The secret behind the unique Blue Note sound and why BN RVG are sounding better than any other RVG recordings for other jazz labels (as Impulse etc.) may be, that Alfred Lion always sat beside Rudy when he mixed the recording for pressing. As he said in a late interview, the BN sound is primarily the Alfred Lion sound. He was just the technician, Alfred the ear. Maybe it was just Rudy's well known modesty, but Alfred was indeed a big factor in the creating of the sound.

It’s only through shows like your’s that I’ll ever even know the existence of these jewels. It is what it is. Thank you.

Thanks for that education, I never knew that about the first pressings!!

Very helpful information, you explained to me what I always wanted to know about Blue Note's first press.

Blue Note records are one of a kind and I’m a collector and have been for years with some first and second pressings under my belt. A vg or vg minus sounds. Ether than other labels. These records can take a beating. I have a Lee Morgan Rump Roller, one stereo and one mono and the mono looks beaten to hell. I cleaned it extremely well and a g rated record now sounds like a vg. You are right that there is something about the sound quality that is out of this world and Vangelder ran his mics hot. Rudy Vangelder was a genus and you are right that Bluenote records sell for a lot more than any other label on the whole. Hank Mobleys stuff the older 1500 series is rediculous and vg minus is the norm for selling very high. The liberty pressings with the black and blue label united artists sound great as well. Blue Note is a culture even more valuable than Impulse and Prestige, Columbia which I also collect.

I recently bought my first Blue Note 1st pressing, Jimmy Smith "At the organ" and to listen to it was a mind-blowing experience! I have many BN records, mostly early Japanese pressings or TPs. They all sound great, no doubt. But this magic mono sound of an 1st pressing is so unique, you can't really describe it in words. So now I'm infected an I'm going to sell now my Japanese pressings to buy more of these RVG gems. And in Germany it's really hard to find an affordable copy in a minimum VG. And as a male nurse all better conditions are far beyond of my income... 😂 And of course I buy them to listen, not just to own them. 😊❤️

Great video! Not many know the reasons behind the extreme value of 1st Blue Note pressings.

Loved it Ken!

This is how I found your channel. I had posted a video asking "What's so great about Blue Note?" When I posted it, the 'Blue Note' gods made your videos pop up in my 'Recommended' feed. You've answered some questions for me, I appreciate you making this video. ~Nicola

Nice, thanks. I bought a reissue yesterday on blue note. I just discovered these recently.

First pressing originals, nothing like them. They're not to be played. It's not about the sound quality. They are the first generation documentation of the greatest music ever produced. I wouldn't purchase a first pressing hard cover copy of a book to highlight and dog ear the pages. It goes on the shelf and I can listen to the e-book.

great informative video ken. i always learn somthing new. wow you worked at fred cohens legendary shop! i agree with you on the sound of the originals. i'll never forget an experience i had with a rare mint original hank mobley ( with art farmer #1550 ) this is back in the mid-nineties and i had just put together a nice analogue system ( audio research, vandersteen, oracle, sme5 etc. ) i found this mint copy from a small shop in san francisco. the dealer said take a look in this box he had on the floor. i couldnt believe it, i asked why he was selling these rare items and he said the guy wanted to replace his vinyl collection with cd's!!! anyhow when i played this album i was absolutely stunned. it was as if he was playing in my living room, i dont think i have had an experience like that ever again. the realistic vivid yet warm sound i'll never forget. unfortunately years later i had to sell that record and system because of financial difficulties and think of that record. it definitly was a piece of art like a rare painting. it would be selling for thousands of dollars today. i have a music matters reissue but its not the same... but it was a great experience...i think part of the problem on top of what you said is the original tapes are just worn out. thanks again ken. the blue note experience has never been better explained!!

Great stuff as usual 😎

Great stuff man.... Nice Lps as well.

Great video. I inherited a lot of original pressings, including a lot of Blue Notes. I sold the more expensive titles (i.e. Hank Mobley 1568) because quite frankly, I'm not keeping $5k + LPs on my shelf for the sake of it. I'm completely content with the fidelity of Music Matters, Analogue Productions etc, but you're right about the magic of original Blue Notes.

I love my Blue Note albums, BN80 and Tone Poet, plus what I already had, even 75th anniversary!!!! egads! But at my age, I don't have the time or money to search out originals, alas I have to do with what I got. Great info, love Freds interviews BTW

I really love the way that you present things and talk about them. This is great ! Keep on doing this please ! But now, why, today, with all the materials (hard and softwares), the engineers, the computers etc. , can't we reproduce THIS so amazing sound of the Blue Note first pressings ? Any explanations or ideas ?

Ken that Lee Morgan looks beautiful so hard to come by these days I have better luck with 60s blue note those 50s 1500 series blue notes go almost to the thousands.

With all due respect I have never understood the inflated values. Been a Jazz collector for over 45 years and can not hear any difference between first , second or third pressings. I have a high end system with MC cartridge and $20K speakers and I' m not hearing it. Have about 200 BNotes and maybe 40-50 original pressings from my father. Don't get me wrong. BNotes are wonderful sounding records but the whole first pressing "pump" escapes me. Recently compared a first press 59 Blakey Moanin (mono) to a mid 60's version and they are identical. I also disagree with your comments on Prestige records. First pressing Prestige can sound every bit as good as BN's especially if they are DJ or Promo versions, which were all hand inspected before shipping. Have sold quite a few of the first pressings for stupid money and have never regretted it.

Thanks Ken...

Always been curious how many blue note records were produced, first and second pressings, 50s thru the mid 60s. As price is both supply and demand, was it just that these were produced in such limited quantities? Or were jazz fans the kind to trash their records en masse leaving only a few around today? When I see what well produced, beautiful products they were, I am surprised there are just not more around - or were they produced in comparable numbers to other records you see every day, it's just that tens of thousands of people have scooped them up and locked them away in their vaults?

Hello Ken, I'm just interested in what your system is, turntable, amps, & speakers, another great video, I'm learning so much.

So if the later pressings sound inferior (even on 180g vinyl?) do you think the Mosaic CD re-issues -- those sourced from the master tape -- are better sounding than the former vinyls?

Heck, there was a '72 UA reissue, that's on Discogs for "only" $300!! Yikes.

Nothing like the originals, but way out of my price range

The originals are just too damn expensive these days. Record companies back then were just too careless about the way they preserved their master tapes. They didn't really care about quality control of reissues as long as people were buying them and couldn't tell the audio difference. Someone once told me ages ago that the music business was the dirtiest...next to boxing.

removed