TAJ MAHAL 8-63279 (-68) UK MONO

Never really got in to genuine American black blues. My first meetings with the genre was in the sixties with white blues artists and early hard rock, through covers sometimes rightly credited but as often shamelessly stolen. Then unaware of origins or copywrite issues I let that popularized approach set my youthful taste and in a way I'm still there, not entirely able to connect with the old masters. With that in mind it's no surprise Taj Mahal (born Henry Saint Clair Fredericks 1942) was and remains one of my foremost black blues preferences - in a way very traditional but at the same time carried by an atmosphere I'd got acustomed to from rockier remakes. For exemple this debute album has all the honesty and emotion of black blues though production and arrangements are of a whiter shade more reminding of early Yardbirds or Cream. But while those have a slightly tidier, more civilized outcome, the core here is more wild and naked bursting with deeper emotions. So I get the real thing, but packaged in a way easier for me to take in. This UK mono probably made from the original US tapes. So big, natural, well balanced and separated it'd be impossible to fake and it also has a reference to the US mono number on label. Be aware some of these Direction issues of the album were stereos with mono label and cover. If You care and wanna be absolutely sure to get the right format, better check matrixes or listen. Premiere US on Columbia (CL 2779/CS 9579). Mono version reissued on vinyl 2005 by Sundazed (LP 5196). First UK had label as shown here and laminated cover. (YMÖ*)(DÄJ*)

ALICE COOPER/SCHOOL'S OUT K 56007 (-72) UK

One of those albums so handeled and mangeled in medias the image created around it has outrivaled the record itself in the public eye. Not adding to that, just sharing a few personal thoughts. My two favorite Alice Cooper albums have always been "Killer" and "Billion Dollar Babies" - both carrying the same strangely appealing blend of repellent and catchy. With this issued inbetween, superficially in the same style and having same producer - Bob Ezrin - you'd expect it to come out about the same, but it doesn't. Title track, "Luny Tune" and "Gutter Cat Vs. The Jets" gives a rocking start, after that it slows down through a mix of different styles. Nothing bad, yet harder to grasp as an entity. Back then I read in one of the music magazines (can't remember which) the LP was the result of a wrecked rock opera (or maybe it was a theme-album) project. Don't know if that's true, but if the cuts originally were twitched out of a bigger context and then put together causally it would explain the random outcome...or maybe I got it all wrong. I still think it's a very good album, just not up there with the surrounding ones. Favorite track apart from the three mentioned - "Alma Mater". First UK had label as shown here, "fold-out bench" cover and paper nicker inner. (KÖÖP*)

JOE COCKER/JAMAICA SAY YOU WILL HIFLY 20 (-75) UK

A follow-up to, and apparently a product of the same sessions as, the 1974 "I Can Stand A Little Rain", but while that has become his best selling album hithero this hasn't done as well. Seems unfair to me. His voice here is as attractively sored and tattered as ever, song choice soulful with perfect fit and backing tophole. I can't find a bad track on it - slow or up-tempo he's growling and grunting through the songs still hitting the notes and making it beautiful with the sometimes borderline acridness perfectly balanced by a sweet and heartfelt backing. To me especially the saxophones (played by Jim Horn, Bobby Keys and Jim Lawrence) and female background vocals stands out. The impression I get is more of a joint effort by a band of equals than a solo artist supported by an ad hoc studio ensamble - supertight with a mutual feeling. Favorite tracks - "(That's What I Like) In My Woman", "Oh Mama" and "It's All Over But The Shouting". Issued and reissued on vinyl, cassette and CD all over the world through the years. Premiere US on A&M (SP-4529). First UK had label as shown here, thick vinyl and matt cover with lyric/picture insert and custom Cube inner. (MÖRS*) (FXÖ*) (JÖC*)

TRAFFIC/MR. FANTASY UAS 6651 (-68) US

Been trying for decades to find an ok US first press mono of this within my price range, but no luck yet. So far the closest I've come is this second press stereo, but that's not so bad either. I do get the alternative tracking in comparison to the UK issue - "Utterly Simple" and "Hope I Never Find Me There" omitted and replaced with "Paper Sun", "Hole In My Shoe" and "Smiling Phases". All cuts are true stereo and the audio formidable - so loud and distinct it's almost intrusive. Pressing is tophole, clean and dead silent between tracks and I also get the original cover with band pics in color on both front and back. Even if I keep looking for the first press mono, this is so good in so many ways and giving such enjoyable listening it'll do for now. Premiere issue came 1968 on black label, either named "Mr Fantasy" or "Heaven Is In Your Mind", with identical cover design. This second probably 1969 with changed label, but made from early matrixes and in the same cover. (TXÄW*) (YZÄ*)

TRAPEZE/MEDUSA THS 4 (-70) UK

Group formed 1969 by members of two moderately successful UK sixties pop/rock combos - John Jones and Terry Rowley from The Montanas plus Glenn Huges, Mel Galley and Dave Holland from Finders Keepers. After the eponymous debute LP for Threshold flopped Jones and Rowley returned to The Montanas and for this follow up the band was down to a trio of former Finders Keepers members, in a way continuing the old band under another name. However there's not much remaining sixties feeling here. On the contrary this sounds beyond 1970 with a hard rock expression and sound that would take years to establish fully within the genre. Long ballad style numbers, blues based on a soft melodic ground covered by a rude superstructure of guitars and emotional vocals. Slow and cool with harsh riffs, distinct drum/bass and Glenn Huges' attractive voice on top. There's some resemblance to contemporary UK band Free and it's clear Huges had taken in some of Paul Rogers' idioms, but as this comes out both harder and more melodic I hear developing rather than copying. Not a bad track and it's truly surprising it didn't sell on release or is more appreciated today...other than by fans of the member's later bands (as Glenn Huges went to Deep Purple, Mel Galley to Whitesnake and Dave Holland to Judas Priest). Produced by Moody Blues bassist John Lodge. Audio is about the best you could get back then, which means sounding ten times better than any of the genre's later computerized outputs - big, clear, natural and so close you'd almost expect it to jump out of the speakers. First US on London/Treshold (THS 4). Premiere UK had label as shown here and matt fold/out cover, printed either by Robert Stace or Garrods & Lofthouse, and Decca co. "blue square" inner. (DÄRR*)

SMOKEY ROBINSON/YES IT'S YOU LADY STML 12165 (-82) UK

To me Motown was and always will be one of greatest labels in history and Smokey Robinson one of their biggest stars. Through the years I've had so much joy from listening to the stuff he did with Miracles in the sixties, taking in the elaborate songwriting and his sensible vocals. Big part of the connection I have with those songs comes from that they're all man made, performed by real musicians in the studio, often in just a few takes, giving a reality check. From around the late seventies when more and more of soul and disco recordings were taken over by machines with a kind of signature reverb I almost stopped listening to those genres. On that road it took about two decades before I gave this album a chance, believing he like so many others had fallen in the synth trap. I needn't have worried. There is some electronic support and the ambience sounds far from sixties Motown studio work, but most of the backing still human, songs catchy and his voice filled with tons of emotion. It's soft and heartfelt with enough power to put you in a wistful mood...if that's what you need. Favorite tracks - "Merry-Go-Ride" and "Are You Still Here?". Premiere US on Tamla (6001 TL). First UK had label as shown here and thin fully laminated cover. (SXÖM*) (TÖMÖ*)

THE NAMES OF THE GAME - ENTERPRISE STEREO SAMPLER ESAM 100 (-73) UK

At first glance a very promising compilation. Flaunting a stereo sampler 1973 may have been a little bit off, but tracklist is good sixties - including acts as Small Faces, Nashville Teens, Jimi Hendrix and B.B. King - with a couple of numbers that could be difficult to find in true stereo back then. As far as I can figure out this UK "Enterprise" label had nothing to do with the US Stax subsidiary, but belonged to, or maybe was a continuation of, shortlived UK budget label New World Records. Anyway it's a good collection of acts and songs, only downside the stereo outcome isn't very good. You almost get two-channel mixes, but rather muddy and unbalanced either having most of the music panned right or so confused they're hard to discern from fakes. For exemple the Small Faces track called "Tell Me Have You Seen Her" on cover, with the more accurate "Tell Me Have You Ever Seen Me" on label, may emanate from the mix on their eponymous Immediate stereo album (IMSP 008), but comes out so biased and obtused I can't decide. However pushing the mono button works wonders and suddenly makes it an ok mono sampler with much better audio. So if you have one of those converters on your equipment it's pretty good listening. If not and you got sensitive ears - better avoid. To my knowledge this was the only issue. It came with structured label as shown here and laminated cover. (SÄM*)

BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY/CHEAP THRILLS UK STEREO S 63392 VS. MONO 63392

Had the mono for years and always thought it sounded like a separate mix, as a true mono should - strong, dynamic with perfect balance and fine separation. Through the years I've seen claims both that it is for real and that it's a plain fold. Same divergent suppositions are made about the US mono, which I never heard, and there are also theories that the US is true while the UK is a reduction. But I've never seen a thorough investigation on the subject, once and for all clearing things out. This may be a small start - comparing a UK first press mono and stereo. Can't do a minute by minute. But by checking timing, intros and outros and doing spread swoops on some parts I can only conclude that at least the UK mono is a straight fold from the UK stereo and I can hear no difference between that and what I get from using the mono button to connect the channels. Issued at about the same time as UK CBS started to get serious on compatibles, so it figures (see original inner below). Now I'm getting really curious about the US issue. Is there anyone reading this who owns both US formats and knows for sure? Or maybe someone who can point me to a place on the net where it's sorted out. If you got it - please share! (FÄV*) (LYBÖ*) (CPYC*)

RONNIE RONALDE/THE INIMITABLE RONNIE RONALDE GGL-0193 (-63) UK MONO

Some of my first musical memories came from stays at my maternal grandparents' farm in the late fifties. There were no other kids around so I was left to explore that world on my own. My favorite pastime soon became an old grammophone and a stack of wax shoved away in one of the rooms. The selection was somewhat limited - mostly opera, classic and crooners - but also oddities, more pleasing to my young inquiring mind, like a male quire chanting Irving Berlin's "Over There" or this Ronnie Ronalde doing "Dream Of Olwen" and "In A Monastery Garden". For many years I thought he was Italian due to name, looks and operatic song style, but hidden behind that persona was an all British music hall artist, born Ronald Charles Waldron (1923-2015). After struggling about a decade as singer, yodeller, whistler and bird imitator, solo or in combos, he got a big breakthrough in the late forties with his own radio show, million selling records and sold out concerts all over the world - for exemple filling Radio City Music Hall in New York ten weeks in a row. Outrivaled by the youth movement's pop, rock and blues in the sixties he withdraw from the limelight, but continued to perform and did his last big public gig 2013 at age 90. Of course the young child listening to a scratchy 78 back then didn't know any of that, he just got cought by the whisteling, bird song and emotional atmosphere of the recordings. Later years I've been longing to find any of the vinyl compilations containing transferrings from his 78:s to be able to reacquaint and reminice, but no luck so far. The one shown here has re-makes and newer recordings, made in Pye studios 1963. Not the exact same Ronnie Ronalde as I wanna remember, but so odd in so many ways and so well done with such great audio it floors me anyway. A collection of orchestrated schlager covers where he really goes all in - mixing art whisteling, yodelling and powerful falsetto with an old school song style - all absolutely clean and on the spot. Listening to it today is a little like visiting an old fashioned cirkus - even if amazed by the acrobats and strange animals you enjoy it as much for the ambiance. Favorite tracks - "Mockingbird Hill", "Silver Threads Among The Gold" and "Happy Trails". Some of the cuts can be found on the 2001 CD "The Ronnie Ronalde Collection" (HMV 5340042), but to my knowledge this was the only vinyl issue. It came with label as shown here, thick vinyl and laminated flip/back cover. (MÖRS*) (PÖY*)

JIMI HENDRIX/ "EXPERIENCE" - BANDA DE SONIDO ORGINAL DEL FILM JIMI HENDRIX 12.947 (-71) MONO ARGENTINA

One of the most common and best selling posthumous Hendrix albums, issued all over the world early seventies. As mono probably most interesting to obsessive Hendrix collectors and completists, but since it is an odd variation of a good live album by a major artist still worth noticing. Without doubt some kind of fold yet powerful with natural audio bringing lots of presence. As with the stereo I feel close and here almost intimate. Always thought early live albums did best through good mono pressings, folds or not. Getting the performance in one piece makes it easier to project a suitable sound picture and connect. This may appear a little bit unbalanced at parts, but that's how most concerts sounded like for the front row audience back then anyway, so sitting in my listening chair I'm also there...close to the stage. Also issued as Argentine stereo (112.947). First had label as shown here and glossy cover. (JHÄ*) (SÖMI*) (LYBÖ*) (ZÖNT*)

SANDY DENNY/THE NORTH STAR GRASSMAN AND THE RAVENS ILPS 9165 (-71) UK

Often called Sandy Denny's first solo effort, but that's confusing in many ways. She had done solo stuff for Saga label in the sixties (see earlier posts) and since this emerged out of the collapsed recordings for "Fotheringay 2", with partly the same crew and two of the tracks - "Late November" and "John The Gun" - were slightly reworked leftovers from those sessions it could as well have been credited to the band. In spite of some uptempo portions I get a very wistful album, filled with melancholy and grief. Title track is a homage to her deceased sailor friend Paul Bamber and "Late November" built on a dream she had about former Fairport Convention drummer Martin Lamble, who died in a car crash 1969. I've seen some of the cuts on it have been called "fillers" and the whole album uneven, but I don't get that at all. Maybe the covers of Dylan's "Down In The Flood" or Charles Robins' "Let's Jump The Broomstick" isn't her finest moments, yet sung with so much feeling it fits. The traditional "Down By Black Waterside" beautiful and...I could go on homaging every single track, but you get the idea - I think it's a great album. Apart from band buddies there are contributions from US steel guitarist Buddy Emmons, bassist Tony Reeves (Colosseum, John Mayall) and drummer Gerry Conway (Steeleye Span, Pentangle) among others. Recordings were largely self-produced by Denny and the band with a sometimes unsmooth result. A couple appears unbalanced or unadjusted, like rehersals or early takes, but that together with the excellent audio gives a transparency and closeness at least I find very connective. Issued and reissued on vinyl, cassette and CD through the years, some with bonus tracks. First US on A&M (SP-4317). Premiere UK had label as shown here, matt fold/out cover and custom blue island inner. (BRYF*) (FÄV*) (FÄHZ*)