Search - Ralph Towner :: ECM Touchstones: Batik

Supreme recordings- POOR PACKAGING

Garrison | Texas Valley, Georgia | 10/10/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"ECM's recent reissue program ECM TOUCHSTONES presently includes 20 titles(soon 40) of early ECM recordings- including many out of print and affordable alternatives to expensive imports. These are priced at at least half and sometimes much more- in which Ralph Towner's Batik has been one of the more outrageously priced and much sought after recordings from the ECM catalogue. This one sounds great and reviews elsewhere leave little doubt to its quality.



Here is "the rub" though. These are packaged in the earth-friendly cardboard gatefold sleeves. I am not a fan of these. There is little chance that you can remove the CD the 1st time or after without nastily scratching-scuffing it along its edge- short of cutting it out of the packaging! This is the equivalent of the sliding it into a sleeve sans plastic protective sleeve. I honestly don't know if that would have helped. This is worse as the glue easily gives creating a sleeve open on two ends. The residual glue may actually scratch it. Another euro jazz music label Hat Hut has a mere paper slot to work the disc in and out of. If the desire is to reduce the use of plastics- the Quinton label in which Wolfgang Muthspiel has recorded with his trio Marc Johnson and Brian Blades has heavy cardboard with a rubbery piece stuck in the middle of the cardboard face- very creative and earth friendly! If you think I'm an idiot for caring about this-so be it!"

Accoustic guitar with power drumming?

supercrink | PA | 09/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone who does not think that accoustic guitar and power drumming mix well together only need to listen to this vintage 1978 ECM recording. The way that Ralph Towner and Jack DeJohnette interact and feed off of one another still leaves me breathless after all these years. Eddie Gomez rounds off this great and somewhat unlikely trio. This timeless session is a must listen!!"