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Time Life Classical Music Collection On Vinyl

post #1 of 9
12/20/07 at 8:58pm
Thread Starter 
So I walked into my local used book store to pick up a couple of vinyl recordings that they sell there for 25 cents. The cashier noticed that I picked up Herb Albert and The Tijuana Brass Band-Whipped Cream And Other Delights, so the two of us got to talking about music and vinyl in general. She actually took me to the back office to show me a collection that was just donated that they are planning to sell. This collection is published by Time Life. Each composer (and there are several-->Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Prokofiev, Strauss, etc, almost 20 or so cases) has his own case and each case contains 4-5 vinyl disc apiece. They are planning on selling them for more than their standard 25 cents apiece because its a complete set and it is in exceptional condition. They are still researching this collection to find an ideal price to sell them at and, because I'm the first person to see that they have it and show interest in it, they said they'll give me a price the minute they have one, and I'll be the first to know about it. I was just wondering if anyone here, especially you classical-on-vinyl collectors have heard this collection, or parts of it and know if the recording quality is good and the collection is a worthwhile buy?
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post #2 of 9
12/20/07 at 9:47pm
The Time Life set you mention there, as well as the Mozart and DGG Beethoven centennial sets were pressed in Canada on pretty mediocre vinyl. I wouldn't pay more than a quarter a disk for them.

The set to look for is the Franklin Mint 100 Greatest Recordings of All Time. The selection of performances is of the absolute highest standard and the pressings are all on audiophile grade red vinyl. You can usually find them for a dollar or two a disk on ebay. The other Franklin Mint sets are great too, particularly the Jazz/Swing series.

See ya
Steve
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post #3 of 9
12/20/07 at 9:53pm
If you like vinyl, BUY THEM if they're cheap. Some places sell them for $10 or more per set. T-L had several series going, and for the most part the performances were all first rate. The editors carefully culled the libraries of major recording companies. I kept one set from those years: Music in the Romantic Era, just out of a sense of nostalgia. Besides, that, what else is there to do this time of year in Fairbanks other than listen to great music by the fire, with a buttered rum in hand? Bigshot is correct about the pressing quality: the vinyl does tend to be noisy.
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post #4 of 9
12/21/07 at 1:55pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the heads up bigshot and mbhaub. I guess I'll avoid it if they try to sell it for more than $1 per composer. Definitely going to have to look for the 100 Greatest collection bigshot is referring to though. It has intrigued me now...
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post #5 of 9
12/21/07 at 3:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by appophylite View Post
Definitely going to have to look for the 100 Greatest collection bigshot is referring to though. It has intrigued me now...
Here is what the Franklin Mint set looks like...
Franklin Mint 100 Greatest Recordings - (eBay item 260195145282 end time Dec-24-07 13:23:32 PST)

They did several other classical sets as well. The Toscanini one won a Grammy. I have an Ormandy set that's signed by Ormandy. These buggers cost a fortune when they first came out. Now they're about two bucks a disk.

See ya
Steve
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post #6 of 9
12/21/07 at 7:45pm
i bought almost the entire time life classical set at a local swap meet when I got into vinyl. The sound quality was very disappointing. It's cool, they come with books and stuff, but you can definitely find better recordings.
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post #7 of 9
2/8/08 at 7:25pm
I have the T-L classical sets from a long time ago. If anyone is interested I'll dig them out and see what I have. I'll part with them.
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post #8 of 9
1/22/12 at 2:38pm

Hi there fatcat :) i have been looking for this collection since my mother accidentally sold it to a second hand shop during a move. Would you be looking to sell? 

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post #9 of 9
1/26/12 at 3:36pm

This collection has been boxed-up and been through 4 move to 2 states. If you're really interested send me a PM and I'll Look-see what kind of shape they're in and send you pics.

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