John Coltrane – The Best Of John Coltrane - His Greatest Years (Vinyl 2LP)

John Coltrane – The Best Of John Coltrane – His Greatest Years is a double-LP compilation of recordings John Coltrane made for Impulse! between 1961 and 1966. The compilation first appeared in 1970 on Impulse! (AS-9200-2); this edition was issued in 1980 by MCA Records as MCA2-4131. The twelve tracks range from Africa with a brass ensemble through quartet classics such as Afro-Blue, Alabama, My Favorite Things and Psalm from A Love Supreme to the late, free version of Naima. Most were produced by Bob Thiele, plus Creed Taylor, and most were engineered by Rudy Van Gelder. This copy is the 1980 US edition.

Pressing details

• Label / Cat. no.: MCA Records MCA2-4131
• Format: 2 x Vinyl LP, Compilation
• Pressing: US, remastered
• Country: USA
• Year of this pressing: 1980 (compilation first issued 1970)
• Genre: Jazz, Modal, Free Jazz

Condition

• Condition: Second hand
• Media: NM-
• Cover: VG (corner / shelf wear)

Graded to Goldmine standard (see Vinyl Grading). The images are our own scans of the actual copy for sale (SKU SH915).

Tracklist

Side A

1. Africa (John Coltrane)
2. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise (Romberg/Hammerstein II)
3. Soul Eyes (Mal Waldron)

Side B

1. After The Rain (John Coltrane)
2. Afro-Blue (Mongo Santamaría)
3. Alabama (John Coltrane)

Side C

1. My Favourite Things (Rodgers/Hammerstein II)
2. Bessie's Blues (John Coltrane)
3. Psalm (A Love Supreme, Part IV) (John Coltrane)

Side D

1. Kulu Se Mama (Opening Section) (Juno Lewis)
2. Naima (John Coltrane)
3. Om (Closing Invocation) (John Coltrane)

Personnel

John Coltrane (tenor and soprano saxophone) with his classic quartet: McCoy Tyner (piano), Jimmy Garrison (bass), Elvin Jones (drums). On Africa with a brass ensemble, on the late recordings with Pharoah Sanders, Alice Coltrane and Rashied Ali among others.

Production: Bob Thiele, Creed Taylor (Africa), John Coltrane (Kulu Se Mama); engineer on most tracks: Rudy Van Gelder.

FAQ

Is this the original edition?
No. The compilation first appeared in 1970 on Impulse! as AS-9200-2. This double LP is the 1980 US edition on MCA Records, which handled the Impulse! catalogue at the time.

From which years are the recordings?
The tracks come from Coltrane's Impulse! period from 1961 to 1966, from Africa from the Africa/Brass sessions to the late live version of Naima.

What does Media NM- / Cover VG mean?
NM- (Near Mint minus) means the records are close to new. VG (Very Good) for the sleeve means clear signs of wear, here on the corners and from shelf storage. All grades are explained on our Vinyl Grading page.

Do you have more John Coltrane records?
Yes, for example A Love Supreme, Africa/Brass and Ascension. More titles are in our Jazz collection.