Jazz fans in the USA woke up 50 years ago today, 17 August, to the release of an album that still exerts a massive impact and influence on the current generation as it did back then. And there are precious few recordings of any music genre you can say that about. Miles Davis Kind Of Blue hit the street as a 12in vinyl LP in both mono (Columbia CL 1355) and stereo (Columbia CS 8163) versions complete with the incorrect spelling of Cannonball Adderley’s name on the front cover and the track ‘Flamenco Sketches’ followed by ‘All Blues’, which was reversed on all subsequent pressings. UK fans had to wait until March 1960 to get their grubby little hands on a copy when it was finally released in Britain on the Fontana label, who then licensed Columbia recordings. Not only has it gone on to become the biggest selling jazz title of all time but it has also appeared in more variations and on more formats than perhaps any other recording - one of the latest being an eco-friendly bio-degradable digi-pack CD for eco-conscious listeners that also included 10 energy saving tips. Thankfully Sony Music chose not to rename it Kind Of Green. Jon Newey