This CD contains two Coltrane Prestige albums, Standard Coltrane (formerly Prestige PRLP 7243) and Stardust (formerly Prestige PRLP 7268) plus the track ‘Bahia’, recorded at the Stardust session, but later released as the title track of an album of the same name. These tracks, from two sessions in 1958, see Coltrane as the hard-bopper, coming towards the end of his ‘sheets of sound’ period, but are prior to his modal phase. In fact, both these albums were released after he had signed with Atlantic, so come at an interesting point in his career, although it would be difficult to claim they are ‘indispensable’ listening. Rather, Stardust might be seen as a precursor to the later Ballads album on Impulse! Amusingly, one earnest academic wrote that the Ballads album came as a result of the producer Bob Thiele leaning on Coltrane to produce something perceived as more commercial, seemingly unaware of the Stardust album in Coltrane's past and the nuanced and considered playing on it (which he did for Prestige free from any sort of pressure. Coltrane liked to play pretty from time to time; after all, part of his apprenticeship was served in Johnny Hodges' band). Although he lets rip on the Stardust session on just one tune – ‘Love Thy Neighbour’ – with the sheets of sound, this is a well-paced album, as is Standard Coltrane with some assured playing from Freddie Hubbard.