DONOVAN/UNIVERSAL SOLDIER MAL 718 (-67) UK MONO

Very nice compilation with songs from his debute year 1965, issued on Pye's budget label Marble Arch. Here's the original single take of "Catch The Wind" with strings and vocal reverb - the debute album has a re-recorded version - and the non-LP B-side "Why Do You Treat Me Like You Do". Also included the UK only "Turquoise"/"Hey Gyp" single and the entire "Universal Soldier" four track EP. All songs have later shown up on various compilations with different audio or sometimes remade (e.g. the US 1969 Epic "Dovovan's Greatest Hits" has re-recordings of both "Catch The Wind" and "Colours"). But this is exactly how I want it - original mono takes with top audio. Without doubt the best collection of his early work and highly recommended. First UK had label as shown here, thick unflexible vinyl and laminated flip/back cover. (SYSÖ*) (PÖP*) (TÖW*) (PÖY*)

FAUST/IV V 2004 (-73) UK

After the band been sacked by German Polydor they went to England and got contact with the then virgin Virgin label. Richard Branson couldn't meet the huge economic demand for an assignment, but let them use the company studio more or less free and thus got priority to the results. This became their second issue for the label and also last original studio recording before re-uniting twenty years later. As the story goes the circumstances were chaotic. The group was on the edge of breaking up, there were differing wills and aims and the sessions dragged on without result. Finally producer Uwe Nettlebeck stepped in and added two earlier recorded tracks to finish it off. The joint result got mixed reveiws, sold OK at the time and is today considered a cult classic. To me it's a love-hate relationship. I get scattered, uneasy and partly destructive, at the same time honest and emotional. In a way it reminds me of Hawkwind's dirtier moments, especially the longest cuts. "Krautrock" takes off as rythmic noise, but ends as regular space rock and parts of the suite opening side two could have been on "Doremi Fasol Latido" complete with effects and all. "Jennifer" starts as a soft ballad, including a girl reading a vintage Swedish text about human body hair, eventually distorted by very annoying synth noises. The end part of "Lauft" with its calm atmosphere makes me think of Eno's later "discreet" works and "The Sad Skinnhead" can only be described as teutonic raggae, sung from an insider veiw with German accent. It's not a record I sit down and listen to a lot today, but I'm glad it exists and play it to my younger friends as an exemple from a time when issues like this could be managed by major companies and actually get on the lists. Virgin wasn't fully established by then, but EMI did the pressing and handeled the distribution together with Island. Original issues in Europe and downunder. First US on 1992 CD (Caroline Records CAROL 1885-2). Virgin 2006 CD (CDVR 2004) came with bonus CD including John Peel sessions and alternate versions. Premiere UK had label as shown here and thin matt cover. (ÄZC*)

JOHN MAYALL'S BLUESBREAKERS/DIARY OF A BAND - VOLUME TWO SKL 4919 (-68) UK

Second consecutive album with live recordings from club gigs october-december 1967. For more facts and background check post on the "volume one" mono, including Prof. Stoned's comment. Just adding a few thoughts here. The stereo do come out better than the mono. It is a legit two-channel mix with more space allowing finer separation. Far from good - unbalanced and with remaining bootleg quality - still a little more enjoyable. Then for some reason it seems the two volumes differ in rarity. The first shows up here every now and then in both formats, not very often but you see them around while the second is a lot scarcer. I've been searching local shops for years to get a decent copy till this showed up last week. Maybe it's just a Swedish phenomena and deriving from fans here buying the first out of habit, but disappointed by the bad audio and didn't care enough to get the follow-up when that emerged just after. First UK had ridged label as shown here and thin laminated cover. (MÄH*) (LYBÖ*)

TASAVALLAN PRESIDENTTI/LAMBERT LAND SLP-2533 (-72) SWEDEN

Finnish supergroup existing 1969-74, including former members of The Rogues, Soulset and Blues Section. They recorded four original albums through a number of member changes, but up to -72 with a remaining core consisting of guitarist Jukka Tolonen, Pekka Pöyry on woodwind, Måns Groundstroem on bass and drummer Vesa Altonen. Prior to these recordings English vocalist Frank Robson had left and been replaced by Eero Raittinen. It's hard to give a compressed and at the same time fair description of the album, but I'll try. The foundation is jazz, blues and ballads, progressively handeled with inbuilt theme changes, odd harmonies and groovy lyrics. Produced by American Samuel Charters - 1991 Grammy winner and most known for his work with re-discovering classic black blues, but at the time living and working in Scandinavia disillusioned by American war politics. For musical comparison I'm thinking a mix between Mahavishnu and Colosseum, but mainly the former since Tolonen's guitar is more McLaughlin than Clemson and I miss the profound connection I always get with Colosseum. A little too artisan for my taste, but if you're into complicated prog and high class performance it's a must. It sold well at the time and remains the band's most renowned album. Early issues in Finland (Love Records LRLP 60), Sweden (Sonet SLP-2533), Germany (BRAIN 1063) and UK (Sonet SNTF 636). 1990 CD release on Love Records (LRCD 60). 2013 CD on Svart (SVR-250) also includes two non-LP '45 tracks. First Swedish had label as shown here and structured fold/out cover. (SCÄ*) (CCÖ*)(SÖNÄ*)

ALVIN LEE & MYLON LeFEVRE/ON THE ROAD TO FREEDOM CHR 1054 (-73) UK

In the gap between TYA's "Recorded Live" and "Positive Vibrations" the hard working Alvin Lee teamed up with christian musician and singer Mylon LeFevre for an album. Some say it originally was meant as a LeFevre solo project with a prominent guest list. But as Lee provided studio space, produced, wrote/co-wrote six of the twelve cuts, did some of the vocals and provided most of the guitar he ended up as dominant part and also topping the bill. The lyrics may be on the religious side and a couple of the songs have a gospel style, but most of it sounds Ten Years After. Title track with Lee on lead vocal and very familiar guitar licks could have been on "A Space In Time" and for the rest both his production and guitar style sets the mood. List of guest musicians is stunning with members from King Crimson (Ian Wallace, Boz Burell) and Traffic (Sevie Winwood, Jim Capaldi), but also George Harrison, Ron Wood and Mick Fleetwood. Wood wrote "Let'em Say What They Will" for the LP and Harrison contributed "So Sad (No Love Of His Own)" which he later re-recorded for his "Dark Horse" album. So it's gospel and rock'n'roll to a very renowned backing. I'm not sure which is most important, but stick with the TYA parts and keep it next to "Positive Vibrations". First US on Columbia (KC 32729). Original issues also in Germany and Japan. Premiere UK had label as shown here and matt fold/out cover. (XYÄ*)(TXÄW*)

OLA & JANGLERS/PICTURES AND SOUNDS - SOUNDTRACK TO THE FILM OLA & JULIA GMG 1208 (-67) SWEDEN

The band's fourth original studio album, released as soundtrack to a Swedish pop movie. The film is mediocre, loosely built on a love affair between singer Ola Håkanson and a fan, made as an excuse to expose the band and soon forgotten. The album on the other hand is very strong and a worthy follower to the previous "Lime Light". All songs written by Claes af Geijerstam in a variety of styles - pop, baroque, psych, indian and swinging twenties - with attractive vocals, lots of flowing organ, some psych guitar and sitar. The remaining garage feeling still on "Lime Light" is gone and production more prominent, but not in any way deciding direction. Later issues would be more of studio products, here you still get the impression of a band playing together. To my taste a fine album - well performed, melodic and diverse with lots of presence. Released as "compatible stereo", but pushing the mono button hardly makes any difference. Also released in Canada (Stone SX-3732) and Italy (Clan BF-ES-LP 7010). First Swedish had label as shown here and laminated fold/out cover. (SCÄ*)(ÖJÅX*) (ZÖNT*)(CCÖ*)

EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER/TARKUS ILPS 9155 (-71) UK

The concept "progressive" in music can be used for a number of styles and genre mixes. Almost always on a jazz and/or classic foundation, but now and again also with rock, blues or melodic pop components. My favs have always been the smorgasboard type albums where I can get a little of this and a little of that, especially with catchy tunes interspersed. Tarkus has it all - from memorable melodic songs as "Jeremy Bender", "A Time And A Place" and the vocal parts in "Eruption" to form experiments and virituoso performance. Just listen to "The Only Way/Infinite Space" with a slow organ/vocal intro that suddenly goes off into a light jazzy piano part and eventually merges the themes into something apparently different. There's also a homage to recording engineer Eddy Offord - "Are You Ready Eddy?". About time one of those otherwise unsung studio heroes got some attention. Some of the lyrics may seem pretentious today, but such was the zeitgeist and you can't have one without the other. The audio on this early UK press is formidable, allowing me to enjoy every twist and turn. A very rewarding package indeed. First US on Cotillion (SD 9900), also as white label mono promo. Frequently re-issued on vinyl and CD. Premiere UK had label as shown here and thick fold/out E.J. Day cover. (ÄPY*)

THE BEATLES/A COLLECTION OF BEATLES OLDIES PCS 7016 (-66) UK STEREO

1966 an eagerly awaited collection with "From Me To You", I Feel Fine", "Day Tripper", "We Can Work It Out", "Paperback Writer" and "I Want To Hold Your Hand" for the first time issued as stereo in UK. "Bad Boy", earlier a US only release, also included in true stereo. Only fake mix is "She Loves You", for which the original multi-channel tapes had been lost. It seems all the new two-channel mixes were supervised by George Martin directly for the album and apparently under a lot of stress. E.g. they initially confused "Bad Boy" with "This Boy" and gave the latter a stereo mix more or less by mistake, first issued much later on Past Masters vol. 1. Also "From Me To You" comes through very crude and unfinished with voices in one channel and instruments in the other. Best sounding are the earlier album cuts. Of the "new" ones only "Bad Boy" can compete with the mono. "She Loves You" is a wreck and the rest sounds way better as they were. Contemporary release in many countries, but not in US since most of the songs already had appeared on LP there. This stereo variation was re-issued for decades, making the limited mono press more sought after today. But be aware the mono sold much better initially so first press stereos are a lot rarer. Premiere UK had label as shown here with "Sold in UK..." and embossed "KT" tax code (1968 replaced by "JT"), thick vinyl and laminated flip/back cover. IMO this is rather bad. Great compiling, but worth a lot better outcome. My favorite Beatles compilations will always be the Brazil true mono version of "Hey Jude" (Apple BTL 1009) and the Spanish 1971 "Por Siempre Beatles" (Odeon J060-04.973M) with all original mono mixes, including "I'm Down" and "Inner Light" . (BÄ*) (PÖX*) (LGÅ*)

DONOVAN/WHAT'S BIN DID AND WHAT'S BIN HID NPL 18117 (-65) UK MONO

My favorite Donovan period is 1966-71, all albums from "Sunshine Superman" to "Open Road" and songs like "Hurdy Gurdy Man", "Atlantis", "Jennifer Juniper" and "Barabajagal". His early US inspired singer/songwriter period doesn't grab me the same way fifty years later. At the time it seemed important and fresh for us not yet fully aquanited with the American tradition. Today I hear more of the copying in songwriting and style and a lot of respect for the transatlantic forerunners. So from that perspective this debute could be dismissed as dated or uninteresting, but there are other qualities making it a keeper. The basic setting - acoustic guitar, double bass, drums and occational kazoo - which together with the natural audio creates a close and cozy atmosphere. Also the backing crew has a very interesting combination where then former Shadows bassist Brian Locking and drummer Skip Allen - who just after the recordings would replace Viv Prince in Pretty Things - plays together. But the main reason I still cherish it are the vocals. Eventually he developed an inimitable "breathy", very soothing song style. You can hear that here already, not fully fledged but enough to make me close my eyes and relax. First US on Hickory (LPM/LPS 123) as "Catch The Wind". Premiere UK was also issued as "stereo" for export only, which in fact only was an alternative one-channel. Mono had label as shown here with "Recording First Published 1965", thick unflexible vinyl and laminated flip/back cover with Pye ad inner. (SYSÖ*) (TÖW*) (PÖY*)

PERCY SLEDGE/WHEN A MAN LOVES A WOMAN 246 4002 (-70) UK

From mid-sixties to early seventies the king of soul ballads and still the best if you're in the mood. Posted "The Percy Sledge Way" a while ago and now thought it was time for reminder with this UK compilation. What I wrote then more or less goes for this too, so the following presentation is mainly a copy of the old one. * If you're dumped by a true love, drowning in tears and need consolation - Percy Sledge will get the work done. With sixties hits like "When A Man Loves A Woman", "It Tears me Up", "Baby Help Me", "What Am I Living For" and "Just Out Of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms)" it seems his musical persona was always a helpless victim of love. It's about those lonesome moments and feelings we're not proud of, but need to be whole. Sentimental and covered by salty stains, but so well done it never gets slushy. Slow movers with organ, soft brass and weeping guitars. Not everyday listening still good to have available cause someday you may need it.* This compilation was UK only, issued on Atlantic's "99" budget serie, a year after US "The Best Of Percy Sledge" (Atlantic SD 8210) with four cuts in common - "When A Man Loves A Woman", "Out Of Left Field", "Warm And Tender Love" and "My Special Prayer". It may have been budget, but there's nothing cheap about the issue itself. Twelve very moving, perfectly arranged songs conveyed by top audio, on thick vinyl with plum label and and fully laminated cover. All is good! (ÄTHP*)(PÖCY*)

STEELEYE SPAN/ALL AROUND MY HAT CHR 1091 (-75) UK

A continuation and development of the harder folk-rock style first emerging on the previous "Commoners Crown" album. It was the band's most commercial output so far and also their big breakthrough in Britain - reaching #7 on the UK list. I'ts a good match between folky tradition and up-tempo rock, melodic and simple enough to attract more than the group's regular fans. No second thoughts or even a hint of danger, most of it just straight on with prominent bass, drums and guitar to Maddy Prior's powerful voice. I'm having a hard time grading it among their twentytwo studio albums so far. Back then it was a favorite, but from today's perspective maybe top five. It's certainly a happy one and still a pick-me-up when I'm feeling low. Favorite tracks - "All Around My Hat", "Hard Times Of Old England" and "Dance With Me". First US with same label, number and insert. Premiere UK had label as shown here and matt cover with "Steeleye Span Collection" inner and foldable "pinhole" lyric insert. (BRYF*) (FÄV*)(SÖPX*)