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Average of 2 reviews
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I'm quite pleased with this package. I own most of these tunes on an old Prestige double LP compilation, and this Craft set does a fantastic job presenting them. While the older Prestige compilation, which includes 4 out of the 5 albums in this box set, is still enjoyable and more affordable, this set offers some advantages. You get reproductions of the original sleeves, the original labels that look amazing, and improved sound quality. There's an extra bit of energy and life to the sound compared to the older pressings. It's a mono recording with a somewhat narrow soundstage, but everything is crystal clear. One thing to note is that at least one session features a piano that's out of tune, and Monk seems to have a lot of fun playing the most out-of-tune notes. Don't mistake this for tape damage or pitch variations. While paper inner sleeves don't usually bother me as much as they do some people, the ones in this set were already creased and jammed into the record sleeves, making it a hassle to put them in and take them out of the outer sleeve. Also, I spotted a misprint in the accompanying booklet where the tracks for disc 4 are listed incorrectly—they've repeated the track titles for disc 3. I'm baffled as to how this slipped past proofreading. To sum up, the overall sound quality is as good as anything from this era, and the pressing quality is excellent with no defects or surface noise. There are a few minor annoyances with the packaging and printing. If you're looking for a nice, clean, and neatly presented collection of Prestige-era Monk, this is definitely worth considering.
This is a solid set, given the price point. The music is fantastic, and I'd say the sound quality and pressing are comparable to your typical OJC release. So, while these records sound pretty good, they're not quite audiophile level. These are early mono recordings from the pre-stereo era. The box is quite nice, and the sleeves do a great job of mimicking the original sleeves from that time. The booklet is a bit thin, but I can't really comment on its content since I usually don't read the booklets that come with box sets like this. The inner sleeves are just basic paper, not poly or poly-lined. Hopefully, this info helps someone out.
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