Authenticity of First Release Blue Note ..Pre 1960

'r'egistered trademark. as the the year the logo became a registered trademark, it probably goes back to the company's formation. As to the inclusion (or absence) of the circled R... i'd have to get back to you.

Hi Jaybo,
Yes I figured that regarding the circled R but wasn't 100% sure.
I have a few original Blue Note Lps with acouple without the circled R.
I did a search over the net only found one reference to this, CannonBall Adderlys Lp Somethin else.

Thanks for your interest.

Early and late 60's stuff has a dark blue label. with the earlier 60's stuff you can see the deepgrooves, and its slightly heavier than the later 60's stuff(which was pressed by liberty)...slightly heavier too. I believe labels without the trademark are just mistakes, with no real indicatation to age. Don't have any, but I'm trying to confirm with a Blue Note nut! Blue note has been licenced and pressed dozens of times since the company was bought out, so it gets pretty crazy, even for a collector. My atlantic stuff by comparion is easy to detect in regard to age....I'll get back with more factoids , once I make contact with mr.blue note.

What I'm primarily interested in are the Blue Notes of the 767 Lexington Ave address ,in script, on the covers and no Rs on the labels.

Jaybo , I'm quickly finding out the rabbit hole goes deep.

good luck...collecting blue note is a 'life's work' for some. my friend mr blue note(who is digging into these questions), has every blue note mini-lp cd made with maybe a dozen missing. hundereds of lp's as well, but ironically nothing pre 1960.

Jaybo thanks for your effort.

I'm not going to start collecting any sizable collection of original Blue Note records.
I'll buy select titles from Music Matters and Analogue Productions to replace past re-issues.

However my all time favorite artist and their music I'll buy the original pressing, just a few titles.

Its great owning an original first pressing or even a early repressing from that long ago especially when the record and cover including the original promo sleeve are all in great shape.
Recorded quality on other original pressings of that era that I have on other labels some are astonishing especially mono....Early 1950s into the better part of the 1960s was The Golden Era of Jazz as you probably know.

Since my initial question above I have found a few articles on Blue Note that are of interest, time lining from the early to late 1950s, still wading through it....

For anyone interested authenticity of a "first release" Blue Note pre 1960.

The earliest and rarest Blue Notes will have the 767 Lexington address on the back cover including the label in script.

These were heavy thick vinyl much like the 180 gram of today.
Hand etched into the wax is an "ear" including RVD, Rudy Van Gelder.
And no "R" on the label.

The mono record I have is of Art Blakey, Clifford Brown, Lou Donaldson, Horace Silver and Curly Russell.

A Night in Birdland is an 1956 early first pressing and a rare copy with the New York Lexington Ave address.

The music is great, Im a big fan of Art Blakey and the recording is superb.

The ellusion of the band being in my room is captured very well.
Very natural sounding like so many other recordings of that era.
An incredible find, very happy to own a least one original Lexington Ave first pressing.

A 2nd Blue Note original first pressing with the 47 West 63rd New York address is Art Blakey, Lee Morgan , Benny Golson, Bobby Timmins and Jymie Merritt..."Monin".

With no R under the E in Blue Note.

The circled R on the label indicates a later repressing,

The reference of the ear in the wax ,the smaller the "ear" indicates closest to the original pressing batch.

A significance in sonics is experienced with well recorded music with original first pressings, the closer to the very first pressing batch, usually the better.

Fabulous music and an incredible recording.

This Lp is also confirmed as a early first release with no "R" on the label and a little ear in the wax....