Message Board Archive: Thread Number 69

Hi,

Can anyone who's heard comment on the sound quality of the Document
reissues vs. the Yazoo? Particularly, the Blind Blake & Blind Lemon
Jefferson stuff.

Thanks, Brian

Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1998 23:30:07 -0500 (EST)
From: zeppa@earthlink.net (Frank Basile)
Subject: Feedback: Re: Sound Quality: Yazoo vs. Document
Message Number: 69.3

Yazoo beats Document hands down in terms of sound quality but the
Document releases are just incredible in their scope. While some
listeners might find it a chore to wade through Blind Lemon's 90+ songs
across four CDs, I find it to be required listening. The voyeur in me
just can't _stand_ not hearing _everything_! There's no reason you can't
eventually have both, though... :-)

Frank

Date: Thu, 5 Mar 1998 21:52:30 -0500 (EST)
From: ari@secondmind.com (Ari Eisinger)
Subject: More: Re: Sound quality: Yazoo vs. Document
Message Number: 69.4

I forgot to mention that there's also a Blind Lemon reissue with amazing
sound quality, albeit mediocre choice of material, called Moanin' All
Over. It's on the Tradition label and has only about 10 songs.

Date: Fri, 6 Mar 1998 15:42:16 -0500 (EST)
From: minsk@searchtech.com (Brian Minsk)
Subject: Note: Untitled
Message Number: 69.4.1

I just visited Tradition's web site & they have a record club ("No
purchase necessary. No commitment.") which if you register you can get a
sampler CD free. The Vol. 2 sampler has two Blind Lemon tunes: "That
Black Snake Moan #2" & "Balky Mule Blues."

http://www.rykodisc.com/tradition/tradclub.html

It'll be interesting to compare the sound quality.

Brian

Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 12:45:38 -0400 (EDT)
From: Owner-HyperNews@ComCAT.COM
Subject: yazoo vs document
Message Number: 69.5

yazoo is far better inquality and selections. ALSO yazoo pays royalties,
The document folk are pirates!!!

Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 22:45:01 -0400 (EDT)
From: zeppa@earthlink.net (Frank Basile)
Subject: Disagree: Re: yazoo vs document
Message Number: 69.5.1

somebody wrote:
>yazoo is far better inquality and selections. ALSO yazoo
>pays royalties, The document folk are pirates!!!
I agree about the sound quality. Yazoo definitely pays much more
attention to getting a good sound out of the original 78s. I think,
though, that you're confusing the intentions of these two companies.
Yazoo tends to program CDs for entertainment value. If that's what
you're after, then Yazoo is what you want to buy. Document, on the other
hand, is attempting to archive this stuff, in its' entirety, on CD.
Period. Much of this music was either compiled in voluminous collections
of 78s (a doomed medium) or collected on magnetic tape (another doomed
medium). While Document can be justifiably accused of neglecting its'
copyright obligations, it's clear that its' mission is to put the music
in a protected format before it's too late.
For your information, there are no Document "folks". It's a one-man
operation by Johnny Parth. He occasionally enlists the help of
high-level blues know-it-alls for liner notes, collectors for source
material and tech guys for the transfer to CD but basically it's all
Parth. It's a labor of love. Without his commitment to the music, much
of this stuff would no doubt remain unavailable to us and future
generations and I think we'd all be the poorer for it.
Not to mention the fact that in addition to transferring all the pre-war
blues stuff to CD, he's now starting to work on early country music as
well.
I say Johnny Parth is A-OK...
IMHO, of course.
Frank

Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1998 22:47:11 -0400 (EDT)
From: hclewman@mindspring.com (Harry Lewman)
Subject: Agree: Document and Lead Belly recordings
Message Number: 69.5.2

I have spoken with Lead Belly's neice, Tiny Robinson, who handles the
Ledbetter estate about CD vendors who pay no royalties, and there are
many!

I don't mind Document putting out things that would otherwise be lost,
but Lead Belly's recordings are numerous and well archived and very
popular. There is no reason I can think of for them to manufacture CD's
of his.

Much of Document's first Lead Belly CD is lifted directly from
RCA/Victor recordings that are being sold in CD format by RCA and
therefore Document is in direct competition with a viable royalty paying
company, and gaining an unfair advantage.