MADE IN SWEDEN (with love) SLP-71 (-68) SWEDEN

Prog trio evolving out of r&b/psych/garage band "Lea Riders Group", existing 1963-68. This was the first of six albums under the new name carrying a jazzier style. Back then considered a landmark, domestically highly praised and rewarded. Today the performance itself doesn't sound very revolutionary, especially when compared with more renowned UK or US acts appearing somewhat later. To me the magic lies on another altitude. Even if the attempt can be described as progressive with emphasis on jazz and far from LRG it has a remaining r&b garage quality I find very appealing. It seems most cuts are jam sessions built around fixed themes, playfully performed almost as rehersals. There's not much trace of producing. You get the impression of three guys sitting comfortably and doing fair play together, not embellished in any way. Later on the band would use elaborate studio work resulting in a more "common" prog sound. Here it's still day one - primitive and direct. It's clearly a transition album and though the backing sometimes can't decide if they're playing jazz or r&b, Georg "Jojje" Wadenius' guitar keeps it together - not absolute world class yet, but a token of what to come. Audio is 100% natural with lots of presence. Originally only released in Sweden. 1993 CD came with same tracking (Sonet SLPCD 71). First press had label as shown here and fully laminated cover. (SCÄ*) (ÖGÄ*) (CCÖ*)(SÖNÄ*)

BENNY GOODMAN SEXTET/GOODMAN SEXTET SESSION CL 6052 (-49) US

Time for a golden oldie. Eight danceable cuts - fast and slow - seven instrumentals and one with vocals by June Harvey. An exemple of the music my father listened too when I grew up. It never really got to me when I was a kid and as the pop boom flourished in my early teens I got ruder melodical interests. Today I enjoy listening to early press LP:s from that era. Still not so much because of the music, but to soak the warmth and atmosphere of the recordings. It's more than just the songs - like getting a cut out piece of the fourties in your head sixtyfive years later. Some may argue it's the same kind of magic anachronism you get with movies and TV. I don't agree. Taking part of old filmed situations today craves adjustment to new formulas and devices which strips the original ambiance and replace it with one created by modern standards. Difference is for albums you can use any decent analog equipment from then to now and you're there. Many of these early LP:s were transferences from '78:s, but here it sounds like an original recording and the audio is smashing. Early 10 inch issues had label as shown here, thick unflexible vinyl and thick cover. (NYFÖ*) (YZÄ*) (CLÄZ*)

STEELEYE SPAN/ROCKET COTTAGE CHR 1123 (-76) UK

After the big selling "All Around My Hat" album the band was more or less forced by the label to repeat success with one more in the same commercial style. The pressure together with a busy schedule caused uneasy feelings within the group which led to Peter Knight and Bob Johnson leaving after the recordings and the next - "Storm Force Ten" - to be their last studio album for three years. Against that background you wouldn't expect such a pleasing result, but IMO this is musically as good as AAHM. In a way more rock'n'roll with prominent bass/drums it's also playful, providing a wider spectra, like the Maddy Prior/Tim Hart antiphony to rythm instruments in "Fighting For Strangers" and quite a few odd details on other cuts. '45 pick "London" is in the same vein as AAMH title track and almost as catchy. Unfortunately the album don't blossom the same way as earlier ones - for two main reasons. It's badly mixed - vocals too low most of the time - and also treated with more limiting than usual, making the outcome blunter with less natural feel. Maybe only this UK issue suffers from that, in any case it's a pity on such fine songs. First US on Chrysalis came with same label, number and cover design. Remastered 1996 CD on BGO (BGOCD 318). Premiere UK had label as shown here and glossy cover with lyric insert. (BRYF*) (FÄV*)(SÖPX*)

ENTWICKLUNG DER POP MUSIK/MUSIKKUNDE IN BEISPIELEN VOL 1 + VOL 2 2536015/016 (-69)/(-70) GERMANY

An unexpected combination from the late sixties. The venerable publisher of classical music - Deutsche Grammophon - releasing two original artists compilations mostly consisting of psych and prog. Hendrix, Who, Zappa, Cream, Mayall, Velvet Underground and more - all in the same place with the label's customary high quality pressing. Apparently it was a commision work for an editor of pedagogic books - Schwann - as part of a project giving an outsider/scientific approach to the development of pop music. Probably originally meant for educational purpose. I don't remember seeing them sold in regular record shops here - copies shown came from a library collection. All cuts are true stereo. Unfortunately I only have means to compare two of them with the original two-channels. Who's "My Generation" is a 2.23 edit of the 14.27 version from the "Live At Leeds" album - coming out a little more restraint than the original, but still very good listening. Jimi Hendrix' "Exp - Up From The Skies" has the German stereo mix. Further Cream "Spoonful" seems to be the same live version as on "Wheels Of Fire". I may get back on the others as I find more to compare with. Label and cover say the Mothers Of Invention track is "Plastic People", but it's actually "Who Are The Brain Police". The Hendrix cut is correctly named on cover while label has "Exp" only. In any case just having those bands on this label is rewarding enough and it has to be the only legit issue where you can devour an LP side with the fetching combination Zappa/Velvet Underground/Tony Williams Lifetime/Ten Wheel Drive/Richie Havens - one after another with top audio. Both volumes came in fully laminated covers including a twelve page booklet with ten pics and facts on bands and genres. Matrixes have regular DG stamping, including publishing year for each volume. (SÄM*) (LYBÖ*) (GÖXÄ*)(CÄRÄ*)

MOODY BLUES/DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED DML 707 (-67) UK MONO

Moody Blues is one of those bands I drop for long periods and then suddely embrace 100%. I've never been much for "Magnificent Moodies", which is an ok r&b album but as from another band. The MB adventure takes off here and for the next five years six albums would serve about the same buffet - blending well written melodies with front line experimenting, groovy lyrics and heartfelt performance. Even if you recognize the disposition from time to time the melodic variations and developing ideas on recording and arrangements makes every single LP sound brand new. This first in line with the new style has also been called the first progressive and symphonic pop album and even seen as the one that created those genres. Don't know about that, but clearly remember how fresh it sounded back then. It wasn't the first concept album and symphonic orchestras had been used in pop/rock context before. Still the way they did it combined with the beautiful melodies made it special. Favorite track - "The Afternoon". Production credited to Tony Clarke, who at this time had no education in classical music. I guess a lot of the handeling was due to arranger and cunductor Peter Knight (1917-85), already 1967 an oldtimer with experience from fifties and early sixties recordings. I've seen debate if this mono is a fold or not. It sure sounds true mono to me - perfectly balanced and all comes through open and beautiful, far from the damp impression of the "In Search Of The Lost Chord" mono which is an obvious reduction. By 1978 the original tapes were worn out and the entire album re-mixed in stereo, so the only way to get the first stereo version today is by pre-1978 vinyl and for mono you have to find issues like this. First US on main Deram (DE 16012/DES 18012). Premiere UK mono had ridged label, a few mispressed with red "stereo" colour instead of brown, and thin laminated cover. (MBÅL*)(DÄRR*)

1000

First 1000 posts done. Time for celebration and vacation. Taking a short break, but soon back with a new stack. See You Later/Erik

ROLLING STONES/FLOWERS LL 3509 (-67) US MONO

US compilation valuable to both American and European buyers at the time. The UK export formats were scarce even then. What we saw most of here in Sweden were imported US copies, first sold at regular price and eventually part of the huge cut-out dumping in the seventies. Twelve songs, some of them previously non-LP and three issued for the first time anywhere - "Ride On Baby", "Sittin' On A Fence" and "My Girl". The audio is very good and I've always been certain all cuts were true mono...that is till I saw Prof. Stoned's article on the UK mono export http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/rolling-stones-flowers-uk-mono-export.214975/. It got me curious if US and UK issues shared the same source. According to the article that version suffers from flaws like poor sound quality at parts and four of the cuts being stereo reductions. There's certainly no bad audio here and honestly I can't hear the sometimes subtle differences described. Maybe that's just me - I tried to compare with my UK stereo export, but after about a trillion stereo-mono comparisons through the years my brain has burned out that function and today trying to hear tiny dissimilarities just makes me impatient and irritated. So for a shortcut I went out on the net trying to get reliable info. The export stereo apparently is from the US tapes, but I can't seem to get a certain answer about the mono - some say it is and others say it isn't. If anyone reading this knows for sure - please comment and tell. Btw the matrixes on this copy are etched ARL 7752-1M/ARL 7753-1L. It has glossy label and thick glossy cover with London ad inner. (RÅ*) (PÖP*) (YZÄ*) (ÖXCÅ*)

GREASY TRUCKERS PARTY UDX 203/4 (-72) UK

2-LP set issued to raise money for a hostel building in Notting Hill, recorded early 1972 at the underground art centre Roundhose in London. Initially - as can be seen on back cover listing - the album was scheduled for a larger bulk of artists, including UK psych band Byzantium and Lady June Campbell among others. But due to reoccuring power failures and the fire brigade emptying the facilities in the middle of gigs because of overcrowding and possible fire hazards the set was slimmed down to four acts - Hawkwind, Man, Brinsley Schwarz and Magic Michael (of which I don't know anything other than he sometimes performed naked and was described as a UK version of Wild Man Fisher). The whole thing was recorded on a Pye mobile unit and the audio is very good. Even if all performaces are fine in their own ways there are especially two I keep returning to. Man's "Spunk Rock" covering side one is a twentytwo minute guitar driven space trip with similarities to Grateful Dead's livliest moments and a journey well worth taking. The Hawkwind numbers on side four have been performed other places both live and in studio. Can't say if the versions here are better or worse than any other from a public perspective, but they mean a lot to me and I will get back to them in a later post. This first issue was limited to 20.000 copies and at a retail price of £1,50 it sold out and quickly became a collectors item. Early release in Germany (Gamma 3265) and Japan (Liberty LLP-93075). 2007 3CD re-issue has the same artists, including sixteen tracks by Brinsley Schwarz and twelve by Hawkwind. Premiere UK had labels as shown here and matt fold/out cover. (LYBÖ*) (ÄZC*) (HÖWK*)

OLA & THE JANGLERS/UNDER GROUND GMG 1211 (-67) SWEDEN

After the domestic successes with the previous "Lime Light" and the "Pictures and Sounds" soundtrack, which also gave them some international recognition, the band got to record an album with help from UK producers Ivor Raymonde and Gus Dudgeon. With the strong melodic semi-psych predecessors in mind and the album title alluding to dirty circumstances you would expect this to be tophole psych pop or freakbeat, but it's not. There are couple of good songs, it's well played and Ola Håkansson's vocal's still peculiar, but to me it sounds overproduced. Too much reverb, lots of brass and strings everywhere - in hindsight maybe not that unexpected when involving Raymonde who at the same time also worked with Dusty Springfield and Walker Brothers. The production is tophole, elaborated and balanced, but doesn't fit the band. All that made the previous albums special is gone, instead you get average British orchestrated pop, molded the same way as dozens of UK artists and bands. So if you're into that kind it's OK, but those who expect psych, freakbeat or garage will be disappointed. Swedish release as "compatible stereo", but it's more or less mono. Also issued in Argentina (Magenta 7.012). Premiere Swedish had label as shown here and fully laminated cover with top opening. (SCÄ*)(ÖJÅX*) (CCÖ*)

JETHRO TULL/TOO OLD TO ROCK'N'ROLL: TOO YOUNG TO DIE CHR 1111 (-76) UK

Don't know if it's relevant to speak about forgotten gems when it comes to a major act, as Jethro Tull was back then. But in comparison to surrounding issues by the band it didn't sell a lot and today never mentioned among their best. That certainly has nothing to do with songwriting, performance or audio - all top class. There's not a bad track on it. Memorable melodies with poetic lyrics and earnest delivery. "Bad-Eyed and Loveless" is a beautiful love song and cuts like "Crazed Institution", "Quizz Kid", "Pied Piper" and title track all very catchy. Sincere with emotional vocals, but never mushy. I guess the package put some buyers off at the time. Theme albums were popular, but maybe the rocker/greaser subject was too narrow for a large international public. Also the sleeve is messy and unattractive, but if you forget about the images and just hear it out it's downright pleasant. First US with same label, number and sleeve design. Frequently re-issued on LP and CD. Premiere UK had label as shown here and matt fold/out cover. (YÖHT*) (RÖKÖ*)