Celebrating John Coltrane, born on this day in 1926. —Ed.
When diving into the work of John Coltrane, many begin with a canonical record, likely from his tenure with the Atlantic or Impulse labels. There’s certainly no mistake in that, but anybody building a shelf of the saxophonist’s vital stuff will end up procuring a significant percentage of the material he cut for Bob Weinstock’s New Jersey-based Prestige company. Craft Recordings’ attractively designed and thoughtfully assembled 5CD or 8LP Coltrane ’58: The Prestige Recordings, a substantial hunk of it is easy to obtain. Chronologically sequencing the man’s leader or co-leader sessions from January to December of the titular year, it coheres into a powerful statement of budding greatness.
Make no mistake; nothing about Coltrane ’58: The Prestige Recordings suggests that it is a purchase one would make on a whim. A hefty clothbound release with an ample LP-sized booklet of photos, production notes, and excellent words from Ashley Khan, plus the meat of the matter, eight LPs tucked into manila sleeves (the 5CD set is the same with scaled-down dimensions), it’s a package clearly made for both longtime lovers of John Coltrane and Modern Jazz in general and for folks whose recently developed interest in these subjects is unquestionably keen.
As its full title makes plain, Coltrane ’58 documents the saxophonist’s time with the Prestige label, though only partially so; none of the extensive sideman work is here, and neither are his earlier leader sessions (his first album under his own name, Coltrane, was released through Prestige late in ’57). And so, not a completist thing, which would be unwieldly, as the man’s complete recordings for Prestige required 16 CDs, but instead, something better; a digestible and enlightening portrait of a year’s work in the driver’s seat under the supervision of Weinstock and recorded by Rudy Van Gelder.
Prestige didn’t keep alternate takes, so there’s nothing unreleased here. That means those longtime fans who already own all of the original LPs (or picked up either the complete Prestige 16CD box from ’91 or the leader-date truncation Fearless Leader from ’06) will need to calculate whether dropping cash for Coltrane ’58 is in their interest.
NEW RELEASE PICKS: Elder Jack Ward, Already Made (Bible & Tire Recording Co.) Fat Possum label exec and indefatigable mensch Bruce Watson, who also runs the Big Legal Mess imprint, has also been doing wonderful things recently with Bible & Tire, his Southern gospel-themed endeavor, issuing two superb volumes spotlighting the output of JCR Records for starters, but even better, organizing sessions with currently active exemplars of Sacred Soul like Dedicated Men of Zion, Elizabeth King, and Elder Jack Ward, who is recording for the first time in over 50 years with Already Made. In addition to briefly filling O.V. Wright’s spot in the Sunset Travelers, Ward sang on “Don’t Need No Doctor,” the 1964 gospel hit by the Christian Harmonizers (recorded for the Chalice label, a subsidiary of Stax). Further solo singles followed on Peacock’s Song Bird label and then with his group the Gospel Four on D-Vine Spirituals (a retrospective of this imprint’s catalog is coming in 2022 from Bible & Tire), though Ward eventually set recording aside to become a mechanic.
The Shivas, Feels So Good // Feels So Bad (Tender Loving Empire) This Portland, OR-based four-piece’s latest, a 13-song platter, is also their seventh album. As it’s a consistent treat for the ears, the tenacity and longevity are impressive. A big hunk of their prior stuff came out on Calvin Johnson’s K label, which, if you don’t know The Shivas, might give you a false first impression, as the thrust of the band’s sound is decidedly pop-rocking in a ’60s classique manner (with drummer-singer Kristin Leonard the ace in the hole in this regard) and with varying levels of neo-psych. There are a couple of doo-wopping, post-Spector moments that got me to thinking of Norton Records, but the majority of this is loud and distorted enough to saunter into an Anton Newcombe-like zone. And while the riff in opener “Feels so Bad” is huge, there’s a melodic sensibility that occasionally reminds me just a tad of Robert Schneider. But the toughness of the band’s thrust eradicates any traces of psych-pop bubblegum. There are a few pretty moments, such as the surplus jangling in “A Gift.” A-
REISSUE/ARCHIVAL PICK: Maximum Joy, “Stretch” b/w “Silent Street – Silent Dub” (1972) Formed in Bristol in 1981 by horn man Tony Wrafter, fresh from the breakup of the Glaxo Babies, and vocalist-clarinetist-violinist Janine Rainforth, they snagged two former Glaxo Babies in drummer Charlie Llewellin and bassist Dan Catsis, and rounded out the band with guitarist John Waddington, formerly of the Pop Group. Anyone with moderate knowledge of UK post-punk might suspect what’s the score, if they don’t know already. It’s funky, it’s punky, it’s dubby, it’s skronky, and it has the vocal presence of the 18-year-old Rainworth (that’s her on the cover), extending from Poly Styrene (those wonderful screams) on the wickedly grooving A-side, and Ari Up on the dub deepness of the flip. Just a few months over 40 years ago, this was their debut single, a stone post-punk classic, absolutely essential, originally issued on Y Records in the UK and 99 Records in the USA and given a well-deserved anniversary pressing by 1972. Listening to these two long tracks, it’s clear this band still doesn’t get enough retrospective love. A
Los Angeles, LA | L.A.’s The Comedy Store Launching New Record Label: The venture will issue hourlong albums, EPs and specialty projects to be distributed via physical and digital media. The Comedy Store is looking to tap into its past and future with the launch of Comedy Store Records. The new venture, which kicks off Oct. 13 with Launch Label Night at the iconic Los Angeles club, will be a full-service record label that will mine the Comedy Store’s rich vault to issue hourlong albums, EPs and specialty projects to be distributed via physical and digital media. Alternative Distribution Alliance will distribute content from the label, which will also be a home for original video content, a podcast network and a merchandising. The label will be headed by former Warner Music Group exec Jon Sosis, who serves as president of Comedy Store Records. Comedy Store CEO Peter Shore will also co-run the label alongside Sosis, who also hopes to publish material from new comics who come in through the club. “We’re envisioning this a step toward honoring the rich tradition of comedy albums from back in the Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Lenny Bruce era — 
UK | Abba’s Bjorn Ulvaeus launches campaign to fix £500m music royalty problem: Abba star Bjorn Ulvaeus has launched a campaign to ensure musicians don’t miss out on millions of pounds in royalties. Called Credits Due, the scheme aims to ensure all songwriters and musicians are correctly identified when a song is recorded. At present, missing and incomplete data means that about £500m is unallocated or misallocated globally every year. “It happens frequently,” Ulvaeus told the BBC. “Which means that streaming services don’t know who to pay.” The scheme will also ensure fans see the correct credits for songs – from the writers and producers to the session musicians and engineers. “We want to get back to that experience we had when we 
On Bad Reputation–original title Joan Jett--the runaway Runaway dares to wear her heart on her sleeve by pledging allegiance to the songs that made her who she is; this is Joan Jett’s Self Portrait, and with the exception of her too-stiff-by-half take on the Isley Brothers’ “Shout,” she does her personal canon proud. Not only does she prove she’s the true successor to Gary Glitter (and by association her glam role model Suzi Quatro), she demonstrates conclusively that she’s her own gurl by contributing a couple of songs that (with the exception of the punk-tinged title track) blend seamlessly in with their esteemed company.
New York, NY | New York record store Superior Elevation launches Gofundme after suffering flood damage: “They are still determined to bring the shop back to life,”said co-founder Ellen Kanamori. …Brooklyn store Superior Elevation have started a GoFundMe page after it suffered major damage as a result of Hurricane Ida. Ellen Kanamori, who co-founded the store with Tom Noble in 2015, wrote, “During the heavy rains from Hurricane Ida the building’s sewage drainage system gave out and it released about 4 feet of water into the store. After help arrived, they managed to pump all of the water out. They did manage to salvage a small portion of the records, but at least 75% was destroyed in the flood, if not more, it was too late. “They do have insurance at the shop, however there is no guarantee of any funds at this point. And even if funds do come in, it will never match 
Brighton, UK | Tom Odell performs live in Brighton record shop: Tom Odell was appearing at Resident music in Brighton this evening on the first of an intimate 
New York, NY | This Under The Radar, Black-Owned Business Is NYC’s First-Ever Vinyl Record Craft Beer Bar: Where music and beer connoisseurs unite! Looking for a new weekend spot? Head to Prospect Heights for 
“It’s unmanageable”: How the vinyl industry reached breaking point: When Colin Morrison founded his independent record label Castles in space in 2015, it took three to four months to make a vinyl record. He placed an order at the press plant, the trial presses came back within a month, and once they were approved, he waited another 10-12 weeks for the production run to be completed and delivered. His artists were releasing their recordings according to the schedule they had planned, and Morrison, with prepaid production costs, quickly recouped his investment. “Since then, things have gotten worse as demand rises,” said Morrison, who now expects to wait almost a year for his vinyl records to be produced. In particular, over the past 18 months – since the start of the pandemic – “it 
