Rhino and Atlantic have teamed up to produce a new box set of John Coltrane's Atlantic Recordings, this time in mono. Given their previous collection, The Heavyweight Champion, is still available on CD, one could perhaps question who would want to buy this new set. However, the latest reissue is important for a number of reasons.
First of all, the original vinyl version of the The Heavyweight Champion came out in 1995, and was a limited edition of just 3,000. Given the recent resurgence of sales in vinyl, albeit off a low base, and the continued interest in John Coltrane - with the forthcoming release of a new documentary - it was high time for a new vinyl collection.
Secondly, it is important to remember that mono issues were the norm in 1960 to 1962, when most of these albums were released. Stereo was still in its most basic, embryonic form. There are no great revelations here, as we heard with The Beatles box set, where the band and engineer had clearly lavished more attention on the mono recordings, which were considered to be the 'masters'. That being said, a comparison of Giant Steps in its mono and stereo forms does reveal some significant differences. The stereo mix is quite crude, with saxophone and piano from the left channel, bass and drums to the right, and something of a void in the centre. Yes, many of us have grown up with that version, but it does not sound natural, and is not how it would have sounded in the studio. The mono recording sounds more warmer and more real, and there is an amazing clarity to the pressing too; the tapes have not been used for many years, but were apparently in remarkably good condition.
The difference is still audible on the later Atlantic albums, but the familiarity of Giant Steps, and gradual improvements in the engineering of stereo recording, make the difference less remarkable on albums like Olé Coltrane (1962).
The third factor buyers may want to consider is the quality of the reissue. Each album is housed in a glossy, high-quality sleeve, far superior to the 1995 set. In addition, the new set includes a twenty-eight page booklet features a commentary by Coltrane biographer, Ashley Kahn, and some beautiful photographs from the sessions.
The biggest drawback is that The Atlantic Years In Mono is missing three key albums from the era - Coltrane Jazz, My Favorite Things and Coltrane's Sound; a fire destroyed the original warehouse that held those tapes. Rhino have included a 45-rpm single version of the tune, My Favorite Things, in two parts, which sounds amazing, but is hardly a replacement for the whole album.
Enough has been written about the importance of this music that there is no need to provide additional commentary here. The Atlantic Years should be considered an essential part of any jazz collection, and show Coltrane's development from playing 'sheets of sound', in the mid-late 1950s, to a more avant-garde, and eventually more spiritual sound, by the early 1960s.
If, like me, you already own the stereo set on vinyl, do you really need the mono version too? That's a question only you will be able to answer. And it's entirely possible that your partner will have a different answer to that question!
