Tag: music

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!

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!