Jazz music on pristine Japanese vinyl from Venice Beach, California

gangof4

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My sister and brother in law came across this hippie of Venice Beach selling records. And they found a huge bunch of jazz LPs on Japanese pressing in absolute pristine condition. This is the first lot lugged by my brother in law, another will arrive later next month when my sister comes back.
 
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Thrilled. I got a large chunk of Clifford Brown EmArcy collection, all in Mono, late 70s or early 80s Jap reissue.
 
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I had picked up few Jap and US pressings from Snow Records last year when I was in Japan for a few days. snowrecords.com
 
In store prices of Japanese pressings esp of quality jazz and rock music are pretty steep. For these I paid a very pocket friendly price. :)
 
Yes, I am talking about used Jap LPs. Apart from Japan, a lot of stores in HK stock these Jap pressings. And their prices are just too steep. With OBI even steeper. Close to $50 on average.
 
Obi is the "sash" visible on the record "Dolphy at the Five Spot" and also in Charles Mingus record. Notice the text in Japanese characters on the left edge of the record cover - that's the obi. Records or CDs wrapped in obi are special in some way - special pressing, special mastering, etc.
 
Well, I always knew of the "sash" but never knew the term for it :lol:

That said, I bought 40 odd LPs off snowrecords.com VG to NM for prices ranging between 500 and 2000 (average 1050) which includes a few with the obi.
Looking back at the purchases now, I don't see a premium for the ones with the obi but I could be wrong.

At the risk of going OT, this makes for an interesting observation (from Why collecting obi-strips? - SoundtrackCollector.com)
My Japanese friend sent me this answer;
"Obi means tie that binds your waist when you wear kimono. Well, I guess you know it,
anyway, for CDs, collectors keep the obi so that they can sell more expensive. I do not throw
away neither, while most people do not care. For CDs, obi is just a paper cover on the left side of
CD, so that you can read the title in the shelve, by wrapping original foreign (if it is foreign CD)
languages in a manner we can read easily or for the record companies to sell well."
 
I do not know about vinyls since i dont buy japanese presses but the 100s of cds i purchased which were Japanese releases all came with OBI. I do not think OBI means any special mastering or pressing. Its just a part of their packaging.
 
Its not that any Japanese LP will go for such prices. Like I said prices are steep for quality jazz and rock LPs. Even on snowrecords that you mention, prices are in excess of Rs 3500 for titles like this DAVIS, MILES - relaxin' DIW-9003 / PRESTIGE7129 Vinyl Records | Snow Records Japan


Well, I always knew of the "sash" but never knew the term for it :lol:

That said, I bought 40 odd LPs off snowrecords.com VG to NM for prices ranging between 500 and 2000 (average 1050) which includes a few with the obi.
Looking back at the purchases now, I don't see a premium for the ones with the obi but I could be wrong.

At the risk of going OT, this makes for an interesting observation (from Why collecting obi-strips? - SoundtrackCollector.com)
 
The OBI sash does not necessarily imply special pressings or special masterings. They were 'standard issue' on almost all Japanese LPs, part of the general packaging. For collectors, buying a used LP 'with OBI' only meant that the packaging was original, and undamaged and pristine. Something like the 'still in shrink wrap' that many eBay sellers use to try for higher prices. Since the OBI strip is basically fragile, most tend to get torn over time with constant handling, putting it in and out of the record shelves, and so on, which is why an intact OBI seems to attract higher prices. Especially for collectors who insist on NM condition for both vinyl and cover.
 
I think this pretty much sums it up.


The OBI sash does not necessarily imply special pressings or special masterings. They were 'standard issue' on almost all Japanese LPs, part of the general packaging. For collectors, buying a used LP 'with OBI' only meant that the packaging was original, and undamaged and pristine. Something like the 'still in shrink wrap' that many eBay sellers use to try for higher prices. Since the OBI strip is basically fragile, most tend to get torn over time with constant handling, putting it in and out of the record shelves, and so on, which is why an intact OBI seems to attract higher prices. Especially for collectors who insist on NM condition for both vinyl and cover.
 
Could you point out to a link of a store where I can purchase Japanese pressing Smooth Jazz CD's, thanks.
 
You should be able to get new japaneses pressed CDs from the HMV online store in Japan. In the past I have bought 100s of CDs from this store
 
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