JOHN COLTRANE - Blue Train - The Complete Masters (Blue Note Tone Poet Series - Stereo Ed.) - 2LP - Gatefold 180g Vinyl

2LP - Limited Edition 180g Black Vinyl (Blue Note Tone Poet Series). All-analog, Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio. Stereo version housed in a Deluxe Tip On Sleeve.

To mark the 65th anniversary of the album’s recording, Blue Train is released in two special editions as part of Blue Note’s acclaimed Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series. A 1-LP mono pressing of the original album is presented in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket, while the 2-LP stereo collection Blue Train: The Complete Masters includes a second disc featuring seven alternate and incomplete takes, none of which have been released previously on vinyl, and four of which have never been released before on any format.

The Complete Masters comes with a booklet featuring never-before-seen session photos by Francis Wolff and an essay by Coltrane expert Ashley Kahn.  Both Tone Poet Vinyl Editions were produced by Joe Harley, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original analog master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at RTI. Blue Train: The Complete Masters is also be released as a 2-CD set.

“Few studio experiences I’ve had can compare with the thrill of listening to the original master tapes—mono, stereo and alternate takes—of Blue Train,” says Harley. “I consider these two new versions the definitive editions of this masterpiece performance by John Coltrane.”

Side A
1. Blue Train (Coltrane) – 10:43
2. Moment’s Notice (Coltrane) – 9:10

Side B
1. Locomotion (Coltrane) – 7:14
2. I’m Old Fashioned (Kern-Mercer) – 7:58
3. Lazy Bird (Coltrane) – 7:07

Side C
1. Blue Train false start * – 0:21
2. Blue Train alternate take 7 * – 7:09
3. Moment’s Notice alternate take 4 * – 7:19
4. Lazy Bird alternate take 1 – 9:22

Side D
1. Blue Train alternate take 8 – 10:27
2. Moment’s Notice alternate take 5A (incomplete) * – 5:08
3. Lazy Bird alternate take 2 – 7:29

*previously unreleased

John Coltrane - tenor saxophone
Lee Morgan - trumpet
Curtis Fuller - trombone
Kenny Drew - piano
Paul Chambers - bass
Philly Joe Jones - drums

Original Session Produced by Alfred Lion
Recorded on September 15, 1957, at Van Gelder Studios, Hackensack, New Jersey
Recording Engineer Rudy Van Gelder
Cover Design by Reid Miles
Photography Francis Wolff
LP Supervision by Joe Harley
LP Mastering by Kevin Gray, Cohearent Audio