New BAJA CDs Due From Japan

[Steve Sidoruk]

I just received the following notification from CD Japan:

*********************************************
UICY-75145
Julius Wechter & The Baja Marimba Band/Those Were The Days [Cardboard Sleeve (mini LP)][SHM-CD] [Limited Release] CDA
2667 yen US$34/77.85 Release Date:2012/03/07 Description:Cardboard sleeve reissues release from Julius Wechter & The Baja Marimba Band featuring the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD player). Part of 2-album Julius Wechter & The Baja Marimba Band SHM-CD reissue series features albums "Those Were The Days" and "Fresh Air."
URL - http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/d.html?KEY=UICY-75145
*********************************************
UICY-75146
Julius Wechter & The Baja Marimba Band/Fresh Air [Cardboard Sleeve (mini LP)][SHM-CD] [Limited Release] CDA
2667 yen US$34/77.85 Release Date:2012/03/07 Description:Cardboard sleeve reissues release from Julius Wechter & The Baja Marimba Band featuring the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD player). Part of 2-album Julius Wechter & The Baja Marimba Band SHM-CD reissue series features albums "Those Were The Days" and "Fresh Air."
URL - http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/d.html?KEY=UICY-75146

 

[Harry]

Fantastic news! Though I wish they'd have picked one other album since FRESH AIR is already available on CD. But THOSE WERE THE DAYS is an excellent choice for one more Baja album to be digitized.

What a great birthday present!

Harry

 

[Rudy]

Hopefully this paves the way for the others to be reissued. I'm interested in a couple of the earlier albums. There must be interest, though, for Japan to release these!

 

[Mike Blakesley]

That's great news, since Those Were The Days is my other favorite BMB album besides Fresh Air. I hope they do the rest!

 

[Rudy]

Sony in Japan released three of the last four Bill Withers albums on CD, so I am hoping they do the last one soon. Could be a good sign!

 

[mikeargo]

This is great news about a couple of must-haves, Steve. Is there a way to send a few pesos to the A&M Corner by ordering through the site?

Mike A.

 

[Mr Bill]

Two Baja albums aren't enough! Especially since Fresh Air got a release recently while I was stationed there. Of course, I MUST get Those Were The Days simply to have "Big Red" on CD... Hopefully the rest will follow later.

 

[Harry]

Six of the eleven tracks on THOSE WERE THE DAYS will be making their debut appearance on CD:

Big Red
Here There And Everywhere
Les Bicyclettes De Belsize
Peru '68
Happening To Me
Elenore

Harry

 

[Harry]

Some further Baja-on-CD statistics:

Total number of A&M Baja album tracks (no non-A&M albums): 118

When THOSE WERE THE DAYS is released, and we add in FRESH AIR and the rare BAJA MARIMBA BAND CD from Japan, plus anything on the COLLECTORS CHOICE, DIGITALLY REMASTERED BEST and TIMELESS comps, plus one track from the Nichols-Williams Composers Series disc from Japan, and one Christmas track from that MUSIC DIARY CD from Japan, we get a total of 69 tracks, or 58.5%.

I left out the professional Rondor CD compilation as that was sourced from LPs and not released to the public anyway.

When I went to school, anything below 60% was a failing grade. With nearly 30 years of the existence of CD/digital technology, this remains a miserable effort on the part of A&M, PolyGram, and Universal.

Harry

 

[Rudy]

There is such a limited market for this music, though...some here are fanatical, but hardly enough of us to sustain sales. And I hate to say it, but a part of the audience for this type of music is dying off, literally (my parents, for instance, the ones who originally bought the albums). I know a lot of obscurities from the past see release, though, so there is still hope for those who like this music. I think the best way would be to release the entire catalog in a budget series--either compile everything onto the four or five discs it would all fit on, or do them in mini-LP sleeves. If Columbia can put out "complete" mega-sets of Miles Davis and Earth Wind & Fire with a net price of only about $3-$4 per disc to the customer, there isn't any good reason I can see why some Universal artists can't get the same treatment.

I normally stick to vinyl these days, but clean Baja albums are hard to come by...especially the lesser-known titles. It took me several years to find a clean copy of As Time Goes By.

 

[Harry]

I agree with the limited market. Let's face it, these weren't exactly burning up any charts even when they were new. It's just that the Baja Marimba Band is such a classic (and classy) act, that it deserves some kind of preservation.

I hate to admit it, but I'd even settle for digital files to be downloaded. That way there's no overhead for packaging, shelf space, and distribution. If the Japanese can come up with THOSE WERE THE DAYS and FRESH AIR - and on SHM-CD, no less - then surely they can find a few more. We're not talking about tons of albums here. Heck the whole catalog could probably fit on five CDs like the Burt Bacharach SOMETHING BIG set.

Harry

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Wasn't that Bacharach set a limited release? There are STILL copies of that out there to buy. As well known as he is, you would think those copies would have been gone in a hurry -- in fact I forgot about the release date for it and ordered mine a couple of weeks later in a bit of a panic because I was just positive I had missed the boat on it. So if a Bacharach set sells in that low numbers, you can imagine the market for a BMB box set.

However....I would still like one!

 

[Rudy]

I agree--these make more sense as downloads. For me personally, I'm not much of a Baja fan myself, but more for historical and/or nostalgic purposes, it's like comfort food having them around. IOW, if I want to hear something, I know it's there. And it was, as they say, "A healthy part of growing up."

I just wish these companies would start releasing titles in lossless. If the HDTracks site can do it successfully, certainly the rest can.

The Bacharach box was indeed limited, but apparently the limits have still not been reached. Thing is, his A&M recordings are not the popular ones, so I can see why the sets haven't sold out. I'd bend over backwards to get a complete box set of Dionne's recordings of Bacharach/David compositions, but that will never materialize; they could barely get her Scepter albums out (even as two-fers).

 

[Harry]

It looks like both of the new Baja Marimba Band CDs will be available at Dusty Groove. http://www.dustygroove.com/browse.php?kwfilter=baja+marimba&x=0&y=0&incl_oos=1&incl_cs=1

Harry

 

[CherryStreet]

Thanks for the news Steve.
I think CDJapan is a great place with fair prices and fast shipping

 

[Rudy]

It looks like both of the new Baja Marimba Band CDs will be available at Dusty Groove. http://www.dustygroove.com/browse.php?kwfilter=baja marimba&x=0&y=0&incl_oos=1&incl_cs=1

Harry

Note: on that same page is a sealed copy of Baja Marimba Band's Back on Bell Records. Someone should grab it! I am all set on that one--got a very clean copy about 15 years ago.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Got my TWTD wish-listed from Dusty Groove. I am tempted to buy the Fresh Air too, what with it having a paper sleeve, but I'll bet it's going to be Japan-pricy and I already have the previous Japanese edition, so I guess I won't.

 

[Harry]

Being SHM CDs, they will be pricey for short little albums. I ordered TWTD from CD Japan.

Harry

 

[Rudy]

SHM is nothing to get excited over: it's just a marketing term for the plastic. I wouldn't pay one penny premium for it, IOW. Seems like they come up with new acronyms every few years as an excuse to reissue stuff.

 

[Mike]

Just ordered the TWTD CD from Amazon Japan.

Mike

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Mine's on the way from CD Japan. (Well...not "on the way" yet, but close enough!)

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

CD Japan just informed that release date has been pushed back a week to March 14th.

 

[Harry]

Yep. I got that same email.

So, after waiting around 45 years, what's one more week?

Harry

 

[Mike]

My copy of "Those Were The Days" arrived yesterday and I'm listening to it now -- sounds great!

The OBI says that this is for the 50th anniversary of A&M records. Also, The Posthumous 20th anniversary of Nick DeCaro.

Nice packaging, it includes a replica inner paper sleeve like the original LP was issued with.

Again, this sounds great!

Mike

 

[Mike Blakesley]

That's a cool touch, including the replica inner sleeve.

I would really be curious to see the sales figures on some of these A&M reissues in Japan. I guess Fresh Air must have done decent business, considering they went back to the Baja catalog again.