John Coltrane A Love Supreme Mono A-77 EX

$

517

John Coltrane, A Love Supreme First Mono Pressing
First pressings of A Love Supreme can be verified by the the lack of side indicators (-A and -B suffixes) in the catalog number on the labels, as well as the presence of "A Product of ABC-Paramount Records Inc." printed at the bottom of the labels. According to the London Jazz Collector site, Impulse! started appending side designations to catalog numbers with catalog number A-79 (McCoy Tyner Plays Ellington), which was released in August of 1965 and has A-79-A, and A-79-B on the labels. (The London Jazz Collector site has a great deal of detail on the evolution of the Impulse! labels and how to identify first pressings under teh "Guide to Record Labels" section.) A Love Supreme (A-77) was issued much earlier in 1965 (January according to Wikipedia). Thus the first pressings of A-77 were made with labels that did not include the -A/-B suffixes, and later re-pressings used the newer labels that included the suffixes.

The London Jazz Collector also says that Impulse! made small pressing runs based on demand, so it's quite likely that initial runs were small and used the labels with no suffix, and then later in the year subsequent re-presses with the same metal work used the newer labels as Impulse! responded to demand. That means the runouts will match, but the labels won't. Thus, the labels without suffixes indicate true first pressings (per the detailed research on London Jazz Collector). Having said that, I have mono copies with both labels, and they both sound great. This one, however, is a first pressing mono without the side suffixes in on the label.
Here are the details:

• Matrix numbers in runouts: Side One: A-77-A VAN GELDER LW, Side Two: A-77-B VAN GELDER LW
• Vinyl rating: Play tested, and cleaned on my ultrasonic machine. Overall, it plays EX (or very strong VG+, or VG++ if you prefer). There are places with intermittent, mild crackle and background noise, such as intro to Part II: Resolution and the bass solo in Part IV: Psalm). No skips. No loud pops. Visually, the record is VG+, with some storage marks that DNAP in any way. (See pictures. I should note that the harsh light I used to ensure a good picture of the storage marks exaggerates them.)
• Cover rating: Overall, cover is VG+. On the back cover, there is some minor cracking/peeling of the lamination on the edge and faded writing in the circle where the catalog number is. Otherwise, the cover is in great shape. (See pictures.)
• Shipping: I will ship to the US and Canada only. In the US, shipping is $4 for Media Mail. If you want different shipping -- such as Priority Mail -- please contact me before you pay. Canadians, please contact me for shipping costs. Fully tracked shipping, which I require for shipping this item to Canada, is much more than the $4 flat rate for the US.
• Packing: I’m a long-time collector and will pack the record like I want the records I buy packed. The record itself will be in a MoFi sleeve, inside a generic cover. The gate fold cover will be in a plastic bag. Both will be sandwiched by layers of cardboard inside a secure record mailer.
• Returns: I stand behind my ratings and if you don’t think the record matches the description I gave here, I will give you a full refund as soon as I receive the record back in the condition it was in when I shipped it. Return shipping costs are the buyer’s responsibility.