Help me understand John Coltrane .... seriously.

If one listens to Ernie Watts and really digs what he/she hears then they “get” Coltrane. Coltrane’s spirit is all up in Ernie’s sound, yet Ernie’s style is all his own (an Ernie Watts solo, like a Tom Harrell solo, is a beautiful thing). So one doesn’t necessarily need to listen to Coltrane in order to get him. I pulled Ernie as one example. The more jazz one listens to the more likely one will come across an artist that Coltrane influenced (wait, didn’t Ernie play sax on Rolling Stones tours—oh yes). I get Coltrane that way, too. You might get him more than you realize, depending on what you listen to.

Hi Eric
If it must be with Coltrane Quartet, it must definitely be Ballads, with McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones. It's appetizing.
Best regards

''Ballads''
and Coltrane with Johnny Hartman.
These are the most accessible i.m.o.

I'm not going to tell you where to start, but figuratively and literally Chasing the Trane will chase your troubles away.

@erik_squires ,  E, this is another provocative thread you authored.  I enjoy the questions you ask in this manner.  They really get you thinking.  Also,  I enjoy how you adroitly "stay out of it".  You are setting up the question and if a debate exists, then, so be it. 

Back to the programming at hand...

I really do enjoy "John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman" on Impulse (1995 Vinyl reissue).   You might not believe it's Coltrane. Give it a whirl and maybe move deeper.  Coltrane's not an easy ride from his middle period onward for me.