Variant chronology
1962 - US mono, red/purple "logo box" fan label, Presswell (W) - see label_notes) <- this copy
1962 - US mono promo, white label
1962 - US stereo (SD 1382), green/blue fan label
1962 - Canada/Italy/Germany mono pressings (AT.1382 / ATL LP 09051) - no documented sale found for this variant
1966 - US/Germany reissue (mono/stereo) - no documented sale found for this variant
1972 - US/Japan reissue, pink/yellow "logo box" fan label (stereo) - no documented sale found for this variant
1972-1976 - Japan promo/reissue (P-6068A / P-7504A) - no documented sale found for this variant
1989 - Atlantic Jazz CD reissue - no documented sale found for this variant
2005 - UK Atlantic reissue (SD 1382) - no documented sale found for this variant
2010 - Rhino/Atlantic 180g reissue (R1 1382) - no documented sale found for this variant
2017 - 180g reissue (mono) - no documented sale found for this variant
2018 - ORG 45 RPM audiophile stereo reissue - no documented sale found for this variant
2024 - Analogue Productions 45 RPM 2LP reissue
2026 - Rhino mono reissue
The Album
Recorded in a single day at Atlantic Studios in October 1960, this session came from the same prolific stretch that produced My Favorite Things, capturing Coltrane's classic quartet - McCoy Tyner, Steve Davis and Elvin Jones - at the dawn of its existence. Rather than a themed suite, the album is a deliberate return to the blues form, with Coltrane stripping his increasingly exploratory harmonic language back to the twelve-bar blues on five of the six tracks, using the form as a springboard for the modal and multiphonic ideas he was developing on soprano and tenor. The title cut, dedicated pieces to Elvin Jones and Sidney Bechet, and the trio of original blues named for jazz figures give the record a personal, almost dedicatory character within Coltrane's early-1960s Atlantic period. It arrived in the wake of Giant Steps and alongside My Favorite Things, documenting Coltrane's transition from harmonic virtuoso to modal innovator and soprano-sax pioneer. Critics and historians have long regarded it as an essential, if sometimes overlooked, entry in his catalogue - prized for its directness and swing rather than its complexity - and it remains a touchstone for how Coltrane's quartet forged a distinctive blues vocabulary just as the group was coalescing into one of jazz's most influential ensembles.
The Label
The label on this copy shows a red top half and magenta/purple bottom half with black printing, the ATLANTIC wordmark and swirl-fan logo at right, and 1382 printed above the title - no deep groove ring is visible, so this is a flat label. This red/purple "logo box" design dates to Atlantic's 1300-series circa 1961-63, shared by both early mono and stereo pressings before the pink/yellow "black fan" label appeared c. 1966-72; the plain '1382' number (no SD prefix) and unstickered mono jacket place this within that early mono window. The runout (A-11911-A B AT W / A-11912-A AT A W) carries Presswell plant marks, and this copy is placed on the earliest mono design line.
Fidelity
Cut at Atlantic Studios and pressed by Presswell, this mono pressing carries the punchier, more centered sound typical of early-60s Atlantic jazz mono cuts, generally preferred by collectors over the era's stereo mix for this session's saxophone presence. Collectors on the forums favor original Atlantic pressings (mono or stereo) over the 1970s-80s reissues, which are often described as thinner and more compressed. Modern audiophile cuts - the 2018 ORG 45rpm and 2024 Analogue Productions 45rpm reissues - are mastered from the analog tapes with markedly higher fidelity and dynamic range, but this original mono pressing remains the historically and sonically authoritative reference among vintage copies, outranking the 1966-72 reissues and the 1989 CD.
Documenting collections
I do this work for other people’s collections too — documenting a
collection record by record, researching individual pressings, and preparing
collections for sale or for insurance. If you have a collection you would like
documented, or a record you want identified properly, get in touch:
email
This record’s page: https://vinylcurator.net/albums/john-coltrane-coltrane-plays-the-blues/
