Why the Liberty label is the original here
Liberty Records acquired Blue Note in 1965 and 1966. By the time this session was recorded and released in 1967, the Liberty label design was already standard across the catalogue.
So the blue and white labels reading "A Division of Liberty Records, Inc." are correct for a 1967 first pressing of this title. The runouts read BNST-84264-A VAN GELDER and BNST-84264-B VAN GELDER, confirming Van Gelder's original lacquer cut.
A pressing-plant variant has "114" etched in the runout, indicating an All Disc pressing from the same metalwork rather than a later cut.
This is first-generation metalwork with a Van Gelder cut, carrying the label design Blue Note used company-wide by 1967. Near-mint copies are collectible, and a discount on the label design alone is a mispricing rather than a bargain.
Recording history and tape provenance
Tyner spent five years as the pianist in John Coltrane's classic quartet, helping define the modal vocabulary that shaped 1960s jazz. He left in late 1965, uncomfortable with the direction Coltrane's music was taking.
The next two years were professionally uncertain. Tyner has spoken about considering leaving music altogether and driving a cab. This session marked his return to visibility. Lion recalled it as a pure jazz session with a deep love for the music in each selection.
All five tracks are Tyner originals. "Passion Dance" opens at full intensity, with Tyner's rhythmic upheaval and Jones's polyrhythms making an obstacle course for Henderson's tenor.
"Contemplation" and "Search for Peace" are the two ballads, which Tyner has described in spiritual terms. He framed the second around a man's submission to God and the giving over of the self.
"Four by Five" is a knotty excursion in 5/4. The closing "Blues on the Corner" is a loose blues tribute to Tyner's Philadelphia childhood.
Carter came on loan from the Miles Davis Quintet, and Jones was reunited with his former Coltrane bandmate.
Music Matters 45rpm (2011)
The Music Matters edition, catalogue MMBST-84264, is a 2×180g set at 45rpm in a gatefold. Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman remastered it at AcousTech from the original Van Gelder stereo session tapes, and it was pressed at RTI.
This release predates Music Matters' move to Gray's own Cohearent Audio facility, so both engineers are credited. Owners single out Elvin Jones's drums and cymbals for separation. It is out of print.
Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition
The Classic Vinyl Edition is a 180g LP mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original master tapes.
Blue Note president Don Was named this title as one of the two launch albums for the Classic Vinyl series, alongside Lee Morgan's The Sidewinder. The series extends the label's 80th-anniversary reissue programme.
Owner reports split about evenly. Several describe flat, silent, punchy copies at a bargain price. A comparable number report dished vinyl, visible dirt on arrival and audible pops, particularly on side two.
One owner notes the construction is budget by design, with a simple paper inner sleeve and no tip-on jacket, even where the mastering draws praise. A seller with an easy return policy matters here.
This title has not been issued in Blue Note's Tone Poet series, unlike Tyner's Time For Tyner, Expansions and Extensions.
Japanese and later pressings
King Records GXF-3008 (1977) is a licensed Japanese pressing from King's Blue Note series, with a period-correct obi. As with other King-era licences, owners report quiet vinyl.
Later pressings from the 1970s to 1987 vary in quality, including a 1987 DMM cut from Europadisk.
Pressings to avoid
No bootleg or notably compromised pressing of this title is widely documented.
The Classic Vinyl quality-control variance described here is a manufacturing consistency problem rather than a distinct bad pressing to identify and avoid.
Buyer's guide by budget
$: The Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition, bought with a return policy.
$$: A Japanese King pressing with obi.
$$$$: The Music Matters 45rpm 2LP on the secondary market, or a Liberty-label first pressing in honest condition.
Pressing tier summary
| Tier ⇅ | Pressing | Cat# | Year ⇅ | Format | Source / Mastering | Notes | Market ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | Music Matters 45rpm 2LP | MMBST-84264 | 2011 | Stereo, 45rpm, 2×180g | Kevin Gray and Steve Hoffman, AcousTech. Pressed at RTI | Out of print. Praised for drum and cymbal separation | $267VG+ $349NM $391M |
| A | Blue Note original, Liberty labels | BST 84264 | 1967 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Rudy Van Gelder | True first pressing. "A Division of Liberty Records, Inc." labels are correct here | $424VG+ $554NM $619M |
| B | King Records (Japan) | GXF-3008 | 1977 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Licensed Japanese pressing | Obi. Quiet vinyl per owner reports | $112VG+ $146NM $164M |
| B | Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition | BST 84264 | 2020 | Stereo, 33⅓, 180g | Kevin Gray, Cohearent Audio, from the original tapes | Owner reports split between silent copies and dished, noisy ones | $44VG+ $57NM $64M |
| C | Later pressings | BST 84264 | 1970s–1987 | Stereo, 33⅓ | Various, including a 1987 DMM cut at Europadisk | Variable quality | $64VG+ $83NM $93M |
References
- Discogs (master, all versions): https://www.discogs.com/master/92930-McCoy-Tyner-The-Real-McCoy
- Blue Note Records, "The Real McCoy: Don Was & Nduduzo Makhathini On A McCoy Tyner Classic": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWx30qQXc_c