Caveat Emptor.Īfter the incorporation of Blue Note in 1961, a registered trade mark symbol ® was added to the label, under the E of BLUE NOTE. I have seen records described as having a “deep groove” which clearly do not, the absense of the Plastylite pressing “ear” curiously overlooked in the description, and pressings with an original label on one side, and a later one on the other side, overlooked. Even 767 Lexington labels (1956) can be found on Liberty pressings (1966).Īuction sellers want to obtain the best price which attaches to first pressings. As a result, older labels can be found on newer pressings. If a record sold well, more vinyl would be pressed, and the second pressing run would use up the existing stock of labels and covers before incurring the cost of printing more. Two of the least understood but often the most useful means of dating a pressing are its bare vinyl weight (initially around 220 grams and reducing over time down to 120 grams or less), and for records manufactured after 1962, the “correct” corporate inner sleeve, added at Plastylite immediately after pressing.Īmong small cost-conscious independent labels like Blue Note it was common manufacturing practice to hold stocks of record labels and covers in the inventory.
For some very early releases, attention needs to be paid to the vinyl edge (flat edge early, later beaded rim) and corroborating information regarding the cover, such as the method of frame construction, though you can not assume cover and record inside are of the same origin. Reissues in the following fifty or more years – some titles over a hundred editions – are progressively more common, and less valuable, though some still of interest to collectors.Ī combination of the record label variety, and engravings in the spiral run-out groove area will enable you to determine if a record is a first pressing, a later pressing though still an “original” Blue Note (pre-1966), or a reissue in the subsequent decades of Blue Note ownership by other companies. The most collectible Blue Note titles are worth upwards of £5,000. The first pressing was often just a few thousand copies, of which only a few hundred survive today, fewer still in excellent condition. Among collectors there is a great deal of sentiment attached to owning a first “original” pressing, especially one in excellent condition, both vinyl and cover. Original Blue Notes can be extremely rare, especially sought-after titles. With the help of this guide, you should be able to identify the provenance of any Blue Note record, and set your sights accordingly. Many features are needed to verify an original or a first pressing. What to look for in an “original” Blue Note LP LondonJazzCollector Blue Note Cheat Sheet The first titles manufactured overseas were in the Liberty, United Artists and EMI period, which are covered in separate pages, for Japan and Europe. The Blue Note label had no overseas licensing agreements in the golden era (up to 1966), and US pressings were simply exported. It covers the period of the original Blue Note Records company in the decade up to 1966, and then through the hands of subsequent owners Liberty Records Inc, United Artists and EMI, through the dj compilation decade, up to the modern “audiophile” editions of the present day.
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This Guide commences in 1956, with the 12″ 1500 series microgroove vinyl LP, which I consider the beginning of modern “high fidelity” and which coincides with the beginning of use of then new condenser/valve microphones.
The earliest Blue Note recordings were issued on 78 rpm shellac or 10″ microgroove, largely the domain of the purist collector, as many of these recording (though not all) went on to be republished in various permutations on 12″ LP.
The Blue Note label, from the ’50s to the present day – the definitive guide for the audiophile record collector. Welcome to the m ost frequently viewed page at LondonJazzCollector!