Edition I and Edition II
Impulse! first released the second take, in February 1966. Those original pressings are now called Edition I.
Coltrane then said he preferred the first take. Impulse! swapped the metal stampers for ones cut from that earlier take and etched "EDITION II" into the dead wax. The catalogue number, cover and labels did not change, and pressing of the originally released take stopped.
The takes differ audibly. The solo order is not the same. Edition I runs about 38:30 with an Elvin Jones drum solo on side two, and Edition II runs about 40:49 without it.
On mid-to-late 1960s orange and black label copies, checking the dead wax for "EDITION II" is the quickest test. Collector reports say US pressings from the 1970s and early 1980s carry the Edition II take but stopped including the etching. A later copy without the etching is therefore not necessarily Edition I.
Recording history and tape provenance
The ensemble has Freddie Hubbard and Dewey Johnson on trumpets. Pharoah Sanders, Marion Brown, John Tchicai and Archie Shepp play saxophones alongside Coltrane. McCoy Tyner is on piano, Art Davis and Jimmy Garrison both on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums.
Coltrane made this turn at the commercial and critical peak of his career, about six months after A Love Supreme. He assembled a large, largely unrehearsed group and directed the shifts between full-ensemble passages and solo spotlights mostly by gesture in the room.
His biographer Ben Ratliff described the result as an experiment in the democratic ideal. Garrison and Jones can be heard intermittently trying to anchor the piece to a conventional pulse underneath the collective improvisation, not always successfully.
The 2026 Verve Vault Series edition
Impulse! issued Ascension: Edition I & II as a double LP in 2026, as part of the Coltrane Estate's centennial campaign. It is the first vinyl release to carry both complete takes in one package.
Ryan K. Smith mastered it from the original stereo analog tapes, pressed on 180g, per the Verve store listing.
No original edition held both takes. This is a different proposition from a vintage pressing, not a competing cut of the same material.
Sound quality by pressing
Edition I is the take Impulse! chose first, with the Elvin Jones drum solo on side two and a different solo order. Genuine Edition I copies have no "EDITION II" text in the dead wax.
Edition II is Coltrane's preferred take and became the standard from 1966 onwards. Most surviving vintage copies of this catalogue number carry it rather than the originally released take.
A Japanese pressing of Edition II from Nippon Columbia in 1976 is documented, distinct from an earlier Japanese first pressing. No published comparison of the Japanese and US pressings has been found.
Buyer's guide by budget
$$: A 1970s or 1980s Impulse!, ABC or MCA repress, which carries the Edition II take.
$$$: The 2026 Verve Vault Series 2LP, the only release with both takes.
$$$$: An original Impulse! A-95 or AS-95 in either edition, with the dead wax checked before paying a premium for a specific take.
Pressing tier summary
| Tier ⇅ | Pressing | Cat# | Year ⇅ | Format | Source / Mastering | Notes | Market ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Verve Vault Series 2LP, Edition I & II | – | 2026 | Stereo, 33⅓, 2×180g | Ryan K. Smith, from the original stereo analog tapes | First vinyl release with both takes | – |
| A | Impulse! original, Edition I | A-95 / AS-95 | 1966 | Mono and stereo, 33⅓ | Rudy Van Gelder | The originally released take. Elvin Jones drum solo on side two. No "EDITION II" etching | – |
| A | Impulse! original, Edition II | A-95 / AS-95 | 1966 | Mono and stereo, 33⅓ | Rudy Van Gelder | Coltrane's preferred take. "EDITION II" etched in the dead wax. No drum solo on side two | – |
| B | Impulse!, ABC and MCA repressings | AS-95 | 1970s–80s | Stereo, 33⅓ | Rudy Van Gelder cut, Edition II take | Edition II without the etching, per collector reports | – |
| – | Nippon Columbia (Japan) | – | 1976 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Edition II take | Not rated. No published comparison with US pressings | – |
References
- Discogs (master, Edition I): https://www.discogs.com/master/32364
- Discogs (master, Edition II): https://www.discogs.com/master/33212
- Wikipedia, "Ascension (John Coltrane album)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascension_(John_Coltrane_album)
- LondonJazzCollector, "John Coltrane: Ascension (1965) Impulse": https://londonjazzcollector.wordpress.com/2013/08/08/john-coltrane-ascension-1965-impulse/
- UK Jazz News, "John Coltrane – 'Ascension – Edition I and II'": https://ukjazznews.com/john-coltrane-ascension-edition-i-and-ii/
- Record Collector, "John Coltrane Ascension Editions I and II": https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/john-coltrane-ascension-editions-i-and-ii-review
- Verve Record Store, "John Coltrane: Ascension (Edition I & II) (Verve Vault Series)": https://store.ververecords.com/products/john-coltrane-ascension-edition-i-ii-verve-vault-series-lp