THE SHADOWS 33SX 1374 (-61) UK MONO

 Already posted the stereo version of this, which had the beautiful early UK Columbia stereo label design  https://monolover.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-shadows-scx-3414-61-uk-stereo.html . However this early mono variation doesn't look bad either, so I couldn't resist when I saw it in a bin a while ago. Don't think it's needed to compare the formats - the stereo mix is very good for its time, this mono sounds great, and there are no fakes involves. All as it should. Haven't got much new to add so I'll just copy some of what I wrote earlier and post it as a reminder of a classic guitar album. After over two years as backing band for Cliff Richard and a couple of hit singles on their own they got to record their first album. As later stated by producer Norrie Paramor there were bad feelings within the band from the beginning which brought disturbance to the sessions and eventually led to both initial members Tony Meeham and Jet Harris leaving the band, making this the only solo album by the original Shadows. There's certainly no traces of animosity in the final result - the band sounds tight and the vocal harmonies works beautifully. Six of the tracks written by group members, eight covers. Greater part instrumental building on Marvin's guitar and three vocal cuts showing they also did very well without Cliff even this early. As it seems the UK public thought so too and the album stayed on top of the list for over a month. Issued on vinyl all over the world through the years, also UK reel and cassette. UK 2000 CD on EMI (7243 5 28239 2 5) came with mono and stereo versions of all songs. First UK mono had label as shown here in a laminated fold/out cover with polylined Emitex inner      (CXÄ*) (FÖGÄ*) 

                                                                            

                                                                                

                                                                              

                                                                              

                                                                                        

                                                                              

                                                                                 

 

MONICA TÖRNELL/INGICA 6316 017 (-72) SWEDEN

 Already posted her second and third albums  https://monolover.blogspot.com/search?q=t%C3%B6rnell  . Now it's time for the debute. After being spotted by troubadour Cornelis Vreesvijk when singing at her fathers pub one evening he fixed her a contract with Philips Records, gathered a good background - among others Björn J:son Lindh arranging and playing keyboards and flute, Janne Schaffer on guitar, Jan Bandel on drums and Stefan Brolund on bass. Apart from "Vardag" , which she co-worte with Björn J:son Lindh, all here are version of other composers songs, among them Melanie, Alf Hambe, Carl Michael Bellman, Carl-Axel Dominique and Cornelis Vreeswijk. Check songlist below for who's behind what. An album grounded in Swedish folk tradition, though sometimes dressed in modern drag, as rock or jazz. Well put together by solid backing to sweet airy vocals. I really like her deliverance, keen and personal, making every tune matter. Hard to pick favourites, but why not "När Jag Var Ung" (When I Was Young), "Faster Fantasis Visa" (Aunt Fantasy's Song) and "Telegram Från En Bombad By" (Telegram From A Bombed Village) . To my knowledge only issued in Sweden. 2012 CDr (06025372106-7) and 12xFile FLAC on Universal. Vinyl had label as shown here in a fully structured cover.  (FÄV*)  (SCÄ*)  (CCÖ*)

                                                                               

                                                                              

                                                                     

                                                                                 

                                                                                 

 

 

THE KINKS/LOW BUDGET AB 4240 (-79) US DJ COPY

                                                                                  

 To my taste Kinks was one of the catchiest bands of the sixties and early seventies. After that I lost close contact, but curious to hear what came later on. This was their eighteeth studio album. It did well in the US, reaching #11 on Billboard, but not that ok in UK. As I've been told earlier it's a mix of punk and arena rock which might be fine, but I'm also interested if it has some of the old style gripping stories and melodies. Listening though now this is not The Kinks I expected from 1979. Gone are the sweet melodies and the empathic lyrics, instead I get something harder hitting, not offering an excess of catchy moments, but it sure makes me sit straight in the listening chair. Far from elaborate masterpieces as "Village Green..." or "Muswell Hillbillies", instead back to basics with some reminding of the early days and stuff that eventually would earn them epithets as "first hard rock band" or "fathers of punk". Much of it up-tempo rock and even if not as downright catchy as before certainly good listening. Also the audio is excellent allowing me to get in. It all sticks very well together, but if to choose some favorite tracks it'd be  "Attitude", "Moving Pictures" and "Low Budget".  Issued and reissued pretty much all over the world on vinyl and CD through the years, also as US, reel, cassette and 8-track. Japan 2013 CD on Konk (UICY-25364) came with three extended edits as bonus. This US DJ copy differs a little from the official ones I've seen since it is without tracklisting on rear sleeve. Maybe an early draft, then changed for stock ones. It should also have a lyric inner, sadly missing with this copy. (YZÄ*)  (KYX*)

                                                                              

                                                                                       

                                                                                

                                                                               

                                                                                 

                                                                                 

THE LESLIE WEST BAND BPL 1-1258 (-75) US

 Been a long fan of Mountain's groundbreaking rock'n'roll. The blend of outstandingly raw and soft melodic, often with meaningful lyrics, always gets me. For more on them check this  https://monolover.blogspot.com/search?q=%28M%C3%96U*%29  . So when I saw this in a bin a while ago I had to pick to see if it had some of the old band's magic. It was his second album after Mountain and the West, Bruce, Laine project. His old drummer mate Corky Laine still in while Pappalardi was gone and here replaced by Don Kretmer (Blues Project) on bass. Mick Jones (Spooky Tooth, Foreigner) fills in on guitar and renowned studio musician Ken Ascher plays keyboards. All cuts, except "Dear Prudence" and "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" written by the band. Listening today I do get some of the old magic.  The heaviest numbers - "Money (Watcha Gonna Do)", "By The River" and "The Twister" - sounds just like Mountain in a very good way and the instrumental "Sea Of Heartache" comes with an appealing doomsday feeling. I know it's futile to compare the bands, but on some parts here I really miss Pappalardi's softer, more melodic, input. Especially on the covers. Both very ok listening yet to my taste non of them come close to the Beatles or Animals originals. In all still a very good rock album and I guess a must for any remaining Mountain fan. Released on vinyl also in Canada (RCA Victor BPL 1-1258) and UK (Phantom PHS 701), plus as US cassette and 8-track. Japan 2010 CD on Air Mail Archive AIRAC-1578). First US had label as shown here in a laminated cover. (YZÄ*) (MÖU*)

                                                                                     

                                                                               

                                                                                  

                                                                                 

                                                                             

                                                                                   

MICHAEL JACKSON/MUSIC & ME M767L (-73) US

 His third solo album. It recieved lukewarm rewievs and to today remaining his lowest selling. As the story goes he wished to include his own songs and play instruments at the recordings, but was put down by the Motown staff. He was also going through the puberty voice change at the time which hampered his ability to sing clean. This is the first time I'm hearing it, so I'm curious if that background adversely affected the result or if it's still ok Motown. Listening now I hear a very good production - arrangements, mix and audio all tophole. His voice can sound somewhat strained sometimes, but always in tune. The songs mostly very mellow, nothing  catches at first spin. I dig the more powerful "Johnny Raven" and "Euforia", but to me some of the rest come strangely unremarkable. Far from bad, just lacking that special edge you almost always get from a Motown LP. Fitting to have in the background for slow moments, but not very arresting. Still a keeper as it is the "king of pop" on my favorite label.  Issued and reissued all over the world on every possible format through the years. First UK on Tamla Motown (STML 11235). Japan 2013 remastered CD on Universal Music (UICY-75786). Early US had label as shown here in a fully structured cover. (YZÄ*)  (TÖMÖ*)

                                                                            

                                                                               

                                                                              

                                                                                      

                                                                                  

 

JACK HAMMER/THE TWISTIN' KING LP 001 (-64) MONO BELGIUM

 Jack Hammer (born Earl Solomon Burroughs in Georgia, 1925-2016) was a US singer/songwriter and pianist who in the late fifties and early sixties wrote songs for artists as Jerry Lee Lewis and Nina Simone. He was also for a while a member of The Platters and released his first solo album 1960 - "Rebellion" - on Warwick label. After that he moved to Belgium, where he recorded a serie of twist songs, of which "Kissin' Twist" became a big hit in many European countries. He was crowned "The Twistin' King", but that hype faded when the dance became yesterday's news and after spending time in Germany performing at US military bases he moved back to US in the seventies. This album was recorded to cash in further on his big hit and contains twelve numbers, all including "twist" in the titles. Don't know if anyone reading this twisted back in the sixties. I did at school dances and parties and have many fond memories to it. I guess today very obsolete for most people under the age of sixty, but if you were there this might be something to enjoy. Sounding very fifties with songs in styles reminding of early rock'n'roll, boogie and doo wop, all up-tempo. He's a good singer and the arrangements on the spot with mixed background quires. It may seem monotonous listening to twelve such numbers in a row, but it is a happy record with many positive vibes and if you still can do the moves it might get you up from your comfy chair. I'm a little too stiff nowadays, but I can always listen and reminisce. Released like this in France  and Belgium. In Italy, UK, Israel and Germany with other titles, sleeve design and partly differing track choices. Too many variations  for me to get into here. German 2024 CD "On The Dancefloor With Jack Hammer" on Bear Family records (17711) contains most of the tracks from this. First Belgian had label as shown here in a laminated flip/back cover. 

                                                                          

                                                                               

                                                                                 

 

JOHN LENNON AND YOKO ONO/UNFINISHED MUSIC NO. 1:TWO VIRGINS T 5001 (-68) US

 One of the most famed and at the same time less played records ever. Recorded by John and Yoko in Lennon's home while his wife Cynthia was on holiday in Greece. Consisting of tape loops, spoken words, screams and sound effects, all mashed together seemingly on a hunch without care for any result. According to Lennon it was just them expressing contemporary feelings and meant to be recieved in whatever way the listener wanted to. Maybe it says something about me, but I don't get it. It could be heard as an exemple of psych or avant-garde and I do dig those genres. Though then I need some kind of theme or melodic content, like in the first two Yoko Ono albums, to truly enjoy. What I hear here is just a mishmash of sounds that doesn't tell me anything. What gets me is the sleeve design showing the couple stark naked front and back, ordinary looking without any kind of photo-shopping, wanting to express both innocence and honesty. That's brave. Of course with all that EMI and Capitol didn't wanna distribute it, so Track records took on the challenge in UK and Tetragrammaton in US. First released as true mono through mail order only, all publicly issued stereos after that was fake. EMI did press the UK vinyl, but left the sleeve handeling elsewhere. I never heard that but guess it sounds quite clear. This US is repudetly just transferred from a UK vinyl with lots of surface noise. And that is what I hear on this mint copy - not only is the "music" too much for me, it also comes quite muddy accompanied by lots of hissing sounds. So it won't be spun a lot here in the future, but it is a welcome addition to my Beatles collection. Also originally issued on vinyl in UK (Apple S/APCOR 2), Canada and Netherlands and as US 8-track and cassette. Japan2016 CD on Sony (SICX 71) came with Yoko's "Remember Love" as bonus track. Premiere US had label as shown here in a glossy cover contained in a brown bag with face pics and a bible quote from Genesis, chapter 2.  (BÄ*)  (JYZÖ*) (YZÄ*) (FÄV*) (ÄPLÄ*)

                                                                                

                                                                                 

 

MARVIN GAYE & TAMMI TERRELL/UNITED STML 11062 (-68) UK

 This is the tenth Marvin Gaye album I'm posting, six of them with duets. Check here  https://monolover.blogspot.com/search?q=(G%C3%96JI*)&max-results=20&by-date=true . This was the first of the duo's three collaborations and also first LP for Tammi. It became Gaye's most successful album of the sixties, selling a million and also spawning four big selling 45:s - "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "If This World Were Mine", "If I Could Bild My Whole World Around You" and "Your Precious Love". Two of the cuts - "Hold Me Oh My Darling" and "Two Can Have A Party" - were originally Tammi Terrell solo efforts that Gaye overdubbed for the LP. So popular back then, but how does it sound almost sixty years later? At least to my ears very well. Two top singers backed by The Funk Brothers, The Andantes, The Spinners and The Originals, handeled by a production team consisting of Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol, Hal Davis and Berry Gordy. This is good Motown. A catchy mix of up-tempo and slow movers. The cuts differ some in style and arrangements, yet sticking well together and providing happy listening all through. There are no bad tracks here, but if to choose favorites - "You Got What It Takes", "Two Can Have A Party", "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and why not the very sweet cover of "Something Stupid". This is also a very good stereo mix - spread and very together at the same time. Premiere US on Tamla (TM/TS 277). Sixties releases also in Canada, Germany and a couple of South American countries. CD issues in US, Japan, Spain and EU. First UK had label as shown here in a laminated flip/back cover with ad inner for UK Motown issues.  (FÄV*)  (GÖJI*)

                                                                             

                                                                                  

 

                     

                                  

                                                                                 

                                                           
 

SIMON AND GARFUNKEL/PARSLEY, SAGE, ROSEMARY AND THYME CL 2563 (-66) US MONO

 Their third album and the one that's mainly considered their breakthrough. It reached #4 on Billboard, #13 in the UK, has been rewarded 3xPlatinum in US and also from 1999 in the Grammy Hall Of Fame. All songs except the traditional "Scarborough Fair" and "Silent Night" penned by Paul Simon, "Cloudy" co-written by him and Bruce Woodley. There's a lot more on the album you can get from Wikipedia, but I'm not going into that. Check here instead  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsley,_Sage,_Rosemary_and_Thyme  . Just wanna say that I'm stunned how fantastic this still sounds today. Not only because the vocals and backing, or that you get the three classics "Homeward Bound", "The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy") and "Scarborough Fair", but also for the pressing and audio. This US mono is one of the best such I've ever heard. Big and clear with tophole separation it embraces me from first to last cut and make me wanna listen again immediately. It's like the guys have travelled all the way from 1966 just to pay me a visit. This is why the audio of an original is as important as the music itself. If honest and right-on it can take you back to the recordings and listen to the artists intentions. If distorted by various technical manners or transcribed to other more modern formats it becomes something else. Not necessarily bad, but...something else. Issued and reissued on all possible formats all over the world through the years. Premiere US had label as shown here in a glossy cover with Columbia ad inner.  (YZÄ*)  (ÖXCÅ*)

                                                                                 

                                                                                  

                                                                                   

                                                

                                                                                                                                     
                                                                                 

                                                                               

                                                                               

 

MONICA TÖRNELL/ALRIK 6316 033 (-73) SWEDEN

 If the only album you've heard from her is the out there jazz/soul/funk third LP   https://monolover.blogspot.com/2025/02/monica-tornelldont-give-damn-6316-052.html  this second may come as a surprise. Deeply rooted in Swedish folk music with only one track - John Bundrick's "Magical Fountain" - sung in English, the rest in Swedish. Some of the tracks are interpretations of traditional tunes, like "Öje Brudmarsch" (Öje Bride's March), "Suplåt" (Drinking Song) and "Inte Äger Jag Gods Och Guld" (I don't Own A Big Estate Or Gold). The latter has an odd subtitle - (eng. translation) "Polka from Dalarna written down at Nicolai police station". Haven't found any explanation for the location, but she was known to be rather wild, so maybe she spent a night in the slammer at some point. Three of the songs sung a capella, the rest backed by assorted instruments as fiddle, flute and keyboards, mostly to a body of guitar, bass and drums. If you're in the mood for traditional folky stuff, sometimes in a more modernized style, mixed with sweet ballads and even some rock'n'roll, this might be it. I really like her voice - sometimes girlish, sometimes mature, but always personal. I dig it all so it's hard to pick favourites, but I've added a few below.  To my knowledge this Swedish was the only original release. Also issued 2012 as 11xFile, Flac, Album, 44.1KHz-16bits by Universal Music. Vinyl had label as shown here in a fully laminated cover. (FÄV*)  (SCÄ*)  (CCÖ*)

                                                                               

                                                                                 

                                                                          

                                                                             

                                                                                    

  

                                                                                         

      
 

DIANA ROSS AND MARVIN GAYE/DIANA AND MARVIN STMA 8015 (-73) UK

 Two of Motown's brightest stars doing a duet LP, produced by Valerie Simpson, Nicholas Ashford and Berry Gordy. Sounds like a dream for a Motown fan, but apparently it took time to get right. As the story goes...there were plans for it already 1970, but as Ross then had full time with launching her solo carreer and Gaye initially refused to do one more duet album due to his last three had come just before his partners had left the label - Mary Welles and Kim Weston quit and Tammi Terrell died of a brain tumor - and therefore he felt like cursing who ever he sang with. When the recordings finally started 1971 the two didn't get along. Ross was pregnant and didn't like Gaye smoking dope in the studio. They recorded one song together - Wilson Pickett's "Don't Knock My Love" - after which Ross was occupied with her baby and film projects while Gaye had other things planned, so to get going Motown decided to record them separately and then mix their vocals together. It took to 1973 before the album was ready for release. It got good reviews, but just reached #26 on Billboard while managing #6 in UK. Though even with such an uncertain becoming I can hear no trace of that here. It's a beautifully crafted love album with top audio and they sound close all the way. Maybe not one I would choose for sparkling moments or a pick me up, but perfect for relaxing or soft love meetings. It all fits very well together in a snug atmosphere, but if to pick favourites - the funkiest cuts "Don't Knock My Love" and "My Mistake (Was To Love You)" plus the emotional "Just Say Just Say". Issued and reissued all over the world on every possible format through the years. Premiere US on Motown (M-803V1). US 2001 CD on Motown (012 157 173-2) came with four bonus tracks. First UK had label as shown here in a matte fold/out cover. Unfortunately this copy have the groove somewhat unfocused on side two, which make the music sway at some of the cuts. Don't know if that goes for all copies of this pressing, but now I have to find another one of some kind to get it right. (TÖMÖ*)  (FÄV*) (GÖJI*) (ZYZÖ*)