Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of John Coltrane Available Now
The best pressings have huge space, size and clarity, with Tubey Magical richness befitting the 1967 recording dates of these sessions at Van Gelder Studio.
That Tubey Magic is surely long gone by now, so those of you looking for this kind of sound on a modern pressing should face facts — that ship has sailed.
The Green Label ABC/Impulse label pressings did not retain much of the magic that we heard on the real Impulse pressings, so best to avoid them.
They’re clean but dry and small, not big and bold like the real thing. The CD is probably better.
4 stars: “Recorded at two sessions in early 1967, Expression represents John Coltrane’s final recording sessions just months before his death. It’s remarkable that [the album] is not some world-weary harbinger of death and sickness, but an endlessly jubilant affair. Even in what must have been a time of tremendous pain and darkness, Coltrane’s single-minded quest for understanding and transcendence took him to places of new exploration and light.”
The 1+ grade found on this pressing means it’s simply not very good. It’s OK, passable.
For those who might be interested, there’s more on our grading scale here.
We’ve auditioned countless pressings in the 37 years we’ve been in business — buying, cleaning and playing them by the thousands.
This is how we find the best sounding vinyl pressings ever made, through trial and error. It may be expensive and time consuming, but there is simply no other method for finding better records that works. If you know of one, please write me!
We are not the least bit interested in pressings that are “known” to sound the best.
Known by whom? Which audiophiles — hobbyists or professionals, take your pick — can be trusted to know what they are talking about when it comes to the sound of records.
I have never met one, outside of those of us who work for Better Records. I remain skeptical of the existence of such a creature.
We’re looking for the pressings of albums that actually do sound the best.
You know, when you play them.
If you’re an audiophile with an ear for top quality sound on vintage vinyl, we’d be happy to send you the Hot Stamper pressing guaranteed to beat anything and everything you’ve ever heard, especially if you have any pressing marketed to audiophiles. Those, with few exceptions, are rarely better than mediocre, and a great many are just awful.
And if we can’t beat whatever LP you own or have heard, you get your money back. It’s as simple as that.
Further Reading