iTunes deal (screwup?) of the century: The 55 CD anthology “111 Years of Deutsche Grammophon” is only $9.99

(Update: The deal is over but you can pick it up at Amazon for a good price.)

My friend Jen posted a link to this deal dubbing it the “Deal of the Century.” I clicked ‘Buy Album’ within seconds.

To re-emphasize, that’s 730 tracks / 2:10:06:35 time / 6GB worth of music for $9.99! It’s almost certainly a pricing error on the Canadian iTunes store. It’s listed at $119.99 in the US store. (Canadians get cheaper healthcare AND classical music!)

Deal or no deal, this is a pretty fantastic collection from probably the best classical recording label in the world. This ain’t no second-tier, discount-bin “Classical Greatest Hits”. Here’s a press release-ey statement:

Deutsche Grammophon’s president Michael Lang said, “Deutsche Grammophon remains the preeminent classical recording company – presenting the finest in recorded music by the best artists – while anticipating and fulfilling the evolving interests of its old and new audiences. Deutsche Grammophon is poised for a vibrant future as remarkable as its storied past.”

http://www.dg-111.com/en_GB/albums/55-cd-box-set

To all my Canadian friends, I’m officially considering you an idiot if you don’t take advantage of this temporary price anomaly.

Update: Someone landed on this post via the Google query “111 years of deutsche grammophon crash itunes” — there’s that much music.

Update (Oct 27, 01:20): Could they be finally changing the price? The front page of iTunes shows the price at $119.99 (if you click and go to the album page, it’s still at $9.99):

Update (Oct 27, 11:26): Christmas is over. The album is now $119.99 (or $148 if you prefer being able to cradle these in your hands). For everyone who’s still arriving at this post, that price is still an excellent deal!

Download now or listen on posterous

3-04 24 Préludes, Op. 28_ IV. In E Minor.m4a (4114 KB)

Download now or listen on posterous

21-13 Suite No. 2 in B Minor, BWV 1067_ VI. Menuet.m4a (2611 KB)

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Remembering two giants

Instead of going through the standard Michael Jackson albums, I spent the evening listening to every Jackson 5 album I have (ie. most of them). Most people are probably familiar with the group’s hit singles but there are countless gems lurking away in the albums that the Motown label pumped out during the early years: Don’t Let Your Baby Catch You (great harmonizing on the outro), One More Chance and Who’s Loving You are just a few examples that showcase Jackson’s talent and intensity in perhaps a more raw way than his later work.

But let me hijack our collective mourning of Jackson by drawing attention to another person who died a bit too young: James Jamerson, the bassist who played on some — if not most — of the early Jackson 5 hits.

Jamerson was one of the first musicians to do something interesting with pop music basslines, inspiring pretty much every bassist since. Sadly, he faded into obscurity and died at the age of 47 — a death probably related to alcoholism.

Here’s my favourite example of the young Michael Jackson singing on top of Jamerson’s playing. If you mentally isolate the bassline when you listen, it’s almost like hearing a second song. Blissful.

RIP, the two of you.

Derek Trucks rocks Luminato

I was all settled in to spend my Sunday evening at the Varsity office when I received an urgent message from my friend Jesse: The Derek Trucks Band was playing a free show for Luminato. He made it clear that I would be making a grave mistake by not attending:

This is one of the best bands in the world!

Hmm. A free concert with one of the greatest slide guitar players in the world?

He might have surpassed Duane Allman. Derek is 6 years older than Duane was when he died.

He’s a complicated man.

Derek Trucks is Duane Allman meets Ravi Shankar meets John Coltrane

Ravi Shankar eh?

Derek studied Indian music at some school in cali that’s the only american music school that teaches that stuff.

He summarized.

Derek Trucks is the messiah.

As a bonus, he mentioned that Jerry Douglas might be around.

He’s the best dobro player of all time. Nobody would argue that.

Fine, fine. Sold. I biked down to Dundas Square.

Did the show live up to his hype? Simply, yes.

Here’s an absolutely atrocious recording of Derek Trucks soloing (I was standing next to the amps so it was just too much for my poor iPhone mic to handle):

Sadie May Crash

I finally edited some photos from a Sadie May Crash concert taken at a show at Sneaky Dee’s earlier this year.

If the 32 comments on the Varsity’s profile of the band are any indication, they have some pretty rabid fans.

01_Five%20Years.mp3

Dance Yourself to Death

Jen of Dance Yourself to Death plays a show at Supermarket