John Coltrane - A Love Supreme

(1 x 180G LP)

Label: Impulse (Acoustic Sounds Series)

Genre: Jazz
Product No.: AIMP 7701
UPC: 602508889288

Mastered by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound!
180-gram LP pressed at Quality Record Pressings!
Stoughton Printing gatefold old-style tip-on jackets
Series supervised by Chad Kassem CEO of Acoustic Sounds

"I picked up the new Acoustic Sounds (Series) reissue of A Love Supreme, John Coltrane's classic album originally released in 1965 on Impulse! Records. I've owned it on CD (Impulse! Records GRD-155) for years, but I bought a vinyl copy (Impulse! Records GR-155) a few years ago. ... Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound mastered A Love Supreme from original analog tapes for the new pressing, and he gives the recording more space and realism than I hear in the other versions I own. Instruments are lifelike and more clearly presented. Even Garrison's double bass, which could have been more forward in the original recording, has more impact and body. Jones's cymbals have more shimmer, each drum sounds out forcefully, and it's easier to hear the unique tones of each drum. McCoy Tyner's piano chords are harmonically richer and more dynamic. The new LP has a much deeper and wider soundstage and gives me a better sense that the music was performed in a three-dimensional space. ... On the CD and my other vinyl pressings, the music seems to stop at the speakers, while on this reissue it has more room to spread out and show itself. During Elvin Jones's solo drum feature on the opening of "Part III — Pursuance," the drums sound larger and echo more clearly into the left channel than on the CD and the other LPs I own. Cymbals splash with more excitement, and when Coltrane enters with the rest of the quartet, his sax has more fire and edge. ... For a reasonable price, you can pick up this great-sounding version of A Love Supreme by Acoustic Sounds and be assured that you are closer to hearing what occurred in the studio during the recording of this seminal jazz album." — Music = 5/5; Sound = 4/5; Overall Enjoyment = 4.5/5 — Recording of the Month December 2020, Joseph Taylor.

"Anyone who tells you the original pressing bests this new one simply has not heard either! ... The original is just not very good at all. Quite the opposite for Ryan Smith's cut. Tyner's piano in particular is spectacularly well-served sitting clearly and convincingly in three-dimensions between the speakers. You could say Coltrane's sax is slightly thinner than you might want but that would be system-dependent and as far as I'm concerned the cut is another out of the park home run set against black backgrounds." Music = 11/11; Sound = 10/11 - Michael Fremer,

The original master tape is available but it's not in the best shape. This LP was cut from a flat tape copy made by Rudy Van Gelder and used for cutting in the UK in April of 1965. Of course, the original recording was in December '64, so only a handful of months later. This tape was discovered at Abbey Road and had been untouched between 1965 and 2002. So while the original tape is available and while we would always opt for the original whenever we can, in this case this copy was the better choice as the tape has incurred less overall wear and sounds much better than the original.

Seeking to offer definitive audiophile grade versions of some of the most historic and best jazz records ever recorded, Verve Label Group and Universal Music Enterprises' new audiophile Acoustic Sounds vinyl reissue series utilizes the skills of top mastering engineers and the unsurpassed production craft of Quality Record Pressings. All titles are mastered from the original analog tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl and packaged by Stoughton Printing Co. in high-quality gatefold sleeves with tip-on jackets. The releases are supervised by Chad Kassem, CEO of Acoustic Sounds, the world's largest source for audiophile recordings.

A Love Supreme was his pinnacle studio outing that at once compiled all of his innovations from his past, spoke of his current deep spirituality, and also gave a glimpse into the next two and a half years (sadly, those would be his last). Recorded at the end of 1964, Trane's classic quartet of Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, and Jimmy Garrison stepped in and created one of the most thought-provoking albums of their relationship.

The album not only enabled Coltrane to express himself with great intensity but also lent him the necessary inner peace to conceive a work of almost 40 minutes in length and to lead his quartet along the same path as himself.

Track List

1. Part I - Acknowledgement
2. Part II - Resolution
3. Part III - Pursuance / Part IV - Psalm