Weekend Antique Store Scores: Monkees “HEAD” RE, “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees” UK Mono and Two CD Bin Displays (Lennon & McCartney)

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As 2024 comes to a close, I must say this past year may go down as one of the luckiest years in recent memory for me at least for antique store finds.

Just this past weekend in fact, I may end the year with some of my most surprising finds from a little dingy out of the way antique store that was open for the last day before it was being moved to another location next year.

Yesterday I was making my usual trek through some antique locations that I drop in on from time to time and happened upon a sign saying store closing -deals inside. Now this particular antique store was one I usually passed by as I never really find much there but with a fifty percent off sign staring me in the face I thought “sure, why not”.

I’m glad I did.

I actually hadn’t been inside this store for quite a while so I thought maybe they may have something worthwhile this time and to my surprise they sure did!

Most of the booths were in the process of being packed away and dismantled but toward the back there was one booth full of music posters with CDs as well as vinyl so I naturally took a look through the bins to see what they had.

The first lucky find was spotted by a friend who was with me. She said they have a couple of photos of John Lennon and Paul McCartney on a shelf and was I interested in looking at them.

I said that I really wasn’t interested in photos as I made my way through the vinyl but she handed me a small cardboard cutout with the art work from John Lennon’s “Shaved Fish” album and that got my attention.

“What the?” I thought to my self as I stared at what looked like a very thin longbox for the CD of “Shaved Fish”. In fact it indeed was the same artwork from the late eighties CD issue longbox of Lennon’s first solo greatest hits album but was flat as a pancake.

The sticker on the rear of the item said CD bin display and was marked $9.99. Just as I looked up I noticed a couple of shelves up a similar cardboard display but this one was for the Paul McCartney and Wings album “London Town”.

I own this particular longbox and it is indeed the exact same artwork but flat and not in box form.

Since they were fifty percent off I thought it was interesting enough for sure to buy them. For the life of me I don’t remember ever seeing many, if any, solo Beatles CD bin displays or holders so this was a cool find. At least it made the trip worthwhile.

Just as I was about to leave I noticed one more crate of records and this one had a Lovin’ Spoonful album in front so I was excited as it was the right era as I am all about the 1960s.

As I made it to the middle of the crate I could see the shiny reflection of what looked the like the cover of The Monkees 1968 album “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees”. My heart stopped for a moment as I secretly hope it was a foreign pressing of this album and maybe just maybe a true mono copy from Australia or something.

(Note: copies of Monkees albums from overseas are sometimes laminated on the front especially copies manufactured in the UK and other countries)

Well I was almost correct, it was indeed a mono copy of this album but it was a mono copy from the UK. My heart sank a little. It was really cool to find a UK copy of any Monkees record in an obscure antique store but this particular album was not a true mono copy.

(Note 2: mono copies of the US pressing of “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees” are super hard to find and very valuable. In fact I’ve never seen one in person. The mono mix of this album is very different from the common stereo pressing and is very desired by collectors.

Some other foreign countries released this true mono mix including Mexico and Puerto Rico but the UK copy is just the stereo mix folded down to mono thus does not include the groovy rare true mono mixes that make this mono album desirable)

Again since this too was marked $9.99 and fifty percent off of that I thought I’d buy it as I may never see another copy and certainly not this cheap. The matrix on this copy ended in 1K so it must be a first UK pressing though honestly I’m not sure how well it sold in the UK as it wasn’t a big hit there so it might not have had a second pressing.

I also have to say that while this isn’t a true mono mix of the album I thought it sounded pretty darn good and I swear that even though it’s a fold down the Mike Nesmith tracks especially have enough of a difference to make it interesting as the fold down process highlights different sounds making them sound like slightly different mixes.

The absolute true score of the day though was the album right behind it.

As I lifted out the UK mono “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees” I saw another 1968 Monkees album; a dirt covered Colgems pressing of the soundtrack to their only film called “Head”.

I have a couple of copies of the original Colgems “Head” album so I wasn’t that intrigued until I flipped this particular copy over.

In the upper right corner of the back cover I saw the letters “RE”. For those of you who don’t know RE on Colgems albums means reissue and this dirty copy of “Head” is the very difficult to find second pressing of the album that corrected the spelling of Gerry Goffin on the lower right hand corner of the album (see photos above).

This is only the second copy of this RE pressing I’ve ever seen and I own the other copy. I did a previous blog post about that copy but after cleaning up the cover (the dirt wiped right off as the cover of this album is made of mylar which is a shiny material and wipes easily without any damage to the cover) of this copy it’s actually in better shape than my other copy which had been taped over with cellophane as the side cover had split.

(Note 3: why oh why is it that the two covers that I have found of this RE version are worn while I have seen several VG+ copies of the regular first issue Colgems pressing. Go figure.)

Since this one had a fairly dirty cover and record it was marked $5.99 so at half off this was a complete steal especially since it cleaned up so well.

Anyway this copy sounded fantastic after a good cleaning and had matrixes that ended with 6S on side one and 10S on side two – much higher than I thought they would be as this album wasn’t a big seller for The Monkees like the five albums that precede it.

Well there you have it. I end the year on a collecting high note.

As usual you can see the photos above and see how nice this copy of “Head” ended up as well as the others.

Until next time be well and if I don’t post before the new year have a great Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2025.

See you soon!

“Meet the Beatles” … Again – 60th Anniversary Vinyl Reissues of The Beatles 1964 U.S. Albums

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Sixty-one years ago today on November 22, 1963 The Beatles released their second album in the UK called “With the Beatles”.

That day of course may be better remembered to history as the day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas but still nonetheless for Beatles fans it was a day of celebration, at least in the United Kingdom.

As for US fans, many of the songs from the “With the Beatles” weren’t released in the States until January 1964 when The Beatles American record label Capitol Records issued the album “Meet the Beatles” setting off a cultural explosion that still reverberates to this day over sixty years later.

Today I am, along with Capitol Records, celebrating the January 1964 release of “Meet the Beatles” with a brand spanking new vinyl reissue of the mono version of that Capitol album that’s been released today in honor of The Beatles taking America by storm in 1964.

Also being reissued today are mono versions of “The Beatles’ Second Album”, “A Hard Day’s Night” (UA Soundtrack), “Something New”, “Beatles ‘65” and “The Early Beatles”. There’s also a limited edition box set being issued called “The Beatles: 1964 Albums in Mono” that collects all of the above albums and throws in an exclusive reissue of the 1964 double vinyl album called “The Beatles Story”.

(Note: all of these albums except “The Early Beatles” were first issued in the States in 1964. “The Early Beatles” was issued by Capitol Records in 1965 but contains songs that were issued on the 1964 Vee Jay album “Introducing the Beatles” but I’m guessing Capitol Records didn’t have the rights to issue the artwork and label for that album so they chose to reissue “The Early Beatles” instead to fill its place for the 1964 US Beatles albums)

This time I didn’t splurge for the expensive box set and have only acquired the Target exclusive blue vinyl issue of “Meet the Beatles” … so far. But I have to say this new blue vinyl version from Target sure is purdy.

The cover is also well done with sturdy card stock that has a glossy finish. There’s also a nice card stock replica of the original Capitol inner sleeve as well as a terrific small booklet that features excellent notes and photos supplied by author Bruce Spizer.

As for the sound, this newly remastered mono album sounds really nice. In fact the album practically explodes from the speakers from the first few beats of “I Want to Hold Your Hand”. There’s definitely a lot more bass than the original mono pressings from 1964 and there’s a nice clarity and punch especially to the two songs in true mono.

Most of the mixes on this mono version are fold-downs from the stereo mix meaning they weren’t dedicated mono mixes but the combination of the left and right channels mixed down from the stereo. They still pack quite a punch and the vocals are nice and clear as well.

I think the original 1964 mono pressings sound more lifeless than this particular version. You don’t notice the deficit in the folded down mixes as much on this version because the bass is much nicer. The couple of dedicated mono mixes (“I Want to Hold Your Hand”, “This Boy”) here still pack a bit more punch than the fold-downs but overall this is a much better listening experience of this mono Capitol album than the original pressing.

I think I will definitely add the new versions of “Something New” and “Beatles ’65” or maybe “A Hard Day’s Night” as those all contain true mono mixes and should sound great. You can still tell the fold-down mono mixes aren’t quite as full of life as the true mono mixes but they are improved sound wise for sure.

I do have to say this particular blue vinyl pressing is very impressive and very quiet and clean and sounds terrific; what more could you ask for?

(Note 2: the Capitol rainbow label on this new issue is the first label “Meet the Beatles” was released with without BMI or ASCAP – nice touch courtesy of Mr. Spizer)

Of course if you’re hoping for the same dynamics as the true UK mono mix of the “With the Beatles” songs that are on this album well they aren’t the same. The Capitol mixes were designed to be heard loud and clear over old portable record players and this new mastering definitely improves that sound and is actually a really nice listen.

If you want to listen to the mono Capitol 1964 albums, these are the way to go for sure.

Time will tell if I add a few more of these new pressings, and I’m guessing that I probably will, but until that time I have to say this is really a great way to celebrate the 60th anniversary of The Beatles arriving in America.

Also next week a new documentary will be premiering on Disney+ called “Beatles ’64” which is a perfect tie-in for these albums and also the perfect way to experience what it was like first hand to view Beatlemania in the US in 1964.

That’s all for now and as usual you can see photos of this groovy new blue vinyl version above.

More to follow if I purchase any of the other 1964  albums that were reissued today – who am I kidding lol, I will.

Take care and be well and see you soon.

Be Here Now – “Living in the Material World” by George Harrison Gets New Life with Remixed 50th Anniversary Editions

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Well here we are, yet another 50th anniversary of a beloved record from my past.

(Note: It’s technically the 51st anniversary but I won’t quibble)

Yesterday, several brand new 50th Anniversary editions of George Harrison’s 1973 “Living in the Material World” album were issued on both vinyl and CD formats and of course I have a couple of them to share with you: the 2 CD set which features a nice poster, booklet as well as a second disc of outtakes and the orange vinyl version of the single album that is a Barnes & Noble exclusive.

(Note 2: There’s also a deluxe set that includes CDs, vinyl, Blu-Ray and a hardback book as well another vinyl version available separately that includes a double vinyl version of the album with the outtakes on a second vinyl disc.)

My history of this album dates back to 1977 when I purchased the album on vinyl at a local record store called Karma Records. I remember it well as the guy at the register looked at the album as I brought it up to pay for it and said that this album wasn’t as good as Harrison’s first album and then he proceeded to take me to a copy of the “All Thing Must Pass” 3 Lp set.

Of course the eleven year-old me only had enough money to pay for the single album of “Living in the Material World” and besides I was so attracted to the front cover which I thought looked like some sort of pirate hand outstretched from the great beyond that my mind was set on (sorry for the pun) getting this particular record.

My oldest brother who was buying “The Stranger” album by Billy Joel came up behind me and said to the clerk that I wanted the album that I brought to the counter so off I went with my first copy of “Living in the Material World”.

I have always enjoyed this record and even way back in 1977 I thought the musical textures of the songs on the album were very rich and I was then, and still am, a huge fan of the album especially the songs “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)”, “Don’t Let Me Wait Too Long”, “Try Some, Buy Some”, the title track “Living in the Material World” and most especially “Be Here Now” which is my favorite song on the album.

Since that time of course I have purchased multiple copies of this album, mainly various CD issues, and each time I have enjoyed it more and more and as time goes by it stands up as one of my all-time favorite solo albums by George Harrison.

I will say the thing about many of the most recent CD and vinyl reissues of the album, and the original vinyl album as well, is that the sound of the album is a bit murky in spots.

That may be a hallmark of Harrison working with Phil Spector but nevertheless while I enjoy the songs on the album I have always wanted a bit more clarity in the mix to help make the album sound a little less congested.

With this new 2024 remix I think Dhani Harrison, George Harrison’s son, along with Paul Hicks who are responsible for this new remix have done an admirable job of making the album sound less congested and they’ve also boosted Harrison’s vocals up more in the mix this time out.

I’ve read online that some people don’t like Harrison’s vocals this much up front as they think it exposes his weaknesses as a singer but for me I think it works fairly well. While not being known as quite the vocalist that Lennon or McCartney were George Harrison still has a way with his vocals in that the emotion always filters its way to the top even if he isn’t quite as smooth at times as he fellow Beatles in his delivery.

My only real criticism of this new 2024 remix is that it’s mixed a tad bit too loud for my tastes but it’s not horrible. In fact I think the vinyl version as usual sounds a bit more dynamic than the CD but at lower volumes the CD sounds good as well. If you play the CD loud though the bass tends to overwhelm the mix making it somewhat congested sounding as the original mix which is a shame.

The outtakes on the second disc of the 2 CD set however have really nice dynamics and aren’t as punched up sounding as the regular album. I would have preferred that the main album remix was mastered this way but overall I think it’s a nice mix and one I will return to when I’m in the mood for this album.

I also have to say my pressing of the orange vinyl was perfect, no distortion, no ticks and played perfectly all the way through and didn’t really need a major cleaning.

The loudness of most current remixes these days of older albums makes the vinyl versions well worth seeking out if they’re available as most of the time they sound more dynamic allowing you to enjoy the remix more than the CD counterpart.

(Note 3: Why oh why don’t they save the loudness for streaming and let the CD and vinyl issues have the best dynamics. I’m sure it’s mostly an older crowd buying these formats so why not make them sound as good as possible – rant over.)

And I must say I really enjoyed the alternate takes of the songs on this album from the 2 CD set as they are more stripped down then the original 1973 versions which really benefits some songs on the album such as “Sue Me, Sue You Blues”, “The Lord Loves the One (That Loves the Lord)” and “Try Some Buy Some” for instance.

The only other nitpicky thing which I think is kind of crazy is that on the deluxe set with the vinyl, CDs and Blu-ray there’s a bonus track on CD 2 as well as a 7-in single – “Sunshine Life for Me (Sail Away Raymond)” . That bonus track could easily have fit on CD 2 of the regular issue. You can stream it and download it but I think that’s really short-sighted not to include that track on all versions. Just my opinion.

As for the groovy orange vinyl Barnes & Noble version that I bought if you’re interested in it it seems like they didn’t press a lot of them. In fact at the Barnes & Noble store I bought it from they only had one copy sent to them and it wasn’t even unpacked when I went to the store to inquire about it.

If you’re a diehard fan of The Beatles or George Harrison this new remix is well worth it in my opinion. Of course to me these remixes aren’t better then the originals just a different way of listening to a particular album. If you don’t want a physical copy check it out online and give it a sample.

I can see the resistance to remixing older recordings but with the lovely outtakes and the nice liner notes it really does give a new way of appreciating older recordings like “Living in the Material World” album and if you can afford it and are a fan of physical media then you should seek a copy out.

As usual you can take a gander at the two different versions of the new “Living in the Material World” that I bought above and below.

Well that’s all for now.

Until next time be healthy and well and see you soon!

Sealed for Your Protection? – Beatles Cassettes Are New Again, Even in the 21st Century

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They say that everything old is new again and I guess in the current musical landscape that includes the evergreen format of the cassette tape.

You heard right, cassette tape.

Who would have thought that in the 2020’s they’d be a market for cassette tapes but apparently that’s the case. It seems that cassette tapes are a hit with a younger crowd and I do continue to see them in used record stores and antique malls more and more recently so someone must be buying them.

Interesting really.

And to top it off this new enthusiasm for cassettes includes Beatles and solo Beatles cassette tapes – now we’re talking my language.

As for me, back in the day in the 1980s, I LOVED the cassette format. I enjoyed making mix tapes as well as tapes of my rarer records that I didn’t want to play that much. I had a ton of Maxell quality blank cassettes that I filled with various vinyl as well as practically every episode of the radio show “The Lost Lennon Tapes” from the late 1980s/early nineties and to this day those cassettes still sound pretty good.

As for store bought cassette tapes those we more hit or miss for me. Some sounded good while others sounded muffled and lousy. I never really bought that many but I still managed to snag a few here and there.

On a decent cassette player these tapes could sound pretty good as long as you never over used the Dolby settings. I found a little hiss was preferable to the blanket sound of using the Dolby settings so I generally stayed away from it.

Now of course these days cassettes are just a curio for me. I still have quite a few sealed cassettes from the eighties and nineties, a relic of an older age, and that’s the way I left it – until recently.

A couple of years ago Paul McCartney started to produce limited cassette releases  of his recent material and of course the collector in me won out and I bought a couple. I still have a really nice high end cassette player from the late 1980s so in the back of my mind I thought why not give them a try and play them; of course low these several months later they sit unopened.

The most recent cassette to cross my path was last years release of The Beatles final single “Now and Then”.  Again it was more a collector fever that hit me than a true need for the format but there you go  another unopened cassette in my collection.

My favorite recent cassette, and the first new cassette I’d bought in a couple of decades, was the cool cassette for Record Store Day 2017 that Paul McCartney issued of three cassette demos he wrote and performed with Elvis Costello – “I Don’t Want to Confess”, “Shallow Grave” and “Mistress and Maid” – recorded in the “Flowers in the Dirt” era from the late 1980s.

I just love McCartney’s handwritten titles on the cover and the whole vibe of one of his cassette demos issued in the format it was recorded on. Someday I plan to actually play the darn thing but for now it will stay sealed in pristine condition until I get the time to really have a good listen.

Speaking of sealed cassettes, I have a small collection of sealed cassettes that for one reason or another I never opened to play. To tell you the truth I’m guessing I picked these up cheap as mementos of a bygone era as I have these on CD so I’m sure I never intended to listen to them, I honestly can’t remember.

Too much tape under the bridge.

I was actually surprised when I found them in a box and had a lot of fun looking at them as they were a surprise to me that I even owned them! It’s like looking at your own store and being surprised what was on the shelf.

Anyway since I found them I thought it would make a nice blog post for folks to take a gander at some of these groovy old (and new) Beatles/solo Beatles sealed cassettes (see photos above and below).

That’s all for now. More coming soon.

Until next time be healthy and well and I hope you’re making time to listen to an old cassette if you happen to have one. And if you do let me know how it sounds, I’d be curious to know.

Double Vision: The Monkees “Headquarters” Then & Now

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It’s weird how lately I’ve been finding a lot of old vinyl still in the shrink wrap. I’m talking albums way over fifty years old and albums that I usually find pretty trashed or possibly in decent shape but rarely in brand new condition.

This past weekend I stumbled upon another one of those unexpected album finds; a Monkees two-fer actually and low and behold one of them was still in the shrink wrap!

As usual on a vacation I happened upon some new antique malls and at my first stop I noticed a stash of records from the 1960’s – my favorite kind of vinyl.

After a slog through three bins or so I came upon a minty, still in the shrink wrap copy of The Monkees 1967 album “Headquarters”. Now I needed another copy of this album like I need a hole in the head but I’ve never found another copy of this album in this good of condition.

The cover is sparkly white with near perfect shrink wrap and the album itself looks as if it was played maybe once or twice with no noticeable marks near the spindle hole on either side (thank you previous owner).

I noticed the matrix number was pretty high, 12S on both sides, so I was kind of surprised it wasn’t one of the later RE copies with the picture of The Monkees with beards. I own two beards copies and both of them had much lower matrix numbers like 4S and 6S – strange.

(Note: RE pressings are RCA records – distributor of Colgems Records – way of indicating it’s a reissue that’s made some sort of correction. The original pressing of “Headquarters” has a mistake in the caption on a photo on the rear of the cover that was replaced on a later pressing with a picture of The Monkees wearing beards. It’s often called the beards cover and is much rarer than the original pressing.

Also the higher the number on the matrix the more times this record has been taken from the master tape for pressing.)

Anyway, I looked on Discogs and it said this particular label style (see photos above) was pressed by MGM Records for Colgems and it also mentioned the 12S matrix so it must be a later pressing right before they made the RE copies.

And of course the price was right – $10 – so I bought it.

If that wasn’t enough later that day I found a record store that had the black vinyl version of the latest reissue of “Headquarters” in stock.

(Note 2: in August I reviewed the multi-color pressing of this reissue only available online through Rhino.com. This black vinyl version just came out and is the retail version of the album and not exclusive)

I hadn’t planned on buying this version but seeing it in person was another story as usual. This retail black final version of the album has a much thinner cover and it also has a barcode on the back of the album cover unlike the issue that came from Rhino.com.

The thinner cover is actually a bonus as it’s much much easier to get the records in and out of the sleeve and that’s one of the drawbacks of the online version, the cover is so rigid that it’s nearly impossible to get the records in and out of the sleeve.

Of course the record sounds identical to the colored vinyl version (and they do sound fantastic) so I’m going to use this as a listening copy and keep the colored vinyl version as a collectible.

So overall I was quite pleased to add these two new versions of this album to my collection. It’s always exciting to find an original pressing of any Monkees album in near mint condition and since this is my favorite Monkees album that’s even better.

That’s all for now just a quick Monkees/ vinyl update.

As usual see the photos above and below and until next time be healthy and well and see you soon.

Beatles Capitol Album Finds: Record Clubs, In Shrink, Cut-Outs and a C1-90444

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Sometimes persistence pays off.

For the last three months I’ve been going to two of my favorite antique malls and scoping out their records.

As luck would have it both places have been dribbling out fantastic copies of some Beatles Capitol albums that have had the vinyl itself in spectacular quality (all of these pressings play and look like new) and amazingly three of the covers where still in the shrink wrap.

Now in the midst of me finding these lovely Capitol pressings the announcement came out that the 1964 Beatles Capitol albums are being reissued on vinyl this upcoming November in updated and supposedly improved sound.

Anyone that knows the Capitol albums may know that sound quality isn’t at the top of the list for these albums as they are very different sounding than their UK counterparts. They sometimes have added reverb and fake stereo that make them a very different and to many lesser sound quality then the British albums.

The upcoming Capitol albums releases are only being issued in mono, thus avoiding the fake stereo problem, but they do include a lot of fold down mixes (stereo mixes folded down to mono thus not true mono mixes) which in itself is a bit of an issue.

However, these albums overall have an exciting energy and are a time capsule of the 1964 American Beatles experience and are valuable additions to any Beatles collection and well worth owning.

And of course I would happen to find these particular 1964 Beatles Capitol albums just before they announced the reissues but since they all sound superbly quiet and are the best examples I’ve ever found of original Capitol albums I’m a happy camper.

The fact that I spent a whopping $65 for all six of these discs doesn’t hurt either!

(Note: these were incredible deals as the six new mono reissues that are coming out in November cost roughly $30 a piece)

Today I thought I’d share these finds as there are fantastic quality Beatles albums still out there but you have to look far and wide and especially search out of the way places as they sometimes price discs very reasonably.

The six discs I got are:

Meet the Beatles! – Stereo Capitol Record Club, Rainbow Logines pressing

The Beatles’ Second Album – Stereo Capitol Record Club, Rainbow Logines pressing

Revolver – Stereo pressing Capitol Record Club, Lime Green Logines pressing (in shrink)

Meet the Beatles! – Original Capitol Mono pressing (bought in 1968 as a cut-out, see mark in right top corner and still in shrink)

The Beatles’ Second Album – Original Capitol Mono pressing (bought in 1968 as a cut-out, see mark in right top corner and still in shrink)

The Beatles’ Second Album – 1988 C1-90444 stereo pressing, the last analogue pressing of this album and the best sounding vinyl version of this album currently available

I found the two mono copies in the shrink a couple of months ago at an antique mall close to where I live. This particular mall usually has good prices and these two were no exception. Priced at $9.99 a piece they were a steal and are the best looking and sounding issues of these albums I’ve ever found.

It’s also interesting that they both have a drill hole in the upper right hand corner. I’m guessing these were purchased in late 1967/early 1968 when mono albums were being phased out. I’ve heard that a lot of mono issues made it to the discount/cut-out bins as stereo was now king and they needed to off load the mono stock so this may be the case with these.

Of course the seller was no where to be found so I have no idea but that would be my guess.

The three stereo Record Club discs I found were all from the same antique mall about an hour and a half from me. Over the last three months I’ve gone up there and each trip I’ve brought back a lovely record club issue and all were around $10 as well.

(Note 2: the Capitol record club issues of The Beatles albums sold in much less quantities then the regular store copies and are way rarer and hard to find. The Capitol rainbow pressings are the rarest as they were only made for about a year or so before being replaced with the lime green label versions)

Again, the seller was no where to be found as it’s just a booth in an antique mall but I find it interesting that he was selling these record club issues way cheaper then regular Capitol pressings he had for sale and those were in markedly worse condition then these record club issues.

Did he think the record club issues weren’t as good? I have never seen any record club issues in the last few years in person, online they sell for way more then $10 I’ll tell you that, so I was surprised to continually find these for sale at this mall.

I may go back in a month or so and see if anymore pop up but these three discs all sound superb. The covers on two of them are a bit worn but all these discs look and sound as good as you can possibly expect and were all some of the best finds I’ve ever had for Beatles albums.

The last find also came from this week as a different antique mall across the street from the mall I found the record club issues had a lovely 1988 stereo pressing of The Beatles’ Second Album again in stellar condition.

This particular pressing is the last time this 1964 Capitol stereo pressing was made and it is by far the best sounding issue of this album as it sounds as good as it’s going to get with a truly wonderful pressing that’s completely silent.

The Beatles Capitol albums that came out with the C1 catalog numbers form 1988 are the way to go sound wise for these discs if you can find them. And for the cost of $15 to me this disc was a bargain as these issues can sometimes be salty if you can find them.

So as usual I am contemplating buying some of the new Capitol 1964 mono copies in November but may only buy a couple of them to see how they sound as I pretty much have excellent copies of both the mono and stereo Capitol Beatles albums now.

(Note 3: famous last words, I’ll probably cave and if I do I will post my thoughts here).

Well that’s all for now.

I thought I’d post my Capitol Beatles finds in anticipation of the newer reissues that come out in November.

I have to say I am lucky that I have a few antique malls and a couple of hole in the wall record stores within driving distance that always under price their records.

At least in 2024 I’ve had good luck and my suggestion is if you have the time find some out of the way antique malls as usually I have better luck with obscure records as most dealers are unaware of rarities like the record club issues and tend to price them reasonably.

As usual there are plenty of photos above and below of these gems so feel free to take a look.

Until next time be well and see you soon!

“Cuartel General” and “Piscis, Acuario, Capricornio Y Jones, S.A.”- Surprising Monkees Import Finds To Usher in Fall

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This week has been interesting. I’ve been on vacation so I’ve had some time to explore some of my favorite record/antique store locations and I must say I’ve found some true gems.

As I’ve said many times before you just never know what you’re going to find especially at some of the most unlikely hole in the wall places and this week that has never been more true.

Much to my surprise the first finds of the week popped up in a small town in the Midwest about an hour from where I live, someplace I would have never guessed I’d find two obscure imported mono Monkees records from 1967!

As luck would have it I found a mono copy of The Monkees “Headquarters” from Argentina (“Cuartel General”) and a mono copy of “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, Ltd.” (“Piscis, Acuario, Capricornio Y Jones, S.A.”) from Mexico.

Trust me when I say that original imported copies of Monkees albums are a rare find in the Midwest, at least in my experience. I have on occasion come across a beat up UK copy of “More of the Monkees” but I have never, until now that is,  come across some really interesting albums especially with different cover art.

As it would happen I was rummaging through a huge stack of albums in the “M” section of a off the beat store that had stacks of records everywhere and having no luck at all. Now this store is one of those cool off the beat hole in the wall places where nothing is really alphabetized (one of my pet peeves) and to find anything takes a lot of persistence.

After about twenty minutes of scrounging through beat up copies of “The Monkees”, seriously there was about ten copies and all of them looked like they were used as coasters, I was about to give up and move on.

As luck would have it I spotted an huge bin toward the front of new arrivals with another huge stash of randomly shelved vinyl. I almost decided to walk away as most of the vinyl albums in the store so far were very common and not in the best of shape but since I was on vacation I thought why not take a look.

Midway through the first bin I spotted a decent stereo copy of “More of the Monkees” so I thought oh that’s at least in nice condition so I decided it was worth plowing through the other three bins of new arrivals.

Much to my surprise and shock I was frantically flipping through the last bin when my eye caught the deep red color of the word “Monkees” and I instantly recognized it as the “Headquarters” cover even though I had only seen the upper left corner of the front cover.

(Note: I’ve grown used to flipping fast through stacks of vinyl and can spot a Monkees album from ten paces lol)

Need less to say my head almost exploded when I pulled it up and not only was the cover glossy and made of very firm cardboard (not the feel of the standard US Colgems album) when up popped the title “Cuartel General” and I was speechless.

Not only was this a mono copy from Argentina but it was marked $3.99 and was in really good condition. The vinyl in fact was a very solid VG++ and the cover was solid as well.

After perusing the cover for a few moments I hurriedly decided to finish the row and take my prize to the counter.

It’s a good thing I decided to look at all of the bin as near the very back I spotted a weirdly cartoonish yet colorful album cover that had a drawing of the Monkees on it.

I pulled the cover up and knew that this was the Mexican cover of the Monkees fourth album and turned it around to find the title “Piscis, Acuario, Capricornio Y Jones, S.A.”

The album cover was taped on the bottom and top with some old masking tape that was falling off (and luckily peeled off just fine) but the vinyl inside was again in VG++ condition and the price was definitely right at $4.99. Why this one was a dollar more and seemed more beat up than the other one is beyond me but I wasn’t going to argue.

Again I was truly amazed. Never in my life have I found such lovely imported Monkees albums and never with such lovely condition vinyl.

That was all I needed, I ran to the counter and paid for the albums and bopped home with a huge smile on my face.

I cleaned up both albums and played them that evening. Both of them sounded terrific and both contained the true mono mixes. I found the Mexican “Pisces” album was a bit bass shy but played very quietly and was well pressed.

The true highlight was the pressing of “Headquarters” from Argentina which sounded amazing! Nice bass and crisp treble and nice vocals – one of the best and quieter copies I own of this album, truly superb sounding.

I have no idea how these gems made their way into my corner of the world but I tell you what I’m keeping that store on my list for sure.

That’s all for now. Just a quick story of the first of some truly amazing finds this week.

I have to say that while I read people finding a lot of high priced used vinyl I have found some really rare records lately for amazing prices. I tend to go to more out of the way antique places then record stores so maybe that’s why but great nonetheless.

As usual you can glimpse photos of these albums above.

There are more finds from this week to follow.

Until next time be healthy and well and see you soon!

 

 

The Monkees “Headquarters” Comes to Town with a Spiffy New 2 LP Vinyl Set on Rhino Records

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Today is a day of celebration; a Monkees celebration that is.

You see a brand new 2 LP vinyl set of the group’s multi-platinum third album “Headquarters” has just been reissued on Rhino Records and it’s a thing of beauty and something every Monkees fan who loves vinyl should own.

This new set is pressed on red and blue colored vinyl and comes in a shiny and sturdy double fold-out sleeve which also contains terrific liner notes penned by Monkees scholar and tour manager Andrew Sandoval and is filled with not only a terrific-sounding transfer of the original stereo album but a wonderful selection of out-takes and alternate takes from the album’s recording sessions.

The Monkees first two albums also received this same treatment under the Run Out Groove specialty record label but this time out Rhino Records, who owns the group’s catalog, has decided to issue this version of “Headquarters” on its own bypassing Run Out Groove.

This special vinyl issue of “Headquarters” is based on the recent Rhino Records “Headquarters Deluxe Edition” 4 CD set from 2022 which was available exclusively from Monkees.com and sold out fairly quickly.

(Note: the new 2 LP “Headquarters” is available from the link below)

Headquarters New Reissue:

This new vinyl set features the same 2022 remixed out-takes and alternate takes from that CD box set but also features a newly remastered stereo version of “Headquarters” album taken from the best analog master that exists (the original stereo master is currently missing) featuring the original stereo mix while the 2022 CD box set featured a newly remixed version of the stereo album.

Suffice to say is it worth yet another version of the “Headquarters” album? Well with results this good I say of course it is!

I listened to both discs in this new vinyl edition today and I was thrilled by what I heard. The original stereo mix of the album sounds so good with much more bass than the original Colgems pressing and had a nice high end without being too tinny sounding as this album has sounded in the past.

The out-takes disc sounded equally as good and is a tad bit warmer sounding than the CD counterparts of these mixes from the 4 CD set.

Like the previous two Run Out Groove Monkees Deluxe vinyl sets I’d rate this new version of “Headquarters” as the definitive vinyl version as it easily outshines any other vinyl version of this album I’ve heard and I own them all.

(Note 2: Both of the albums in my set were perfectly flat and dead quiet. Not even a hint of crackle, very clean and beautiful pressings)

I won’t go into the interesting history of this album as I’ve written about it many times on this blog (feel free to type in “Headquarters” in the search engine on this site to find my previous posts) but this third Monkees album is the first and only time the group played all the instruments as well as sang in their original run (1966-1970) and is truly the perfect representation of how the fictional TV version of the group should sound.

The “Headquarters” album is in fact where fiction became reality as the group transformed into a real touring and recording unit apart from the TV show that spawned them.

This in my opinion is the pinnacle, along with the group’s fourth album “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones Ltd.”, of The Monkees recording career and is among the best pop/rock albums of the entire decade of the 1960s.

Well that’s all for now.

You can view photos above of this lovely new “Headquarters” set above.

Until next time be safe and well and see you soon!

Headquarters Deluxe 2 LP set track listing from Monkees.com:

Side 1:

1.    YOU TOLD ME    
2.    I’LL SPEND MY LIFE WITH YOU    
3.    FORGET THAT GIRL    
4.    BAND 6    
5.    YOU JUST MAY BE THE ONE    
6.    SHADES OF GRAY    
7.    I CAN’T GET HER OFF MY MIND    

Side 2:

1.    FOR PETE’S SAKE    
2.    MR. WEBSTER    
3.    SUNNY GIRLFRIEND    
4.    ZILCH    
5.    NO TIME    
6.    EARLY MORNING BLUES AND GREENS    
7.    RANDY SCOUSE GIT    

Side 3:

1.    THE GIRL I KNEW SOMEWHERE (VERSION TWO – 2022 REMIX)    
2.    ALL OF YOUR TOYS (2022 REMIX)    
3.    FORGET THAT GIRL (TAKE 15 WITH ALTERNATE OVERDUBS)    
4.    YOU TOLD ME (TAKE 15 WITH ALTERNATE VOCAL)    
5.    RANDY SCOUSE GIT (ALTERNATE VERSION TAKE 18)    
6.    THE GIRL I KNEW SOMEWHERE (VERSION ONE – 2022 REMIX)    

Side 4:

1.    A LITTLE BIT ME, A LITTLE BIT YOU (2022 REMIX)    
2.    SHE HANGS OUT (2022 REMIX)    
3.    GOTTA GIVE IT TIME (2022 REMIX)    
4.    LOVE TO LOVE (2022 REMIX)    
5.    99 POUNDS (2022 REMIX)    
6.    YOU CAN’T TIE A MUSTANG DOWN (2022 REMIX)

 

Something Old but Not “Something New”/The Beatles on Vinyl – My Favorite Pressings (Part 1)

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Okay folks, if you’re not into Beatles vinyl geekdom then this blog post is not for you.

While I get an endless thrill (some say obsession) out of hunting down and listening to every sort of pressing minutiae most sane people I know don’t. At least you’ve been warned.

Anyway, today I thought I’d share with you some of the most prized and best sounding Beatles pressings that I’ve managed to track down over the years. I know others have talked about these same pressings but I thought I’d share some thoughts I had as I’ve been going through and doing some digital transfers of these particular Beatles pressings below.

(Note: this is the first of many in a series of my favorite Beatles pressings that I own)

First off I have to say that there’s something really special about hunting down original first pressings of The Beatles albums especially the British versions. For most of the 1960s these pressings were mastered with tube equipment which has a distinct sound of its own and can’t be reproduced with modern mastering.

That’s not to say the original pressings are the best sounding (however most times they are) but there’s a certain warmness and mid-range sound on these pressings that you can’t get on later issues. I like to experience these records as they were issued in the ’60s as that’s what the records sounded like at the time thus these original pressings, flaws and all, are a true time capsule for me which I quite enjoy.

Here are three pressings from my collection which I think are each superb sounding and should be tracked down by any true Beatles fan:

  • Please Please Me – UK gold label mono first pressing
  • A Hard Day’s Night – UK mono first pressing
  • “Yesterday” … And Today” – lime green label record club true stereo pressing

Here’s a few quick thoughts on each.

Please Please Me – UK gold label mono first pressing:

This very first pressing of The Beatles very first album is special in more ways than one.

Firstly it’s the only pressing that features the old style gold label Parlophone label, that in itself is really cool. But it is also one heck of a great sounding disc as even if you have a beat up copy these early British pressings were made to last and even a worn looking copy probably sounds great.

Since my pressing is a fairly early copy I think (Matrix/Stampers: Side One XEX 421-1N 1P and Side Two XEX 421-1N 1L) the sound on this pressing just shines; it’s full of life and has a clarity that isn’t on later pressings.

I prefer the mono mix of this album though I do enjoy the stereo one as well. This first mono pressing is nice and punchy and jumps out of the speakers and hits on all cylinders. I also own a 1982 repress of this mono mix and while it sounds great this first pressing has a life and excitement that other pressings lack.

I know it’s becoming harder and harder to find a decent copy of this first pressing mono that won’t break the bank but if you can manage to swing it this copy does not disappoint. Even though many of the second issue UK mono copies sound great as well there’s just something special about this first issue that’s well worth seeking out.

A Hard Day’s Night – UK mono first pressing:

Here’s a case where the sound of the vinyl is way better than the way the album looks. I found this first UK mono pressing at a record store a few years ago and hemmed and hawed about buying it because the vinyl looked really worn. Since the price was right, under $20, I bit the bullet and hoped that a good cleaning would help and maybe it would at least sound decent.

I have to say that even after one quick clean my jaw hit the floor as even though it looked like this album was kicked around the floor a bit it played absolutely great and it sounded incredible! I’ve always been a fan of this album but the stereo pressings I own tend to sound a bit tinny and/or distorted on some songs – even the first pressings.

The mono mix of this album however sounds incredible and no other pressing of this albums sounds as alive and dynamic as this first mono pressing. The two songs that really stand out to me are “And I Love Her” and “I’m Happy Just to Dance with You” as they are both perfection on this pressing.

For some reason “I’m Happy Just to Dance with You” on all my stereo pressings seems to have a bit of sibilance that’s not on this or any other mono pressing.

I have to say that while I like the stereo mix as well there’s just something special about the mono mix. From start to finish this is my favorite early Beatles album.

“Yesterday” … And Today” – lime green label record club true stereo pressing

Okay, most of the records I’m mentioning here are British pressings but this Capitol stereo pressing is an exception and truly sounds great.

This lime green record club pressing came out in about 1969 I think, years after the first pressing from 1966.

What makes this lime green pressing so special is that unlike the first 1966 stereo pressing, EVERY song on this album is in true stereo. On true first pressings the songs “Dr. Robert”, “And Your Bird Can Sing”, and “I’m Only Sleeping” were not in true stereo but reprocessed or simulated stereo made from the mono mixes.

It wasn’t until this 1969 lime stereo pressing I believe that true stereo versions of these songs were used on the album. Not only were the songs true stereo but these mixes were exclusive to Capitol Records and the US.

There are slight differences to the UK 1966 stereo mixes which makes these stereo version unique and interesting. Not night and day just different and much better sounding than the fake stereo version on the 1966 stereo pressing.

Well that’s it for the first installment of my favorite Beatles pressings. I don’t want to over geek on the first one so I thought I’d keep it to three pressings.

Above you can see the labels of these three pressings and below there’s a photo of the cover of the mono “Please Please Me” Lp.

There’s more to come so until then I hope you are well and healthy.

See you soon … 

And the Gold Goes To … Paul McCartney Gold CDs (DCC and Japanese “All the Best!”)

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In these days of waning physical media there seems to be way less attention paid to how good an album sounds.

Not to sound old but back in the day there were actually people who used to show off their stereos and loudspeakers who took pride in their sound systems and loved how vinyl and then later CDs could sound with the right stereo system.

I remember searching high and low, especially in the heyday of vinyl, for the best sounding version of a particular favorite recording and looked through many a dive of a record store to locate just the right version of an album that just took my breath away.

There was no streaming, no downloads, just the excitement of the chase for the best sounding version you could find whether that version came from the US, the UK, Japan or any part of the world that had a better sounding record.

Once the advent of the CD happened in the early eighties when I was in college, yikes that’s over forty years ago, the quest for the better sounding version of a particular album grew even more interesting.

You see the CD era brought about the best and the worst in sound reproduction. At its best the CD can produce stunning depth and wonderful bass and a clarity that’s amazing. At its worst it can produce shrill and sterile sounding discs that are fatiguing and even painful to listen to at least on a good stereo system.

In the early to mid 1990s there was a trend in the music industry to pump up the sound of CDs which produced what was called the loudness wars. At that same time illegal downloads were becoming all the rage and with the Ipod leading the way music listening transferred from big stereos to tiny computer speakers and car speakers to eventually phones.

Fortunately there were several boutique record labels like Mobile Fidelity and DCC Compact Classics to fill in the gap for superb quality sounding CDs and vinyl with engineers like the esteemed Steve Hoffman taking the time to track down the best source of a particular album.

Both of these companies tried to locate the original master recordings of an album and took the time to carefully master it so it sounded the best it could possibly sound. DCC Compact Classics in particular aimed for the breath of life in sound for their discs which enabled the listener to hear things in the recordings that may have been buried on other versions of that record that were previously issued.

These small boutique record labels licensed classic rock, pop and jazz recordings from the major labels who didn’t want to take the time to track down the best versions of recordings as the public was just as happy with a loudly mastered album and didn’t seek out any better quality version as they most likely didn’t listen to it on a decent system.

That brings me to this blog post. 

Today I’m sharing what I consider to be the best sounding versions of six Paul McCartney albums that were released on the DCC Compact Classic label: “McCartney”, “Ram”, “Red Rose Speedway”, “Band on the Run”, “Venus and Mars” and “Wings at the Speed of Sound”.

Not only is the sound on each of these six discs rich and warm with great stereo separation and great clarity they have an oomph in the sound without being the least bit fatiguing to the ears and a pure pleasure to listen to and enjoy.

The packaging of these six discs is also superb with nice glossy booklets with all the original posters that came with the vinyl, in miniature form of course, but also photos of the original vinyl labels and lovely gold-plated CDs that supposedly can stand the test of time better and played more accurately than standard CD pressings.

Of course these premium looking and sounding discs came at a price; they retailed for usually twice the price of standard discs thus they appealed to collectors and fans much more than the general public and were pressed in much smaller numbers than the standard CD versions of these albums.

Unfortunately they have only gone up in price since they were released as they quickly went out of production and now command quite a hefty price in the secondary market if you can find them.

Are they worth the money?

Well it depends on how much you like the albums and how concerned you are with hearing the best sounding versions of these albums.

Are they better sounding then standard CD issues of these albums or the recent McCartney Archive versions of these albums?

I have to say that these particular DCC Compact Classic versions still win as the best sounding versions of these particular Paul McCartney albums. They most certainly were worth it at their original price but as for paying the price for them now it all depends on how much you love these albums.

The Paul McCartney Archive versions of these records do sound great as do most of the first issue UK versions of these albums on CD. None of them however have the nice balance of oomph along with the midrange magic that the DCC Compact Classic versions provide. 

While the original issues of these CDs are fine they just don’t have the magic in sound that the DCC Compact Classics CDs or vinyl have and are to me worth having in your collection. They are, pardon the pun, the gold standard versions of these albums and are well worth seeking out if you’re a fan of Paul McCartney’s music.

For grins I have also thrown in the Japanese Gold CD version of Paul McCartney’s “All the Best” album even though it doesn’t really sound that different from the regular CD release. I thought it would be nice to show photos of it as well as it’s a fairly rare disc to find these days and fun to see along with the DCC McCartney discs.

As usual there are plenty of photos of these discs above and below so if you’ve never heard or seen these discs you can catch a glimpse of what they look like in case you want to track one or more down.

That’s all for now.

I hope you are well and healthy and I’ll be back with more of my collection soon.

Until then take care and see you soon!