The Atomic Mr. Basie

Title variants

The front cover reads "BASIE," styled as E=MC². The rear cover, spine and labels read "The Atomic Mr. Basie." The nickname comes from the mushroom-cloud cover photograph.

All three names refer to the same album. A seller listing a copy as "Basie" or "E=MC²" is not describing a different record.

Recording history and tape provenance

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis takes substantial solo space throughout. The trumpet section is Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Wendell Culley and Snooky Young, and it carries much of the record's character. Frank Foster shares tenor duties, with Al Grey, Benny Powell and Henry Coker on trombones.

Part of the second day went to material that never appeared on the 1958 LP. Two Jimmy Mundy arrangements, "Silks and Satins" and "Sleepwalker's Serenade," were recorded alongside a version of "The Late, Late Show."

Those tracks first appeared in 1994 on The Complete Atomic Basie, an EMI CD running 56:34 against the LP's 39:30. Its bonus tracks sit at the end, but collector reports describe later editions built on this program with a different running order.

Original Roulette pressings (1958)

Roulette R-52003 is the US mono first pressing, carrying the original eleven tracks in their original sequence. Condition and price vary widely, and the record was popular enough that clean copies take searching.

Roulette also issued a stereo edition as SR-52003. Discogs lists further 1958 US pressings with the same catalogue number. No published comparison of the mono and stereo originals has been found.

UK pressings

EMI issued the album in the UK on Columbia under licence from Roulette. The 1958 mono has green and gold labels with a grooved edge, in a laminated flip-back sleeve.

The first UK stereo issue uses mint green labels and predates the black and blue label version. A later UK mono carries a purchase tax code dating it to about 1960 or 1961.

At least one UK copy is missing "Double-O" and "Midnite Blue," according to a Discogs commenter who owned it. Check the track count on any UK pressing before buying.

Modern reissues

The Classic Records 200g QUIEX SV-P pressing has runouts etched "R-52003-A BG" and "R-52003 B BG." The "BG" is Bernie Grundman's runout signature, which confirms the mastering credit from the record itself.

A 180g reissue catalogued JWR 4500 appears on the Discogs master. Owner comments report a different track sequence from the original, with four tracks moved between sides. It is not the 1958 program in its 1958 order.

A 2019 180g coloured-vinyl edition, catalogue 144489.1151.009, is listed as orange. One owner reports receiving white vinyl with heavy surface noise. A 2009 180g reissue also exists, with no published review found.

Buyer's guide by budget

$$: A 2009 180g reissue or a clearly labelled later repress, after checking the track list against the original eleven.

$$$: A clean UK Columbia pressing, either the 1958 mono or the first stereo, with both "Double-O" and "Midnite Blue" present.

$$$$: The Classic Records 200g QUIEX SV-P, or a clean original Roulette R-52003.

Pressing tier summary

References

• Discogs (master, all versions): https://www.discogs.com/master/303975
• Wikipedia, "The Atomic Mr. Basie": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Atomic_Mr._Basie

Related guides: Somethin' Else · Milestones · Lady in Satin