Bitches Brew

[St.Noah]

Do we have a BB expert in the house?

I just acquired a gatefold vinyl copy in pretty nice shape, and am trying to identify when it might have been pressed. It was sold to me as 'THE ORIGINAL 1970 1ST US PRESSING DOUBLE ALBUM' which I'm pretty sure is BS.

The labels are the ubiquitous orangey red with COLUMBIA printed in yellow/orange 6 times around the outer ring. Index numbers are PG 26, CS 9996 (above STEREO to the left of the spindle hole) and XSM 152414 (below SIDE 1 on the right).

I believe the true 1st pressings would have had the '2-eye' labels and (probably) quite a thick unlaminated card jacket - mine is unlaminated but relatively thin card. Also most online resources list the primary index as GP (not PG) 26, which is a puzzle.

I'm guessing it's '80s vintage - can anyone confirm or otherwise?

Any relevant information gratefully received.

Cheers

Jim

[Chuck Nessa]

GP would be correct. PG means a higher price and a later issue.

Edited June 23, 2010 by Chuck Nessa

[marcello]

I've pulled out mine, which was purchased back in the day:

Do we have a BB expert in the house?

I just acquired a gatefold vinyl copy in pretty nice shape, and am trying to identify when it might have been pressed. It was sold to me as 'THE ORIGINAL 1970 1ST US PRESSING DOUBLE ALBUM' which I'm pretty sure is BS.

The labels are the ubiquitous orangey red with COLUMBIA printed in yellow/orange 6 times around the outer ring. Index numbers are PG 26, CS 9996 (above STEREO to the left of the spindle hole) and XSM 152414 (below SIDE 1 on the right).

Mine has a solid red label GP 26 CS 9995 XSM 152412 (side 1) - XSM 152413(side 2) AND GP26 CS 9996 XSM 152414 (side 1) - XSM 142415 (side 2). Color and "Columbia" writing is the same.

I believe the true 1st pressings would have had the '2-eye' labels and (probably) quite a thick unlaminated card jacket - mine is unlaminated but relatively thin card. Also most online resources list the primary index as GP (not PG) 26, which is a puzzle.

Mine is GP 26

I'm guessing it's '80s vintage - can anyone confirm or otherwise?

Any relevant information gratefully received.

Cheers

Jim

[clifford_thornton]

Mine is almost the same as Tom's, except a "1B" follows the XSM 152412/3/4/5 stamper numbers. It is a two-eye pressing.

[St.Noah]

GP would be correct. PG means a higher price and a later issue.

Chuck do you happen to know roughly how much later? Do you mean a higher original retail price? Simply because of inflation or is it special in some way? (it's certainly not quadrophonic or marked as a special pressing)

Thanks for all your feedback folks. Anyone care to comment on the jacket cardboard? I have a copy of 'At Fillmore' with the same labels but thicker card which is brown inside. The jacket on BB is white inside - which I think implies a later issue.

[Chuck Nessa]

Don't know when the price jumped (only a dollar iirc). The original jacket would be a grayish cardboard shell with paper glued to the outside. The ones with a white interior were printed directly on the board.

Additional info about pressings - Columbia had 3 US plants and the location of manufacture was indicated by a light etching in the dead wax near the label. The letter T indicated Terre Haute, IN, the letter P was for Pittman, NJ and (I believe) the letter S indicated a California pressing - maybe San Rafael, but I don't remember.

Edited June 23, 2010 by Chuck Nessa

[marcello]

My God, the minutia!

Mine has a "T", but now thanks to you Chuck, I think I'm having a eye stroke!

Does Chewy know about this, the poor boy?

[Chuck Nessa]

[kh1958]

I found an apparently unplayed two eyes pressing recently, the sound is wonderful. It is marked with an S.

[clifford_thornton]

Until I bought my two-eye pressing some years back, all I'd heard of Bitches' Brew was on the old Columbia Masterworks (I think) CD set, which sounded cruddy. My LP sounds great and helped considerably in appreciating Miles' "Directions in Music" more greatly.