Cannonball Adderley – Somethin' Else

In my opinion this is a mediocre pressing and is easily bettered.

When i first got it in 2021 i felt it was "just good enough" blaming the recording for still not being a great one and thats still true because compared to Kind Of Blue or many a Roy DuNann recording this does sound pretty weak. But i also realised KPG has left alot on the table. Its cant just be me that after 00's tried that he does seem to have a knack for brightness and clarity (for better or worse) and not making any real effort to make originals sound better. More just a case of heres the tape ive been given, i'll brighten it up and jobs done. That might work for top recordings that he cant possibly get wrong but alot of Blue Note recordings are FAR from audiophile and even plain badly recorded. RVG is so overrated its laughable but thats another matter. With this BNC we get a clean and clear mastering but harmonically skeletal to a fault. I didnt realise how lacking this was til i blew my load on the MoFi 1 Step and the bass and mids suddenly have presence and ground the instruments. Not only that its not as top end shouty as this KPG cut. Ok, its alot more expensive but the MoFi is a genuine attempt by their ittedly far more maligned engineer to make Somethin Else' sound like something else and its a total walkover in sound quality . I wish it wasnt as i hate the packaging and price of the MoFi 1 Steps but its one of those awkward scenarios where i cant live without it now, even though i wish it was not better and i could just get all my money back!

Oh well, c'est la vie

I am truly amazed by how good this pressing is. This is probably one of the best sounding album I own.

Got a great copy on the first try, which is better than most of my recent purchases. QC on pressing plants across the board are just so bad nowadays it's ridiculous. Mastering is great, though I can see why some would call this a bit toppy on some songs.

Gateway album in the jazz gets better with every lesson and it was great from the start a quiet pressing but great Dynamics flat and could be up there with kind of Blue.

Such an excellent reissue, dead quiet with crisp highs and clear mids. Bass dials in perfectly on the sub. It's such a great album to have in anyone's collection and at a great price! Top shelf!

My copy is flawless; flat, clean, deadsilent after one round on the Okki Nokki and no distortion. Sounds great! Came with polylined inner… (Clearaudio Concept with MC - Clearaudio phono pre - NAD - Bowers & Wilkins 603 S2’s)

I think of this album as the gateway drug for people who aren't sure about jazz or hard bop. This music got me started on a wonderful path of discovery! I love returning to it now that it's been about 15 years since I first heard these songs...never gets old.

This has to be one of the worst blue note pressings I ever owned, thank you Keven Gary but no thanks. My copy right out of the gate had distortion through out playback, it was cleaned a few times. It also has a digital distortion that pops up a few times on side one, super annoying. I bought my copy at a brick and mortar store. They don’t like getting returns, now I’m stuck with this $28 garbage. Where’s my old cd?

Saw this record on a list five or six years ago when I was trying to branch out from my only jazz record at the time - KOB. Got a crappy pressing first and replaced it when this KPG cut came out. I’ve basically disliked this album since the beginning and just couldn’t figure out the rage. Still can’t totally… it’s nowhere near in the same class as KOB, ALS or SHAPE OF JAZZ, in my totally crude, unqualified jazz-novice opinion. But it is growing on me to the point where I keep it in regular rotation and won’t sell it. I will say, the RVG recording, KPG mastering/cut and Optimal pressing are as good as anything I’ve ever heard. Totally clear, with wonderful separation and presence. I’m listening to “Love For Sale” right now and realize I may be really starting to enjoy this record. If you already like it, it 100% belongs in your collection, unless you need to sur it with MoFi’s UD1S (which I have never heard).

Update: I dislike this album so much, that I just got a sealed copy of AP’s 2xLP 45 rpm of it. I guess it’s REALLY grown on me. Funny how that happens. Really nothing to complain about with my CLASSICS KPG pressing; just heard the rage about the AP 33 and 45 cuts by BG. Seems it truly was a limited pressing.

Not bad for the price at all. Typical hard panned stereo mastering from original mono recording. Minor surface noise, clicks and pops. Some distortion on B3 on my copy. Great balance and presence of trumpet and sax. Awesome album, a must have for any late 50s / early 60s jazz fan. Pressing is not bad for the price, but I'm curious to hear a higher quality mono pressing of this album... 4.4 / 5