who dig mainly jazz will deprive the industry from young audience, from the future. But who cares anyway about the future things to come.
Thanks for bringing up the subject, it sparked my interest to check my collection.... and to my surprise 2 of my "non OG fill the slot" copies are OJC pressings. Soultrane & With The Red Garland Trio, both in EX condition and I paid no more than $5 each. Guess I should appreciate these and not worry too much if I'll ever find OGs in the wild... not that I really ever thought I would :) Thanks for sharingf
hi bob, the OJCs have been a mystery to me for a couple of years. have u purchased those that are currently sold by amazon and other online shops selling new current stock of OJCs? if so how do they sound on your SOTA system? do they sound analog to your ears? spoke to someone recently and he claims that even the ones sold by amzn are AAA. yea they sound different compared to their 80s cousins but he claims that different lacquers were cut by different ppl. i did own a waltz for deb which i believe was pressed in the 80s with GIA in the deadwax and sounds superb but sadly had to let go of it (regret it till this day) hope to hear from u soon
It’s doubtful that many are pressed from analog these days that said there isn’t a definitive resource that has that information. What I can say is they are Usually pressed very well and are mostly flat and quiet. All the ones I’ve gotten sound great, considering price availability etc.
@@BOBBRADLEYCHANNEL thanks for replying bob. yea i think some members on SH forums even emailed RTI to enquire about the source being analog or digital. no answer so far and i doubt if there'll ever be one. i just suspect that several lacquers were cut in the 80s from analog masters for the same title as OJC thought that their titles would sell like hot cakes but that did not happen. so those unused lacquers were sent to RTI for pressing currently sold stock.
check this out!
merch: bob-bradley.creator-spring.com
music: condorsinthesystem.bandcamp.com
Awesome!
you are an education in yourself double b.....great great stuff...and that yusef lateef is a grail for me.....peace always my friend...rocky
Much appreciated rocky!
My 1982 OJC (with a very similar obi that says 5.98) of Sonny Rollins with Modern Jazz Quartet is mastered by George Horn., not RVG as you say yours is. I believe most if not all 1982 OJC’s were done by Horn. GH in the runout.
Member when OJC s were cheap to pick up and always a good listen
Facts !
My favorite thing about watching your videos is how you make me get even more excited about my jazz records. The energy is so damn infectious! Now...that 2011 repress of Waltz for Debby I would love....
Still workin on getting a copy of Workin'.
I loooove that Yusef. It is always on the TT. That pressing sounds pretty darn good to my ears. Fine for me.
Enjoyed every minute of this. Cheers Bob!
Thank you so much Tara! I’m glad you like the videos :) you’ll get those records it’s just a matter of time,cheers!
Thanks for doing this! I had no idea most OJC were pressed at RTI. Btw, no way that Thorens is just an "average rig".
✊🏼thanks for checking out the video, much appreciated. Salute!
Hi Bob, lucky for US based folks, but up here in Europe its either used or something like double price. Got lucky and found Coleman Hawkins - Night Hawk in mint condition for EUR 10 in local shop, that's the only one from OJC I own:-( Cheers.
Dang! I figured ojc would be plentiful over there, bummer.. well hopefully more great reissues will roll out! Cheers
Nice share brother, heaps of great advice there I certainly have had trouble justifying the MOFI versions of the Bill Evans when the OJC are just so tasty.I guess it depends on the type of music fan you are
If you got the bread and are lucky enough to get in on the mofi I say go for it! But if you don’t OJC’s will save the day! 🥂 cheers
I agree with you, OJC pressings are great (especially Bill Evans). But if you really want to hear a definitive digital version of Workin' (which actually sounds a lot better than the OJC pressing); then check out the DCC Gold CD (GZS 1063) mastered by Steve Hoffman.
Oh I def will check that out! Thanks for checking out the video and the tip! Cheers
I totally agree. I have several DCC gold CDs of mid-50s Miles and like them all. Hoffman/ Gray did a great job on those.
So funny that you mentioned Waltz for Debby. I found a sealed OJC Waltz for Debby at Goodwill last year for 2 bucks. Score!!
Bam!
@@BOBBRADLEYCHANNEL glasses definitely tinkling!
I AM FAN ! nice review will hunt them down ooh yeah
That dunking Cardinal t-shirt is an absolute original jazz classic. Thanks for the shout-out, bud! The source for that 2011 “Waltz” is, I believe, our lord Jesus Christ.
Also, I gave you the Coltrane for free. Just saying. No big deal. IT WAS FREE BOB.
I said it was free! Lol
Jeffrey Lee Puckett you legend !
@@BOBBRADLEYCHANNEL hahaha. I have both selective hearing and selective memory. Comes in handy.
from SH forums: I think i can clarify this: some ojc reissues from the 2010s are aaa even if they dont have GH on the deadwax. For example Waltz for Debby or the Miles Davis Quintet Relaxin, Cookin, etc. The reason, i read it here somewhere (and fremer said so too i think) is that someone took the stampers to RTI back in the day, so apparently this ojc new reissues, if pressed at rti (with the numbers and the dot on the deadwax), are all aaa. Thats why Waltz for Debby sounds so good, and also Village Vanguard.
“Obe” means “strip”.
OJC records are Manna from Heaven
great review. agree it is about the music not the static object. Great sounding new pressing can be the best way to hear the musical genius of the players.
Would you say OJC is better then waxtime pressings?
Yes way better.
I grew up during that timeframe when OJC was starting to put out these LPs.. And I thought they were great, especially for the price of just a couple of bucks. Also- There were a lot of “2-fers” being sold too.. these were fantastic bargains. It was like being in a dream for jazz fanatics.
The recent pressings of these OJ Classic by Craft records is nothing short of outstanding. On Waltz for Debbie, we can finally make out some of the background conversations going on in the audience while the recording was rolling. It’s that clear.
I’m kind of old now.. finally being able to buy a lot of these great hard to find blue note, Impulse, Prestige, and other great Jazz titles.. especially the AAA cuts- is a treat. The recent Blue Note 80 and Classic Vinyl remasters are superb and a great value.. the Tone Poet are outstanding even considering the price- still a bargain. Good times are here again for jazz vinyl fans.
Good video, young man.
Cheers to that!
just found a Yuseff sealed Eastern sounds and it sounds Great
Looks like these OJC will raise in price in the future, everybody loves them, I compared some to originals, sometimes I like the OJC more. Still the best bargain but how long?
I think it depends on where you live and shop. I live in the Los Angeles area and the cat was out of the bag on OJCs a long time ago.
@@DanielGonzalez-tw8nu I live in Austria, here originals are not easy available. You have to order them and pay the premium that sellers ask, OJC is a good way to build a Jazz collection here.
Great vid. I was buying OJC's in the 80's for $5.98. Often they sound better than original Prestiges that were usually pressed on low quality vinyl.
Brilliant… I love jazz but didn’t know about these, their site and their prices … wooo thanks for sharing sir
Thanks for checking out the video, cheers!
You beat me to it! I have to say that my Sonny Rollins And The Contemporary Leaders OJC is my best sounding. My Art Pepper - Art Pepper + Eleven OJC was pressed at QRP. On the SH forum OJC thread someone compiled a list of 20-30 titles that are determined to be AAA.
Hi Bob. This video was the inspriation for the OJC video in my channel. Great job!
Muy apreciado, saludo!
Great video Bob....I have so many Ojcs....I recently picked up Portrait in Jazz by Bill Evans and man that record sounds fantastic and the Yusef Lateef is ther other fantastic sound...got to pickup the Thelonious Monk to compare....I have the first ojc that came out in the mid to late 80s and t sounds great....these records are great for the price....the first ojcs had tip on jackets non gloss but nice....I play my records on my high-end turntable for the stereo copies and my mono records on my Thorens td124 with a Grado mono cartridge and man it sounds great....enjoy them Bob....Ed in New York.....😎🎶🎵🎶🗽
Heriberto sounds like you have two fantastic turntables! There is no better option for that hard to find rare bird than a OJC. I just couldn’t keep torturing myself looking under every stone for those Evans trio records or brilliant corners. Cheers sir, keep em spinning.
@@BOBBRADLEYCHANNEL ....Thank you Bob...you can call me Ed and I thought I had scripe to your channel....I got to do that....yes Bod I got a Nottingham Hyperspace turntable from England which I bought many years ago with a long and crazy story....expensive turntable which I got at the end for little money....my Thorens td124 with SME arm...I got the table from my local Jazz dealer from Jazz record Center here in New York a must place to visit if you are ever in New York city....I send the table out last year to get a full resto mod and it came back beautiful and perfect and I run Single ended 2a3 tube amp and tube line and phono preamp.....Bob ojcs were at a music shop at the time J&R Music for like 5 for 20 BUCKS !!!! WOW....🤤.. .That was back like in 1988 or 89 or 90....man it was great....Bob I'm a musician I play Cuban music Latin Jazz and Big band Latin Music....I play professional Bongo drums....You can hit me up on my e-mail bongocha@aol.com.....if you ever have any questions about any Jazz record if I have it....hahaha....Cheers....listening to Something else by Cannonball Adderley from the Classic Records reissue from the 90s mono 200 gram on Quiex sv-p....sounds amazing 😎🌃🌉.....Ed from New York....👍👍👍
Thanks Ed, I have in fact been to New York and visited the jazz record center :) sounds like you have a beautiful system. From the the sound of your collection and listening habits you are clearly an individual of sophistication and taste. I’m always happy to see kindred spirits watching the videos. Playing music is not easy and us musicians have to stick together. Salute! Keep em spinning
Great video!
Really excellent advice (a true rarity on UA-cam) for anyone looking to start out a jazz vinyl collection that doesn't either know what they are doing and/or doesn't have a ton of money. I see so many novices buying these DOC and Waxtime garbage LPs, mainly because they don't know any better and they are "priced to move". Even the worst pressing of an OJC LP (of which there are few) will be so much better than those garbage, public domain LPs polluting our record bins. OJC LPs in NM condition are easy to find and very affordable. These are LPs you will keep in your collection for ever. Great video, fantastic advice. 👽✌️
Thanks frank!
I don't have these new OJC, but i have several 80's OJC, and they all sound really good. Look for GH in the deadwax ! George Horn did excellent remasterin job back in those years ! Nice video Bob
GH in the deadwax is a good indicator it’s cut from the tapes as well! Much appreciated cheers!
In the (mid) 80's. The Original Rock Classic CCR series, was remastered at Fantasy by the original engineer. Odds are they're analog. They sound badass. Jazz can blow me, don't care.
Good to know I’ve yet to find clean original pressings of those CCR records, maybe 80’s fantasy is the way to go…cheers
Excellent video Bob. Thanks for this. I used to go to my local record store and buy up all the rare mono Blue Note. Def would cost an arm and a leg. Think the newer pressings sound better? Just went to Acoustic Sounds after watching your video and bough some OJC Bill Evans lol!
They might only have a slight edge depending on the condition of ones original pressing. If you have a really clean OG well those are a joy to listen to. The ojc is def pressed well mostly by RTI so by default it’s gonna be quiet and pressed well and that def matters. It’s really a preference situation I would say.
I have the original 80’s version of that Waltz for Debby with the “GH” etchings on the dead wax, it sounds amazing, you are in good hands with these since all of the George Horn cuts are from AAA analog tapes
I just ran across this thread from 2015, Original Jazz Classics (OJC) deadwax info, which is closed for replies but which I can clear up.
The "GH" that may appear in the deadwax of Fantasy OJC's up to 1986 is me, Gary Hobish. (I did most of the OJCs until then, at which point I left George Horn's Fantasy mastering staff and was replaced by Phil DeLancie). At that time, deadwax inscriptions by the M.E. at Fantasy were not commonly done. Additionally, to the best of my recollection to that time all OJC titles were cut from the original analog masters. (In addition to mastering, I was also the librarian of Fantasy's vault).
I couldn’t agree more.
Cheers!
This is pretty much my approach to buying Bill Evans, buy cheaper but great sounding reissues & hunt for the less expensive & later period stuff that is still widely available.
absolutely, I'm doing that right now! :) cheers
I have most of the albums you showed , I have no problem with the recordings, all sound great to me.
Cheers Gary!
OJC cds are getting harder to find now. Beware that Concord, who bought the Fantasy catalog, is currently issuing cd-r's as cds which are flooding the market. Tower records used to stock tons of these in their jazz section which would be a site for sore eyes today.
Cd-r wtf!!!
My OJC collection is extensive. Are there OJC's that you've ran across that don't sound good? Because I have Bill Evans OJC's from 2009, 2011, 2015 and 2018.
I’ve never heard a bad 1980s OJC, although the great ones certainly stand out. The recent ones are more hit and miss but, again, the misses are still really good, especially considering the price. I honestly can’t recall an OJC that I thought was a fail.
@@JLeeeP Thanks Jeffrey!
Absolutely!
I really like Bill Evans brother! I must have missed this video when you first released it man I was going through UA-cam and it popped up...LoL. Glad it did✌️🎷🎺
The greatest OJCs, imo, are the late George Horn mastered ones from 82-85. Sadly, George passed away this year, but his mastering legacy is undeniable. This is becoming more common knowledge these days, but look for GH in the run-outs, which is the vast majority within those years. These are AAA. Also ones with SLM (Sheffield Lab Matrix) are AAA. They all sound fantastic. You can hear faint tape hiss on these AAA cuts. Very little EQ was done, imo. These OJCs are easily on par with modern audiophile versions. The earliest ones have nice heavy tip ons. Some can be found NM for $10-15... Think about that for a sec. Oh also, many of the lesser known titles like the Andre Previns are phenomenal. Even the Red Norvo, which I bought sealed for $8 is an absolute gem. Then there are the lesser known monos - all good! But maybe we shouldn't tell the world? ;)
You are correct, there isn’t a clear resource on the web to help people figure out which OMC’s are cut from the tapes. So the George ones are going up in price all the time ! Cheers
from what i read online - steve hoffman reckons theyre all AAA , deep into the 90s
i accodentally bought some of these before knowing what they were (my local shops in the UK are thin on the jazz front - so i buy anything that looks clean and interesting) i got some contemporary reissues that sounded great and then Out of the Forrest - Jimmy Forrest - not traditionally a huge jazz classic - but when i played it at home it blew my mind as the sound quality was ridiculous .... i have been hunting down OJC records since , basically any records they pressed in the 80s that i know i will listen too, i have a list of them on discogs now that is about 50 deep , i have been telling guys about them but it seems alot of audiophiles think if something is cheap it cant be any good - suits me , i will keep buying great sounding records for 10-20£ while they buy the same records on classic / analog productions (which are great too) but cost £100 each here ... i have my fair share of modern audiophile stuff and the OJC is up there if not better than many
stop telling everyone haha
@@BOBBRADLEYCHANNEL : New info on old OJC deadwax thread (SteveHoffman, apr 2020): The "GH" that may appear in the deadwax of Fantasy OJC's up to 1986 is me, Gary Hobish. (I did most of the OJCs until then, at which point I left George Horn's Fantasy mastering staff and was replaced by Phil DeLancie). At that time, deadwax inscriptions by the M.E. at Fantasy were not commonly done. Additionally, to the best of my recollection to that time all OJC titles were cut from the original analog masters. (In addition to mastering, I was also the librarian of Fantasy's vault. And furthermore : At a certain number in the OJC-2xx range (I don't remember the exact number), the LPs bear the CD mastering credits; I think in another thread I saw something about OJC 270 or 280 was when the mastering changed. And this comment by Steve H. himself: MOST (not all, but maybe 90%) of the OJC LP's were cut from the original analog master tapes. How do I know this? Because the OJC (along with the original) LP mastering notes are in the master tape boxes! Now, this does not mean that they were mastered the way I would do it, but many of them sound wonderful, and they are cheap. " Go for it!
@@lucullus6127 thank you!!! This is very important piece of the puzzle here! Great work btw :)
@@BOBBRADLEYCHANNEL Yes great puzzle indeed 🤨 .... btw, here a good example for (Prestige, no OJC) John Coltrane Soultrane : my copy is a 1972 reissue : It may say stereo on the cover, but this album is pure, glorious MONO, with sound that is full-bodied, relaxed, Tubey Magical and tonally correct. . Rudy Van Gelder did the mastering, and my guess is he decided to leave the sound mono and simply not tell anyone. Who can blame him? He engineered it in mono, so why fix what ain’t broke because they printed the cover and the label with the word “stereo” on them in order to generate more sales? So our thanks go to Rudy for doing a good job!
OJC was run by Fantasy back in the day. Fantasy was fun because the early ones were on red or blue wax. Tjader and Brubeck.
Yeah I wish they would give us more details about those pressings really cool!
Great topic to discuss, Bob! I’ve heard the early years of OJC (‘83-‘85/‘86) were analog sourced and some really early titles were done in mono. Probably towards the end of the 80s, they went digital to stay up with the times and also correspond to the release of these titles on cd. I’m not sure about more modern releases though. Definitely had some good points about being able to find really rare titles for a great price! I’ve got quite a few Prestige titles on OJC that I know I would never find an original of and they sound great!
I’ve always felt record collecting was a hobby of patience if you wait long enough you’ll eventually find it or a nice pressing will happen. That said with the relatively high pressing quality of OJC and the price … I can have the music while I wait :) thanks for checking out the video, cheers!
Nice Al Green in the background I just dug that up last week
I love al green:) salute!
Bob. This video should have been named: All Smoke, no joke. And
You won’t go broke. 😬
Lol 😂 excellent!
OJCs up to 277 are all analog
These seem like some nice options. I still need to explore more jazz. I have Blue Train, Art Blakey and the Jazz messengers"jazz corner of the world" and Horace Silver "Horacescope" 2nd press mono blue notes
I think I want to try out some Thelonious Monk , Lee Morgan and Sonny Rollins albums.
13:30 the live condors in the system clip was nice
I’m a newbie as well and would recommend Sidewinder by Lee Morgan and Monks Dream by Monk.
Get those classic series records from blue note you can’t go wrong!
Just ordered the 2019 pressing of lush life and the 7105 (don't know the year). I'll listen to them and i'll be back for feedbacks.
I’ll be interested in the lush life, review for sure … after all we know they have the tapes.
@@BOBBRADLEYCHANNEL i'll be back soon 👌
Back in the early 80’s, OJC said they where digital master. They were actually all analog. Back then all things digital was seen to be better than analog. &Remember digital ready speakers?
not before 85 tho
Thank you for this. Opens up a whole new world!
good times ahead!
Great vid Bob! I have loved my OJC albums. Two I picked up on vinyl recently that I am loving are Teddy Charles Evolution (1989) and Miles Davis and Horns (2011). Amazing value for all of their pressings in my opinion. Even my Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet (1987) on CD (GASP!) sounds wonderful. Thanks!
I have to get that miles horns record for the cover alone it’s just so cool. Much appreciated cheers Dirk!
@@BOBBRADLEYCHANNEL Yes! When I saw it the first time, I couldn’t believe the cover was drawn by Don Martin. So cool. Apparently he did some other Prestige titles as well.
Have many 1980’s OJC pressings and they sound great to me
You are not wrong! Cheers
Top notch vid, Bob! I’ve got many OJC’s, and they sound fantastic. I’ve got no problem with them, especially the AAA ones. They all sound pretty good though. If I really want a great pressing, I’ll try and get an Analogue Productions one, but they can be pricey. Great collection of OJC’s! Thanks, Bob!
Thanks Nick, I absolutely agree with you. Cheers and keep me spinning!
I bought that same pressing of Waltz for Debbie this year. I agree with your assessment. In fact I bought an 82 OJC of another Bill Evans title based on my experience with WFD. You’re spot on that OJC is the way to go for great pressings for artists where audiophile reissues or OG pressings for for big sums.
Cheers!
ojcs are the best bang for your buck in the jazz world i have over 100 in my collection of 700 jazz records that i own. I have many titles that are strange titles that are very hard to find. Almost all of my ojcs were cut between 1983-1989 i dont recommend buying the new ones!
Zack you might pick up that eastern sounds if you don’t already have it. It’s pretty good .
@@BOBBRADLEYCHANNEL thanks bob I am not a fan of the particular record but I have tons of other ojc stuff of titles I’m sure you never heard of :)
@@zacksjazz9172 Zack sounds like you have quite the collection, keep em spinning :)
Aloha Bob
Thank you for the tips on sound quality for the price.
Thanks to you I getting more jazz record albums.
Mahalo Ed
Ed, enjoy the ride figure out who you players are and kick back and enjoy :) Mahalo!
ojc sound great for the price compared to the bluenote 75 it is night and day on sound !
OJC is much preferred over BN 75 for sure, cheers
Blue note 75's were digitally sourced. The 80's are from original analogue tapes.
Great video Bob. Good to see some love for the OJCs in the comments too. I’ve never been disappointed. Bill Evans Moonbeams current press is really good. Cheers Graham
I need that one big time! Thanks Graham!
If you google ojc pressings their is an interesting discussion on analogue or digital sources. Evidently the ojc early/late 1980's were mastered from the original tapes.The groove line on the label is about 1" in from the record label where the deep groove use to be on the originals. The later ojc's that were digitally sourced in the nineties and later have the same groove about 1" circling the spindle hole hole on the label. Of course this is not verified by Fantasy Records but in this discussion their was an original mastering engineer on the early releases and did say they were mastered from original analogue tapes!...looks like you have some nice ojc's. I cant afford originals anymore!
Absolutely, I have read that about the label. There really need to be a definite ojc resource. Cheers
Great video, Bob. I'm a huge fan of OJC pressings and seek them out whenever I can. They are slowly rising in price but still offer great value. I especially love the Bill Evans releases.
Absolutely, until these Evans records get the full AAA Treatment it is in fact the best we have. Luckily for us they are pretty great sounding :) cheers
Great video! I just bought an OJC of Red Garland. His albums are so hard to find so I was thrilled to finally have one of his albums in the collection. Take care.
Thanks Melinda :)
We need a AAA database for all vinyl recordings.
Original pressings might have a little more of everything, but that also means they'll have a little or a lot more surface noise and I can't stand surface noise on quiet jazz pieces it destroys the experience imo
I totally agree, we need a real AAA database!
Hello Bob, I remember when you posted about Colossus and Tenor Madness I went and ordered them right away and you are right they sound fantastic. Every record you suggested to buy I did and you haven't steered me wrong yet I want to Thank you and JLP for all of your recommendations.
✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼cheers to that!
Super well done Bob. Perfect timing. The shop just got in a large collection of 80s repressings, not just OJC but tons of Impulse titles. Will be digging into many boxes with this video in mind.
Sounds like the universe has smiled on you! :)
How does the OJC of “Workin’” compare to your original mono?
mono will always sound better ! ojc come real close!
Quite favorable really, maybe not as warm over all but the OJC is super clear and cut hot, it’s legit.
Is that Klipsch Forte II you see in the video?
Thanks for this perspective Bob! I just recently had this same question in my mind whether or not new OJC's were worth it because i saw all the amazing prices on AS.
If it’s a record you can’t seem to get find or it’s just unavailable, I figured what do I have to lose… most are pressed at RTI so we know that part will be pretty solid. Thanks for checking out the video, cheers!
Good info! I just recently started listening to jazz and didn't know about OJC. I'll have to look into them. I've got a lot to learn about jazz, lol. Hopefully I can find a reissue of that Yusef Lateef album. Thanks for sharing!
Ryan, just go to acoustic sounds and pick up some miles and trane on prestige. You won’t be sorry :) they have eastern sounds as well. Cheers
hi again bob, just saw this vid again for the the 3rd time. just wondering. does your 2011 waltz for debby sound as good as the other bill evans OJC LPs that was made in the 80s?
Hard to say, they are different… the new one certainly sounds nice. Very quiet and clear .
Have been watching your videos on and off, subscribed a coupla weeks ago. This is Ken Micallef type of goodness done differently.
Much appreciated, salute and keep em spinning :)
how do we know that eastern sounds is cut from the tape?
I think it was speculated on Hoffman, but I do not believe it is AAA. No tape hiss and mastered by Phil in 91... That, of course, takes nothing away from the fact that it sounds great.
It was heavily speculated on Hoffman and it is clear they do have access to the tapes, it’s sounds great. It’s tricky there isn’t a clear resource on the web in regards to ojc’s and what the source material is. We have to go on the word of industry people like Hoffman, and Kevin etc…. But it’s truly unknown I suppose.
I think there’s an AAA of Evans Trio “Moon Beams” from RTI as well. Gotta nab that one!
Oh Jesus I’m on it!
I remember in the early 00s the ojc going in europe ( greece in particular) from ...9 euros to 12.90 euros at the most, euro was 1/1 with dollar at the time . I am 44 and buy records 27 - 28 years almost non stop. The audiophile ( and not only audiophile) greedy vinyl overpriceing as if there is no other customers apart from middleaged or overaged white folks who dig mainly jazz will deprive the industry from young audience, from the future. But who cares anyway about the future things to come.
I agree the increase in prices for OJC’s is baffling. It’s not like they are rare. Cheers
I thoroughly enjoyed this OJC cake with some Jazz Is Dead icing on top. Jimmy Herring... monster shredder/face melter.
Love jimmy! And much appreciated!
Great video Bob. Thanks for the info.
Thanks Scott!
OJCs always sound very good to me. I prefer the analog pressings but the digital ones sound good to my ears also. Can’t go wrong with OJCs.
Hey sometimes it truly is the best option, cheers sir!
Thanks for bringing up the subject, it sparked my interest to check my collection.... and to my surprise 2 of my "non OG fill the slot" copies are OJC pressings. Soultrane & With The Red Garland Trio, both in EX condition and I paid no more than $5 each. Guess I should appreciate these and not worry too much if I'll ever find OGs in the wild... not that I really ever thought I would :)
Thanks for sharingf
Thanks for the comments Redd!
hi bob, the OJCs have been a mystery to me for a couple of years. have u purchased those that are currently sold by amazon and other online shops selling new current stock of OJCs? if so how do they sound on your SOTA system? do they sound analog to your ears? spoke to someone recently and he claims that even the ones sold by amzn are AAA. yea they sound different compared to their 80s cousins but he claims that different lacquers were cut by different ppl. i did own a waltz for deb which i believe was pressed in the 80s with GIA in the deadwax and sounds superb but sadly had to let go of it (regret it till this day) hope to hear from u soon
It’s doubtful that many are pressed from analog these days that said there isn’t a definitive resource that has that information. What I can say is they are Usually pressed very well and are mostly flat and quiet. All the ones I’ve gotten sound great, considering price availability etc.
@@BOBBRADLEYCHANNEL thanks for replying bob. yea i think some members on SH forums even emailed RTI to enquire about the source being analog or digital. no answer so far and i doubt if there'll ever be one. i just suspect that several lacquers were cut in the 80s from analog masters for the same title as OJC thought that their titles would sell like hot cakes but that did not happen. so those unused lacquers were sent to RTI for pressing currently sold stock.
You just made me buy more records Bob ;) Thanks!
I apologize but I also might have just saved you some cash 😋cheers!
Hi Bob great advice there buddy but will I find them here in the UK ?.
Yes you can find some of them at Honest Jon’s records in London
@@brandnewstart Thank you Bob much appreciated.
Awesome video! Any OJCs to avoid?
If you're into cds, avoid current product released by Concord. Most titles are cd-r's and are destroying the market for us cd collectors.
Unfortunately there is no clear total resource for OJC pressings so it’s all N=1… it’s fun to find out though, cheers!
Great one there Bob, I totally agree with you on this matter, OJC is great way to get your grails, got a few myself. Cheers for this!
Much appreciated cheers!