A pressing-identification deep dive
Kind of Blue.
The Columbia six-eye first-press.
Miles Davis released Kind of Blue on Columbia in August 1959. It is the best-selling jazz LP in history — RIAA-certified 5× Platinum — and one of the most reissued albums in any genre. The original Columbia six-eye first-press is the collector reference. There is also a famous quirk: Side 1 of the first-press stereo (and many mono copies) was mastered from a tape running about 15.6% slow, so the first three tracks play noticeably flat in pitch. Columbia corrected this on the 1992 reissue. For collectors, the slow Side 1 is part of the value.
01
The six-eye first-press
The original 1959 mono and stereo first-presses shipped on the Columbia six-eye label. The six-eye label was used by Columbia from 1956 through early 1962 — a deep-red disc with six concentric-circle “eye” logos arranged around the rim, alternating with white “COLUMBIA” text.
Mono pressings carry the catalog number CL 1355 with a CL- prefix. Stereo pressings are CS 8163 with the CS- prefix. After 1962, Columbia replaced the six-eye with the two-eye label, then with the “360 Sound” design. Any later label indicates a reissue.
Stereo six-eye copies of Kind of Blue are rarer than mono because stereo was the new format in 1959 — fewer copies were pressed and many were sold later. The stereo first-press trades higher than the mono today, the reverse of the typical 1960s jazz-LP pattern.
02
The Side 1 tape-speed issue
When Columbia mastered the album in 1959, the tape machine used for the Side 1 source ran approximately 15.6% slow during the session — a known studio problem from that era. The result is that the first three tracks (“So What,” “Freddie Freeloader,” “Blue in Green”) on every first-press copy and most subsequent reissues play at a slightly flat pitch compared to the original session.
The error was finally corrected for the 1992 CBS Sony reissue and the 1997 Columbia “Legacy” CD remaster, both of which used the original analog tapes played at the correct speed. The 2008 Mobile Fidelity 45 RPM reissue and the 2015 Music Matters reissue also use the correct speed.
For collectors, the slow Side 1 is part of the first-press identity. Pitch-corrected reissues are technically more accurate to the session but aren't the historical record of how the album shipped in 1959. Both versions are now collected separately.
03
What a first-press is worth
| Pressing | Condition | Recent sold |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 stereo six-eye (CS 8163) | NM | $1,500–4,000 |
| 1959 mono six-eye (CL 1355) | NM | $400–1,200 |
| 1959 stereo six-eye | VG+ | $400–800 |
| Two-eye stereo (1962–63) | NM | $200–500 |
| 360 Sound stereo (1963 onward) | NM | $60–200 |
| Modern reissue (any catalog) | NM | $20–40 |
Sources: Discogs sold listings (90-day window), Popsike.com auction archive, Heritage Auctions comparables. Sealed authenticated stereo six-eye copies reach significant additional premiums.
04
How to confirm a first-press
Pull the record. Look at the label first. The six-eye design is unmistakable. The catalog number must read CL 1355 (mono) or CS 8163 (stereo) with no additional prefix or suffix. The center label has no “360 Sound” or “Two-Eye” stereo markings.
The matrix runout in the dead wax confirms the cut. Earliest pressings have matrix codes ending in 1A/1A (mono Side A/Side B) or 1B/1B; later first-press runs go to 2A/2A or 1C/1D before label changes began. Cuts beyond the first-press era show different codes entirely.
Sleeve details matter too. The 1959 stock cover has a glossy finish; reissues from the 1970s onward often used matte stock. The back cover of the first-press has Bill Coss' original liner notes printed on plain stock; later reissues reformatted the text and updated the credits.
Or scan with Crown Vinyl. The app reads the six-eye label, the catalog number suffix, and the matrix runout from a single photograph, and confirms whether you have a true 1959 first-press. Free on the App Store.
A few questions
The ones that come up.
Stereo was the new format in 1959 — Columbia pressed fewer copies of the stereo version and most jazz listeners of the era bought mono. The stereo six-eye first-press (CS 8163) is significantly rarer in the surviving population and trades 3–4× higher than the mono first-press (CL 1355). This is the reverse of the typical pattern for 1960s jazz, where mono usually outranks stereo.
Yes, on Side 1 of the original 1959 first-press. The tape machine used during Side 1 mastering ran approximately 15.6% slow, so the first three tracks ('So What,' 'Freddie Freeloader,' 'Blue in Green') play at a slightly flat pitch on every original copy. Columbia corrected the issue for the 1992 CBS Sony reissue and the 1997 Legacy CD remaster, both of which use the correct speed.
A Columbia Records label design used from 1956 through early 1962, featuring six small concentric-circle 'eye' logos arranged around the rim of a deep-red center disc, alternating with the text 'COLUMBIA' in white. Columbia replaced it with the two-eye label, then with the '360 Sound' design. The six-eye is the first-press indicator for early Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, and other Columbia releases of the era.
Yes — the early 360 Sound stereo pressings from 1963–67 are well-cut and trade at $60–200 for NM copies. They use the same analog masters as the six-eye first-presses but with the later label design. For a listening copy of the original mix at a reasonable price, a clean 360 Sound stereo is a solid choice. For investment-grade collection, the six-eye first-press is the reference.
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