Happy Birthday Mr. George Harrison!

Tomorrow, February 25th would have been George Harrison’s 75th birthday (he passed away in 2001) and to celebrate I thought I’d post a review of a new 2 CD/2 Blu-Ray reissue that just came out featuring Harrison’s music – “Concert for George”.

The Concert for George took place at the Royal Albert Hall in the London on November 29, 2002 and was a celebration of the life and music of George Harrison that featured a host of Harrison’s famous friends (and legendary musicians) playing Harrison’s music and sharing personal memories of him.

The concert performers included former Beatles band mates Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr as well as Harrison’s Traveling Wilbury cohorts Jeff Lynne (of ELO fame) and Tom Petty (and the Heartbreakers) as well as Harrison’s dear friend Eric Clapton plus Bill Preston and Harrison’s only son Dhani Harrison.

Needless to say the concert is a stellar representation of George Harrison’s music that features some of my favorite live performances from Paul McCartney (“For You Blue”, “Something” and “All Things Must Pass”) and Ringo Starr (“Photograph” and “Honey Don’t”) as well as a killer live version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” that features not only McCartney and Starr but Eric Clapton who played guitar on The Beatles original studio recording.

Really all the performers shine in this concert and it’s an emotional and joyful celebration and a perfect tribute to the life and music of George Harrison.

In observance of Harrison’s 75th birthday, the George Harrison estate decided to reissue “Concert for George” in several new configurations.

The “Concert for George” had previously been issued by Rhino Records in 2003 (CD and DVD) and 2011 (Blu-Ray) but the new versions released yesterday include: CD, 2 CD/2 DVD set, 2 CD/ 2 Blu-Ray set and 4 Lp vinyl set as well as a sold out more expensive vinyl set with deluxe extras that was available strictly through georgeharrison.com.

Now, I own the previous versions of this set and was not really overexcited by this re-release but I did manage to pick up a copy of the new 2 CD/ 2 Blu-Ray set to compare and see if there was any improvements to previous releases.

The most recent release of this concert from 2011, a 2 Blu-Ray set, was my preferred version of this concert – until now.

While the credits in the booklet only mention a remastering of the audio (I think) I compared the Blu-Ray’s in the new set to the 2011 version and I could see a definite improvement in the clarity of the picture on this new set.

The old one was no slouch but it did tend to look a bit blurrier on certain shots and softer then this new set.

I particularly noticed things like the fabric and light on the backdrop of the stage on the first rock song “I Want to Tell You” seemed to stand out more with better clarity and texture.

I also noticed that Ringo Starr’s jacket was a richer shade of red and again seemed clearer than the previous Blu-Ray and McCartney’s clothes also seemed to have a sharpness that was somewhat lacking in the previous Blu-Ray version.

Not to say the previous one was bad and that it’s a night and day difference but the new Blu-Ray set was a joy to watch and going back and forth with the old Blu-Ray seemed to confirm that the new set overall had better clarity for sure.

The sound on every edition is superb and the new set is no different. I’ve always liked the sound on the Blu-Rays better then the CDs which is still the case here.

The CD version is a bit flatter or glassy sounding to me compared to the surround version on the Blu-Ray but not bad by any means.

I didn’t notice a huge difference in sound quality on the new CD version but will have to spend more time with it to see if it’s much different at all.

I will say if you’ve never seen or bought this concert before then this new set is a MUST as it’s a terrific concert filled with one stellar performance after another.

If you own previous versions it’s not night and day better but I do think the new Blu-Ray’s do look better. It’s up to whether or not you’re a huge fan of Harrison or his music (or if you have ‘collectoritis’ like me) as to whether it’s worth buying this once again.

As usual there are photos above of the new set and a couple of screen shots which unfortunately won’t help you see the crispness of the picture but I thought I’d throw them in for grins anyway.

Even if you don’t get this set take a minute tomorrow to play a George Harrison song or two in celebration of Harrison’s 75th.

Until next time, you say it’s your birthday …

TTFN

 

 

 

Okay, what do you think of when I say The Beach Boys?

Surf? Sun? Surf boards?

Well, there’s much more to The Beach Boys music than “Fun, Fun Fun” and “Surfer Girl”.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the early Beach Boys records but if you look beyond the classic surf-themed hits you’ll find a treasure trove of some of the most original and creatively written (and produced) pop music EVER!

Yes, I said ever.

You see Brian Wilson (the main Beach Boys songwriter and producer) is one of the most talented and complex figures of the rock era and he spearheaded the creation of what some say may be one of the best pop albums ever made and I’m inclined to agree with that statement.

In 1966, Wilson created the landmark Beach Boys album “Pet Sounds” which featured not only some of the best songs The Beach Boys ever recorded including “God Only Knows”, “Wouldn’t it Be Nice”, “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times”, “I Know There’s an Answer” and “Caroline, No” but some of the most unique production and arrangement choices that to this day are still impressive.

For those of you out there who’ve never listened to the “Pet Sounds” album beyond its three big hits, the album is full of subject matter (and melodies) that embrace introspection and melancholy just as much as joy and cheerfulness which were the trademarks of Beach Boys music up until around 1965.

Wilson has said that the “Pet Sounds” album came from God and one certainly gets a sense of the spirit or at least a sense of self-discovery when listening to the album – at least I experience the album that way.

I’ve been a fan of “Pet Sounds” since I discovered it in the late 1970s and have owned it in several different configurations (shocking I know lol).

I own this album in box set form (two to be exact), gold CD (also two), DVD-A audio disc with surround sound and a special 40th anniversary edition with a fuzzy cover but for some strange reason I’ve never owned this album on vinyl – until now.

Just this month Universal Music (who now owns and releases The Beach Boys music) has offered a limited pressing of 2,000 copies of “Pet Sounds” on green and yellow vinyl exclusively from this Website – https://thesoundofvinyl.us/pet-sounds-limited-edition-yellow-green.html

Well of course that was just enough to push me over the edge, the collector in me won out and I finally bought this new colored vinyl edition which I received in the mail this week.

This new 2018 pressing features the stereo version of the album that was created in the late 1990s.  Brian Wilson only made a mono mix of the album originally and that’s my preferred choice for listening to “Pet Sounds” but I must say I’ve grown to really enjoy this stereo version as well.

I am used to hearing the stereo version on CD and I originally thought it was just okay until it was reissued by the MFSL label a few years ago and I found that version much more warm and musical sounding.

This new 2018 pressing sounds much like the MFSL stereo version, warm and smooth and with a nice depth to the sound stage, which is different from the more closed in mono mix but just as enjoyable. I’d say that both the mono and stereo versions are equally enjoyable ways of listening to the album – just different.

In fact I’d now say this vinyl version is my preferred way of hearing the stereo mix of the album as it is even warmer sounding than the CD versions yet still very dynamic.

I read online someone else had bought this new colored vinyl version and said it was dreadful – super noisy with lots of distortion. I must say that on my first play of this 2018 pressing I too was shocked at how much noise and dirt seemed to be present on the vinyl.

Luckily after three cleanings and letting it dry for a couple of days I returned to play the album and found it sounded just great! I’m kind of dismayed that this nice limited edition pressing would come out of the pressing plant so dirty but once it was cleaned it sounded just fine.

There was just a tad bit of crinkle on at the beginning of side 1 but after that the rest of the album was practically noise free and really wonderful sounding.

If you’re a fan of the album or The Beach Boys and want to grab one of these before they’re gone just remember to give it a really good cleaning before you play it.

Everything else about this vinyl version is just fine – nice sturdy cover with lovely colors and not blurry at all and the vinyl has this nice sea of green spilling into the yellow in waves on my copy which looks lovely.

Take a peak at the 2018 vinyl in the photos above.

As I said I will feature more about “Pet Sounds” and other Beach Boys release in future blog posts.

Until then be well and TTFN

 

 

 

 

 

What is it about The Beatles Sgt. Peppers album?

I know it’s considered by some to be one of the first concept albums but to me it always seemed more like a place then a concept.

From the moment I first heard the complete album sometime in the mid-1970s I was taken in by the sight of the lavish cover and the far-out sounds on the record.

Even in 1976 the album sounded a bit out of time to me. It didn’t seem current yet it didn’t seem old. I always felt like I was stepping into some sort of Secret Garden or enchanted place whenever I played Sgt. Pepper.

There were fairgrounds (“Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite”) and classical orchestras playing in the park near newspaper taxis (“She’s Leaving Home”, “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”), an Indian garden full of incense and flowers (“Within You Without You”), an older couple blowing out birthday cake candles on a bench near the sidewalk (“When I’m Sixty-Four”) and a pensive runaway standing by herself gazing into the sky (“She’s Leaving Home”).

And the “piece de resistance” song from the album “A Day in the Life” feels as if you walked out of the park and stumbled into a crazy kaleidoscope of sound that at times feels like a nightmare or at least a tour through Alice’s garden given by the Cheshire Cat.

At least that’s what it felt like to me listening to this album at the rip old age of ten. This is the one Beatles album that always seemed like it existed in another time, another place or even cosmic inner space for that matter.

I know John Lennon has said in interviews that his songs from the album at least could have gone on any Beatles album but I think that’s really stretching things a bit.

“Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” and “A Day in the Life” most certainly would have felt out of place on “Please Please Me” or “A Hard Day’s Night” for example.

I’m not sure it was even the reputation that Sgt. Pepper had garnered even by that time (1976) that really influenced me as I really wasn’t too steeped in the myth of the album when I was ten years old. My oldest brother had just recommended I give it a listen and I did – over and over again.

“Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” has just always felt different to me from all the other Beatles albums and it still does to this day – in a good way of course.

Which brings me to the collector angle of this post – the WONDERFUL Super Deluxe Edition of the 50th Anniversary box set of the Sgt. Pepper album that came out last May.

For once, this is a Beatles reissue that was done right!

There are four CDs – one that contains a new remix of the album by Giles Martin (son of Beatles producer George Martin), two CDs worth of outtakes from the sessions including early versions and alternate mixes and my favorite disc of the set (Disc 4) a freshly remastered “direct transfer” of the mono Lp along with unused mono mixes from the album.

First off, I LOVE outtakes and alternate mixes! I love getting a peak inside the making of my favorite albums and this monster box set does just that.

I especially love the instrumental take of “Penny Lane (Take 6)” which now sounds like an outtake from The Beach Boys “Pet Sounds” (an album McCartney loved and was inspired by) and the instrumental takes of “She’s Leaving Home” and the unedited mono mix of that same song – just superb stuff.

And my favorite outtake from the entire box, the unaltered Take 1 of “Strawberry Fields Forever” with its lovely background vocals intact, justifies the price of this set by itself. The previous version of this outtake which was included on The Beatles “Anthology 1” CD in 1995 removed these background vocals which was a massive oversight.

(Note: “Strawberry Fields forever” and “Penny Lane” were supposed to be a part of the Sgt. Pepper album but were put out as a single instead – thus their inclusion on this set)

I know some folks don’t like the new 2017 remix of the album but I find it to be a nice listen. I have to go on record as saying I’m not a huge fan of remixes but this one is pretty decent. I just wish it was a bit less compressed (loud) but I do think it gives a nice new take on the sound of the album without really changing it too drastically.

Plus there is a DVD and Blu-Ray in the set that has the lovely “Making of Sgt. Pepper” TV special from 1992 that features interviews with Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and George Martin.

The DVD and Blu-Ray also contain videos for “Strawberry Fields Forever”, “Penny Lane” and “A Day in the Life” AND the new album remix in 5.1 sound and Hi-Resolution sound which is a nice touch.

Throw in the nice hardback book that comes with the set and some groovy posters and you’ve really got a classy way to celebrate a classic album.

Now of course, I own the SHM-CD version of this terrific set which came out exclusively in Japan.

The Japanese set has all the CDs pressed on SHM-CDs (Super High Material CDs) which I feel sound great (not getting into the argument as to whether SHM-CDs do or don’t improve the sound, I think they do) as well as a really nifty pop-up version of the cover which you can assemble and sit next to your box set (I know, like that will happen, once a collector always a collector lol!).

Anyway, feast your eyes on the magnificent Japanese version I own of this box set (see above photos). You don’t see many photos of the Japanese Pepper set online so I thought it might be nice to highlight what it looks like for those collector folks like me who think stuff like that looks purdy.

I myself am taking another dive into Wonderland as I’ve been playing the CDs from this set once again as I write this article.

Hopefully the success of this set last summer (No. 1 in the UK and No. 3 in the US) will inspire more sets for other Beatles albums in the future (I think it has – White Album, White Album) but until then I’m just going to gorge myself with Pepper.

Or as they say:

Let me take you down, cause I’m going to … 

TTFN!

 

 

 

 

 

“Press to Play”. It’s a Paul McCartney album. From 1986? It had the hit song “Press” on it.

Still doesn’t ring a bell?

I guess you’d really have to be a McCartney fan to remember this album as it’s one of the poorest selling albums of McCartney’s entire solo career, at least in the United States.

That’s not to say that it’s a bad album, on the contrary, I think it’s pretty darn good.

Even McCartney himself seems to shrug the album off but that’s probably because it got such a lukewarm sales reception (it only hit #30 on the Billboard Hot 200) and it came at a time in his career when he was sort of lost and floundering a bit as to what kind of music he should make.

The “Press to Play” album arrived only a couple of years after the critically drubbed film and album project he made called “Give My Regards to Broad Street” (1984).

Up until the Broad Street film and album, McCartney had pretty much been a hit-making machine but after 1985 McCartney stopped hitting the Top Ten in the singles chart though his albums still continued to chart high and sell well.

Stunned by the very lukewarm reception to “Give My Regards to Broad Street”, McCartney pinned his hopes on a major commercial comeback with the “Press to Play” album and was disappointed and rudderless for a while after it failed to ignite the charts.

Looking back, I still think the “Press to Play” album is a pretty solid record and holds a unique place in McCartney’s catalog.

Produced by the then young hot-shot producer Hugh Padgham (who had produced Phil Collins and The Police), “Press to Play” seems to walk a fine line (McCartney pun intended) between the experimental/adventurous McCartney and the slick pop production McCartney.

While “Press to Play” at times tries too hard to be current and suffers from a bit of 1980’s sterile production, the album still manages to succeed with a slew of really interesting songs.

Tunes like the more experimental and esoteric “Talk More Talk” and “Pretty Little Head” mingle freely with the lovely McCartney ballad “Only Love Remains” and the haunting acoustic  “Footprints” (with its weathered vocals from McCartney) as well as a trio of classy and melodic pop – “Write Away”, “Tough on a Tightrope” and “It’s Not True”.

Only “Stranglehold”, “Angry” and “Move Over Busker” strike me as a bit flat and generic though certainly not bad by any means.

The other interesting thing about the “Press to Play” album is the extreme variety of remixes of the songs that were released as singles.

(Note: in a future blog I will examine these various remixes and singles from this album but for this post I’m just going to mention the remixes for the song “Press”)

The first single “Press” for example was released in several variations. A rare mix by producer Hugh Padgham was released in the UK on I believe on a 45, a limited edition 10-inch single and also on some early vinyl pressings of the album as well as some very rare CD versions.

The more familiar mix of “Press” that was released in the US (and the majority of UK vinyl and CD versions) was mixed by Bert Bevans and Steve Forward and that’s the version that most people who remember the song think of and that’s the version that was used on the video of the song as well.

I knew of the rare mix of “Press” but had never actually heard it until a couple of years ago. I didn’t buy the UK 45 or 10-inch singles of the song but finally managed to track down one of the elusive UK CD versions of “Press to Play” that contains the rare mix.

I have several photos (above) of the two UK CDs I own of the “Press to Play” album and have highlighted the CD disc hubs of both CDs – one with the rare mix and one with the regular mix.

You can’t tell by the cover of the booklets if you have a CD with the rare mix, you have to examine the hub (see above) or play the disc.

The rare mix of “Press” has a run time of 4:23 and the regular mix has a run time of 4:42. Obviously the two mixes sound fairly different and just a few seconds in you can tell right away if you have the rare mix of “Press” or not.

I actually prefer the regular mix of “Press” as that’s the one I grew up listening to but the rare mix is a nice variation and fun to hear.

I’ve also highlighted in the photos above a rare DJ vinyl US promo of the “Press to Play” album with gold promotional stamp that has translucent vinyl which you can see when holding it up to a good light source.

And of course I’ve included the 1993 UK McCartney Collection CD of “Press to Play” which includes some nice bonus tracks like McCartney’s last Top Ten hit (I don’t count the one he did with Kanye West recently as it’s not truly a McCartney single) “Spies Like Us” from the film of the same name.

In the future I will show some of the many other “Press to Play” vinyl singles, etc. I own  but for today enjoy this quick look at “Press to Play” and these two different mixes of “Press”.

Unfortunately I know of no US version on either vinyl or CD that contain the rare mix of “Press” so if you’re looking for it you need to check out UK copies.

Some McCartney fans aren’t even aware there are UK CDs of the album that do actually contain the rare mix so for those out there looking for it I hope the photos above help you in your search.

I hope to track down an early UK vinyl pressing of “Press to Play” with the rare mix of “Press” and if I ever find one I’ll post it here!

Until next time,

Ciao!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is 1987 really over thirty years ago – yikes!

I remember 1987 well and it should come as no surprise that it’s the music from that year that has burrowed its way into my head more than any other event.

In 1987 some of the big albums I remember buying include U2’s “The Joshua Tree” (one of my favorites) and Fleetwood Mac’s “Tango in the Night” (one of the best Mac albums and still one I play and enjoy).

But, 1987 was also the year that The Monkees released their first new album in over sixteen years (“Pool It!”) and the year that George Harrison released a critically acclaimed and best-selling new album (“Cloud Nine”) after a five year hiatus. (I always remember years by Beatles and/or Monkees releases, sad I know, but true).

Paul McCartney (Harrison’s ex-band mate and now also ex-Wings leader) also released a new album in 1987 – a greatest hits collections entitled “All the Best!”

I still find “All the Best!” to be one of the best compilations of McCartney’s hits that he’s ever released partly because of nostalgia but also partly because I just love the song selection especially the track selection on the UK version.

You see weirdly enough McCartney chose to release different song selections for the UK vinyl and CD versions of “All the Best!” versus the versions that came out in the United States.

The UK versions of the album included a new song (“Once Upon a Long Ago”) as well as an unreleased song in the United States (a children’s song called “We All Stand Together”) which really skewed the UK version as my album of choice. I love both songs and for years “All the Best!” remained the best place to hear them.

Now 1987 was also near the beginning of a weird phase (especially in the UK) in the music industry of artists releasing multiple versions of their hit singles with exclusive bonus tracks that could only be found on that particular single.

Mainstream/Legacy artists such as Harrison and McCartney embraced this somewhat annoying record company practice and began issuing vinyl/CD singles of their songs with nifty exclusive tracks that could entice mad collectors (guilty, lol) to hunt mail order catalogs and record dealers to try and purchase them.

In McCartney’s case, the lead off single from the UK version of “All the Best!” was the new song “Once Upon a Long Ago” – an enchanting and wistful McCartney ballad that remains an underrated gem (and is pretty much MIA to this day Stateside).

For some strange reason (probably McCartney’s US label Capitol not finding it commercial enough) “Once Upon a Long Ago” wasn’t released AT ALL in the States though it did manage to crack the Top Ten in Britain.

“Once Upon a Long Ago” benefited (suffered?) from the then current multiple version trend and was released on a slew of different versions in the UK: 45 single, CD single and two 12-inch maxi-singles.

The CD single and the two 12-inch maxi-singles each contained exclusive bonus tracks available nowhere else (at least at the time) and finding these releases revealed some truly wonderful and orphaned McCartney tracks.

Songs like the McCartney/McManus (Elvis Costello) original “Back on My Feet” and the spirited workouts of fifties rock classics like “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”, “Midnight Special” and “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” were well worth the time and trouble to hunt down and enjoy.

Now as a collector I thought it was fun and a pain at the same time to buy these special single variations as most stores didn’t carry import CDs or vinyl though luckily my local record store was able to order most of them for me.

The rock and roll oldies later became more widely available on the McCartney album “Choba B CCCP – the Russian Album” (1991) while “Once Upon a Long Ago” was released on the CD version of “Press to Play” in 1993 as part of the McCartney Collection though not in the single length as on the UK “All the Best!”.

Still, looking back these single variations sound terrific and are loads of fun to play. I don’t regret buying them one bit and take them out every now and again for a spin on the old turntable or CD player.

Above I have included several photos of all my variations of the “All the Best!” album that I own on CD and vinyl. Note that a rare Canadian CD issue of “All the Best!” has the UK track listing which was later replaced with the USA track selection.

The vinyl issue above is a US version and sounds terrific even though I miss the UK song selection.

Anyway, enjoy this mini “All the Best!” fest and until next time,

TTFN!

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Well, here we are on the day of hearts, flowers and candy (and indigestion for some).

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate this heart-filled day of love than to look at it through vinyl-covered glasses … and Beatles music!

I’m not sure that Valentine’s Day has an official song but I’m going to propose one now.

In fact, one Beatles song in particular would make the perfect soundtrack for Valentine’s Day – “All You Need is Love”. Seriously, can you think of a better song?

Anyway, I thought I’d celebrate this Valentine’s Day by sharing a few of my “All You Need is Love” 45’s and a cool promo CD single that was released by Capitol Records in 1997.

For anyone out there who may be reading this and doesn’t know what a 45 is let me explain.

A 45 is a small record that has two songs, one on each side, and is played at 45 r.p.m. on a turntable (thus the name 45).

They are also known as singles and usually had the hit song (the song played on the radio) on the A-Side and a groovy tune (especially in The Beatles case) on the B-Side.

The 45 record ruled the Top Forty era from the 1950s until it’s demise somewhere in the 1990s. Nowadays you just have digital tracks that are released online and to radio but back in the day you had several nice 45’s of your favorite hit songs and some of them came with fun picture sleeves that held the record.

(Note: the above promo CD single of “All You Need is Love” has a small replica of the original 45 picture sleeve for the US “All You Need is Love” Capitol Records 45.)

Now besides it being Valentine’s Day and all the commercial who-ha that goes with it, I’ve always had a fascination with the song “All You Need is Love” since the early 1970s.

The first single version of “All You Need is Love” that I owned was the 1976 re-release of the 45 that came out in the UK in a green cardboard picture sleeve (see photo above).

There’s something magical to me about Lennon’s vocal performance on this song. It’s hopeful yet non-sentimental. It sounds like Lennon just assumes that the listener understands that truly all you need is love and that’s always been a comforting feeling for me. Plus the music is great and I love the orchestration on the song.

The B-Side of the 45, “Baby, You’re a Rich Man”, is equally beguiling to me as well with it’s thumping bass and psychedelic feel and lyrics. One of my favorite Beatles tunes and I never get tired of hearing it.

So, as usual, I’ve posted photos above of some of my “All You Need is Love” singles with all the labels, pictures sleeves, etc. in all their mono glory.

Of course all the “All You Need is Love” pictured above are in mono. And as I’ve said before mono is the preferred way of hearing The Beatles hits, for me anyway. The stereo mixes of the two songs on the single are good but I prefer the thickness and punch of the 45 versions.

I’d say for this year you should buy your loved one a record – it’s not fattening, it will last for years and its purdy to look at going round and round on a turntable! (Yes, you have reached the record collector’s Twilight Zone!)

Enjoy and have a most Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

TTFN for now. See you on the flip side!

 

 

 

There’s nothing more exciting in Beatledom than the blaring of the opening chord from the song “A Hard Day’s Night”.

That chord signaled all the excitement and energy of early Beatlemania and I never get tired of hearing it.

Today I’m going to take a look at two fairly rare albums in my collection that feature songs from “A Hard Day’s Night” – “4 Garcons Dans Le Vent – Chansons Du Film” (Odeon LSO 101 S) from France and “The Beatles Vol. 4” (Musart D-945) from Mexico.

Both of these albums are in mono and both highlight the music from “A Hard Day’s Night”.

The French Lp is a clone of the UK mono Lp while the Mexican Lp is sort of a cross between the US “Something New” Lp (same front over artwork) and “A Hard Day’s Night” featuring a shortened version of the UK Lp with “Long Tall Sally” thrown in for good measure.

I actually stumbled upon both albums in the last year or so and luckily both albums were pretty inexpensive and both are in excellent shape!

The French Lp plays super quiet and is a superb pressing! It sounds pretty much equal to a first pressing UK mono “A Hard Day’s Night” with a nice warm and punchy sound and not a pop or scratch in sight.

I looked online and it seems this pressing may come from around 1966 but I’m not positive.

I have a couple of other French pressings from the 1970’s which also sound nice so it’s definitely worth tracking down pressings made in France as they sound wonderful. Love the cover art too with the nice flipback style sleeve and nice pictures from the film on the rear cover.

The Musart “Beatles Vol. 4” album I guess is fairly rare. I found it at an antique store a couple of hours from where I live and couldn’t pass picking it up as I’ve never seen any Musart Lp’s in person and it was in such great shape I simply had to buy it! (I do love to rationale all record purchases!)

The Lp plays really nice with just a few pops and crackles occasionally but nothing that would distract from enjoying it.

I would say its a tad bit more muted sounding than the French Lp, maybe a generation removed from the tape source used for the France pressing, but still extremely nice sounding and a fun listen.

I love the artwork on the Mexican cover and especially love the Musart yellow sticker attached to the back of the jacket. I also have to say that the cover for this Lp is also one of the sturdiest covers I’ve seen on any Beatles Lp – very thick cardboard and very durable.

Both albums have that nice analog warmth and are probably cut from tube equipment which some folks may find duller sounding but I think sounds just great. For some reason some pressings of “A Hard Day’s Night” sound very thin with a bit too much treble but I found both of these to sound just right.

As usual I’ve put up a gallery of photos of both albums (above) as you rarely see these albums posted online and usually never with the labels and inner sleeves which are fun to peruse.

Enjoy this trip around the world with “A Hard Day’s Night” and future posts will highlight other Beatles albums I own from around the globe.

TTFN until the next time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well his name is Billy Shears and it certainly has been for so many years.

Do you know who I’m talking about?

Ringo. Ringo Starr. Drummer for The Beatles?

It’s hard to imagine now but in 1973/74 Ringo Starr was not only known for being one fourth of The Beatles, he was also a virtual hit-making machine with a steady stream of radio friendly hits filling the airwaves.

In the first few years after The Beatles broke up, Ringo had one of the best hit-making averages of all the ex-Beatles, just behind Paul McCartney. Nowadays Starr tends to be forgotten as a hit-maker in his own right but in the early 1970’s he was huge!

“It’s Don’t Come Easy” and “Back Off Boogaloo” landed in the Top Ten in 1971 and 1972 respectively and then the dam really began to break in 1973 with the release of Starr’s acclaimed “Ringo” album which produced another three Top Ten hits.

By the end of 1974, Ringo had amassed seven Top Ten hits singles as well as two smash hit albums – 1973’s “Ringo” album and 1974’s “Goodnight Vienna”.

Those two albums (“Ringo” and “Goodnight Vienna”) are considered by many to be the artistic peak of Starr’s entire solo musical career and held up to this day as the yardstick to which his work is measured.

(Note: in my opinion Ringo’s later career albums from 1992 to today have produced work equal to these albums but these two are certainly among his best).

The “Ringo” album was Starr’s first true rock album (his first two solo albums featured standards and country tunes) and also featured a slew of famous musicians helping Ringo out.

Of course it didn’t hurt that the “Ringo” album also happened to be the closet thing the four ex-Beatles came to making a reunion album.

All four Beatles played and wrote songs for the “Ringo” album including one track, the Lennon-penned “I’m the Greatest”, that featured all the ex-Beatles (minus McCartney) playing together in the studio at the same time.

Produced by Richard Perry, the “Ringo” album is chock full of great tunes and terrific performances including two number one singles ,”You’re Sixteen” and “Photograph”, as well as the Top Ten smash'”Oh My My”.

1974’s “Goodnight Vienna” followed the same formula as the “Ringo” album (produced by Perry with ex-Beatles and famous friends helping out in the studio) and while successful didn’t quite reach the heights of its predecessor though still producing two more Top Ten hits “Only You (And You Alone)” and “No No Song”.

Now all these years later in 2018 these two stellar Ringo albums have been reissued on sparkling new 180-gram vinyl pressings.

Pressed in France, these two reissues came out last Friday (February 9th) and not only sound amazing but have some of the best reproductions of covers and labels I’ve ever seen on solo Beatles releases.

Both albums have bright, clear covers with nice color reproduction and every detail correct down to the nice booklet that came with the “Ringo” album and the specialty labels for each album looking as good if not better than original pressings.

(Note 2: the booklet in the “Ringo” album is printed on glossy paper stock not textured like originals but still looks terrific).

And the vinyl sounds superb – nice and quiet pressings and lovely sound. I’ll have to drag out my original pressings to compare but I doubt the originals sound dramatically better as these discs sound great to my ears.

It’s nice to see these two albums treated so respectfully and well worth tracking down if you’re a fan of Ringo’s work and are looking for stellar vinyl copies to play and enjoy.

As usual I took several photos (above) of both albums. Take a look and see how nice these reissues turned out.

Other Ringo Starr albums have been reissued on vinyl recently but these two reissues are head and shoulders above the others not to mention being better albums as well.

Until next time – Goodnight Vienna!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I’ve mentioned before, this blog is sort of an overview of my life as seen though the music I’ve collected and listened to over the years. Some of the records and the music they contain forever link me to a certain time and place and feeling.

For this post, I’m going to roll back time say about forty years or so to a time and a place in Midwest America circa 1978.

The year began with a terrible blizzard that crippled where I lived for about three weeks and also allowed me to be school free for that same amount of time.

The Bee Gees and disco were all the rage on radio, shows like “Happy Days” and “Laverne and Shirley” were huge hits on television and with my friends, “Grease” and “Superman” were tops at the movie box office and squeezed in among all of these things was the release of the sixth studio album by Wings called “London Town”.

I’ve had a soft spot for the “London Town” album since I began to spin the first vinyl copy I owned that came from a Kmart store shortly after the album was released.

Kmart was the store of choice for buying music for me in those days. Actually I had no choice, I couldn’t drive yet and my mother went there frequently.

Now the year 1978 was also a year filled with turmoil and uncertainty. My father had open heart surgery that year and unfortunately ended up passing away in January of 1979.

Music, as always for me, was a refuge from the outside world. More so that year than usual.

I was already quite familiar with the number one smash from the “London Town” album called “With a Little Luck” so I anxiously waited until I finally got a copy of the full album to examine and play.

I remember taking the inner sleeve out of the cover for “London Town” and pouring over the lyrics of the songs as they played.

McCartney albums in the 1970s tended to be filled with characters that were ordinary yet quite odd and eccentric at the same time and the “London Town” album was no exception.

Images of purple afternoons, silver rain, Cafes in Paris, traveling back in time and even the mysterious and urgent Morse Moose and the Grey Goose danced through my head as I escaped into the mist of foggy London and beyond.

It was a long album – over 48 minutes long – so I felt that it gave me time to take some sort of exotic journey through Great Britain and Europe as I listened.

I’ve always loved the folk influenced vibe of this album and the soft rock approach that McCartney applied to this collection of songs.

While some critics took swipes at McCartney for not rocking hard enough and making the album too long, for me the languid feel of the album as a whole fit the rainy London vibe of the front cover and title track to perfection.

Whenever I need to go back to that feeling of getting lost in the fog and escaping from the stresses of life, I pull the “London Town” album from the shelf and descend into the mists of time.

McCartney has approached most of his songwriting in third person, much like an author creating characters while writing a novel. You get the emotion but it’s not direct, you have to see through the eyes of the characters to piece together what’s in McCartney’s head.

As a writer myself I enjoy that aspect of his work, others don’t.

Unlike John Lennon who wrote mainly in first person and more direct emotionally, McCartney is more of a chameleon and not as easy to decipher. He creates characters to distance himself from what he’s saying but if you study his work you can see bits of his personality emerge in his songs.

I think critics, especially in the 1970s, wanted more of that direct emotion as it was more fashionable but over time I find McCartney’s music more fascinating because his work from The Beatles to now is like one gigantic novel filled with exotic characters and places and fun to explore over and over again.

And of course since 1978 I’ve acquired quite a few different versions of the “London Town” album on both vinyl and CD.

In this blog post I’ve included pictures of all the different versions I own (see above) as well as the actual People Magazine review of the album that I clipped from a copy of the magazine in the hospital waiting room where my dad was staying (I know, I know, seriously? Yes. I was twelve years old and already a pack rat, what can I say?!!)

I must say the vinyl albums above, despite their long length, sound pretty good. The CD versions are more of a mixed bag.

The original UK CD version sounds best and sounds very good. The first US version that was released sounded a bit more muted thanks to noise reduction techniques being applied. The first US CD isn’t terrible just a bit more lifeless.

The first US CD also contained a booklet that was blank inside. It was shortly fixed but I have the first issue that was blank.

I also own a later US CD issue that reverts back to the UK artwork inside and out as well as the label. The first US CD has different artwork for the inserts and label.

I also swear that this later US CD pressing sounds identical to the UK version but it may be my mind playing tricks on me. I played it the other day and I thought it sounded pretty darn good.

There are several of McCartney’s solo albums that have different artwork between first and later US issues and I will highlight some of them in future posts.

There’s are also a McCartney Collection CD issue of “London Town” (from 1993) that is a bit muffled sounding due to noise reduction but again isn’t horrible. The first UK CD issue is better and the 1999 Japanese Mini-CD issue I’ve posted photos of above shares the same mastering as the McCartney Collection CD.

Well, there you have it! A journey into my past and my “London Town” collection.

Until next time, I’ll leave you with some lyrics from “Backwards Traveller” from the “London Town” album that sum things up pretty well:

“Hey, did you know that I’m
Always going back in time
Rhyming slang, auld lang syne my dears
Through the years
I am the backwards traveller
Ancient wool unraveller
Sailing songs, wailing on the moon”  – written by Paul McCartney and recorded by Wings 1978

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“And when my life is over
Remember when we were together
We were alone and I was singing this song for you” – “A Song for You” written by Leon Russell and performed by The Carpenters

Has it really been 35 years since Karen Carpenter passed away?

Wow, I feel old.

On February 4, 1983, when Karen Carpenter died I remember grabbing a copy of their “Yesterday Once More” 2 Lp set from the UK and playing it several times in sadness that day.

I was a junior in high school and The Carpenters were pretty much seen as white-bread and dated music and very uncool. Of course that didn’t deter me one bit, I’ve pretty much liked what I liked other people be damned and that included loving The Carpenters!

Actually, one of my first musical memories involved The Carpenters.

When I was six years old (1972) I used to play the 45 of The Carpenters’ hit song “Hurting Each Other” over and over on a small children’s style portable record player my family owned just staring at the picture sleeve as the record played.

(Note: I spent a lot of time as a child listening to records in case you hadn’t noticed!)

Seems funny now for a six year old to love that song but something about her voice and that song attracted me even at that young age. I think I’ve always related to melancholy music so naturally I became a fan of The Carpenters and Karen Carpenter’s voice especially.

There’s just something unique and smooth as silk about Karen Carpenter’s delivery. She communicated sadness and vulnerability with each and every breath. Now of course we know why (the story of her battle with anorexia is now well known).

It’s hard to believe she was just in her twenties when she recorded the bulk of The Carpenter’s classic hits.

And what classic hits they are: “Rainy Days and Mondays”, “We’ve Only Just Begun”, “(They Long to Be) Close to You”, “Yesterday Once More”, “Goodbye to Love” and “Sing” just to name a few.

I thought a celebration of Karen Carpenter’s life and music was in order so today I’m sharing some of my favorite Carpenters CDs and vinyl that I own. (A few of them are kind of rare and you don’t see photos of them much so see photos of them above here as usual.)

The Carpenter’s original vinyl albums are fairly easy to find in used bins here in the States and for little money so luckily if you’re a new fan you can track down their music pretty effortlessly.

This past year or two for example I’ve found minty vinyl copies of “Close to You” and “A Song for You” both still in their shrink wrap with their very attractive (to me anyway) hype stickers still on them.

There are also a couple of nifty Carpenters CD sets I own that are highlighted on this blog post which are also somewhat difficult to locate nowadays.

The first one is the Japanese 2 CD set called “Live in Japan” (appropriately enough). It was only made for the Japanese market as Richard Carpenter apparently isn’t a fan of live Carpenters recordings thus no complete concert CDs are available in the states.

It s a lovely concert and Karen and Richard were slavish about recreating their studio recordings live so it sounds really nice. It may be a tad bit less spontaneous sounding then one would hope from a live concert but a very nice listen nonetheless.

There are also three other interesting box sets highlighted here and two of the are on the rare side and expensive side as well.

The first one is a PBS exclusive 3 CD set entitled “The Carpenters – The Complete Singles”. This set collects all the 45 single mixes The Carpenters released over the years and is the only official set (beyond an expensive Japanese CD single box set) that contains the true 45 mixes and edits of their music.

The rub is that it’s only available to be purchased by making a donation to PBS stations around the U.S. during their frequent pledge drives and is quite expensive as you have to donate usually around $125 to get the set. I’m a PBS supporter anyway so this was a no-brainer for me but it is expensive though a quite lovely sounding set.

The second rare set is a complete collection of all The Carpenters albums that was released in the UK in 1990 called “The Carpenters Compact Disc Collection”. It has 12 CDs and contains all their studio albums plus the “Lovelines” collection from 1989.

I own the smaller version that fits in your hand. I guess there was a larger format one available as well.

(Note 2: I also read that supposedly the CD of “A Song for You” in this set is a clone of the MFSL CD – for the collectors out there)

The last CD set pictured is the second 4 CD box set overview of The Carpenters musical career compiled by Richard Carpenter called “The Essential Collection (1967-1997)”.

It’s a terrific set and has a much nicer track selection that the first Carpenters box set he released called “From the Top”. Unfortunately “The Essential Collection (1967-1997) is now out of print and is on the expensive side but its a great sounding collection and can probably be found fairly easily.

The last CD featured in this post is the West Germany early pressing of The Carpenter’s “A Song for You” album. This early pressing CD version contains the original mixes (like on the vinyl version) which were later substituted for remixes on later releases of this album on CD.

So, there you have a brief glimpse into some Carpenters goodies that I own on the eve of the 35th anniversary of Karen Carpenter’s death.

I hope Karen and Richard’s music will live on for years to come and that 35 years from now she will still be celebrated as the vocal treasure she was in life.

Until my next blog, be well and have a happy February (hopefully with little snow and cold!)