Kind Of Blue 1st pressing stereo...


I picked up a mint copy of this 1st pressing, the guys at the record store thought it was mono, but it is actually stereo, the labelling on the back is a bit confusing, under the columbia logo it says mono-clxxx, but in the upper right corner it says stereo-csxxx... I went online, and discovered some copies of this album going for ridiculous prices. A sealed copy sold for 1500 smackers(how? why)???!
I am wondering if my opened, played, yet mint copy is worth considerably more than I paid for it, It sounds wonderful, warm, and clean, but not as clear as the classic reissue.... I find on the original pressing, the individual instruments seem to occupy a more well-defined space, if that makes any sense. I want to do more listening to this wonderful album, but I am almost afraid to play it for fear of doing damage! I realized yesterday that I actually put spindle-marks on the label, I think it may have been unplayed before I bought it!!!
If anyone knows what this album goes for, and if it is very rare or not, any info would be well appreciated.
fwiw, the record store guys were 'concerned' when I returned and told them it is actually stereo and not mono.
thanks, Harv
hxt1

Showing 9 responses by hxt1

The cover is completely intact, no ring wear, but very yellowed with some marks on the back. What gets me is the condition of the vinyl itself! I guess I will have to listen to it verrry sparingly!
Thanks guys!
Thanks Chaz! I actually have a classic but it has major stamping defects on side one, and of course they won't take a return! And the last 45rpm I saw, the guy wanted $400 for if you can believe it!
I would imagine KOB has been a Columbia catalog item for 30 years or more, with literally millions of pressings in circulation... Yet people price them as though they are super duper rare.... Don't get it.
In the end, I will probably find another 200gm classic and sell it on, so I can buy more vinyl, which is what it's all about for me at this point!
Sorry for the confusion Wendell! I was under the impression that Columbia stopped pressing kob in the early eighties! I wasn't taking reissues etc. Into account. I looked it over again today, and strangely, there is virtually no ring wear, but lots of spine wear etc... Weird. I have 2 year old albums with ring wear! Should I store it any particular way? I just threw it in the rack beside my classic pressing. Harv
Xagwell, 45 rpms (sealed) are going for around 300-400$$ ! For opened mint copies , things seem to be all over the map! I'll take pix of mine this weekend. Just got home from the Jimmy Cobb kind of blue at 50 show..... Amazing, amazing show! I felt the piano playing was a wee bit heavy handed, but MAN can his guys play!!! The bebop they played as an encore was just too much! I'll be looking for releases of these shows!
My sincerest apologies Jeff!
I just went through this with a fellow on CAM!
I had to take him to task as he hadn't even played the records he was selling, and representing as 'NM'. It is only now that I fully realize my own hipocrisy and the irony of my initial post!!
I plan on keeping it around now anyways, but if I do get my hands on a good sealed classic or Japanese copy i will probably sell it. I gues I should have asked what a first pressing in great condition that PLAYS vg+ / 'nm' goes for on average?
Better??
Well, I sold the record to a local lawyer for $250.
I used that $$ to buy a 1/4" 15ips Dutch CBS safety master dub of Kind of Blue. It sounds much better than the vinyl or any other source I've yet heard. I still love my Lenco, and good pressings with the strain gauge cart can be as gratifying as tape but MAN do some of those safety dubs sound good!
The lawyer framed the record and hung it on a wall.
Go figure.