SwingDJs

Any BMG members out there? They're doing a sale right now for $1.99 for most of their cds. After shipping, it's about $4.50 per cd, which is still a great deal, although you need to buy one at "regular club price" ($17.99 plus shipping). If you haven't fulfilled your requirement, though, that counts as your one. Anyways, when all is said and done, I got 32 cds at an average price of $5.38 per cd.

What do you all think of BMG / Columbia House / (anything else?) in general? I've done BMG about 8 times now (I always sign up, get my 12-for-1, then quit and do it all over again) and love it. After shipping and handling, it really comes to about 12 for the price of 3 which is still a great deal. Their jazz selection has grown quite well over the years, and I'm never struggling to pick free stuff...but rather I always have to eliminate stuff...

And also, they have it so I don't need to fill out those cards and send it back or else they send me the featured selection. That used to be a pain.

Columbia House I've personally never done 'cuz the obligations are more...something like having to buy 5 or 6, I think.

Are there any other clubs like that out there?

They're been alright for the few non-Jazz albums I've wanted over the years, but when it comes to the music I really collect... they suck.

I think they're pretty good for some of their more basic stuff. Like the Ellington Blanton Webster and The Basie Complete Decca discs. I also got one of my favorite albums of all time Charlie Christians genius of the electric guitar from them. It's not a bad deal once, twice would be stretching it for good swing music.

Yeah, basic stuff is okeh, but I usually run out of selections after 2-3 picks.

Kalman

I used to love BMG and all their specials and bonus points etc. But I let my membership lapse b/c unles you view the catalog online the monthly mailing seemed limited. Plus they rarely list alot of the folks I like. I buy most of my stuff from Hepcat records.

I've found columbia house to have a better collection than BMG. Care to list out any of those 32 discs you found.... I have problems finding 7 for the freebie intro deal.

Soupbone wrote:I've found columbia house to have a better collection than BMG. Care to list out any of those 32 discs you found.... I have problems finding 7 for the freebie intro deal.

i think the problem is that if you have most of the basic albums, you have the bulk of their swing era stuff. But i just went through their jazz from A-E and i don't think it'd be too hard to find 7 selections. It'd certainly be the way to get the remastered Blanton Webster.

Wow! I'm surprised at these responses (although, yes Reuben, I agree their older swing isn't that great) However they do have tons of stuff I'd get / have gotten both for dancing and (gasp) just jazz listening. Especially when it's so cheap.

Just **some** stuff that they have:

Lou Rawls Anthology
Ray Charles - Blues and Jazz
Satch and Josh
Basie - Complete Decca 3 cd set
Basie - April in Paris
Basie swings / Williams sings
Oscar Peterson - We Get Requests
Oscar Peterson - West Side Story
Complete 3cd Ella and Louis on Verve
LCJO - Live in Swing City
Ella - Bluella
Ella - Ella in Berlin
Ella - at Juan Les Pins
Ella - at Duke's Place
Ella and Duke - at Cote D'Azure
A bunch of Ella Songbooks (Berlin, Arlen, Porter...), including the whole 16cd set
Joe Williams at Newport '63
Ellington Newport '56 (the 2 cd one)
Ellington - Blanton-Webster
Ellington - And his Mother Called him Bill...
Ellington - At the Alhambra
Ellington - Live and Rare (3 cds)
Ellington and Duke - For the First Time
And also Ellington - Money Jungle
John Pizzarelli - Live at Birdland
Every Diana Krall cd
A couple Nina Simone box sets
A couple Aretha box sets
A ton of Frank Sinatra
Lester Young w/OP Trio
Ben Webster w/OP - Soulville
Hodges and Mulligan
A bunch of Billie collections
Johnny Hodges - Jeeps Blues, 28-41
Mose Allison - Live in London Vol 1 and Vol 2
Nat King Cole - The King Swings
Some Kurt Elling and some Kevin Mahogany
Jimmy Rushing - Five Feet of Soul
some Diane Shuur
Some Jimmy Scott
Kenny Burrell - Midnight Blue
Django - Djangology

Ramsey Lewis - The In Crowd
Stan Getz / Joao Gilberto
John Coltrane - Love Supreme, and 2 cd Deluxe Edition
Coltrane - My Favorite Things
Coltrane - Giant Steps
TONS of other Coltrane, inc some nice looking box sets
Miles Davis - Kind of Blue
Miles Davis - Sketches of Spain
Miles Davis - 'Round About Midnight
Tons of other Miles
Monk - Brilliant Corners
Monk - Monk's Music
A bunch of other Monk
Dave Brubeck - Time Out
Sonny Rollins - The Bridge
Dexter Gordon - GO
Jimmy Smith - The Sermon
Sonny Clark - Cool Struttin'
C Adderly - Something Else
Nancy Wilson and C Adderly
Blakey and the JM - Moanin'
Blakey and the JM - A Night in Tunisia

And I cold list more in jazz alone!

And that's not even getting into blues, soul, etc, etc.

I'd gladly pay $3-6 for these cds, which is what it normally comes to when you total everything up. Hey, ha ha, if you wanna sign up, PM me and I'll sign you up, so I can get an additional 5 more for free

Glancing at your list and scanning the BMG site, there's not a strong enough group of things that I a) want and b) don't already own.

Oh well...

I just posted this over on Yehoodi for someone...thought I'd say what I'd get if I were a member and didn't have the albums (or what I'm still lacking but looking to get).

Count Basie - America's #1 Band - The Columbia Years (If you qualify to get it)

Cab Calloway - Are You Hep to the Jive?

Charlie Christian - The Genius of the Electric Guitar

Duke Ellington - Never No Lament; the Blanton-Webster Band

Benny Goodman - The Legendary Small Groups (I've never seen it before, but it might be good)

Lionel Hampton - Ring Dem Bells (looks decent...I know nothing about it)

Fletcher Henderson - Ken Burns Jazz

Peggy Lee & Benny Goodman - The Complete Recordings 1941-1947 [Remastered] (I've heard some surprisingly good things spun off this set...at least twice when I asked about a song, it came from here.)

Wynton Marsalis & The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra - Live In Swing City

Artie Shaw - Begin the Beguine (This is not an overall fantastic album, but there are some great individual numbers on it. I carry songs from the album rather than the whole thing.)
As far as the other Shaw album...looks like it's got some overlap with "Beguine" and the Big Band Box Set, but it seems to have potential. I'd be interested in a review if anyone's got it.

Lester Young - Ken Burns Jazz: The Definitive Lester Young


I couldn't find half the albums Dave mentioned, though. I combed the entire Jazz section, and these are the only ones I found that I'd be interested in. For example, I don't see Basie Decca (though I've already got that one).

I have almost every one of those CDs save the Ellington and Lester Young CDs. weeeee!

Hey kitkat. If you're interested, the product # for The Complete Decca Recordings is D2170348 (I found it by searching "Basie" at www.bmgmusicservice.com and clicking on more selections when his name comes up, it appears there.)

BMG is an interesting outfit. I had a friend who worked for them in nyc. They make the CDs as ordered. And if you refuse them when delivered the post office takes them back to the post office and throws them out. I'd love to find that dumpster!

I've actually been having fairly good luck ordering from the new post-atomic store at the new site Port Halcyon http://www.porthalcyon.com/catalog. They only carry our type of music. The prices are usually less than Amazon, and in addition they supports our dance world.

crosslinking...
an easier and possibly cheaper way to access BMG material is described at: http://www.swingdjs.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?p=15160