JOHN COLTRANE GIANT STEPS UK '60 1st press London Atlantic LTZ-K 15197 1B/1B EX

	£		143
	$		189

JOHN COLTRANE - GIANT STEPS

A truly rare and highly sought after copy of this 1960 UK 1st pressing free jazz classic on the red and silver London ATLANTIC record label, MONO LTZ-K 15197

The dead wax matrix numbers are :

Side 1  AML-1608-1B with stampers "1" and "U" at  8.30 o'clock and 2.30 o'clock respectively

Side 2  AML-1609-1B with stampers "1" and "U" at  9 o'clock and 3 o'clock respectively

The appearance of the vinyl is excellent+. This is heavy duty, completely flat vinyl and still retaining it's original beautiful glossy and jet black lacquered sheen. A true "gleamer". Under a bright light it's possible to pick out just a couple of very fine, small wispy hairlines and a couple of small areas that have "dulled" slightly, but these are strictly surface only, only just detectable under a bright light and certainly do not detract from the wonderful appearance and audio quality. This vinyl has clearly not been played many times and remains in truly excellent+ condition, which is remarkable considering it's 58 year old antiquity!

The labels are excellent+. All of the silver text and the maroon matt background remain beautifully intact, with just a few very faint spindle trails adjacent to the centre hole on each label. The labels really are hard to fault.

The front laminated, flipback St. James Press outer sleeve is VG+. The front side is excellent with the photo, colouring, text and logos all remaining vibrant and clear. Furthermore there is no laminate lifting and no creasing either. The reverse side is very good with the right flip back in perfect order, all text is perfectly legible, and there is no unwanted writing or doodles. However, the bottom flipback has at some stage been torn and repaired (see photo) and the same applies to the top flipback (see photo). The top flip back has been repaired well but the bottom flipback repair looks a little messy and note that the original tear, small though it is, did actually impinge upon the bottom edge of the front side (again, see photo).. Other than that the flip backs are in great shape and these two tears/repairs are the only blemishes on the edges, which are otherwise excellent - the spine is perfect, in fact. The only other blemish is the hint of a little ageing and/or grubbiness towards the top edge on the reverse side and, to a lesser extent, towards the opening edge also on the reverse side. There is no feathering or fraying on either of the opening edges.  

Finally, the quality of the audio is excellent+. There is wonderful tone and clarity throughout and with no distortion, even on the higher frequencies and at higher volume. No skips or clicks and no background crackle - just wonderful, crystal clear MONO audio reproduction, with every track making for a great listen. Here are four musicians at the top of their game : John Coltrane - tenor sax, Tommy Flanagan - piano, Paul Chambers - bass, and Art Taylor - drums, during what was undoubtedly one of the most exciting periods of jazz. Sit back and wallow in the genius of an all time jazz and tenor sax great...

The tracks are :

Side 1 :

1. GIANT STEPS

2. COUSIN MARY

3. COUNTDOWN

4. SPIRAL

Side 2 :

1. SYEEDA'S SONG FLUTE

2. NAIMA

3. MR P.C.

Comes with original poly lined MADE IN ENGLAND" and "British Patent..."inner sleeve with no splits, tears, or fraying, just a little age discolouration and mild creasing at the bottom right corner and still 100% fully functional. Note that I always post the record in a new plain white inner sleeve in order to protect the original.

In summary an overall EXCELLENT copy of this rare and highly sought after 1960 UK 1st MONO pressing jazz classic, with truly brilliant audio quality - a "must have" for any serious jazz vinyl collection and only continuing to gain in value.

 If you require any further information, including photos, then let me know and I'll do my best to oblige. 

If this record interests you then take a look at my other 60's & 70's classic vinyl listings.

A bit about myself : I have been collecting vinyl for more than 48 years and have amassed a huge collection covering a varied genre, but mostly of 1960's and 70's origin. Most of my records were originally bought by myself for my own collection, but during the past 30 years I have embellished my collection by buying records from a variety of sources : friends/acquaintances, car boot sales, auctions, and even through putting up a "vinyl wanted" notice in my wife's shop! I am now retired and take great delight in being able to spend more time scouring the country and attending boot sales and auctions in the hope of unearthing more vinyl gems...I am 63 years of age now and am still discovering bands and music of the 60's and 70's that I have never come across before. Wonderful! Richard

My ebay feedback speaks for itself so rest assured that you are buying from a trusted seller and in the very unlikely event that you are unhappy with your purchase just e-mail me and I'll sort out the problem. I offer a "no quibble" refund policy. 

On the subject of postage, I take great care in the packaging of all items, using a proper vinyl cardboard mailer along with at least two cardboard stiffeners. I take great care in separating the record from the outer sleeve in order to help prevent sleeve damage in transit and I always insert the vinyl, outer sleeve and inner into a clear plastic sleeve, thus adding further protection. 

For this item postage & packaging will be :

for the UK, Royal Mail 1st class, signed for : £4.00, 

for continental Europe international 1st class/Airmail, tracked and signed for: £11

and for Rest of the World international 1st class/Airmail, tracked and signed for £15.00

 I DO discount post & packaging costs for multiple purchases. I do NOT profit from postage.

Good luck with your bidding! Richard

NOTE : My vinyl descriptions comply with the official Record Collector vinyl grading guidelines :

Mint

The records itself is in brand new condition with no surface marks or deterioration in sound quality. The cover and any extra items, such as the lyric sheet, booklet or poster are in perfect condition. Records advertised as Sealed or Unplayed should be Mint.

Excellent

The record shows some signs of having been played, but there is very little lessening in sound quality. The cover and packaging might have slight wear and /or creasing.

Very Good

The record has obviously been played many times, but displays no major deterioration in sound quality, despite noticeable surface marks and the occasional light scratch. Normal wear and tear on the cover or extra items, without any major defects, is acceptable.

Good

The record has been played so much that the sound quality has noticeably deteriorated, perhaps with some distortion and mild scratches. The cover and contents suffer from folding, scuffing of edges, spine splits, discolouration, etc.

Fair

The record is still just playable but has not been cared for properly and displays considerable surface noise; it may even jump. The cover and contents are torn, stained and/or defaced

Poor

The record will not play properly due to scratches, bad surface noise, etc. The cover and contents are badly damaged or partly missing.

Bad

The record is unplayable or might even be broken, and is only of use as a collection-filler