EURO FAB FOUR STUFF

Artist: THE BEATLES; Title: ROCK AND ROLL  MUSIC; Label: ODEON; Format: 7";

Cat. No.: M0 20007; Year: 1966; Country: FRANCE

Focusing today on this 1966 French 45 from the Beatles - featuring two tracks from their 1964 'Beatles For Sale' LP.  It's the one where you can hear that creativity was wearing thin in places - and the reason why about half the set is cover versions.  But having said that what's on offer here - especially the A Side does deliver. Came across about 12 years ago in 2nd hand/junk shop (remember them?) in Banbury, for about £3. One thing that has always intrigued me about this is why it was issued 2 years after the parent LP? Perhaps due the anticipated wait for 'Revolver' - and this was all that the Beatles French label had left to release at the time.

The A Side gives you the excellent "Rock And Roll Music" - featuring Lennon in full rock'n'roll mode. and doing this Chuck Berry classic justice.  The piano part's done by producer George Martin - and the song was used as the title for the 1970's double LP featuring the band's more uptempo stuff.

The flip side gives you "I'm A Loser" - again features Lennon on lead vocal.  It's from his Dylan influenced period, which came to fruition with 'You've Got To Hide You Love Away on the subsequent 'Help' LP.  And with a nice bit of close harmony work on the intro.

SOUL ON FONTANA

Artist: BETTY EVERETT; Title: GETTING MIGHTY CROWDED; Label: FONTANA; Format: 7"; Cat. No.:TF 520; Year: 1965; Country: UK

Following on from the last post on Kiki Dee, I thought I'd focus on two tracks that were first issued here in the UK on Fontana.

First up is this Northern Soul classic from Betty Everett,  the Van McCoy penned "Getting Mighty Crowded".  Originally issued on Vee Jay in the States this is a wonderful track - and one of those on that still does it for me.  I first came across it via the Elvis Costello version which he'd put out as the B Side to 'High Fidelity' in 1980 - so having heard that and the original on the radio - the hunt was on to own a copy.  Firstly on one of those budget Soul/Blues double tape compilations of the early 80's (remember them?), and then finally getting hold of a copy at one of the first Northern Soul all-nighters (appropriately enough).  Togetherness at Stoke Town Hall if memory serves.)

The flip side gives you "Chained To A Memory" is the slower tempo of the two tracks - and rather wonderful too.  And as always well worth checking out.


Artist: THE MARVELETTES (feat. Marvin Gaye); Title: PLEASE MR. POSTMAN;   
Label: FONTANA; Format: 7"; Cat. No.: H.355; Year: 1961; Country: UK

 Next up is this 1961 offering from the Marvelettes - the classic "Please Mr Postman".  It's one of only a couple of Motown tracks that appeared on Fontana - the only other I can think of is The Miracles 'What So Good About Goodbye'.  Prior to that Motown's stuff had been issued on London, and after this it was Oriole, before passing to EMI; firstly on Stateside then finally the Tamla Motown imprint in 1965.  The song's downright brilliant - and again it's one I came to via a cover version, in this case The Beatles on their 'With The Beatles' LP.  The track generally only gets credited to Brian Holland  and Robert Bateman - but was originally penned by William Garrett alongside original Marvellette  Georgia Dobbins, and was then reworked by Brian Holland, Robert Bateman and Freddie Gorman Freddie Gorman.  Later Berry Gordy added his name to the writing credits. Confused?  The drummer on the track is none other than Marvin Gaye.

The flip side gives you "So Long Baby" is more in the doo-wop style and features lead vocals by   Wanda Young (who went on to be the long serving member of the group - lasting till they finally folded in 1970).  It's certainly more in the early Motown style that you hear on the early Miracles stuff from this period - i.e. rooted in R'n'B rather what than emerging Soul sound of the A Side.

ELLA SINGS THE BEATLES

Artist: ELLA FITZGERALD; Title: CAN'T BUY ME LOVE; Label: VERVE; Format: 7"; Cat. No.: VS 519; Year: 1964; Country: UK

Jazz themed post for today - inspired by a local jazz singer I've had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know recently. So Nina - this one's for you.

Released in 1964 this is Ella's take on the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" - which until recently (ie last weekend) I didn't realize that she'd recorded at Abbey Road studios.  As she wanted to record her version in the studios where the original was created.  It's this rather excellent version, that Ella pretty makes her own, that open a lot of doors for Lennon & McCartney/The Beatles as it meant that the serious music establishment began to take notice of what they were doing. Plus also giving them a lot more creative control as a consequence.

The flip side is Ella's version of the Richard Rogers' "The Sweetest Sounds" - again recorded at Abbey Road - with arrangements like those on the A Side by Johnnie Spence.  Although I'm wondering who's the producer on this - was it Verve's label boss Norman Granz - or could it even be George Martin?

Artist: ELLA FITZGERALD; Title: SAVOY TRUFFLE; Label: REPRISE; Format: 7"; Cat. No.:RS 20875; Year: 1970; Country: UK

Next up this promo copy of the other Beatles track Ella did - and one that probably not a lot of people are aware she did.  A cover of George Harrison's "Savoy Truffle".  It's from Ella's first album for Reprise - and the parent LP also includes a cracking N. Soul styled version of 'Get Ready' as well as a sublime cover of Smokey's 'The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game'.  It comes within a year of another cover of George Harrison song - Sinatra's version of 'Something' which was also released on Reprise (and ironic that of all the Beatles songs out there - Ole Blue Eyes went for one of George's).  Back to the music, and again as Ella genereally does she makes the song pretty much her own.

The flip side is an okayish version of Bacharach & David's "I'll Never Fall In Love Again".

THE 3 TEMPTATIONS OF THE ROLLING STONES

Like most bands who started in the 60's the Stones did their amount covers in their early years - obviously in the case of Jagger and Co it's mainly blues, but like The Beatles before them they also did a fair amount of Soul stuff too.  There's a version of Marvin Gaye's "Hitch Hike" on the 1965 'Out Of Our Heads' LP (Decca SKL 4733) (along with versions of Don Covay's "Mercy Mercy"and Barbara Lynn's "Oh Baby (We Got A Good Thing Going)"), but what I'm concentrating on is the 3 cover of tracks by The Temptations spread over a 12 year period - i.e. 1967-1978.

Artist: The Rolling Stones; Title: Flowers;  Label: DECCA/NOVA; Year: 1967; Format: LP; Cat. No.:6.21.407;  Country of Issue: Germany.
First up is "My Girl" which appeared on the non-UK album 'Flowers' issued in 1967. The track is unreleased for the session for 1966's 'Aftermath' LP and was my own introduction to the song - having heard this ahead of the Otis Redding version and then eventually the Temptations' original version.  It's a good version and Jagger treats it with the respect it deserves.  It finally made its UK debut on the 1971 'Stone Age' (SKL 5084) comp that Decca put out after the Stones had set up their own label via Atlantic.

Artist: The Rolling Stones; Title: Ain't Too Proud To Beg; Label: ROLLING STONES/ATCO/CONTINENTAL; Year: 1975; Format: 45; Cat. No.: 3-05-101-004; Country of Issue: Brazil.
Next up is 1975 version of "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" - which I hadn't realized they'd done - and from the 'It's Only Rock 'n' Roll' LP and again unissued as a single here in the UK.  And rather good it is too - well worth checking out - as the previously owner of this Brazilian copy, someone called Vitor thought too, as he was happy to put his name to it twice!!!!

Artist: The Rolling Stones; Title: Some Girls; Label: ROLLING STONES/EMI; Year: 1978; Format: LP; Cat. No.: CUN 39108. Country of Issue: UK.
The 3rd Temptations cover they did (as far as I'm aware) is the version of "Just My Imagination" that's on 1978's 'Some Girls'.  Again a creditable cover and like the version of "My Girl", my own first experience of the song.

THE GOLD RIGBY & IRELAND SAYS 'LOVE ME DO' - SOME BEATLE ODDITIES

Artist: The Beatles; Title: "Eleanor Rigby"; Label Parlophone; Cat. No.: R 5493; Year: 1976; Country: UK

Couple of Beatle curios for today's post.  First up this "Gold" disc of the 1976 reissue of "Eleanor Rigby"/"Yellow Submarine".  Which some enterprising soul decided to take a standard copy of this single and paint it gold. Still plays fine, and the reason for buying it was that it caught my eye - and as I seem to remember I only paid a fiver for it Reddington's Rare Records in Brum, when they were directly opposite Moor Street Station back in the mid 80's.


Artist: The Beatles; Title: "Love Me Do"; Label: Parlophone; Cat. No.: R4949; Year: 1982; Country: Ireland

The second disc featured today is this Irish issued copy of "Love Me Do" which I found in Dublin a few years back.  The thing that immediately caught my eye is that label design is based on that used for the Beatles LPs issued in the UK from the late 70's through to the early 80's.  That, and the publishing's credited to McCartney's company MPL Communications Ltd.  I'm guessing this is the Irish equivalent of the 20th Anniversary release - although if anyone knows different then feel free to get in touch! And valuewise - £5 at a guess.

SMOKEY'S BAD GIRL ON CHESS!

Been a bit since I posted on the blog - job-hunting if you must know.  Still looking, so anyone out the blog-shere based in and around Manchester/UK Northwest looking for someone with a semi-encylopaedic knowledge of music then I'm available - contactable via the email here, and via Facebook!

Artist: The Miracles.  Title: Bad Girl.  Label: Chess.  Cat. No. : 1734.  Year: 1966.

Today's post is hails from the embryonic days of Motown - The Miracles "Bad Girl" released in 1959 on both Motown and Chess.  The main reason being that like Barrett Strong's 'Money', Berry Gordy's fledgling label was unable to cope with the potential demand - hence the deals with other labels who could distribute over a wider area, rather than just the local areas; in the case of the Barrett Strong track via Anna records - run by the then Mrs Marvin Gaye - and in the case of this Miracles tune - via Chess.  Catalogue for those interested on the original Motown 45 only issued locally to the Detroit area was G1 (or with money to burn at a N. Soul auction/record fair/ebay auction) or on the Chess version 1734, which they reissued in 1966 - which this pressing is, and worth around the £20 mark the last time I checked.

Songwise with "Bad Girl" what you get is the that point where Doo-Wop/R'n'B is making that transition into what we'd now regard as Soul - Smokey here co-writing with Berry Gordy - and subjectwise the guy's having his heart broken, but still trying to man enough about it so that the hurt doesn't show - at least too much!

The flip side is the rollicking "I Love You Baby" - again co-written by Smokey and Berry Gordy - and a fair hint of where Lennon and The Beatles drew a fair amount of their early influences/inspiration from. Of course it goes without saying - but it's going to be said anyway, that both of these sides are well worth checking out!

Enjoy!!!!

DAY TRIPPER - SPANISH BEATLES EP

Artist: The Beatles.  Title: Day Tripper.  Label: Odeon. Format: 7" EP.  Country: Spain. Cat. No.: DSOE 16.685. Year: 1966.

Today's offering is this 1966 Spanish issued EP from The Beatles.  Side One opens up with Lennon's drug related/inspired "Day Tripper"; which was the top side of the original double A Side. And shows the boundaries being pushed both lyrically as well musically - just check out the guitar work in particular.  Next up is what was the flip side on the original UK and US single (and perhaps also elsewhere in the world) - "Can Work Out"and another of McCartney's songs about his partner/girlfriend of the time Jane Asher.

Side Two opens with a belter of track in the form of the hammond driven wownesss that is "I'm Down".  It has to be one of the best of McCartney's Little Richard inspired tunes - and of course originally seeing the light of day on the flip side of the 'Help' 45.  The final track is the obligatory Ringo track that usually best avoided on Beatle LPs (sorry to all the Ringo (don't call me by me stage name) Starr fans - but it does tend to be true) in this case the version of "Act Naturally" that surfaced on side two of the 'Help' LP.

I've included a scan of the rear of the sleeve - and you can see that the spanish translation of the titles are included (which should've also been mentioned in connection with the Mexican EP in the previous post).  And Odeon also list all the other Beatles EPs they'd already issued up to this point.

GEORGE HARRISON - DON'T BOTHER ME - THE MEXICAN BEATLES EP

1971 Mexican EP from the Fab Four released on Apple.  Cat. No. EPEM-10536

This is a bit of a good one - Mexican Beatles EP, which I picked up from the Oxford branch of Our Price on a school trip to Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford - and what caught my eye was that all four tracks showcase George Harrison as singer and writer.  Plus how well these four - one from 1963 the remainder from the 1965/66 period work as a set.

First up is George's debut composition to make it onto tape (that's if you discount the instrumental co-written with John Lennon 'Cry For A Shadow' recorded in Hamburg and released on Polydor as a B Side) "Don't Bother Me" from the Beatles 2nd LP 'With The Beatles'.  And it pretty much sounds like George's first use of the trusty Rickenbaker - it's subsequent use being a major influence on the Byrd in particular.  Next up is the downright brilliant opener to 'Revolver that is "Taxman"- here in the generally better known stereo version - how you tell this apart from the mono version being is that here you get the taxman Mr Wilson - taxman Mr Heath - whereas the mono doesn't has and a noticeably different guitar solo, in both cases courtesy of Paul McCartney.

Side Two gives you the 2 George Harrison songs from 'Rubber Soul' set.  First up the very Byrds-styled "If I Needed Someone" - complete with the David Crosby styled harmony vocals from from Lennon & McCartney.  The connection being reinforced so when you consider that the Hollies covered this, and Graham Nash's subsequent involvement with David Crosby.  Also I seem to remember the legendary John Peel rating the Hollies version as being one of his personal favourites .  The proceedings are rounded off with another good one in the shape of "Think For Yourself"- McCartney on fuzz bass, and a definite move in the direction of psychedelia.

A DUSTING OF BLUE-EYED SOUL - IN PRAISE OF CHRIS CLARK, DUSTY AND OTHERS

This is one I’ve been meaning to write for a bit - but like the Lee Hazlewood piece it’s been thought over (and through) for a while!

Been inspired on this one by the similarities between Chris Clark and Dusty Springfield soundwise after fishing out the Chris Clark retrospective of her Motown output issued in 2005 - and spotted whilst doing the washing up no less!

Have to admit that Chris Clark’s somebody I became aware of only really over the last 10 years or so - mainly via the Northern Soul all-nighters that I used to go to. She was one of the 1st white artists signed to Motown - not the first as that honour went to Debbie Dean. She released two LPs - the first being “Soul Sounds form 1967 and currently fetching around the £70 for a mint copy; whilst the 2nd “CC Rides Again” is into the mega rare price bracket if you’re intent on owning a pristine vinyl copy and originally issued in 1969 on the very short lived Motown subsidiary Weed. Tunewise she’s best know for the N. Soul faves - “Love’s Gone Bad”, “I Wan’t To Go Back There” and her version of the Smokey Robinson penned “From Head To Toe”.

But like it’s when you start digging deeper into the rest of the album that the similarities with Dusty become apparent - ie that effortless ability to switch form Soul to Jazz to Blues and taking in a few Beatles cover along the way - “Got To Get You Into My Life” on ‘Soul Sounds’ and “With A Little Help From My Friends” as well as “Get Back” on ‘CC Rides Again’. And the ability to do the Soul thing on contemporary material like Elvis’ “In The Ghetto”.

And what of Dusty? In the 60’s in the UK regarded as a pop singer - and then when the hits began to dry up issuing the then underrated/ignored “Dusty In Memphis” and the gaining success in the US, whilst the UK career/hits somewhat faded.

But back-tracking to 1963 when Dusty was still a member of the folk trio the Springfields it was on a promotion tour of the States that she saw the impact & popularity of the girl group sound - particularly The Shirelles, that made her aware that the soul-based sound was the way forward and not the folky based stuff that the establishment (BBC included) seemed to be content to go with. A fact that also wasn’t lost on the Beatles who included material by The Shirelles, The Miracles, Arthur Alexander, The Marvelettes, and The Cookies on their first two LPs). Which is why come the autumn of ‘63 Dusty announced she was going solo - the first of which was the soul-flavoured pop of “I Only Want To Be With You”. And unsurprisingly the content of Dusty’s first two LPs has more than a fair share of Soul based material on it. Including as it does The Shirelles “Oh No Not By Baby” as well as an early cover on an Aretha Franklin track “It Won’t Be Long” - which appears on Aretha’s 1961 debut for Columbia (a record that is worth some serious checking out if you’re unaware of it!!!!!).

Obviously as Dusty became more successful the material became a lot more mainstream - but check the album tracks along with the single B Sides (very often written by Dusty herself alongside Madeline Bell as in the case of “I’m Gonna Leave You”) and there’s some great blue-eyed soul stuff to be had - “Your Hurting Kind Of Love”, “Ain’t No Sun Since You’ve Been Gone” not forgetting the N. Soul fave “What’s It Gonna Be”, as well as the smokily fabness that is her version of “Spooky” from 1970.

And in Dusty’s wake in the UK you have the likes of those she inspired and influenced such as Billie Davis. Check out her take on Ellie Greenwich’s “Want You To Be My Baby”, “Billy Sunshine” as well as her wonderful version of “Walk In My Shoes”.

BELGIAN BEATLES

More from the vinyl rummagings through the collection threw up this one.  The Belgian pressing of the Beatles' Lady Madonna' - the song inspired by McCartney's mum's career as a midwife - and like it's UK counterpart the last to be issued on Parlophone prior to the band's setting up of Apple.  As mentioned on the previous blog regarding the Dutch 'She Loves You', the label design is pretty that of the design/style EMI stopped using in the UK after early 1963 - which in Beatles terms translates as the 1st issues of 'Love Me Do' and 'Please Please Me'. 

DUTCH FAB 45's

More rummagings from extensive collection of singles - threw up this one found on a Saturday's record safari in south Manchester a few years back.  Here's what I wrote up at the time about it:-

Dutch issue of the above - which interestingly uses the 50’s/very early 60's lilac Parlophone label and the typeface that only appeared on the 1st issue of the Fab Four’s first two singles on Parlophone.

The Record List: Fab Four's First Two Singles

Tying in with The Beatles Weekend on BBC Radio 2 - here's some Beatle related stuff for your perusal.

ARTIST: Tony Sheridan & The Beatles

A SIDE: “My Bonnie”

B SIDE: “The Saints (When The Saints Go Marching In)”

LABEL: POLYDOR

YEAR: 1962

Cat. No.: NH 66833

Produced: Bert Kaempfert

Comments/Info: This is where it all began for the Fab Four - when they were still a five piece and a couple of months before Ringo Starr joined as the drummer.  The single was recorded in Hamburg when The Beatles were learning their trade at the city’s somewhat notorious Star Club, and is the only recording to feature original bass player Stu Sutcliffe, as well as the pre Ringo drummer Pete Best.  It was released originally in Germany under the name of ‘Tony Sheridan & The Beat Brothers’, as producer Bert Kaempfert thought that the name Beatles would be meaningless to a German audience.  Incidentally it was somebody asking for this single in Brian Epstein’s record shop in Liverpool which lead to him becoming the band’s manager.  The A Side “My Bonnie” incidentally has the intro which is later chopped from all the subsequent (re)issues of this track, and after the traditional style intro you can hear the embryonic Fab Four letting rip. The B Side “The Saints...” has singer Tony Sheridan very much in Elvis mode.

ARTIST: The Beatles

A SIDE: “Love Me Do” (1st Version)

B SIDE: “P.S. I Love You”

LABEL: PARLOPHONE

YEAR: 1962

Cat. No.: 45-R 4949

Produced: George Martin

Comments/Info: 2nd single from The Beatles - and their debut for Parlophone - which had hitherto mainly been associated with the likes of Peter Sellers (although they were the original UK licencees for Nina Simone’s material from this period - plus that of James Brown too!).  The A Side “Love Me Do” is original version featuring Ringo on drums, which the band were persuaded to redo with a session drummer as producer George Martin didn’t think that Ringo was quite competent enough - having only recently joined, and it’s that second version the one was used in the main until the 20th anniversary of this single when both versions appeared on the 12”.  The B Side “P.S. I Love You” is like the A Side a great beat ballad - and set the template for the hits that would follow on from here.