Recording history and tape provenance
The quintet is Marsalis on trumpet and Branford Marsalis on tenor and soprano saxophone. Kenny Kirkland plays piano, Jeff "Tain" Watts drums and Charnett Moffett bass. Kirkland wrote "Chambers of Tain." Ron Carter plays bass on "Aural Oasis," a role he had also taken on the previous year's Hot House Flowers.
This was Marsalis's sixth album and the first built almost entirely on his own compositions.
The session used a Sony PCM-3324 digital multitrack and an MCI recording console. A Neve automated console handled the remix, per the credits on its Discogs entries. Microphones included Neumann U-67 and KM-84 and AKG 414 and 451 models.
Because the recording chain was digital from the start, no all-analog reissue of this title is possible. A pressing described as cut from the original tapes would still be a digital source. The 2023 Vinyl Me, Please edition states as much on its hype sticker, which reads DAA.
Original Columbia pressings (1985)
Columbia FC 40009 was pressed at several plants. The Carrollton pressing has runouts etched AL 40009 and BL 40009 with VLADO in the deadwax. Owner reviews describe it as sounding excellent.
A Pitman pressing carries P (mp) and P (T) markings in the runouts, in several documented variants. Owner reviews are also positive.
A Dutch pressing exists for European buyers, with a printed inner sleeve and STEMRA rights markings. Originals in clean condition are common and cheap.
Modern reissues
The 2014 180g reissue is described in a detailed owner review as mastered by Bernie Grundman and pressed at Pallas in Germany. The same review calls the vinyl very quiet, with a low noise floor and wide dynamic range. Those credits come from an owner, not from the release's own credits.
Vinyl Me, Please Classics issued a 180g gatefold edition in August 2023, catalogue 19658795151, with a listening booklet and an obi strip. Owner reviews praise the sound and the pressing quality.
The same reviews criticise the artwork reproduction, calling the gatefold photo low-resolution. One owner notes that clean originals are neither scarce nor expensive, which is worth weighing against the reissue price.
Buyer's guide by budget
$$: A clean original Columbia FC 40009, in any plant variant.
$$$: The 2014 180g reissue, for the quietest surfaces reported by owners.
$$$: The 2023 Vinyl Me, Please Classics edition, for the gatefold package, with weaker artwork reproduction.
Pressing tier summary
| Tier ⇅ | Pressing | Cat# | Year ⇅ | Format | Source / Mastering | Notes | Market ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Columbia original, Carrollton pressing | FC 40009 | 1985 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Digital recording (Sony PCM-3324). Mastered at CBS Recording Studios | VLADO in the deadwax. Owner reviews positive | $24VG+ $31NM $34M |
| A | Columbia original, Pitman pressing | FC 40009 | 1985 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Digital recording (Sony PCM-3324) | Several documented runout variants | $32VG+ $42NM $47M |
| B | 180g reissue | – | 2014 | Stereo, 33⅓, 180g | Bernie Grundman and a Pallas pressing per one owner review | Quiet surfaces and wide dynamics per the same review | $80VG+ $105NM $117M |
| B | Vinyl Me, Please Classics | 19658795151 | 2023 | Stereo, 33⅓, 180g | Digital source, marked DAA on the hype sticker | Gatefold, booklet, obi. Artwork reproduction criticised | $72VG+ $94NM $105M |
| – | Columbia original, Dutch pressing | FC 40009 | 1985 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Digital recording (Sony PCM-3324) | Not rated. European issue with printed inner sleeve | $35VG+ $46NM $52M |
References
- Discogs (master, all versions): https://www.discogs.com/master/65074-Wynton-Marsalis-Black-Codes-From-The-Underground
- Wikipedia, "Black Codes (From the Underground)": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Codes_(From_the_Underground)
- Library of Congress blog, "Wynton Marsalis, 'Black Codes' and Thoughts on the Highway": https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2023/04/wynton-marsalis-black-codes-and-thoughts-on-the-highway/