Out Now: Mono Coltrane on CD
Before diving into this piece, we wanted to start by making sure that you’ve got your scorecard handy. Yes, we’re aware that you sometimes need one to keep track of the manner in which we release albums on different formats, and the way we’ve been dropping THE ATLANTIC YEARS IN MONO is definitely one of those instances.
Last month, we posted with pride that we’d released THE ATLANTIC YEARS IN MONO, the collection of all of John Coltrane’s work for Atlantic (except for MY FAVORITE THINGS, COLTRANE JAZZ, or COLTRANE'S SOUND, but we’ll explain their omission in a second), on glorious 180-gram vinyl. It was somewhat of a change of pace for us to reissue something on vinyl before reissuing it on CD, which we noted at the time, but we also assured you CD fans that you’d be getting yours on July 8…and just in case you haven’t looked at the calendar yet, that’s today!
As to the clarification we promised about those three Atlantic albums that are M.I.A., well, here’s the thing: the mono masters were lost in a fire, so their inclusion simply wasn’t possible, sadly. What you will find in the set, however, are GIANT STEPS (1960), BAGS & TRANE(1961) with Milt Jackson, OLE COLTRANE(1962), COLTRANE PLAYS THE BLUES(1962), THE AVANT GARDE(1966) with Don Cherry, an LP of outtakes entitled THE COLTRANE LEGACY, a 32-page booklet of photos by Lee Friedlander, and liner notes by Ashley Kahn.
Here’s the full track listing, so you can see what you’re getting yourself into – not to mention what you’re not getting (the 7” single of “My Favorite Things” was strictly for the vinyl set, alas) – and be aware that the reissuing arrives in advance of the release of CHASIN’ TRANE, a new documentary about Coltrane’s life and times, so you either can get prepped and ready before you see it or you can see it comfortable in the knowledge that the set will be in stores when you decide that it’s time to bulk up your Coltrane collection.
DISC 1: GIANT STEPS
1. Giant Steps
2. Cousin Mary
3. Countdown
4. Spiral
5. Syeeda's Song Flute
6. Naima
7. Mr P.C.
DISC 2: BAGS & TRANE (with Milt Jackson)
1. Bags & Trane
2. Three Little Words
3. The Night We Called It A Day
4. Be-Bop
5. The Late Late Blues
DISC 3: OLE COLTRANE
1. Olé
2. Dahomey Dance
3. Aisha
DISC 4: COLTRANE PLAYS THE BLUES
1. Blues To Elvin
2. Blues To Bechet
3. Blues To You
4. Mr. Day
5. Mr. Syms
6. Mr. Knight
DISC 5: THE AVANT-GARDE (with Don Cherry)
1. Cherryco
2. Focus On Sanity
3. The Blessing
4. The Invisible
5. Bemsha Swing
DISC 6: THE COLTRANE LEGACY
1. 26-2
2. Original Untitled Ballad
3. Untitled Ballad
4. Centerpiece
5. Stairway To The Stars
6. Blues Legacy
