Pot-Ent (1972)

6-19-13          Pot-Ent (1972)

On 6/19/71, the LP “Tapestry” by Carole King charts at No. 1 in the US.

This is a delightful German sampler LP from approx. 1972.  I’ve owned it since at least the end of the 70’s.  Unlike many colored vinyl discs of the day, this one is reasonably high quality (see below).  Nice gatefold cover, what would’ve been called a Unipak in the US (LP loads from the inside, once you open the cover).  Somewhat obviously catering to the “Progressive” crowd, of the day – yet not going too crazy.

Pot-Ent (Polydor Germany 2482 027)

Side 1

The Who – Young Man Blues (from “Live At Leeds”)

Golden Earring – The Wall Of Dolls

Sabicas with Joe Beck – Inca Song

Steeplechase – Lady Bright

Ten Wheel Drive with Genya Ravan – Stay With Me

Eric Clapton – Let It Rain

Side 2

Eric Burdon and War – Tobacco Road

Sweet Thursday – The Dealer

Stone The Crows – Blind Man (first album!)

Armageddon – People Talking

Ginger Baker’s Airforce – Doin’ It

So, a fairly ordinary set of contents.  I never knew Steeplechase were produced by Eddie Kramer!  Or that Sweet Thursday was produced by Hugh Murphy (and originated by Tetragrammaton Records; weird cover shown, too).  And I guess this Armageddon is different than the British group – “People Talking” is written by “Frank Diez / M. Galatik” and the label is designated as Kuckkuck Records.

Inside the cover is all of the album covers of the material described above, and a sort of  catalogue of Polydor Records’ products of the day; I see stuff that I want to buy that isn’t represented on this LP (both are sampler LP’s – but are they colored vinyl?):

“Blues News” (Polydor Germany 109 577) (DM 10.-)

“Pop Sound 70” (Polydor Germany 2482 001) (DM 10.-)

Mute Records sampler “Vorwarts”

6-18-13          Mute Records sampler

On 6/18/66 The Beatles 45 “Paperback Writer” charts at No. 1 in England.  Also on 6/18/66 The Kinks 45 “Sunny Afternoon” charts at No. 1 – a good summer record.

I recently got a Mute Records sampler LP / CD set that looked OK to me – “Vorwarts”, a 2011 release.

1)     Junip – In Every Direction (White Sea remix)

2)     Big Deal – Locked Up

3)     Josh T. Pearson – Singer To The Crowd

4)     Liars – Greyscale

5)     Can – Millionspiel (Edit)

6)     S.C.U.M. – Summon The Sound

7)     Moby – Be The One

8)     Mick Harvey – The Ballad of Jay Givens

9)     Polly Scattergood – Silver Lining

10)  SFT / Espen J. Jorgensen – Noise Activity (extra track on CD only)

Very neat that they give you the CD with the purchase of the LP!

This was purchased for the exclusive Can cut (from 1970) and the Mick Harvey track.  I simply do not recognize anything else here; but if it’s on Mute Records – it has a chance it could be interesting!  Daniel Miller used to release records by Boyd Rice, after all!

When I wrote to The Birthday Party 30 odd years ago, it was Mick Harvey who wrote back.  Nice guy; got to meet him when The Birthday Party came to L.A. in approx. 1983.  I always found it odd that he made 2 x albums of Serge Gainsbourg songs.

The Can song is from a film; I guess they were trying to get film placement work (remember the album “Soundtracks”?), as it is an additional source of publishing money; money that could be used to further their experiments – towards whatever end they saw fit / necessary.  Cool.

Quiet Sun – “Mainstream”

6-17-13          Quiet Sun – “Mainstream”

6/16/84 Nik Kershaw “I Won’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” 45 re-charts at No. 2 in England.  6/14/80 Yellow Magic Orchestra “Computer Game” 45 charts at No. 17 in England.  On 6/17/72 the double LP “Exile On Main Street” by The Rolling Stones charts at No. 1 in the US.  On 6/17/67 the Young Rascals 45 “Groovin’” charts at No. 8 in England.

Like most Roxy Music fans, I, too, puzzled at the arrival of the Quiet Sun LP.  Was Phil Manzanera leaving Roxy Music?  This record was unashamed progressive rock – a bit ‘out of place’ in 1975.  Great cover, too!

It was difficult to find an Island UK LP of this release, as a lower cost US version was busily being flogged, by the Island Records US “Antilles” label.  At some point, I opted for a Japanese LP of it, probably a re-issue.

Phil Manzanera’s label, Expression Records, recently did a new 2LP re-issue of this wonderful album, adding some of their demo tracks!  Yes, it’s also a re-mastered UK CD in a book-looking package – that will cost a few bob.  I found the 2LP version a short while ago, and have enjoyed playing it, listening to it once again.

Of particular interest are the demo tracks:  “Years of the Quiet Sun” (cover says “Original demo”), “Trot” (“Original demo”), “R.F.D.” (Warner Brothers demo) and “R.F.D. Part 1” (an out-take from the “Mainstream” sessions.  These are the tracks I am listening to as I type this.  Wow, great mellotron on the “Trot” demo!

So, this album was recorded during the sessions for Phil’s first solo album “Diamond Head”, while he remained a member of Roxy Music.  It’s all sort of a “million miles” from Roxy Music, ain’t it?  An instrumental album, progressive rock – as previously stated.

Seems to me in 2013 that this album isn’t far off from, say, Gilgamesh or National Health – distinctly “Canterbury” in feeling, presentation etc.  This record will appeal to fans of The Soft Machine!  No Bryan Ferry here!

Moving

I received notice that this blog site may be moving soon!  I will obviously keep you fully informed.

Das Bleiben Hits II

6-13-13          Das Bleiben Hits II

On 6/13/64 The Dave Clark Five 45 “Can’t You See That She’s Mine” charts at No. 10 in England.  On 6/13/70, the LP “Let It Be” by The Beatles charted at No. 1 in the US.  On 6/14/69 the Jethro Tull 45 “Living In The Past” makes it’s first run up the charts, at No. 3 in England.  On 6/14/75 the Van McCoy 45 “Do The Hustle” charts at No. 3 in England.

I recently stood and looked at all of the LP’s in the Rock vinyl at Amoeba Hollywood!  This is some feat, I must say!  For one thing, you have all of the Johnny-come-lately record collector guys standing in my way.  Or a guy who is looking at something, but won’t move when I stand there staring at him.  So, it took a while.

I spotted “Das Bleiben Hits II” in the “Various Artist” bin, a German Warner Brothers (3-68009) triple LP for $4.99 – that’s right, 36 tracks – downloaded straight from the bin @ Amoeba Hollywood to my collection.  Well, as you can see by the cover, it’s gorgeous – yet I don’t see any credit for the cover art.  Could it be Wandrey’s Studio?

In addition to some fairly standard ‘rock oldies’ being present, I spot:

King Curtis & The Kingpins – “Games People Play”; Jerry Green – “Seasons In The Sun” (and not Terry Jacks!); Osmosis – “She”; Joy Fleming – “Half Breed” (and not Cher!); Fancy – “Wild Thing” (always up for more Fancy material!); The Albanies – “Waterloo” (an Abba cover!); The Sweepers – “Harlem Song” (huh?)…this is a 1974 release, after all!

So, this one came to my collection via the beautiful cover / packaging, and a handful of perverse Euro tracks, circa 1974.  If the packaging was less beautiful, I might have to insist on some Frank Zappa being present, as he is on so many Euro 2 and 3 LP compilations!

Smash Hits (Vol. 2, No. 12)

6-12-13                     Smash Hits (Vol. 2, No. 12) June 12 – 25^th, 1980

The singer of Roxy Music on the cover!  OMD in the colour centerfold.  Lyrics for “Christine” by Siouxsie & The Banshees.  Roxy Music: “Stronger through the years”.  Joe Jackson goes reggae with “The Harder They Come”.  Eddie Tenpole of Tenpole Tudor’s #1 in his Top 10 is The Rolling Stones “Get Off Of My Cloud”.  Squeeze: “It’s tough in the middle.”  Full page advertisement for the new Queen single, “Play The Game”.  Full page advertisement for Ultravox “Three Into One – the LP John Foxx objected to!  Request Spot:  Ultravox “The Man Who Dies Every Day” lyrics (and a snappy photo).  U2:  “Another Irish import”.

45’s:

Pink Military – “Do Animals Believe In God?” (Erics Records)

Athletico Spizz 80 – “No Room” (Rough Trade Records)

The Stranglers – “Who Wants The World” (United Artists Records)

John Cooper Clarke – “The It Man” (Epic Records)

Basement 5 – “Silicone Chip” (Island Records)

LP’s:

Grace Jones – “Warm Leatherette” (Island Records)

Peter Gabriel – III (AKA “Peter Gabriel”) (Charisma Records)

Roxy Music – “Flesh and Blood” (EG / Polydor Records)

Funny, I remember the Pink Military 45 as being “Did You See Her?”.  In only a short while, Athletico Spizz 80 would transmogrify into The Spizzles – this 45 was nothin’ special.  The Stranglers were changing, too.  Odd that JCC made singles; his type of delivery worked better on an LP.

Wasn’t Basement 5 a group that had somebody (non-musician) famous in it?  Not quite reggae, but with ‘reggae elements’?  I kept their LP + 10“ (and CD!).

Grace Jones became much more important when her next album, “Nightclubbing”, came along in another year or so.  I never ‘got’ Peter Gabriel’s solo career until many years after the fact.  I never particularly cared for “Games Without Frontiers”; I have it in 5.1 on a DVD.  Sure would like to stumble across an SA-CD of PG3!  One day, I should probably listen to this Roxy Music album.  I’m pretty sure I have both an LP & CD of it – in the vault.  I recently watched a Phil Manzanera documentary, and the Roxy Music stuff looked pretty good, all the way up to the re-formation tour of 2001.

Glastonbury Fayre (3LP)

6-11-13          Glastonbury Fayre (3LP)

On 6/11/66 the Yardbirds 45 “Over Under Sideways Down” charts at No. 10 in England.

Once upon a time, oddball various artist LP’s found their way from England to the end of the rock A-Z, under “Various Artists”.  The original “Glastonbury Fayre” triple LP, on the Revelations label – was one such triple LP of “Various Artists”.  It didn’t take a genius to figure out that this was a pretty decent album set, for 1972!  Track listing:

Side 1

The Grateful Dead – Dark Star (Recorded live, Empire Pool Wembley, 4/8/72) – there are copies of this 3LP set that replace The Grateful Dead with Welsh band “Man”!

Side 2

Brinsley Schwarz – Love Song (composed by Nick Lowe) studio recording

Mighty Baby – A Blanket In My Muesli (Live at the 1971 Glastonbury Fayre)

Side 3

Marc Bolan – Sunken Rags (Recorded at Marc’s home, different version to any other that I’ve ever heard)

Pete Townshend – Classified (Recorded at Pete’s home, not the same as appeared on the “Scoop” series, unless I am mistaken)

David Bowie – Supermen (Recorded at Trident studio) – a completely different version than I’ve heard elsewhere!  Amusingly, the liner notes say “The live tape recorded at Glastonbury will remain our vaults until the revolution”!  You don’t own this and you call yourself a Ziggy Stardust fan?

Hawkwind – Silver Machine / Welcome (Recorded at the Roundhouse, 2/13/72 – again, a totally different version than I’ve heard anywhere else!)

Skin Alley – Sun Music (Recorded at Trident studio – re-recorded for their 3^rd album, “Two Quid Deal” in 1972/3) A great track!

Side 4

Daevid Allen and Gong – Glad Stoned Buried Fielding Flash and Fresh Fest Footprints In My Memory… (“Thanks to Byg Records”!) – and this whole LP side never saw the light of day elsewhere!  This LP side was the motivator for purchase!

Side 5

The Pink Fairies – Uncle Harry’s Last Freak Out

The Pink Fairies – Do it (both tracks recorded Live at the 1971 Glastonbury Fayre)

Side 6

The Edgar Broughton Band – Out Demons Out (Live at the 1971 Glastonbury Fayre)

Sadly, I do not remember what this 3LP cost as a new release, but I think I paid about 8 – 10 dollars for it, in the 70’s aftermarket, probably at the Capitol Records parking lot swap meet.