BEACON BRINGS IT TO YOU SBEAB 1 (-69) UK

 

Sampler containing early 45 cuts from the Beacon label, which existed between 1968-73. The most known track here is The Show Stoppers "Ain't Nothing But A Houseparty", managing #11 on the UK list and considered a Northern Soul classic, while the rest today may appear more or less obscure. Sound Barrier's "Groovin' Slow" was flip side of a one-off single. John Fitch & Associates "Romantic Attitude", Eldridge Devlin "A Little Love" and The Sandcastles "Oh! How I Miss Her" all A-sides of one-offs. And while the remaining may have released two or more records, non of them were even close to become household names. Favorite tracks - "...Houseparty" and the psychish ones - "Groovin' Slow" carried by warped vocals plus "Romantic Attitude" which is romantic but disturbed by some very odd guitar licks. Apart from Tommy Farrell's sugary ballad "Soon" and Sons And Lovers caribian style "Happiness Is Love" the rest can be described as ok soul and/or pop (exemples below). As expected from a "stereo" only containing former 45:s all tracks here are more or less enhanced mono, but quite enjoyable anyway. To my knowledge this British vinyl was the only issue (also as mono (BEAB 1). It came with label as shown here in a laminated flip/back cover.  (SÄM*)  (FÄV*)

                                                                                  

                                                                                  

                                                                                  

                                                                                  

                                                                                  

                                                                              

 

SANDY POSEY/SINGLE GIRL E-4455 (-66) US MONO

 

American country pop singer born in Alabama 1944. Begun her carrer as a session singer for artists like Elvis Presley, Percy Sledge, Joe Tex and Tommy Roe. Her first solo effort - a 1965 45 issue for Bell Records - didn't catch on, but soon after she got a contract with MGM and managed four hit singles in a row, whereof three reaching #12 on Billboard. Her two first albums didn't do as well - the debute "Born A Woman" halted at #129 while this didn't chart at all. Seems a little unfair to me. Though song choice almost all through points her out as some kind of victim of love and the orchestrated backing  so smooth and well arranged you could call it easy listening, her voice makes it worth it, at least for me. It isn't very strong, but the vocals move between girlish and mature in a very sensual way, making it personal and as such...sexy. Exemples below. I'm always looking for special female vocals from back then and this was certainly a good find. Also originally issued on vinyl in Canada, Downunder, UK, Germany and South Africa. To my knowledge never released like this on CD, though you can find most of the tracks on the EU 2002 "Sandy Posey - A Single girl: The Very Best Of The MGM Recordings"  (RPM Records RPM 245).  Premiere US (also as stereo SE-4455) had label as shown here in a glossy cover with MGM inner.  (FÄV*)  YZÄ*)  (ÖXCÅ*)

                                                                               

                                                                                  

                                                                                     

                                                                                     

                                                                                      

        

                                                                              


 

THE LIVERPOOL SOUND 1C 148-05 225/226 M (-75) MONO GERMANY

  Of all compilations I have or have had through the years this is certainly top ten. German 2-LP carrying some of the best British pop and rock from the sixties. Twentyfour cuts equally divided by three each from Manfred Mann, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, Swinging Blue Jeans, Georgie Fame, Gerry And The Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer, Peter & Gordon and Freddie And The Dreamers. All conveyed by original mono mixes with absolutely smashing audio. No need to jump tracks here, it's all going in like a big charm. You get five Lennon McCartney covers. Three by Billy J. Kramer - "Bad To Me", I Call Your Name" and "Do You Want To Know A Secret" - and two by Peter & Gordon - "A World Without Love" and "Nobody I Know". Further I can also enjoy Johnny Kidd & The Pirates rude version of "Shakin' all Over", Gerry and The Pacemakers sweet "Ferry Cross The Mersey, Swinging Blue Jeans simple but super catchy "Hippy Hippy Shake", Manfred Mann's delectable "Pretty Flamingo" and the rest as much or more. No true rarities here, but getting some of the best and most loved from the period, carried like this, is certainly enough for me. Happy happy! To my knowledge this German vinyl was the only issue. It came with label as shown here in a laminated fold/out cover with presentation of all acts, in English and German, inside. (SÄM*)  (GÖXÄ*)

                                                                                

                                                                                    

                                                                                     

                                                                                  

                                                                                

                                                                                    

                                                                             

                                                                               

 

BILL WYMAN/STONE ALONE COC 59105 (-76) UK

  After getting praise for his first solo album - the 1974 "Monkey Grip" - which also sold quite ok, this follow-up mostly recieved thumbs down from critics and didn't manage well in the shops. With such participants it's kind of a mystery it didn't do better.  Backing consisting of Ronnie Wood, Nicky Hopkins, Al Kooper, Dr. John, Van Morrison, Joe Walsh, Jim Keltner and Dallas Taylor among others and the whole thing overseen by Record Plant legend Gary Kellgren. I'm listening now for the first time and what I get is not all bad. He's not a great singer, but that's a shortfall he shares with a couple of hundred or so other rock vocalists. To go on with the negative - a couple of the songs sound way too perky and/or overproduced for my taste. But there are good moments too. The soft reggae-rock "Soul Satisfying"  is smooth listening, "Every Sixty Seconds" a blues with some very nice guitar work, "Wine And Wimmen" quite pushy rock and "No More Foolin" dirty blues. Also on the positive side - the mixes and audio are tophole. Apart from maybe "No More Foolin" this is far from Rolling Stones, but partly up to par anyway and I guess whatever likes it get it's a must in any serious Stones collection. Issued and reissued pretty much all over the world on vinyl and/or CD through the years, also US cassette. US 2006 CD on Castle Music came with six bonus tracks. Premiere UK had label as shown here in a glossy cover with glossy picture/lyric/credit inner.   (RÅ)

                                                                                   

                                                                                

                                                                           

                                                                                    

                                                                                

                                                                                     

 

BRIAN MATTHEW INTRODUCE ABC TELEVISION'S THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS GGL-0190 (-63) UK MONO

 Continuing my excavation of early sixties pop and rock acts, as presented on LP close to the fact. "Thank Your Lucky Stars" was a British TV show, broadcasted between 1961-66, where they announced known artists as well as newcomers through the media. This album has recordings made 1962-63 for Pye and subsidiaries, all originally issued on 45:s. You get a presentation by programme host Brian Matthew, but as the rest sounds like studio takes I guess they're the 45 ones, making this a more or less regular Pye sampler. In a way in the same mode as the Decca  "Ready, Steady, Go" LP which also promoted label artists with help from a TV show  https://monolover.blogspot.com/2017/03/ready-steady-go-lk-4577-63-uk-mono.html  . But while that had some interesting rock'n'roll tracks, this is without any such rough edges. Instead I get smooth pop ballads by artists like Mark Wynter, Dave McBeth, Brook Brothers, Joe Brown, Jimmy Justice and Julie Grant. Also two Kenny Ball happy jazz instrumentals and Lonnie Donegan doing a faithful cover of "Pick A Bale Of Cotton". For a psych and/or garage lover like myself maybe not the most exciting vinyl leftover from those days, but since it contains many today less known or even forgotten acts a keeper for sure.  Only other issue I can find when searching the net is a Peruvian one on Pye with same number. UK had label as shown here on heavy vinyl in a laminated flip/back cover with company inner.  (SÄM*)  (PÖY*)

                                                                                        

                                                                                 

                                                                                

                                                                                  

                                                                         

                                                                                

                                                                                  

 

THE ROLLING STONES/OUT OF OUR HEADS LK4733 (-65) UK MONO

  When posting the UK domestic fake stereo   https://monolover.blogspot.com/2022/08/the-rolling-stonesout-of-our-heads-skl.html  a while ago I nurished a hope to sometimes find the mono sibling to a price I could afford. But the hope was faint since all Sweden got in the sixties was the export version  https://monolover.blogspot.com/2012/07/rolling-stonesout-of-our-heads-lk4725.html  and the domestic UK only started to show up here in regular shops early seventies, then on boxed label in stereo only. So the domestic originals must either have surfaced by special import or bought abroad. Needless to say it was a very happy surprise to find this in a bin just the other day. It's lovely to the ears to get the tracks missing on the US/UK export - "She Said Yeah", "Gotta Get Away", "Talkin' 'Bout You", "Oh Baby (We Got A Good Thing Going)", "Heart Of Stone" and "I'm Free" - in absolute original shape, as they were meant to be heard in the first place, especially as "She Said Yeah" and "I'm Free" are two of my all time R.S. favorites. That's one good thing with being a die-hard record collector - you don't need millions or big mansions to be happy, just one find in a bin anytime will do the trick. Premiere press had ridged label as shown here in a laminated cover with Handling/Playing inner.   (RÅ*)

                                                                                    

                                                                                 

                                                                                   

                                                                                 

    
                                                                                 

                 
                                                                                    

                                                                                
                         


 

MANFRED MANN/THE BIG HITS OF MANFRED MANN 1M 048-05 284 (-72) GERMANY

 To my taste this is a hidden gem, an example of what goodies you can find in the cheapest bins. A German variation of the UK "The Greatest" compilation (MFP 5269) with same tracking, but different sleeve design. The band pic on front is great though the rest of the cover quite cheapish. Quality is thin and brittle and they even forgot to include last track on side two - "5.4.3.2.1." - on the rear list. Though if you can look past that and the budget label it offers very enjoyable listening. Including former 45 A:s and B:s of which "Sha-La-La" and "5.4.3.2.1." can be called slightly faked stereo, or maybe monoish, but the rest true stereo. Regardless of formats the audio is smashing all through - big, warm and very good to the ears. With eyes closed in the listening chair I'm taking it all in with a big smile.  So if You're into vinyl and wanna get sixties recordings conveyed by top audio, but don't wanna spend more than a buck or two, this is highly recommended. Apart from UK and Germany also released in Holland, Downunder and South Africa. German cassette on Crystal (228 CRY 05 284).  (MÄNÄ*)   (SXS*)  (GÖXÄ*)

                                                                               

                                                                                

                                                                                    

                                                                                

                                                                                

 

THE SUPREMES/THE SUPREMES A' GO-GO TML 11039 (-66) UK MONO

    Posted the UK stereo version three years or so ago    https://monolover.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-supremesa-go-go-stml-11039-66-uk.html  . Now it's time for an update - this time with the mono. The stereo mix and audio are very good and certainly enjoyable, but this mono also adds some power and cohesion I didn't get there, without losing clarity. They're both pleasing as they are making it impossible to choose, so I'm happy the bins have been good to me and I've found both. Most of what I wrote on the stereo three years ago still goes for this, so here I go again...No secret I'm a big Supremes fan and collector, picking all decently used and appropriately priced I can find with the ladies from the used bins. By now I have most of their recordings, some of them many times, but for every unique item there's always something new and special to me...like a luscious sleeve design, differing track orders or songs and/or versions I didn't have before. This ticks all those boxes. Partly a greatest hits collection with numbers such as "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart", "This Old Heart Of Mine" and "You Can't Hurry Love", here coupled with a couple of tophole cover versions like "These Boots Are Made For Walking", "I Can't Help Myself", "Hang On Sloopy" and "Money"...all of them infused with something new and exciting and not standing back to any of the originals, thus keeping me cinched to the listening chair and I couldn't be happier. In today's deranged world filled with violence and climate anxiety it feels good to be caught in something this pure and lovely. Issued and reissued on vinyl and CD all over the world through the years, also 4-track, 8-track and cassette. Premiere US on Motown (M/MS 649). US 2017 2xCD "Expanded Edition" came with all original stereo and mono cuts plus twentynine alternate mixes and/or versions. First UK had label as shown here in a laminated flip/back cover with ad inner. (FÄV*) (TÖMÖ*) (ZYZÖ*)

                                                                                   

                                                                                 

                                                                                   

                                                                               

                                                                              

                                                                                 

 

THE WHO/HAPPY JACK DL 4892 (-66) US MONO

  US version of the UK "A Quick One"  https://monolover.blogspot.com/2012/04/whoa-quick-one-593002.html  . That is a classic in many ways, but as carried by, to my taste, rather bad audio I'm having a hard time to enjoy it to the fullest. This however is somewhat better to the mind. "Heatwave" is replaced by the in UK 45 only "Happy Jack" and the audio is slightly improved. While much of the UK issue is too loud and muddy for me to get all in, this is mostly clearer with better separation, which allows me to dive deeper and enjoy the songs more. Almost same story as with the first US mono version of the "My Generation" LP   https://monolover.blogspot.com/2023/03/the-who-sings-my-generation-dl-4664-66.html  , which also had different tracking and came out better to the ears than the UK original. I'm aware later CD issues of the tracks may be even clearer and better separated, but those are all afterthoughts and since it was meant to be pressed on vinyl to start with that's where I wanna be to sort things out. To my knowledge this version was released on vinyl in US and Canada only, also as cassette and 8-track. Japan 2021 CD on Oldays Records (ODR 6964) came with mono and stereo versions of all songs. Premiere US, also as stereo (DL 74892), had label as shown here in a laminated cover.  (YZÄ*)  (WÖH*) (ÖXCÅ*)

                                                                               

                                                                               

                                                                                    

                                                                          

                                                                                  

                                                                                     

 

KRZYSTZOF KLENCZON/TRZY KORONY SXL 0779 (-71) POLAND

Guitarist born in Poland 1942 and died after been hit by a drunk driver in Chicago 1981. From 1962 member of pop/rock band Niebiesko-Czarny (Blue-Black), then after a couple of years moving over to Czerwone Gitary (Red Guitars), which under its German name "Rote Gitarren" also became a big hit in DDR. To my knowledge this was the only LP with his early sventies group "Trzy Korony" (Three Crowns). It's a very good psych/prog album - incorporating genre mix , rythmic gaming and unexpected turns, often drowned in lots of downright evil guitars...like the slow dark fuzz-psych orgy "Nie Przejdziemy Do Historii" (We'll Never Make History), or the howling mean intro to "10 W Skali Beauforta" (10 Degrees Beaufort). "Spotkanie Z Diablem" (Meeting With The Devil") builds on an intriguing bass riff (inspired by the guitar in Hollies "We're Through"???)...again with lots of sharp psych guitars. "Bierz Zycie Jakie Jest" (Take It As It Is) heavy hard rock and "Piosenka O Niozym" (Nonsense Song) uptempo rock relying on a fuzzed rhythm guitar. The audio on this is very good, no problems with pressing or stereo mix. Originals has also become quite rare, which makes me think. If released by some obscure anglo-saxon outfit and sung in English it would now probably have been considered a psych classic and sold for big bucks, but since sung in Polish, a language most lovers of the genres involved don't understand, you can still get it a lot cheaper. So for those who don't care about language as long as the music is tophole it could be a catch. If I bump into stuff with for me unintellgible lyrics I just hear the vocals as another instrument and problem solved. Only released on vinyl in Poland (also as mono - XL 0779). 2014 vinyl reissue (same number) came in a fold/out sleeve. 2005 CD on Underground Masters (UM 004). This saw early pressings on both blue and red labels. I see both presented as originals, but after checking other Pronit labels and considering the very thick and unflexible vinyl here I guess this red was if not first so at least early (right me if I'm wrong). It came wrapped in a thin glossy cover, some with stereo sticker on front.  (BÅC*)