FINAL THRUST, THE / TAKING THE TIMECHRYSALIS UKCHS 2079
1975 2 TRKS no pic sleeve
WIZARD MAN / BACKGAMMONCHRYSALIS UKCHS 2138
1977 2 TRKS no pic sleeve
I do not have a strictly UK collection of Procol Harum 45’s; In fact, I don’t think all of these exist in England.I recently got the US “Whiskey Train” 45, which really surprised me – I didn’t know it existed!The US certainly originated some 45’s for PH!Interesting that the US A&M 45 for the live (hit) of “Conquistador” does not have the British B-Side of a live version of “Luskus Delph” – it has a track from the “In Concert” LP, “A Salty Dog”.
I’ve had the majority of these 45’s for many years.It was a joy to find them when I was young, as they almost always had ‘new information’ for me, whether it be a picture sleeve or a new B-Side.I have grown up with this music, and I love it.Until last Sunday, I had never seen a Procol Harum 45 for the “Home” LP, but “Whiskey Train” is just that.Amazing!And it’s an ‘edit’! 2:27!
CISCO KID, THE – GIRL FROM ROXYVILLE, ELECTRIC UK 7” Patrick Campbell-Lyons
DE PAUL, LYNSEY / BARRY BLUE – HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU FROM ME, JET UK 7”
DEEP PURPLE – STRANGE KIND OF WOMAN, HARVEST UK 7” w/B-Side
FERRY, BRYAN – HARD RAIN'S A-GONNA FALL, ISLAND UK 7”
FERRY, BRYAN – LET'S STICK TOGETHER, ISLAND UK 7” w/B-Side
GLITTER, GARY – DOING ALL RIGHT WITH THE BOYS, BELLUK 7” w/B-Side
JONES, SPIKE – DOWN SOUTH, RCA US 7” promo, early 50’s
MIDDLETON, MAX / ROBERT AHWAI – SNAKE HIPS, HARVEST UK 7” promo
OLDFIELD, MIKE – FIVE MILES OUT, VIRGIN UK 7” pic disc
PITNEY, GENE – TRAIN OF THOUGHT, BRONZE UK 7”
PROCOL HARUM – WHISKEY TRAIN, A&M US 7” promo, A-side is edited!
QUATRO, SUZI – 48 CRASH, RAK UK 7” w/B-Side
QUATRO, SUZI – CAN THE CAN, RAK UK 7” w/B-Side
SEVILLE, DAVID & THE CHIPMUNKS – RAGTIME COWBOY JOE, U.A. UK 7” EP promo re-issue, late 70’s – in stereo!
SWEET, THE – BLOCKBUSTER, RCA UK 7” w/B-Side
T. REX – GET IT ON, FLY UK 7” 3 tracks, white lettering - w/B-Sides
WELCH, ED – MOON ROCK, U.A. UK 7” promo
WHO, THE – I CAN'T EXPLAIN, DECCA US 7” the earliest Who 45 I now have!
None of these were “expensive”, so it was great to add to my collections of The Who, Procol Harum, 10cc, classic Bryan Ferry, Mike Oldfield, Deep Purple etc.I still have a lot to learn in the “45 Universe”!
And I understand that Rockaway are doing a “Pop-Up Store” next weekend (at their regular location), so if you’re in L.A., check it out!
I have been ‘reading’ the Japanese magazine “Strange Days” for all of 2009.A regular feature of this magazine has been “Time Machine – 40 Years Ago” – listing many records released in 1969.Today we conclude my writing about the releases of 1969.
Strange Days 2009.11 lists “September 1969 Albums” as The Beatles “Abbey Road” (Apple UK PCS 7088), Donovan “Barabajagal” (Epic US BN 26481), Fleetwood Mac “Then Play On” (Reprise US RS 6368), Nick Drake “Five Leaves left” (Island UK ILPS 9105), Status Quo “Spare Parts (Pye UK NSPL 18301) and The Mothers Of Invention “Uncle Meat (Bizarre / Reprise 2MS 2024 double album).
I rode my bicycle to Wallach’s Music City and got “Abbey Road” the day it came out.I loved the Donovan album, especially “To Susan On The West Coast Waiting”.I heard Fleetwood Mac on a Warner / Reprise loss-leader sampler double album, and thought “Oh Well” was the bees knees.I saw Nick Drake albums in a catalogue of Island Records (UK), but I did not hear him for another few years.Status Who?I had already been a Frank Zappa fan for 3 or 4 years by 1969, so “Uncle Meat” was a natural for me, with it’s wonderful full-color booklet.
Strange Days 2009.12 lists “October 1969 Albums” as King Crimson “In The Court Of The Crimson King” (Island UK ILPS 9111), Led Zeppelin “Led Zeppelin II” (Atlantic UK 588 198), Free – self-titled album (Island ILPS 9104), The Kinks “Arthur” (Pye UK NSPL 18317), Flaming Youth “Ark 2” (Fontana UK STL 5533), John Mayall “The Turning Point” (Polydor UK 583 571), The Pentangle “Basket Of Light” (Transatlantic UK TRA 205) and Janis Joplin “I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again” (Columbia US KC 9913).
I hipped myself to King Crimson, finding an inexpensive used LP of “ITCOTCK” and buying it because of the cover, probably in 1970.Did I know it would change the way I looked at rock music?Yes, I got Led Zeppelin “II” when it was released, but…not quite sure why.How did I know to buy this album, then?I didn’t hear Free until “All Right Now”.The Kinks (like The Hollies) seemed to me to be a British 60’s “singles band” – I heard their stuff on Warner / Reprise samplers, but…The Who and Traffic and Family were my kind of British bands in ‘69.Believe it or not, I actually heard Flaming Youth on the FM radio, and went in search of “Ark 2” – and found it!(Probably in 1970 – probably before Phil Collins joined Genesis).I heard John Mayall “Room To Move” on the FM radio (and my brother talked about him, too) – so I got that one right away. The Pentangle were yet another band I was exposed to by the Warner / Reprise loss-leader sampler double LP’s, but I didn’t get this one at that time.Yes, I heard the debut Janis Joplin solo album, but I didn’t go for it.I wanted the loud psychedelic craziness of Big Brother & The Holding Company, not some R&B-infused band of session musicians!
Let’s hope that the 2010 issues of Strange Days continue with their “Time Machine” series!Again, I dedicate these 1969 album writings to my brother, Jim.He took me seriously and was honest with me.Thanks also to the patience of my dad, Harold.
1969
SAVOY BROWN – Train To Nowhere
JETHRO TULL – Look Into The Sun
TEN YEARS AFTER – Bad Scene
SPOOKY TOOTH – Better By You, Better By Me
BLIND FAITH – Had To Cry Today
BEE GEES – The First Of May
FAMILY – Summer ‘67
CREAM – Doing That Scrapyard Thing
MARY HOPKIN – Goodbye
JACKIE LOMAX – SourMilkSea
THE IVEYS – And Her Daddy’s A Millionaire
KING CRIMSON – I Talk To The Wind
PROCOL HARUM – The Milk of Human Kindness
THE BEATLES – Come Together
THE WHO – I’m Free
DONOVAN – To Susan On The West Coast Waiting
FLEETWOOD MAC – Oh Well
FRANK ZAPPA / THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION – The Air
SOFT MACHINE – As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still
This is the CD-R that I put together from these "Strange Days" Lists. Please let me know if you'd like to have a copy. Now, I am waiting on the January issue of "Strange Days" for me to continue the "Time Machine" series!
I have been ‘reading’ the Japanese magazine “Strange Days” for all of 2009.A regular feature of this magazine has been “Time Machine – 40 Years Ago” – listing records all released in 1969.
Strange Days 2009.09 lists “July 1969 Albums” as Deep Purple “The Book Of Taliesyn” (Harvest UK SHVL 751), Pete Brown & The Battered Ornaments “A Meal You Can Shake Hands With In The Dark” (Harvest UK SHVL 752), Shirley & Dolly Collins “Anthems In Eden” (Harvest UK SHVL 754), Third Ear Band “Alchemy (Harvest UK SHVL 756), Edgar Broughton Band “Wasa Wasa” (Harvest UK SHVL 757), Pink Floyd “More” (Columbia UK SCX 6346), Yes – self-titled album (Atlantic UK 588 190), Jethro Tull “Stand Up” (Island/Chrysalis ILPS 9103) and The Iveys “Maybe Tomorrow” (Apple UK SAPCOR 8).
Harvest Records is in the house – yes, but I didn’t hear any of these in 1969 – it took until 1970 or so, when inexpensive US promo LP’s of these titles could be had.And we covered Pete Brown yesterday.I did not know Pink Floyd in 1969, it took Syd Barrett “The Madcap Laughs” to get me to go back and ‘discover’ P.F.I knew Jethro Tull from a Warner / Reprise loss-leader double sampler LP.I didn’t hear Yes for another year or two – and my introduction would’ve been “All Good People” on the FM radio.Didn’t even hear of or know The Iveys LP – they, of course, became Badfinger – but I still don’t think I’ve ever seen a real UK edition of The Iveys LP!I love The Iveys B-side “Her Daddy’s A Millionaire” (Apple 45) – but I didn’t get that for another 5 years!
Strange Days 2009.10 lists “August 1969 Albums” as Blind Faith – self-titled album (Polydor UK 583 059), Miles Davis “In A Silent Way” (CBS UK S 63630), The Nice – self-titled album (Immediate UK IMSP 026), Elvis Presley “From Elvis In Memphis” (RCA UK SF 8029), Ten Years After “Ssssh” (Deram SML 1052) and Canned Heat “Hallelujah” (Liberty LBS 83239).
Blind Faith had been written about and discussed, so I anticipated it vigorously.Miles Davis was definitely not on the screen for me in ’69.I don’t remember how I came to The Nice, but it certainly wasn’t with this particular album – can’t of heard ‘em until Emerson Lake & Palmer came along, a year or so into the future.Elvis Presley, to me, in 1969 was (and will always be) his “Shake Rattle & Roll” RCA EP from the 50’s.Was this the first TYA album that I got when it was new?Quite possibly…I had liked Canned Heat “Going Up The Country”, and indeed they got a good deal ‘more famous’ when Woodstock came along – and, yes, I knew who they were, but I was not buying Canned Heat LP’s in 1969.No way.
I distinctly remember writing to my brother and asking him what he thought about Blind Faith.Perhaps he thought this was unusual – his 11-year-old little brother writing to him about adult rock music?He answered me (he liked it) and he and I have always discussed music…ever since.I dedicate these lists of 1969 to my brother, Jim.He took my inquisitiveness seriously, and I began my life’s work (“music understanding”), thanks to him.
I have been ‘reading’ the Japanese magazine “Strange Days” for all of 2009.A regular feature of this magazine has been “Time Machine – 40 Years Ago” – listing records all released in 1969.
Strange Days 2009.07 lists “May 1969 Albums” as John Lennon & Yoko Ono “Unfinished Music No. 2 – Life With The Lions) (Zapple UK 01), George Harrison “Electronic Sound” (Zapple UK 02), Scaffold “L. The P.” (Parlophone UK PCS 7077), The Hollies “Sing Dylan” (Parlophone PCS 7078), Procol Harum “A Salty Dog” (Regal Zonophone UK SLRZ 1009), Tyrannosaurus Rex “Unicorn” (Regal Zonophone SLRZ 1007) and The Who “Tommy” (Track Record UK 613 013/14 double LP).
I loved Procol Harum and The Who.“Tommy” drove us all nuts, making me go back and find inexpensive mono LP’s of “Happy Jack” and “The Who Sell Out”.I actually bought these albums at the time “with my own money”.“A Salty Dog” by Procol Harum has not left my turntable for 40 years now.What are Keith Reid’s lyrics on about?A friend of mine bought these dodgy Beatles’ solo albums, so I stayed away.I didn’t hear Scaffold for another few years, but loved ‘em totally when I did.The Hollies were off my radar by 1969 – relegated to being a UK 60’s ‘singles band’.And I certainly saw the Tyrannosaurus Rex albums – US versions on Blue Thumb, but I did not hear MarcBolan until “Electric Warrior” (1971) – like nearly everyone else on Earth.
Strange Days 2009.08 lists “June 1969 Albums” as Crosby Stills & Nash – self-titled album (Atlantic US SD 8229), Savoy Brown “Blue Matter” (Decca UK SKL 4994), Amen Corner “The National Welsh Coast Live Explosion Company” (Immediate UK IMSP 023), The Casuals “Hour World (Decca UK SKL-R 5001) and in their footnotes (but not on their list), they mention Pete Brown & The Battered Ornaments “A Meal You Can Shake Hands With In The Dark” (Harvest UK SHVL 752).
You couldn’t not hear Crosby Stills & Nash in 1969!The FM hippie radio was playing them, ‘everybody’ was talking about them in the rock press and hippie record stores – I knew Steve Stills from Buffalo Springfield and David Crosby from The Byrds – oh, and the guy from The Hollies.I definitely heard Savoy Brown on the FM radio – “Train To Nowhere”, without a doubt.I bought a 45 of it!Did not hear Amen Corner or TheCasuals (I still don’t know much about The Casuals!).I saw the gorgeous Mal Dean covers of the Pete Brown albums on the innersleeves found in Harvest UK LP’s, so I knew I had to have ‘em – after all, Mr. Brown (who I now count as a friend of 20+ years) wrote lots of lyrics for the much-lamented Cream.
As I write briefly about these 1969 releases, I recognize that these are records still very much in my consciousness, present tense.You must hear The Scaffold!Yes, “Tommy” by The Who is over-rated, but the SACD of it sounds AMAZING.ProcolHarum are one my top 5 British artists, and I recommend “A Salty Dog” to you unconditionally.For Pete Brown (& Piblokto!), please try and hear “Things May Come and Things May Go, But The Art School Dance Goes On Forever” (1970).
I have been ‘reading’ the Japanese magazine “Strange Days” for all of 2009.A regular feature of this magazine has been “Time Machine – 40 Years Ago” – listing records all released in 1969.
Strange Days 2009.05 lists “March 1969 Albums” as Colosseum “Those About To Die Salute You” (Fontana UK STL 5510), Cream “Goodbye” (Polydor UK 583 053), LedZeppelin – self-titled album (Atlantic UK 588 171), The Bee Gees “Odessa” (Polydor UK 582 049/50 double LP), Spooky Tooth “Spooky Two” (Island UK ILPS 9098), Jackie Lomax “Is This What You Want” (Apple UK SAPCOR 6), Family “Family Entertainment” (Reprise UK RSLP 6340) and Scott Walker “Scott 3” (Philips UK SBL 7882).
I found out about Colosseum by 1970, as much of 1969 was spent lamenting the loss of Cream as a working band.I didn’t hear of Led Zeppelin until “Led Zeppelin II” came along.I certainly knew The Bee Gees!“First Of May” from “Odessa” was a big hit in my house.I had seen LP’s by Spooky Tooth in the hippie record store, but I did not hear them until “The Last Puff”.I tried the Jackie Lomax album because of it having 3 members of The Beatles on it – “SourMilkSea” is fantastic.I heard Family on a Warner / Reprise loss-leader sampler LP, so I knew them – I had found a cheap used copy of their 1968 debut album “Music In A Doll’s House”, which remains one of my all-time favorite albums.“Family Entertainment” isn’t too shabby, either!Never heard Scott Walker in 1969 – I did not particularly care for The Walker Brothers (or “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore”).
Strange Days 2009.06 lists “April 1969 Albums” as Brian Auger & The Trinity “Definitely What” (Marmalade UK 608 003), Grapefruit “Around Grapefruit” (Stateside UK SSL 5008), Kaleidoscope “Faintly Blowing” (Fontana UK STL 5491), Soft Machine “Volume 2” (Probe US CPLP 4505), The Moody Blues “On The Threshold Of A Dream” (Deram UK SML 1035), Roy Harper “Folkjokeopus” (Liberty UK LBS 83231) and Nazz (Todd Rundgren) – self-titled album (SCG UK 221 001).
At the time, I was really only familiar with The Moody Blues on this particular list.I didn’t like this album as well as “In Search Of The Lost Chord”.I think I knew that there was something distantly related to The Beatles about Grapefruit, but I didn’t hear it at all then.I knew nothing of Kaleidoscope or Brian Auger or Julie Driscoll in 1969.By the time of “Flat Baroque and Berserk” (a whole year into the future), I was a Roy Harper fan (thanks to a $1 of “Flat Baroque…”).I always saw the Nazz albums, but I never heard them.
In 2009, the big winner here is the Soft Machine LP, again, one of my all-time favorite albums by any artist.I truly didn’t hear them until “Third” (a year or so into the future), but I ravenously went in search of more Soft Machine once I got my teeth into that; “Volume Two” was what I found first.A bit much to consider being 11 years old and grooving to Soft Machine “Volume 2” – but if I would’ve been hip enough – I would’ve dug it, as I did when I did make it’s acquaintance.
I have been ‘reading’ the Japanese magazine “Strange Days” for all of 2009.A regular feature of this magazine has been “Time Machine – 40 Years Ago” – listing records all released in 1969.“Strange Days” experimented with a larger format magazine for the first few months of 2009, but with the April issue, they began this interesting column.
Well, I was awake and listening to rock music in 1969.Lots of possibilities for a young mind: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix…you could hear this music on the radio with some effort – my brother certainly had albums by these artists in our home.
Strange Days 2009.04 lists “February 1969 Albums” as The Fool – self-titled album (Mercury UK SMLC 20138), Mary Hopkin “Postcard” (Apple UK SAPCOR 5), Gun – self-titled album (CBS UK S 63552), The Beach Boys “20/20” (Capitol US ST-133), Ten YearsAfter “Stonedhenge” (Deram UK SML 1029) and Procol Harum “Shine On Brightly” (Regal Zonophone UK SLRZ 1004).
The Fool were the Dutch hippie artists who famously designed the Apple Boutique in London for The Beatles.I never heard their album, but I remember seeing it – it looked way too hippy-dippy, even in 1969!I do not own this album.
Mary Hopkin became famous because of her association with The Beatles (and Apple Records).It’s true, “Those Were The Days” was a big hit – and it was played on the radio a lot back then.It was so popular that it was not uncommon to hear it being sung by someone unlikely (Andy Williams?) on TV.I always liked her single “Goodbye” a lot better.I own “Postcard” on LP, and I even have the original recording of “Those Were The Days” by Gene & Francesca (on their 1968 LP “Hello Love” on Tetragrammaton) – Gene Raskin was who wrote the song.I wonder how Paul McCartney heard it?
Gun was never on my radar back then.Too obscure!Later on, I was a big fan of Parrish & Gurvitz, but Adrian Gurvitz did not enter my picture at all in 1969!Same thing for The Beach Boys.If one was listening to Country Joe & The Fish or Spirit – a band like The Beach Boys was not required listening – then or now.
Ten Years After was definitely on my radar in ’69 – even before their glorious performance at Woodstock.Either my brother talked about them, or I saw how groovy their first 3 albums looked – but what song would I have heard on the radio back then?This is before TYA’s “Love Like A Man” (and “Cricklewood Green”).
Procol Harum is the big winner here.I love ‘em.“A Whiter Shade Of Pale” was a big hit on the radio; you could hear it anywhere.My brother had their debut album, which remains to this very day one of my all-time favorite albums.“Shine On Brightly” followed a year or so after their debut album.Hey, it’s in stereo!This album helped create new directories in my thinking about music.Serious rock music, this.But I love the sound of the collaboration of these British guys.And one member of the band just wrote lyrics!
I am going to be taking a few days off from blogging at this time.There’s a bit of travel coming up, and I will return to regular daily posts on Tues. 12-1-09!
I always welcome suggestions for topics upon which to write.Lately, I’ve been trying to write the blogs right before I post them – not months in advance.
Lately I have been feeling like I have a lot of stuff; I’ve found some ‘want list items’ recently (like the 6CD Joe Cocker live set!).As usual, I never have any idea what will turn up in San Francisco / Berkeley, so I will advise if something neat walks down the pike.These days, there is a lot of stuff we get to do in SF bay area that isn’t record collecting – many great bookstores left there, some good shoe stores, extra nice restaurants, good friends / family etc.
But I will always take a look and see what’s on offer at the 2 x Amoeba stores up there.Heck, last Xmas / New Year’s – I found the Stump CD box in San Francisco!
I have been regularly going to San Francisco / EastBay / San Jose / Santa Cruz for about 30 years.I’ve seen many odd stores come and go; I’ve sold (& bought) at assorted swap meets up there.It’s another concentration of humans; humans mean “used CD’s / vinyl”.I sometimes get ‘tired’ of L.A.’s bounty – something different will be on offer in S.F.!But…what?
I miss Tower Records!It was always interesting to see what was going to be for sale in Mountain View, Berkeley, 2525 Jones St., Bascom Ave. – Bascom Ave is still good, with a great Streetlight and a Rasputin’s!
A big shout out to my S.F. / S.J. crew – Scott & Deb, Ruth & Ken!And my former S.F. / S.J. crew, Big Mark (!), Cameron!Both no longer in S.J., sadly.Still love to go to S.J., and it’s these men I have to thank for my knowledge and lore of Cupertino, Sunnyvale and El Camino Real in general.Whatever happened to that guy at Chimera in Palo Alto who used to hum tunelessly to the Velvet Underground…or Debussy?All hail Rex, “The Dedicated Record Collector”!Rex remembered that I wanted a Heinz LP for well over a decade!
So, I’m real ready to get on a plane and make it up north.Thanxgiving in Pacifica!Daiso @ Serramonte!Amoebas!Get me some 24SF’s (shoes)!Upper Playground in the house!Japan town mall!Kinokuniya stationery store!Aquarius!Medium Rare!Ti Couz!T. Rex BBQ in Berkeley!Vik’s, Berkeley Marina!Half Price Books!DownHome Music in El Cerrito!
Happy Thanksgiving!Thanks for reading while I drool.Coming next Tuesday:1969!
I had already been through stamps / coins and comic books / Mad Magazines.
Somehow when music collecting became apparent to me, there was something to back it up – Schwann Record Catalogues!Wallach’s Music City weekly charts (printed on 2-sided legal goldenrod paper)!And Atco Records used their innersleeve to show us 50 (or more?) of their available LP’s.Yes, it’s true: I got a yellow legal pad and wrote down all the possible numbers for the Atco Records 33,000 series – at the time, it was #1 - #300 or so.The LP innersleeve showed me a bunch of titles, but I could cross-check them in the Schwann Catalogue, and find titles not pictured on their sleeves!Almost like a bingo game, it quickly became:“I’ve never seen a Chickenman LP on Atco”.So I would look for it – scouring comedy used LP bins wherever I could find ‘em.But it wasn’t limited to comedy LP’s – everything on Atco had a certain level of interest to me.Still does, as 2010 approaches.
And there were other labels that I could figure out their numerical sequences:the Elektra 74000 series, Warner Brothers 1000 series, Reprise 6000 series etc.By the early 70’s, I advanced on to British record labels: I wrote to Island Records in London, and they sent me their catalogue!ILPS 9000 series!
So, by the early 70’s, I was collecting whatever I heard that interested me, whatever I was reading about in Circus, Creem and Melody Maker and – some numerical sequences!
There were a lot of record stores I could get to fairly easily.My dad could take me anywhere I couldn’t ride my bike to.And it wouldn’t be long before I started to have friends who drove.I knew how to get to Hollywood from Long Beach!And I knew where the record stores were!
There still weren’t reference works I could read to find out about things like comedy records.I learned what I could from constantly combing the used comedy bins in used record stores.In a few short years, I would be adding jazz to my interests.And soundtracks. And European music.
In a pre-internet world, it was a lot more difficult to find out about stuff.I only had a few friends who “thought like I did” (i.e. music and record collecting, 24-7) – I could write to my brother (who lived in Germany) or I could try to talk to guys in record stores…yes, there were some patient guys, but mostly nobody in an early 70’s record store wanted to talk to a 12-year-old asking a lot of questions.
My first record store job didn’t arrive until July 2, 1976 – I was 17 years old.I worked in record stores, record distribution, record importers, CD stores and eventually I even worked with a friend on an internet-based music sales business.I’ve sort of ‘done it all’.
But – you have to start somewhere.I was interested.Still am.
I was recently sent an email by amazon.co.uk offering me a bunch of cheap-ish CD titles for Xmas.At the bottom of the email was the offer to visit their “download shop” – with over 8,000,000 DRM-free Songs!
Let’s see…8,000,000 songs – that’s a boat-load!If I do even a small breakdown of my collection…approx. 4,000 x 7” singles (2 songs per) = approx. 8,000 DRM-Free songs, approx. 1,500 x 12” singles (3 songs per) = approx. 4,500 DRM-Free songs…rounding it off (some have more, some less – and the doubles, triples, boxed sets etc) – approx. 7,000 x CD’s (12 tracks per) = approx. 84,000 DRM-Free songs, approx. 7,000 x LP’s (10 tracks per) = 70,000 DRM-Free songs.Guess I’m a long way off of Amazon.co.uk with my measly 162,500 DRM-Free songs!
I still buy records & CD’s in stores in Los Angeles – availability!I’m going to do it as long as I can!I can discover new music without having to worry about DRM or computer virus things!I just pay the guy and put the records in Mr. Suzuki!
I went to Record Surplus a few Sundays ago – and I came out with an infinite vista of possibilities from the upstairs ‘$1 room’:
CARAVELLI – GRAND PRIX, COLUMBIA JPN LP test pressing; with a Jacques Dutronc EZ hit version of “Les Playboys”
CARAVELLI – MICHELLE A LA CARAVELLI, COLUMBIA JPN LP test pressing; Beatles EZ hit covers!
DELON, ALAIN / JEAN PAUL BELMONDO – s/t, SEVEN SEAS JPN LP test pressing; looks to be an LP of themes from movies they were both starring in, circa ’67/’68
ELGART, LES & LARRY – GIRL WATCHERS, COLUMBIA US LP no, not the O’Kaysions song, but a Teo Macero-produced LP with a beautiful ‘mod art’ cover! (see the scan!)
HOLLYRIDGE STRINGS – ELVIS PRESLEY, TOSHIBA JPN LP test pressing; this one didn’t have a title on it, being a test pressing, but it’s all Elvis songs, done in typical EZ hit style
LETTERMEN – PUT YOUR HEAD ON MY SHOULDER, TOSHIBA JPN LP red vinyl; the innersleeve offers Toshiba Japan pressings of “Sgt. Peppers” and “A Collection of Oldies But Goldies”!
LOVICH, LENE – FLEX, STIFF JPN LP test pressing; a bit out of date to the other Japanese test pressings I found; her 2nd album – no hits!
NAZZARO, GIANNI – s/t, CGD JPN LP test pressing; Italian male vocalist; no rock & roll here, folks!
NEW TRIO LOS PANCHOS, LOS – QUE NO TE CUENTEN CUENTOS, COLUMBIA JPN LP test pressing; in stereo, guess that’s why it’s “New”
O.S.T. – UNHOMME ET UNE FEMME, KING JPN LP test pressing; avec Pierre Barouh
ORIGINAL FINNISH JENKA DANCE BAND – LET'S LETKISS! JENKA!, COLUMBIA JPN LP test pressing; Mute Beat covered the ‘Jenka’ song on their debut cassette!
POPP, ANDRE – MY WAY MUSIC, FESTIVAL JPN LP test pressing, the “Love Is Blue” album, circa ’67
THREE BRASS BUTTONS – BRASS IN THE NIGHT, DERAM UK LP Tony Osbourne; in the series of Deramic Sound System albums that include The Moody Blues “Days Of Future Passed”!
URBAN DANCE SQUAD – MENTAL FLOSS FOR THE GLOBE, ARISTA US LP NL ’90
V.A. – CHANSONS NOUVELLES, LES Vol. 2, BARCLAY JPN LP test pressing; circa ’67
V.A. – ESSENTIAL FOLK BLUES – 1, COLUMBIA JPN LP test pressing; Lightning Hopkins, Ray Charles etc.
V.A. – GORGEOUS FOLK SONG ALBUM, MGM JPN LP test pressing; Sheb Wooley etc.
VALENTE, CATERINA – BEST OF, LONDON JPN LP test pressing; “Tintarella Di Luna” – sung in Japanese!
VARTAN, SYLVIE – s/t, RCA FR 2LP looks to be a double LP of a TV special from the early 70’s ($2 because it was a double album)I don’t recognize any of the songs!
YAMAYA, K. / TOKYO UNION ORCHESTRA – MODERN JAZZ SCREEN MOODS, COLUMBIA JPN LP test pressing; subtitled “Sounds For Spies and Secret Agent Men” – too bad this test pressing doesn’t have a cover!Great big band jazz cover versions of all the spy movies of the late 60’s!
Followed by…
BRAND X – LIVESTOCK, CHARISMA UK LP Britsh pressing
BUCKNER & GARCIA – PAC-MAN FEVER, COLUMBIA US LP a whole LP of this!
BYRD, CHARLIE – CHRISTMAS CAROLS FOR SOLO GUITAR, COLUMBIA US LP Xmas
HARA, NOBUO / SHARPS & FLATS – SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN, CBS/SONY JPN LP Xmas ’69
ITCHY FINGERS – QUARK, VIRGIN VE US LP with Stanley Unwin
JAVANESE GAMELAN MUSIC – JASMINE ISLE, NONESUCH US LP in the same series as “Golden Rain”
NORIS, GUNTER – TOP-HITS FOR DANCING 2, ARIOLA DE LP more EZ hits
My brother told my dad where to take me in Hollywood to look for British-pressed records.There were a number of stores on Hollywood Blvd. that specialized in having British pressings.I learned at such a young age that British records not looked nice and sounded great – some of them had different songs!And there were British RollingStones 45’s that had never been released in the US!
I listened to a lot of AM radio approx. between 1964 and 1969 – I can’t tell you where / when exactly, but the first time I heard Jimi Hendrix was on the portable clock radio – blasting out “Foxey Lady” – I had certainly never heard anything like that before!And Cream was very popular, I was interested in them, too.
At age 10 or so, I was played some psychedelic records – things like Jefferson Airplane, Country Joe & The Fish, The Doors, The Fugs – mostly from my older sister Marilyn.For the most part, this was stuff not being played on the AM radio.I didn’t discover rock music on FM radio until…Crosby Stills & Nash time, likely 1969.
My dad dutifully took me to hippie record stores – Licorice Pizza, Phineas, Mundae, Platterpuss – Long Beach, California stores.My mom would take me to places like Cal Store, The Treasury, White Front, Zody’s – not exactly hippie places.The big squaresville store was Wallach’s Music City, in Lakewood, CA.Towards the end of the 60’s, I discovered that you could request records @ Wallach’s (i.e. you could ‘special order’ them).Being a kid, I only had enough money for 45’s, unless I could get my parents to spring for whole LP’s.Wallach’s had the best selection of 45’s, no question.
To give you an idea of how long ago this all was – when I bought my Elvis Presley EP’s @ Wallach’s, they were still in the 45 bin – from the time they were first released!Yes, they had all been re-pressed endlessly – but RCA was still printing and sending out EP’s at that time!
So, my first investigation into “Oldies” came towards the end of the 60’s.In “Status Back Baby” on the 2ndFrank Zappa LP, I was told about The Coasters – so I went in search of that.From a box of records found under a bed, I knew I was interested in SueThompson, Freddy Cannon etc.It was likely 1968 when I first tried looking up record stores in the yellow pages of the phone book.
In most of 1969 – 1971, my ‘availability’ consisted of wherever my dad would agree to take me.Our family’s cars had 8-track tape players.I had a small Sony portable reel-to-reel, and a Philips compact cassette recorder.During these years, I also started riding my bike to record stores – The Wherehouse, American Records…and other places that weren’t record stores, per se – Dooley’s Hardware etc.
Being a child, my concern was – at that stage – where can I get the most music for the least amount of money?Who had the cheapest 45’s?The Singer Sewing MachineStore?
I am always tempted to try and think about writing about music in different ways.This is the 3rd incarnation of this blog.I started way back in 2002 with my “20th Century Music” blog, which transformed into “The Ron Kane Files” and finally arrived at this “Music Life” blog.Some entries are artist specific, others are “playlists”, there are ‘obits’ and ‘big lists’.
It was during my “20th Century Music” days that I discovered that people were very encouraging when I wrote about my “record collector nostalgia”, as in – “What can I remember about collecting records in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s etc”.And for whatever reason, it always seemed appropriate to me to write about record collector nostalgia as the ‘year end’ approaches.Home for the holidays, as it were.
So, for those who weren’t here the first time around the block…
I grew up in a house where there was a lot of music (and phonograph records).My dad played me “Dinner Music For Those Who Aren’t Very Hungry” by Spike Jones when I was no more than 5 years old.He had taped it off of the FM radio onto a reel-to-reel tape deck (in mono).In the early 60’s, I can remember hot summer days when we would all go down into “the den”, close the blinds, turn on the air conditioning and listen to Allan Sherman LP’s all day.
Our family all watched The Beatles land on the Ed Sullivan Show together.My brother interned at KNOB-FM (“KNOB – the Jazz Knob”), he had an LP collection separate from my parents’ records.My earliest memories are of his Stan Getz / Joao Gilberto “Jazz Samba” LP on Verve – it’s thick, shiny cover.And if my sisters were all into The Beatles, my brother liked The Rolling Stones.
My sister Marilyn got interested in Sonny & Cher.When she and my sister Susie were babysitting me (while my mom worked), they played me Frank Zappa & The Mothers ofInvention – probably “Wowie Zowie” from “Freak Out”.
For my birthday, my parents took me to see the Harry Belafonte show at the Greek Theatre up in Los Angeles.Unless I am mistaken, the opening acts were Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee and either Miriam Makeba or Nana Mouskouri.I am going to guess this was 1963? 1964?
My brother went into the US Air Force; my older sister Marilyn moved out.By the end of the 60’s, I was the only child at home.I remember all of them having gone to the June, 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival, I was too young.They all saw The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl.I was too young…to do anything much but go shopping with my mother or father.
My brother showed me the magic of British-pressed LP’s in 1967 – he brought home a UK Parlophone copy of “Sgt. Peppers” – “Are your hands clean?”, he asked me.
