Atlantic

Atlantic on vinyl: soul, jazz and rock from New York

In short: Atlantic Records was founded in New York in 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. The label stands for rhythm & blues and soul from Ray Charles to Aretha Franklin, for modern jazz from John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and the Modern Jazz Quartet and, from the late sixties, for rock as well. The Vinyl Room currently has 123 Atlantic records.

What makes Atlantic special?

With producer Jerry Wexler and engineer Tom Dowd, Atlantic developed a sound that shaped soul music. Ray Charles, Ruth Brown and the Drifters made the label big in the fifties, Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett in the sixties. In jazz, John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” and “My Favorite Things”, Ornette Coleman’s “The Shape of Jazz to Come” and many albums by the Modern Jazz Quartet came out here. In 1967 Atlantic joined the Warner group; rock records by Crosby, Stills & Nash and Led Zeppelin followed, and in the seventies disco and soul such as Chic.

Mono, stereo and the label colours

For many US Atlantic records of the sixties there’s a rule of thumb: orange and purple label for mono, green and blue for stereo. Stereo editions also have catalogue numbers with “SD”. In Europe, Atlantic records came out through local licensees and distributors, from the seventies mostly under the name WEA. As always, label, catalogue number, runout and cover must match – more on our page “How to spot a first pressing”.

From our stock

Atlantic first pressings

Soul & disco

Jazz on Atlantic

Rock

New in

→ Warner Bros. Records · Funk & soul on vinyl · Jazz on vinyl · How to spot a first pressing · Plattenparty on YouTube

FAQ

Who founded Atlantic Records? Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson, in New York in 1947.

Which jazz classics came out on Atlantic? Among others John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” (1960) and “My Favorite Things” (1961), Ornette Coleman’s “The Shape of Jazz to Come” (1959) and many albums by the Modern Jazz Quartet.

How do I tell mono from stereo on Atlantic? On US pressings of the sixties often by the label – orange and purple for mono, green and blue for stereo – and by catalogue numbers with “SD” for stereo.

Is Atlantic part of Warner? Atlantic has belonged to the Warner group since 1967. Together with Warner Bros. and Elektra, distribution ran under the name WEA from the early seventies.