Time Machine 1970 #4

5-25-10

Time Machine 1970 #4

Thankfully, Strange Days magazine in Japan has kept up with it’s “Time Machine” series, which I find quite interesting.

Strange Days 2010.06 lists “April 1970 Albums” as: Paul McCartney – “Paul McCartney” (Apple UK LP PCS 7102); Elton John – “Elton John” (DJM UK LP 2/40406); Jethro Tull – “Benefit” (Island / Chrysalis ILPS 9123); Ten Years After – “Cricklewood Green” (Deram UK LP SML 1065); Brinsley Schwarz – “Brinsley Schwarz” (United Artists UK LP UAS 29111); The Doors – “Morrison Hotel” (Elektra US LP EKS 75007); Blodwyn Pig – “Getting To This” (Island / Chrysalis UK LP ILPS 9122); Incredible String Band – “I Looked Up” (Elektra UK LP 2469 002); and Iron Butterfly – “Live” (Atco US LP SD 33-318).

Yet another month where I remember the original release of eight or nine of these titles!

Must’ve really been paying attention by April, 1970 – I got the Paul McCartney LP as soon as humanly possible – why wasn’t “Maybe I’m Amazed” released as a single? The debut (actually his 2^nd) Elton John LP was being played pretty heavily on the FM radio – notably the venerable “Your Song” – so, definitely heard that one right away. I remember an advertisement for “Benefit” by Jethro Tull asking you to send in to the US record company the exact length of Side 1 of “Benefit” – I don’t remember what the prize was, but…I remember this promotion 40 years later. Really like this TYA album – never got the cover with the “finger up’ – never saw the UK 45 with th live version of “Love Like A Man”. I guess the Japanese consider Brinsley Schwarz important now because of Nick Lowe, but at the time – I didn’t go for it, didn’t hear it (until much later). All over The Doors “Morrison Hotel” – with the single “Roadhouse Blues” – but it was always “Peace Frog” that got my attention! Blodwyn Pig – hey, wasn’t this the guy who used to be the guitar player in Jethro Tull? Yep. I was already an Incredible String Band fan – having found an inexpensive LP copy of “Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter”; I first got a US “I Looked Up” and many years later got a UK copy, with it’s differing cover. I think my brother must’ve had the “Live” album by Iron Butterfly – we were pretty much done with them by this time. Who needed a 2^nd long version of “In-a-gadda-da-vida”?

40 years down the road, still pretty good with the McCartney & Elton John LP’s. I absolutely love Jethro Tull’s “Benefit”, probably my favorite Tull LP (US LP, UK LP, German LP, US re-mastered CD). I have both a UK & UK LP for TYA, and a re-mastered UK CD and Mo-Fi gold CD. I keep an original US issue of the “Morrison Hotel” LP to this very day; I own 3 copies of “I Looked Up” by the I.S.B., original US LP, original UK LP and a Hannibal label CD. And I do own two different copies of Iron Butterfly “Live” – both on LP, a US original and a German re-issue (I am admittedly fond of the songs on this album that aren’t the aforementioned “In-a-gadda-da-vida”). I don’t have the Brinsley Schwarz LP or anything but a CD of the 2^nd Blodwyn Pig album.