Prestige released numerous LPs in the late ’50s, many of which stand today as interesting mixes of rarity, low demand, and musical excellence. This album is one example of that. I first heard it on Spotify and instantly took to it, but the master tape had noticeably degraded by the time of its digital mastering. So it became a priority of mine… More→
When I made the Deep Groove Mono Value Guide, I kept thinking about a way to showcase the ‘holy grails’ of our hobby, the rarest of the rare, and I finally got around to making a fun little gallery to complement the value guide. Check it out at the link below! The Holy … More→
This LP didn’t pique my interest until I saw an original pressing on the wall at an esteemed Manhattan record shop last fall. Though I was unfamiliar with the music, I knew of the record’s ‘holy grail’ status, and needless to say I was intrigued. At this point in my time collecting I felt confident handling such an expensive piece, and when I removed… More→
(Updated April 5, 2018) Although I have been collecting records of all types for over twenty years now, I have been a persistent collector of vintage jazz records for the last six. While I’ve managed to hunt down some original pressings in that time, I’ve often had to settle for reissues. The hobby … More→
Behold! Deep Groove Mono offers up its first ever head-to-head comparison. Here we take a listen to vintage mono and stereo pressings of the classic John Coltrane album Giant Steps. I had the mono LP first, but I liked the original stereo CD so much that when I saw this stereo LP for a great price I couldn’t pass it up. More→
Several years ago, when I first became a collector of vintage jazz records, I was confused. Original mono copies of albums from Blue Note’s classic catalog were significantly more expensive than their stereo counterparts, yet virtually all the talk online was of the original “stereo” master tapes for these sessions. Why then were … More→
Ladies and gentleman, Deep Groove Mono has decided to make a substantial re-entry into the jazz record collecting blogosphere with its definitive classic jazz album value guide. The guide features over 600 of the most sought-after classic jazz albums and is the result of extensive research and careful planning. Click the link below … More→
This record is especially hard to find with the Plastylite “P”, though it does exist. I have had good experiences with Liberty pressings though, so I’m not hung up on finding an original pressing of this album. The first copy I had, also a Liberty pressing, was cheap but it had a few loud pops and clicks, which prompted me to seek out this… More→
Deep Groove Mono is proud to announce the launch of two collector guides. These guides are the result of a research project intended to develop a better understanding of the methods of legendary jazz recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder. The first guide is a “collector’s discography” of Van Gelder’s classic recordings, including sessions … More→
If you’ve read my first “Perspective” article here on Deep Groove Mono, you already know the story of how I acquired this record, which is special to me because it was the first vintage Blue Note album I ever heard that truly embodied the legendary “Blue Note sound”. And how about that cover? The symmetry, the cool blue on the dead… More→