First Impulse! CD reissues?

Does anyone know when the first Impulse! CD reissues were released?

 

Hans,

It appears the first CD reissue of A Love Supreme (MCAD-5660) came out in 1986. So that probably is the correct answer.

 

Thanks Anselm. Any idea how those first Impulse! CDs sound, any funny EQ etc.?

 

I'm afraid I have no idea. I used to have it but it's been more than 10 years since I replaced it. Since copies can be found without too much difficulty, I may have to get one and do some comparison listening.

 

I bought most/many of the first wave. I remember going into the stores and there they all were, to my surprise and delight (this being before the information age, so you usually didn't know about these things until they happened). I'm certain they all came out together, but some of them say 1986 and some 1987. I'm talking only about the US releases, but I suspect the 86ers were made in Japan in '86 but not marketed in the US until '87.

Unless I'm just remembering wrong. It was 20 years ago.

 

The first wave of US releases had the solid orange spine while later releases had orange and black I believe.

 

Thanks for the info. Do you still have any and how is the sound?

 

Still have them. I need to listen to them before I can give you a good answer but I have a house full of company right now. These are also the only editions I ever bought so I have nothing to compare them to. I'll get back to you sometime, unless someone else chimes in.

 

Thanks. Looking forward to your findings.

 

Going over my collection. I think it isn't just the first wave that had the solid orange spines. Trane's Impressions came out later (but still 1987 apparently) but has it, but the front covers are slightly different. The earlier ones had full covers but Impressions has oranges bars on the top and bottom of the covers.

It gets a little confusing because after the first wave, I started buying the Japanese imports.

 

The ones with the MVCI prefix from 1991, or an earlier Japanese series?

 

Earlier. I have Japanese-market CDs of Ascension (Edition 1), Live at Birdland and Om all (p) 1987.

 

I see.

Anyway, like I said I'm looking forward to your assessment.

 

I remember replacing a few Impulse! CDs with the later digipak remasters: a couple John Coltrane titles, BLUES & ABSTRACT TRUTH, the two Charles Mingus titles. The remasters were better.

I believe Michael Fremer also praised the digipak remasters in his magazine, admitting some were better than his vinyl.

 

In what way? Like I said in rjstauber's Gil Evans Impulse! thread they sound digital/processed and harsh to my ears.

 

The sound was fuller and rounder, more detailed but less fatiguing. I didn't feel like I was straining to look through plexiglass to "see" the band. IIRC, BLACK SAINT & SINNER LADY enjoyed the greatest improvement.

For whatever reason, the few John Coltrane titles didn't seem to be as well-recorded as the Charles Mingus or Oliver Nelson titles. The sound on the Coltrane titles stayed a little pinched, although it was cleaned up.

My memories of these impressions are probably ten years old, so adjust your grain of salt accordingly!

 

I have a Coltrane from, I believe, 1985, called 'From the Original Master Tapes,' but of course that was Impulse stuff released on MCA. Great sound, though.

 

That's the one Steve mastered. MCA owned Impulse! at the time. It's Universal now, of course.

 

That was the second CD I ever bought I believe. Had no idea what a Steve Hoffman was back then.

 

Here's a list of the German Impulse! CD's which were released in 1987:

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme (254 557-2)
Quincy Jones and His Orchestra - The Quintessence (254 560-2)
Charlie Mingus - The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (254 562-2)
John Coltrane - Ballads (254 607-2)
John Coltrane - Cresent (254 608-2)
The John Coltrane Quartet - Coltrane (254 609-2)
John Coltrane - Live In Japan Vol. 1 (2-CD) (254 610-2)
John Coltrane - Transition (254 611-2)
Keith Jarrett - Death and the Flower (254 612-2)
Sonny Rollins - Sonny Rollins on Impulse! (254 613-2)
McCoy Tyner - Nights of Ballads & Blues (254 614-2)
The Gil Evans Orchestra - Out of the Cool (254 615-2)
Johnny Hartman - I Just Dropped By to Say Hello (254 616-2)
John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman - John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (254 617-2)
John Coltrane - Ascension (254 618-2)
John Coltrane - John Coltrane Quartet Plays (254 619-2)
John Coltrane - Live In Japan Vol. 2 (2-CD) (254 620-2)
John Coltrane - Meditations (254 621-2)
Count Basie and the Kansas City 7 - Count Basie and the Kansas City 7 (254 622-2)
Keith Jarrett - Treasure Island (254 623-2)
Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers - Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers (254 624-2)
Elvin Jones and Richard Davis - Heavy Sounds (254 625-2)
The Gil Evans Orchestra - Into the Hot (254 626-2)
John Coltrane - Live at the Village Vanguard (254 627-2)
John Coltrane - Impressions (254 628-2)
John Coltrane - Selflessness (254 629-2)
John Coltrane - Sun Ship (254 630-2)
Oliver Nelson - Blues and the Abstract Truth (254 631-2)
Keith Jarrett - Byablue (254 632-2)
Charlie Haden - Liberation Music Orchestra (254 633-2)
J.J. Johnson & Kai Winding - The Great Kai & J.J. (254 634-2)
Albert Ayler - In Greenwich Village (254 635-2)
Duke Ellington & John Coltrane - Duke Ellington & John Coltrane (254 636-2)
John Coltrane - Live At Birdland (254 637-2)
John Coltrane Orchestra - Africa Brass (254 638-2)
John Coltrane - The Other Village Vanguard Tapes (254 639-2)
John Coltrane - Om (254 640-2)
John Coltrane - The Mastery of John Coltrane Vol. I "Feelin' Good" (254 641-2)
Keith Jarrett - Mysteries (254 642-2)
Oliver Nelson - More Blues and the Abstract Truth (254 643-2)
Archie Shepp - Four For Trane (254 644-2)
John Coltrane - Kulu Sé Mama (254 645-2)
John Coltrane - Expression (254 646-2)
John Coltrane - Live at the Village Vanguard Again (254 647-2)
John Coltrane - Africa Brass Vol. 2 (254 648-2)
John Coltrane - The Mastery of John Coltrane Vol. III "Jupiter Variation" (254 649-2)
John Coltrane - The Mastery of John Coltrane Vol. IV "Trane's Mode" (2-CD) (254 650-2)
Sonny Rollins - Alfie (254 651-2)
McCoy Tyner - Reaching Fourth (254 652-2)
John Coltrane - Ascension (Edition I) (254 745-2)


I only have five titles of this series so far (the titles which are printed in bold), and I think these sound decent. The ones I have show the following text on the back inlay:

DIGITALLY REMASTERED FROM THE
ORIGINAL STEREO MASTER TAPES.
1987 MCA Records, Inc.

If anyone can provide some information on the USA Impulse! CD's from 1986/1987 (such as catalog numbers etc.), I would greatly appreciate it.

 

I have one US MCA/Impulse! CD from the 80's: "Om." Catalog number is MCAD-39118. No info apart from an "AAD" SPARS code. The booklet is chintzy: just a barely readable shrinkdown of the LP inner gatefold. I know LP reissues were done in the US along with the CDs in the late 80's. I have an LP of "Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus." Can't compare the sound to anything as it's the only copy I have of the album.

So, Steve DID master that "From The Original Master Tapes" CD, eh? Are there any other MCA artists that had Steve-mastered comps come out under that title? How rare is this disc? I have never seen it (apart from a pic in a flyer reproduced in Ashley Kahn's book on "A Love Supreme"). Anyone have it? Are used copies affordable?

Thanks in advance.

 

Just looked for the Steve-mastered Trane disc on Amazon and it is available used pretty cheap (between $2-6). How does it compare to other Trane Impulse CD's? I may have to get this depending on the responses I get (which I am sure will be positive!)

Again, thanks for your assistance.

 

Does anyone know who did master the original Impulse! CD reissues from the mid-late 80's? Did Steve just do the one? ...

 

I have a lot of the digi-pak remasters, some of them came with a real nice Impulse logo sticker...off topic, but all 11 of Pharoah Sanders' Impulse LPs are being released in Japan as mini LPs on Wednesday the 25th!

 

Sorry, but this thread is about the first (1980s) Impulse! CD releases, not about the digipak remasters from the mid- to late 1990s.