Coltrane's work on Prestige

JSngry · December 26, 2013

Not sure if I understand why there would be surprise at the love of the Prestige recordings...some more than others, sure, but still...this ain't 1966, ya' know? That whole "yeah, well, the early stuff was ok for it time, but the shit TODAY is where its REALLY at" thing is over. Trane's dead now, and if I see Interstellar Space as his ultimate achievement, that doesn't change the fact that he's still dead, so it's ALL "of its time", if you know what I mean. We know where the destination was - 7/17/1967, that was the end of any hope of a further TODAY. Where it might have gone is so much wankery, and where it may yet be is not going to involve any new music from John Coltrane.

So, if you dig Trane, you're gonna dig Trane, I should think. Favorites & preferences, of course, but we've had almost 50 years to look at the totality of the work and adjust perspectives accordingly. The dude made a lot of really good music, and a lot of it was on Prestige.

xybert · December 26, 2013

I can see where Milestones is coming from, being surprised by the love for the Prestige albums here. I mean, i certainly didn't think they were hated, but definitely didn't think that the general concensus would be "get it all if you're crazy enough to not have already!"

For me this thread is a massive example of the power of words and how we form impressions of things. This thread has completely changed my perspective on the Presige years and Coltrane in general, and i haven't even actually *listened* to the vast majority of the Prestige stuff yet.

Also, as the years have gone by, just speaking for myself, i'm finding that 'in' is the new 'out'.

The Magnificent Goldberg · December 26, 2013

I
Also, as the years have gone by, just speaking for myself, i'm finding that 'in' is the new 'out'.

Ah - another grumpy old man

MG

jazzbo · December 26, 2013

Wait until you really become a jaded jazzer and "Davenport Blues" is the new "Blues and the Abstract Truth."

Edited December 26, 2013 by jazzbo

BillF · December 26, 2013

Coltrane's sheets of sound passages, so evident on Prestige dates c.1958, must have left the other musicians not knowing quite what to do. At one point (can't remember which album) Red Garland turns to a long-sustained double tempo run in his solo and on Black Pearls you hear the same thing from Donald Byrd. In neither case does it sound right.

xybert · December 27, 2013

Amazon UK http://www.amazon.co.uk/His-Prestige-Albums-John-Coltrane/dp/B004XPM3LC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387690484&sr=8-1&keywords=coltrane+prestige+box

Discogs http://www.discogs.com/John-Coltrane-His-Prestige-Albums/release/4739522

This arrived yesterday and i'm just in the process of ripping the CDs to my computer now. Just to confirm a couple of things: The listing on the Discogs site (at time of posting) for 'Traneing In' is an error; the correct Prestige version is included in the box set. The box does come with a booklet but it just has two pages for each album: a full page reproduction of the cover art and the recording date/personnel etc info on the opposite page; there are no other liner notes as such. CDs are housed in quality 3 x double CD Jewel cases that hold 4 CDs each; all three Jewell cases are housed in a thin cardboard sleeve. From what i can see this is a repackaging of the Original Jazz Classics CD releases as they originally appeared in the eighties and nineties. The CDs have that familiar silver and yellow top side, here's some randomly picked mastering info for reference:

Lush Life = Digital Remastering 1987 - Joe Tarantino

Stardust = Digital Remastering 1997 - Phil De Lancie

So if that's what ya want, that's what ya get. Pretty happy with this but i've since ordered the Side Steps and Interplay boxes so time will tell whether i regret not getting the Fearless Leader version of this material. I think i'll survive.

Wait until you really become a jaded jazzer and "Davenport Blues" is the new "Blues and the Abstract Truth."

The scary thing is i can see myself heading that way, on a long enough timeline.

jazzbo · December 27, 2013

I veered heavily in that direction for a while, then found myself pulled elsewhere (Brazil, "new thing land") . . . may get there yet.

xybert · January 1, 2014

We went and stayed at my grandmothers place for a few days leading up to new years, wasn't much to do there but listen to music. I basically immersed myself in Coltrane's Prestige leader albums and absolutely loved it. A bit like the Mobley Mosaic, i don't think there's any one album that if i'd heard it on it's own would have convinced me that i need to own it all, but also like the Mobley Mosaic it's a fantastic body of work and is just so damn enjoyable. At this stage i would say that the Prestige material is definitely my favourite Coltrane overall, i'm definitely in the 'get it all' camp, however i'm still flush with excitement and it's going to be really interesting revisiting the Atlantic and Impulse stuff in this new light.

Apart from that, it was interesting rereading this thread having actually heard the music; so many good points have been made and i really don't have anything much to add.

On a side note the Interplay and Side Steps boxes arrived and i have to say the packaging and accompanying booklets (practically books) are extremely handsome.

J.A.W. · January 1, 2014

I've never been a fan of Coltrane's Prestige work, but I must admit that hearing it again after so many years on those Prestige boxes I like it better than "on its own", i.e. than on the individual albums way back when.

Edited January 1, 2014 by J.A.W.

Scott Dolan · January 1, 2014

I'm more an Impulse! and Atlantic guy, myself.

But, I have the original 16 disc Prestige box, and really enjoy it whenever I pull something from it.

CJ Shearn · January 1, 2014

We went and stayed at my grandmothers place for a few days leading up to new years, wasn't much to do there but listen to music. I basically immersed myself in Coltrane's Prestige leader albums and absolutely loved it. A bit like the Mobley Mosaic, i don't think there's any one album that if i'd heard it on it's own would have convinced me that i need to own it all, but also like the Mobley Mosaic it's a fantastic body of work and is just so damn enjoyable. At this stage i would say that the Prestige material is definitely my favourite Coltrane overall, i'm definitely in the 'get it all' camp, however i'm still flush with excitement and it's going to be really interesting revisiting the Atlantic and Impulse stuff in this new light.

Apart from that, it was interesting rereading this thread having actually heard the music; so many good points have been made and i really don't have anything much to add.

On a side note the Interplay and Side Steps boxes arrived and i have to say the packaging and accompanying booklets (practically books) are extremely handsome.

Just double check the discs to make sure "Side Steps" doesn't have concentric scratches. I got my set a long time ago and while the disc with said scratches remarkably plays flawlessly, I think that might of occured when the set was banging around in the truck on the way to the store. Anyway, I am in the get it all camp with Trane also.

Stefan Wood · January 2, 2014

Nothing wrong with the Prestiges. Nothing wrong with the Atlantics. Or Impulses. Coltrane's career was such that you can pick an era and live in that world. I will always prefer the Impulses, not only for what he had achieved, but the direction he pointed to for others.

CJ Shearn · January 2, 2014

I'm living in the Atlantic stuff for the time being, although the Impulse material is my favorite era.

Edited January 2, 2014 by CJ Shearn

Scott Dolan · January 2, 2014

Yeah, they were really contemplating some amazing shit during the Impulse! years. If all I could ever listen to was the '65 output, I'd be a very happy man.

TedR · January 2, 2014

We went and stayed at my grandmothers place for a few days leading up to new years, wasn't much to do there but listen to music. I basically immersed myself in Coltrane's Prestige leader albums and absolutely loved it. A bit like the Mobley Mosaic, i don't think there's any one album that if i'd heard it on it's own would have convinced me that i need to own it all, but also like the Mobley Mosaic it's a fantastic body of work and is just so damn enjoyable. At this stage i would say that the Prestige material is definitely my favourite Coltrane overall, i'm definitely in the 'get it all' camp, however i'm still flush with excitement and it's going to be really interesting revisiting the Atlantic and Impulse stuff in this new light.

Apart from that, it was interesting rereading this thread having actually heard the music; so many good points have been made and i really don't have anything much to add.

On a side note the Interplay and Side Steps boxes arrived and i have to say the packaging and accompanying booklets (practically books) are extremely handsome.

Just double check the discs to make sure "Side Steps" doesn't have concentric scratches. I got my set a long time ago and while the disc with said scratches remarkably plays flawlessly, I think that might of occured when the set was banging around in the truck on the way to the store. Anyway, I am in the get it all camp with Trane also.

The packaging of the discs in the three boxes is annoying the way one disc is partially "stacked" over the other. You have to remove two discs to hear the bottom disc. And trying to push the top disc back onto the rubber spindle so it stays in place is difficult. I'd listen to these sets much more than I do if it wasn't for the packaging.

Scott Dolan · January 2, 2014

I hate when they stack discs. Whoever came up with that concept should be smacked on the back of the head.

CJ Shearn · January 2, 2014

We went and stayed at my grandmothers place for a few days leading up to new years, wasn't much to do there but listen to music. I basically immersed myself in Coltrane's Prestige leader albums and absolutely loved it. A bit like the Mobley Mosaic, i don't think there's any one album that if i'd heard it on it's own would have convinced me that i need to own it all, but also like the Mobley Mosaic it's a fantastic body of work and is just so damn enjoyable. At this stage i would say that the Prestige material is definitely my favourite Coltrane overall, i'm definitely in the 'get it all' camp, however i'm still flush with excitement and it's going to be really interesting revisiting the Atlantic and Impulse stuff in this new light.

Apart from that, it was interesting rereading this thread having actually heard the music; so many good points have been made and i really don't have anything much to add.

On a side note the Interplay and Side Steps boxes arrived and i have to say the packaging and accompanying booklets (practically books) are extremely handsome.

We went and stayed at my grandmothers place for a few days leading up to new years, wasn't much to do there but listen to music. I basically immersed myself in Coltrane's Prestige leader albums and absolutely loved it. A bit like the Mobley Mosaic, i don't think there's any one album that if i'd heard it on it's own would have convinced me that i need to own it all, but also like the Mobley Mosaic it's a fantastic body of work and is just so damn enjoyable. At this stage i would say that the Prestige material is definitely my favourite Coltrane overall, i'm definitely in the 'get it all' camp, however i'm still flush with excitement and it's going to be really interesting revisiting the Atlantic and Impulse stuff in this new light.

Apart from that, it was interesting rereading this thread having actually heard the music; so many good points have been made and i really don't have anything much to add.

On a side note the Interplay and Side Steps boxes arrived and i have to say the packaging and accompanying booklets (practically books) are extremely handsome.

Just double check the discs to make sure "Side Steps" doesn't have concentric scratches. I got my set a long time ago and while the disc with said scratches remarkably plays flawlessly, I think that might of occured when the set was banging around in the truck on the way to the store. Anyway, I am in the get it all camp with Trane also.
The packaging of the discs in the three boxes is annoying the way one disc is partially "stacked" over the other. You have to remove two discs to hear the bottom disc. And trying to push the top disc back onto the rubber spindle so it stays in place is difficult. I'd listen to these sets much more than I do if it wasn't for the packaging.

We went and stayed at my grandmothers place for a few days leading up to new years, wasn't much to do there but listen to music. I basically immersed myself in Coltrane's Prestige leader albums and absolutely loved it. A bit like the Mobley Mosaic, i don't think there's any one album that if i'd heard it on it's own would have convinced me that i need to own it all, but also like the Mobley Mosaic it's a fantastic body of work and is just so damn enjoyable. At this stage i would say that the Prestige material is definitely my favourite Coltrane overall, i'm definitely in the 'get it all' camp, however i'm still flush with excitement and it's going to be really interesting revisiting the Atlantic and Impulse stuff in this new light.

Apart from that, it was interesting rereading this thread having actually heard the music; so many good points have been made and i really don't have anything much to add.

On a side note the Interplay and Side Steps boxes arrived and i have to say the packaging and accompanying booklets (practically books) are extremely handsome.

:rofl: Just double check the discs to make sure "Side Steps" doesn't have concentric scratches. I got my set a long time ago and while the disc with said scratches remarkably plays flawlessly, I think that might of occured when the set was banging around in the truck on the way to the store. Anyway, I am in the get it all camp with Trane also.
The packaging of the discs in the three boxes is annoying the way one disc is partially "stacked" over the other. You have to remove two discs to hear the bottom disc. And trying to push the top disc back onto the rubber spindle so it stays in place is difficult. I'd listen to these sets much more than I do if it wasn't for the packaging.

Yes! Exactly! I'm afraid of breaking the disc too, when it doesn't conform to the rubber spindle easily. I have two of the discs flipped playing side up when I remove them to get to that bottom disc, or I think disc 1 of "Fearless Leader". the packaging is annoying for those sets, but beautiful otherwise. I love "The Heavyweight Champion" package design though. They aren't thinking that packaging, or mini LP's without inner sleeves upsets anal obsessives like all of us. I can't see casual fans buying these sets, so the audience must be us. :rofl:

Edited January 2, 2014 by CJ Shearn

GA Russell · January 2, 2014

Big Lots is the only store that I've found around here that still sells jewel cases. I think Tiger Direct does too.

When I remove a disc from the Coltrane boxes, it goes into its own jewel case, and it never goes back into the box.

xybert · January 2, 2014

We went and stayed at my grandmothers place for a few days leading up to new years, wasn't much to do there but listen to music. I basically immersed myself in Coltrane's Prestige leader albums and absolutely loved it. A bit like the Mobley Mosaic, i don't think there's any one album that if i'd heard it on it's own would have convinced me that i need to own it all, but also like the Mobley Mosaic it's a fantastic body of work and is just so damn enjoyable. At this stage i would say that the Prestige material is definitely my favourite Coltrane overall, i'm definitely in the 'get it all' camp, however i'm still flush with excitement and it's going to be really interesting revisiting the Atlantic and Impulse stuff in this new light.

Apart from that, it was interesting rereading this thread having actually heard the music; so many good points have been made and i really don't have anything much to add.

On a side note the Interplay and Side Steps boxes arrived and i have to say the packaging and accompanying booklets (practically books) are extremely handsome.

Just double check the discs to make sure "Side Steps" doesn't have concentric scratches. I got my set a long time ago and while the disc with said scratches remarkably plays flawlessly, I think that might of occured when the set was banging around in the truck on the way to the store. Anyway, I am in the get it all camp with Trane also.

Thanks for the heads up, luckily no scratches on my discs.

I'm not a huge fan of the 'overlapping discs' method either, but it's okay. 95% of box sets that i encounter seem to have less than ideal packaging for the discs themselves, it's part of the trade off for me, although it probably doesn't have to be that way. I only ever take them out once in order to rip them to my computer and then that's it so it's not too much of a biggie for me.

xybert · January 2, 2014

Big Lots is the only store that I've found around here that still sells jewel cases. I think Tiger Direct does too.

When I remove a disc from the Coltrane boxes, it goes into its own jewel case, and it never goes back into the box.

I used to do that with a lot of discs that came in cardboard sleeves etc (the Clean Feed brown border period, ugh) but pretty much gave up as it became more and more prevalent. I figure if that's how the artist/label wants to present it, then fug it. Plus the aforementioned 'only ever take the disc out once' thing works for me.

7/4 · January 2, 2014

I'm more an Impulse! and Atlantic guy, myself.

Me too. I have the three boxes... got 'em years ago and never really got that familiar with them. The two Kenny Burrell albums I've had for 34 years, I guess. I really dig them.

Edited January 3, 2014 by 7/4

CJ Shearn · January 2, 2014

Speaking of packaging, just received the Complete Live Recordings on Savoy Bird set and the cardboard sleeves don't seem to scratch the discs. I rip many discs for backup on my hard drive, but I still play the discs a lot.

Scott Dolan · January 3, 2014

I rip all my discs to my iMac so that I can access them on my main system, via Apple TV, without having to walk to the opposite end of the house to retrieve them. So I never play discs anymore.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Scott Dolan

CJ Shearn · January 3, 2014

It's good we still have them though

xybert · January 19, 2014

Was listening to Workin', Cookin', Relaxin' and Steamin' over the weekend. Never ceases to amaze me how these albums get better whenever i revisit them. Especially fascinating hearing Coltrane in a new light having finally gotten in to his Prestige recordings recently. For all intents and purposes i don't think i previously even really registered that Coltrane was the player here. I mean, mentally i knew it was Coltrane, but i chalked it up as 'Coltrane before he was Coltrane' and never really listened to him.

I always thought that i'd already had my 'click' moment with Coltrane, but sometimes you have a second, deeper 'click' moment later on. Someone mentioned earlier in the thread not ever having caught the Coltrane Bug, and that was a bit like me; I dug a lot of his recordings, loved a few but he was never a desert island artist for me. I think i finally get it now, or maybe i've gone too far: i'm enraptured by every little thing i hear from Coltrane at the moment. The Atlantic recordings, which previously, Giant Steps aside, i found to be nice, solid albums, slightly dull maybe but now i find them to be MIND BLOWING. Revisiting the Impulse stuff in earnest looms so large it's almost scary; i want to hold off as long as possible but i was listening to a bit of One Down, One Up (edit: ~~One Up, One Down~~) the other day before stopping myself and yup i think i finally really get that stuff too.

Anyway, i know this is real 'no shit, Sherlock' stuff but man Coltrane is hitting me HARD right now and it's all thanks to the Prestige recordings.

Edited January 20, 2014 by xybert

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