For years, Rhino has licensed titles from its catalogue to various audiophile labels.  Now, Rhino is jumping into the audiophile vinyl market itself with the Rhino High Fidelity line.  This series of limited, numbered reissues has kicked off with The Cars' 1978 debut album, first released on Elektra, and John Coltrane's 1964 Coltrane's Sound, originally issued on Atlantic.  Both titles are available now.  Two more classic albums will follow each quarter.

With the release of The Cars, the Boston quintet (singer/guitarist Ric Ocasek, singer/bassist Benjamin Orr, lead guitarist Elliott Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson) became one of the first bands in America to successfully fuse traditional rock with the rising trends of synth-based New Wave pop.  Produced by Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, Dusty Springfield), The Cars found a home on the Billboard 200 for 139 weeks, making hits out of "Just What I Needed" (No. 27), "My Best Friend's Girl" (No. 35), and "Good Times Roll" (No. 41).  The album peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard 200 and has since gone on to a 6x Platinum sales certification.

Recorded in 1960 but unreleased until 1964 (by which time John Coltrane was many albums into an affiliation with the Impulse! label), the material on Coltrane's Sound was recorded during the sessions for the saxophone giant's My Favorite Things album.  Featuring support from pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Steve Davis, and drummer Elvin Jones, Coltrane's Sound was quickly recognized as more than a mere cash-in collection of outtakes.  Both its original material ("Central Park West," "Equinox") and covers ("The Night Has a Thousand Eyes," "Body and Soul") rank among Trane's finest of the period.

Kevin Gray has cut the lacquers for both Hi-Fi releases, and Optimal has pressed the records on 180-gram vinyl.  Both titles offer high-quality glossy covers and "tip-on" jackets with OBI strips.  Additionally, both titles offer exclusive booklets.  The Cars boasts a new interview with Elliot Easton about the gear heard on the album, plus producer Roy Thomas Baker's tracking notes for "Good Times Roll."  Coltrane's Sound has images of the master tapes plus an archival essay by Atlantic Records legend Tom Dowd, the original session engineer.

Rhino's press release promises that the label "plans to take full advantage of our vast music catalog, creating superlative versions of landmark albums from the worlds of jazz, blues, rock, pop, and beyond. You'll have to stick around to find out what's next!"  Watch this space for that info as it becomes available.  In the meantime, you'll find track listings and order links for The Cars and Coltrane's Sound below.  Both titles are shipping now directly from Rhino's online store.

The Cars, The Cars (Elektra LP 6E-135, 1978 - reissued Elektra/Rhino RHF 135, 2023)

Side One

1. Good Times Roll
2. My Best Friend's Girl
3. Just What I Needed
4. I'm in Touch with Your World
5. Don't Cha Stop

Side Two

1. You're All I've Got Tonight
2. Bye Bye Love
3. Moving in Stereo
4. All Mixed Up

John Coltrane, Coltrane's Sound (Atlantic LP SD 1419, 1964 - reissued Atlantic/Rhino RHF 1419, 2023)

Side One

1. The Night Has a Thousand Eyes
2. Central Park West
3. Liberia

Side Two

1. Body and Soul
2. Equinox
3. Satellite