Trouble with Jackie Dee - Jackie DeShannon

Trouble with Jackie Dee

Jackie DeShannon

Teenager Records 609

1991

I bought this Danish import in a used records store that does not generally carry bootlegs and I see it is also available on Discogs which prohibits the sale of bootlegs, but I find it hard to believe that this is a legitimate release.  This is mostly a collection of DeShannon's early singles many of which were issued by Liberty Records but there is no mention of any licensing agreement with EMI who owned the label at the time.  Also the cover artwork is a straight ripoff from DeShannon's debut album "Jackie DeShannon" including the liner notes which makes no sense since none of the songs mentioned in them are on this album.  So this may be considered "legal" in Denmark but I consider it a bootleg.  Nonetheless I also consider it a very useful album and even if JDS is not collecting royalties from it, I'm still happy to have it.  The record begins with her self-composed first single for Liberty "Buddy" backed with "Strolypso Dance" from 1958 when she was still billing herself as Jackie Dee.  The rockabilly style "Buddy" is lots of fun and the album is worth purchasing for that song alone.  JDS rocks out big time with lots of passion.  The flipside is more subdued but I love the hiccupy vocal.  The single seems very influenced by Brenda Lee.  This is also true of JDS's cover of the Leiber and Stoller song "Trouble" which was the b-side of a 1959 single for P. J. Records where she was billed as Jackie Shannon.  JDS has a pronounced southern accent on the song and I find her performance very charming.  JDS leaves rockabilly behind with her own "So Warm" which was a 1960 single on Edison International.  It is a lively song but more in the vein of a girl group sound.  The self-penned "I Wanna Go Home" was the b-side and it is similar in style.  "Teach Me" by D. Abrams and B. Helms and JDS's "Lonely Girl" was a 1960 single for Liberty.  "Lonely Girl" is the better of the two and has a rhythm and blues flavor with a delightfully husky vocal from JDS.  "Teach Me" is a romantic doo-wop style ballad that JDS sings with a lot of feeling.  Side one concludes with "Back-Talk" (listed as "Back Track") which JDS recorded with Bobby Vee for the 1966 film "C'mon Let's Live a Little."  It is a rocking little number that JDS sings a lot more convincingly than Vee.  Despite its late recording date it fits in with the early 60s rock and roll vibe on the rest of side one.  Side two opens with the JDS composition "Try To Forget Him" which was recorded in 1961 but first released on JDS's 1965 album "You Won't Forget Me."  It features a big vocal from JDS that cuts through an overly fussy arrangement.  It is followed by the 1962 single "You Won't Forget Me" written by JDS and Shari Sheeley.  I consider it one of the best early songs in the JDS discography and her vocal is delivered with a lot of spirit.  JDS's cover of the Goffin-King classic "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" is taken from the 1966 album "Are You Ready For This?"  The song is taken at a faster tempo than normal and JDS has a very smooth and sweet vocal that reminds me of Diana Ross.  It is a little too slick for my taste, I prefer the earnestness of the Shirelles' hit version.  "After Last Night" was written by P. J. Proby and appeared on JDS's 1965 album "This is Jackie DeShannon."  It is pure girl group with an appealing vocal from JDS.  The Buddy Holly covers "Maybe Baby" and "Oh Boy" both appeared on "You Won't Forget Me."  I think Holly was probably an influence on JDS and her covers are respectful of his originals.  I like them both but neither adds anything interesting to the originals.  Randy Newman's "Did He Call Today, Mama?" was the b-side to the 1963 "Needles and Pins" single.  It is another girl group type song but JDS doesn't sound very engaged by it.  The album concludes with another soundtrack song, "Glory Wave" by William Dunham and Jimmy Haskell from the 1964 film "Surf Party."  It is a rocker with a gospel flavor that JDS delivers with verve.  Given that the soundtrack album is pricey and hard to find, I'm happy that the album's curator decided to add it to the collection.  This is a real hodgepodge of a collection but it does have a consistent sound since it focuses on the pop music styles of the early 1960s.  I would have preferred that it feature more of her early singles and fewer album tracks but overall I find it very satisfying.  Fans of the more sophisticated pop styles JDS employed later in the decade might find this collection a bit primitive or crude, but personally I love everything she sings.  Recommended to fans of Brenda Lee.

Golden Eggs - The Yardbirds

Golden Eggs
The Yardbirds
Trademark of Quality  TMQ-61001
1973

I often see this vintage bootleg selling for ridiculously high prices which, even as a Yardbirds collector myself, I think is absurd.  All of the tracks on here were originally commercially released and all of them have been easily obtainable on CD for many years.  I believe they are all available again on vinyl as well thanks to Repertoire Records' recent series of Yardbirds compilations (highly recommended by the way.)  Admittedly back in the mid-1970s a lot of this stuff was pretty hard to find although you could get most of it if you tried hard enough.  I bought this decades ago even though I already had most of it.  I bought it because I wanted to hear the two Keith Relf solo tracks.  I also liked the cover art and I got it at a bargain price.  I certainly don't need it any longer.  I keep it as a dumb collector thing even though it has a major flaw, namely all the stereo tracks were improperly recorded.  Only one of the two channels was dubbed on to the record and that channel comes out of both speakers when you play the album.  Thus either the vocals or some of the instruments are barely audible.  Fortunately only 8 of the 17 cuts are in stereo but it is still often annoying.  This reportedly is not true of all versions of this album, mine is apparently a bootleg of the bootleg.  The Eric Clapton era of the group is represented by two oddly chosen cuts from "For Your Love."  "Putty (In Your Hands)" is a minor song and "Sweet Music" is one of the worst songs they ever did.  "Putty" is in mono and sounds fine, but "Sweet Music" is the stereo version and Relf's vocal is buried deep in the mix so it sounds ridiculous.  The record jumps into the Jeff Beck era with "Steeled Blues" from 1965 which was originally the B-side on the "Heart Full Of Soul" single which is easy to find.  It is an instrumental credited to Beck but it is basically a generic blues given a lethargic treatment by the band although Beck and Relf (on harmonica) have their moments.  It jumps forward to the two songs from "Yardbirds" that Epic Records dropped for their version of the album "Over Under Sideways Down."  Both are in stereo so Beck's dazzling guitar work is generally too far down in the mix on "The Nazz Are Blue" and on "Rack My Mind" Relf's vocal is practically inaudible.  The Jeff Beck/Jimmy Page era of the band is represented by "Stroll On" from the "Blow-Up" soundtrack."  It is my all-time favorite Yardbirds track.  It is in mono so it sounds fine although I prefer the stereo version that I have on my copy of the soundtrack album.  The Jimmy Page era of the band makes up the bulk of the album which makes sense since it was the Yardbirds music that was hardest to find back in the 1970s.  There are four tracks from "Little Games" which are among my least favorite tracks on the album.  All are in stereo and suffer from the missing channel.  The jug band style "Stealing, Stealing" and the largely instrumental psychedelic song "Glimpses" both sound okay even with the missing channel.  On the poppy "Little Soldier Boy" Jim McCarty's vocal impersonation of a trumpet that runs throughout the song is buried deep in the mix which makes the song sound naked like a demo.  On the commercial sounding "No Excess Baggage" the lead guitar can barely be heard.  The album also features "Puzzles" which was the B-side of the "Little Games" single as well as the band's final singles "Ha Ha Said the Clown," "Ten Little Indians" and "Goodnight Sweet Josephine" along with the latter's B-side, "Think About It" written by Jimmy Page.  Relf wrote "Puzzles" which has a pop-psych sound and a sizzling Page solo and I think it is a lot better than many of the tracks that made it onto "Little Games."  "Ha Ha Said the Clown" was released in 1967 and features Relf with a bunch of studio musicians.  It sounds fine although it is not characteristic of the band's sound and I prefer the Manfred Mann recording of the song which this version closely copies.  "Ten Little Indians" was written by Harry Nilsson and also was released in 1967.  The album notes say that this is a stereo track but to me it sounds mono.  I like the way the song builds in strength and its slightly trippy arrangement, but it is far from essential.  "Goodnight Sweet Josephine" is bolstered by expansive use of phasing and is engaging but inane.  Its flip side is much superior, in fact "Think About It" is among the very best tracks the Yardbirds ever did, boasting a heavy riff and some smoking guitar work from Page that clearly anticipates his future work with Led Zeppelin.  Even though I generally disdain singles I paid five bucks to buy this 45 at Rather Ripped Records in Berkeley in 1980 and I still consider it one of my best scores.  The album also contains a 1966 single by Keith Relf.  The A-side is the moody "Mr. Zero" by Bob Lind which sounds nothing like the Yardbirds, but I still really like it.  Its B-side is a Relf composition entitled "Knowing" which is a chamber pop track that sounds a bit like the Zombies.  Despite all of this record's many flaws, the Relf single makes it worthwhile (although you can easily find it elsewhere on better albums.)  I can't recommended my version of this album because of its recording defect but even a properly recorded version is a dubious purchase.  The selections from "For Your Love" and "Little Games" are poorly chosen and frankly the inclusion of only legitimately released music as opposed to unreleased tracks or concert recordings makes this bootleg even more ethically questionable than a normal bootleg.  "Stroll On," "Think About It," "The Nazz are Blue" and "Rack My Mind" are essential tracks that every Yardbirds fan should own, but you should look for them elsewhere.  Not recommended to anyone but fanatics.

Help! In Concert - The Beatles

Help! In Concert
The Beatles
Coda Publishing CPLVNY193
2016

My 400th post is naturally a Beatles post.  This is a Czech bootleg of some classic Beatles concerts that were filmed for television broadcast.  There are two concerts from Blackpool, one from July 19th, 1964 and the other from August 1, 1965.  There is also a show from Palais des Sports, Paris from June 20, 1965.  The title is rather misleading, of the 20 tracks only four of them come from the album "Help!" (all from the second Blackpool show.)  Most of the tracks are drawn from "Beatles For Sale" and "A Hard Day's Night."  It is nicely packaged for a bootleg with a sturdy sleeve illustrated with images of the 1965 Blackpool show.  The record is pressed on light blue marbled vinyl that looks lovely and sounds mediocre.  The Blackpool recordings are excellent with only minimal screaming to distract from the performance.  The 1964 show begins with one of the best live performances of "A Hard Day's Night" I've ever heard.  "Things We Said Today" also sounds really good, especially the quality of Paul McCartney's robust vocal.  John Lennon matches McCartney with a rocking performance of "You Can't Do That."  Despite the listing on the cover, the next track is "I Feel Fine" which is taken from the 1965 show.  It usually sounds crappy live, but the boys nail it this time around.  The record jumps back to 1964 for a scorching performance of "Long Tall Sally" that I think is just as good as the studio version and George Harrison's guitar work is first rate throughout.  "If I Fell" is also from the 1964 concert.  The vocal work from John and Paul is extremely good.  The record returns to the 1965 Blackpool show for the remainder of side one.  "I'm Down" sounds a little murky, but the performance is very dynamic with more fine guitar work from Harrison and Lennon going nuts on the organ.  "Ticket to Ride" sounds cleaner and it features another outstanding performance from the band.  Harrison introduces McCartney's solo performance of "Yesterday" which was the first time the song had been performed live.  McCartney accompanies himself on acoustic guitar supported by the strings in the theater orchestra.  It sounds great, I think I prefer it to the studio version.  The Beatles return and John facetiously calls McCartney "Ringo" as he thanks him for his performance.  This is followed by the first live performance of "Help!" which they knock out of the park even though Lennon flubs the vocal at one point.  It sounds fantastic, when it is over I want to join the girls in screaming.  Side two begins with one final song from the 1965 Blackpool show, "Act Naturally" which is out of order having originally been performed after "I'm Down."  Ringo gives himself a humorous introduction before launching into his vocal.  Again the recording lacks sharpness.  Four of the 1965 Blackpool tracks were on the "Anthology 2" album where they sound great.  The two that were omitted were "I'm Down" and "Act Naturally."  I suspect that the bootleggers lifted the four tracks from "Anthology 2" and then used another source for the other two.  The Palais des Sports show occupies the rest of side two.  It is not nearly as clean as the Blackpool concert recordings but still sounds okay for a vintage live recording.  It begins with a typically raucous work out on "Twist and Shout."  It is followed by a punchy performance of "She's a Woman."  McCartney's vocal is very exciting.  A lively version of "I'm a Loser" is next.  It sounds a little sloppy but I like it.  The Beatles run through "Can't Buy Me Love" which sounds pretty murky.  I think I hear the crowd singing along during the chorus which I find charming.  "Baby's In Black" is also rather muddy but the vocal is very strong, especially McCartney's harmony vocal.  McCartney tries out some French in his introduction of Ringo for "I Wanna Be Your Man."  Ringo is poorly recorded but he gives a very enthusiastic performance.  Harrison gets his turn at the mike for "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby" where he sounds more comfortable and passionate than he does on the studio version.  The Beatles kick out the jams with "Rock and Roll Music" which is very exciting despite the muddy sound.  Lennon's throat shredding vocal is thrilling.  In the original concert this was followed by performances of "I Feel Fine" and "Ticket to Ride" but the record jumps ahead to the encore, which is "Long Tall Sally."  The recording is a bit cacophonous but the performance is explosive.  It ends the show and the record with a bang.  I'm always a bit hesitant to endorse a bootleg but the Blackpool shows are essential.  "The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl" has my favorite Beatles' live recordings but only because the thunderous roar of the crowd is so exciting.  The Blackpool shows feature superior performances and make for more comfortable listening.  The song selection is terrific as well.  The Palais des Sports show is basically just gravy.  The band plays well but the songs aren't as good and the sound quality is not as sharp as either the Blackpool or Hollywood Bowl recordings.  I'm still happy to have it though.  The Blackpool shows have been bootlegged multiple times, there are probably better versions than this one.  The mastering is decent but the vinyl has some sporadic surface noise.  I'm also not happy that the running order of the Blackpool shows is messed up.  Nonetheless Beatlemaniacs ought to have this in some form.  Recommended to people who think the Hollywood Bowl shows are too noisy. 

Live at Carnegie Chapter Hall New York City, November 4, 1961 - Bob Dylan

Live at Carnegie Chapter Hall New York City, November 4, 1961
Bob Dylan
Mr. Suit Records  SUITABLE1305
2013

This is a good time to be a Dylan fan.  Columbia Records has been emptying its vaults providing a steady stream of archival recordings covering most of his recording career.  However they have so far not released this recording of one of the seminal events in his early career, his legendary concert at Carnegie Chapter Hall.  The recording is a little rough in spots but generally sounds good, certainly acceptable quality for an archival release.  Perhaps it is the great man himself who has chosen not to sanction a legitimate release of it, maybe he is embarrassed by it.  I think it is wonderful and I'm delighted to have a copy of it on vinyl.  This is an adequate pressing by bootleg standards, my only real complaint about it is that it omits one of the songs from the show, "This Land is Your Land."  That track appeared on Columbia's "The Bootleg Series: Vol 7" so I'm guessing its legitimate release prevented its inclusion due to whatever passes for copyright standards in Europe.  The album begins with the traditional song "Pretty Peggy-O" which appeared on Dylan's debut album with slightly different lyrics.  The song is an Americanized version of the old Scottish song "The Bonnie Lass O'Fyvie."  The song fades in and out in an annoying manner.  It might be a technical problem but it might also be a nervous Dylan drifting too far from his microphone.  This sporadically happens throughout the record.  He follows the song with a story about getting lost on his way to the concert when he got off at the wrong subway stop as well as describing how he constructed his set list by borrowing songs from other performers.  He then facetiously introduces the traditional song "In the Pines" as being about an 11 year old girl learning about life by going out a lot.  Dylan's version lacks the intensity of the classic Leadbelly versions.  He quickly launches into another song from his debut, "Gospel Plow."  There is a false start with his vocal practically inaudible.  He tries it again and performs with a lot of energy, whooping and hollering his way through the song.  While tuning his guitar he talks about spending time with Woody Guthrie when he first came to New York and then he performs Guthrie's classic protest song "1913 Massacre."  It is an earnest and respectful performance.  Side B opens with a passionate cover of Bessie Smith's "Blackwater Blues" that shows Dylan's charisma to good effect.  He follows this with "A Long Time A-Growing" which is more commonly known as "The Trees They Grow So High."  In his introduction Dylan says he recently learned the song from Liam Clancy and with winning candor describes his version as "straight imitation."  He identifies the song as an Irish song, but it is more likely of British origin.  I'm a big fan of Pentangle's version of it.  Dylan's performance sounds tentative and mild (perhaps because he just recently learned it) although I like its intimacy.  Dylan perks up again with a vigorous cover of Bukka White's "Fixin' To Die" which he also recorded for his debut album.  Side C opens with Dylan's original composition "Talking Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues" which is a talking blues obviously influenced by Woody Guthrie.  Noel Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary has said that he showed a newspaper clipping of the event described in the song to Dylan in a cafe and that Dylan returned with the newly written song the next day.  Dylan recorded a studio version of the song during the sessions for "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan" that eventually appeared on the first "Bootleg Series" compilation.  Dylan's live performance of the song is confident and shows his comic side.  Dylan deprecatingly introduces "Man on the Street" as his own song suggesting it might be a good time to go out for a cigarette.  The song, which was untitled at the time, was lifted from "The Strange Death of John Doe" by Millard Lampell which was recorded by the Almanac Singers in 1941.  Dylan improved the song by adding the striking imagery of the cop poking the dead homeless guy with his billy club.  Dylan recorded the song for his debut but it did not get released until the first "Bootleg Series" album.  "Talking Merchant Marine" is another Guthrie cover.  Dylan's performance is bland, he sounds like he wasn't comfortable with the song.  Given that the song is so specific to World War II, it is a curious choice for the show.  "Black Cross" was taken from a poem by Joseph S. Newman (the uncle of Paul Newman) which was recorded by Lord Buckley.  Dylan introduces the song saying he learned it from Buckley when he saw him perform it at the Casino in Portland, Oregon.  I suspect he actually learned it from Buckley's album "Way Out Humor."  Dylan recites the poem rather than singing it, while accompanying himself on guitar.  It is a poem about religious hypocrisy and racism, it is easy to see why it appealed to Dylan who gives a convincing performance.  All three of the songs on Side D appeared on Dylan's debut album.  John Lair's "Freight Train Blues" dates back to the 1930s and was covered by a bunch of artists including Red Foley, Roy Acuff, Hank Williams and the Weavers.  Dylan gives an engaging and lively performance complete with yodeling.  It is one of my favorite tracks on the record.  "Song to Woody" was Dylan's homage to his hero, Woody Guthrie, and its music was taken from "1913 Massacre" which Dylan performed earlier in the show.  It is a heartfelt performance that gets a strong reaction from the audience although the fading in and out issue that runs through the record is particularly irritating on this track.  The album ends with "Talkin' New York" which is about Dylan's experiences after he first came to New York.  I've always liked the line the coffee shop owner tells him, "you sound like a hillbilly anyway, we want folk singers here" which sums up the folk boom quite nicely.  I love this show, I wish Dylan would authorize a legitimate release of it with cleaned up sound and equalized sound levels.  Given how taciturn Dylan has become as a performer, it is a real treat to hear him chatty and effusive, performing with enthusiasm and an eagerness to please.  The performance is a bit raw, Dylan was obviously still learning and developing, but the material is terrific and I find the record fascinating.  Recommended to Dylan fans who wish he never went electric.

30 Nostalgia Hits - The Beatles

30 Nostalgia Hits
The Beatles
Wizardo 102-232
1975

I know the Beatles and their heirs are as rich as Croesus and probably don't give a damn, but it is amazing how poorly the Beatles catalog is being exploited.  How is it possible that "Sgt. Pepper" is not available on vinyl or any other original Beatles album besides "Abbey Road" for that matter?  The Ventures and Dick Dale currently have more vinyl in print than the greatest band in the history of the universe.  Have they seen what used Beatles vinyl is going for nowadays?  These guys should take lessons from the Jimi Hendrix estate, that bunch could squeeze blood from a turnip.  Put me in charge Sir Paul, I'll fix that for you speedy quick.  My first act would be to reissue the entire catalog on vinyl using the original art work and Parlophone sequencing and in mono editions as well when applicable.  I'd issue "Let It Be" in the Glyn Johns mix and sequencing and I'd put out bonus LPs of the best outtakes from those sessions.  I'd issue all the BBC sessions in their entirety.  I'd reissue "The Beatles Christmas Album."  I'd issue the Hollywood Bowl concerts in their entirety, not cherry picking through them like Capitol did.  I'd put out a bunch of other concerts as well, certainly all the ones that have decent sound as well as the historic ones like Shea Stadium and Candlestick Park.  I'd put out the Kinfauns demos and the Decca audition tape.  I'd issue DVDs of the Shea concert and "Let It Be."  I'd even release the Saturday morning Beatles cartoon series.  In short I would put the bootleggers out of business and Beatlemaniacs would not have to rely on crummy bootlegs like this to get their fix.  Actually by bootleg standards this isn't all that crummy.  It is a two record set generously filled with tunes (29 not 30 as advertised) and it is a decent pressing from good sources.  Record one is the 1964 Hollywood Bowl concert.  It runs without interruption and includes the stage patter which is how I recognize what it is, since the record has no notes aside from the song listings.  You can hear some of the same patter on the official Capitol release of "The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl."  This doesn't sound nearly as good as the Capitol version, but it is not bad and at least the whole show is here.  The set list is: "Twist and Shout," "You Can't Do That," "All My Loving," "She Loves You," "Things We Said Today," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Can't Buy Me Love," "If I Fell," "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "Boys," "A Hard Day's Night" and "Long Tall Sally."  It is a tremendously exciting performance, I wish I could have been there.  This concert alone justifies this record's existence.  Record two is more dubious.  Side one and the last two tracks on side two are devoted to the Beatles' June 30, 1966 concert in Tokyo.  The entire concert is included except for "Nowhere Man" for some reason, that's probably the missing 30th song.  This concert is well-known among Beatlemaniacs as it has been heavily bootlegged.  It was recorded for broadcast by Japanese television so it has really good sound quality and there isn't a lot of screaming since apparently the Japanese crowd was too polite to scream a lot during the songs.  The concert has a bad reputation among Beatle buffs because the Beatles perform rather sloppily although I believe most of the songs sound okay although Harrison's vocal and the guitar solo on "If I Needed Someone" are laughably poor.  Personally I prefer the Tokyo show from July 1, 1966 which also was professionally recorded, I think that performance is a little better even though Lennon forgets the words to "Nowhere Man."  Regardless, there aren't many quality tapes of the 1966 tour so I still think this is worthwhile.  The set list is "Rock and Roll Music," "She's A Woman," "If I Needed Someone," "Day Tripper," "Baby's In Black," "I Feel Fine," "Yesterday," "I Wanna Be Your Man," "Paperback Writer" and "I'm Down."  The record is fleshed out with some miscellaneous unsourced songs.  "Ain't She Sweet" appears to be the version from the Tony Sheridan session which was released on Polydor.  I don't think it is particularly rare, I don't know why it would be bootlegged.  "P. S. I Love You," "There's A Place," and "Misery" appear to be pirated off the Beatles' debut album which is both heinous and stupid.  "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" appears to be the 1965 BBC session for "The Beatles (Invite You To Take A Ticket to Ride.)"  It is a smoking hot version that is arguably better than the version on "Help!".  "This Boy" and "From Me To You" are from the band's second appearance on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964.  This is obviously still stealing, but at least it is useful stealing, ha-ha.  I'm not going to defend a bootleg especially one that pirates legitimate releases, but until the Beatles put out some of this stuff themselves, fans are going to want this stuff in some format.  The Hollywood Bowl concert is an essential recording and the Tokyo one is interesting too.  You can find them on better bootlegs though.  I see this one selling for a ridiculous amount sometimes and it just isn't worth it.  Recommended to idle executives at Apple looking for a reissue project, I mean really is it so hard to find something to do? 

Post Script:  I guess the Apple boys were reading my blog, because a few weeks after my screed, they announced the release dates for the vinyl reissues of the Beatles catalog.  I know that these records have been in the works for ages, I'm glad it just took a little push from me to get them finally finished, ha-ha.  I don't really need them, but I'm glad they are coming out and I may pick up a couple at some point to see if they really sound any better than the originals, but I'll probably just wait for the mono versions which will supposedly be coming out next year. 

33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee - The Monkees

33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee
The Monkees 
Zilch  MDPM 102
1984

I was at work when a web-surfing colleague announced that Davy Jones had died.  It hit me really hard much to my surprise.  Part of it was just shock.  I saw Jones performing with Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork at the Greek last summer and Jones had looked great.  He was vibrant and energetic and seemed at least 10 or 15 years younger than he actually was.  But it was more than just surprise, I felt a deep sense of grief, like I had lost a family member.  It seemed irrational, but as I thought about it, it started to make sense.  I've been a Monkees fan as long as I can remember.  I was too young to catch them when they were on the air in prime-time but my sisters and I watched them religiously on Saturday mornings.  My sisters adored Jones and we all loved the music.  Their cereal box records were the first rock records that I can recall playing.  Eventually I discovered the Beatles and they became my favorite group, but I never stopped liking the Monkees and I collected all of their records.  The Monkees were a big part of my musical life, they introduced me to rock and roll.  They were the musical equivalent of a first love.  When Jones died, it felt like part of me died with him.  It reminded me of how I felt when John Lennon died.  Lennon was of course a greater talent and a bigger part of my life, but his death was an act of madness, cruel fate as it were.  Jones' death was a reminder of my own mortality, of old age and decline.  Ouch.  So to honor my childhood idol, I'm writing about this odd little record.  It is a bootleg of the soundtrack to the final Monkees television program, their 1969 special "33 1/3 Revolutions per Monkee."  Peter Tork left the band afterward so it was the final work of the original band until they reunited in the 1980s.  It is perhaps the weirdest prime-time show ever to air on American network television.  The special has been released on DVD as part of the second season release of "The Monkees" program and it is well worth seeing, especially if you like "Head."  This record is another story.  When it was released in the mid-1980s it was mildly useful, since the show was unavailable.  Now you are probably better off just popping in the DVD.  The sound quality on this record is awful.  It was probably just recorded off someone playing the video, it sounds flat and a little distorted at times.  Like so many bootleg LPs it is poorly mastered, you have to crank up the amplifier just to hear it, which amplifies the surface noise as well.  The record proceeds chronologically through the special but omits the guest musical performers unfortunately, who include Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll and the Trinity, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino.  It includes all the Monkees' musical performances as well some bits of dialogue mostly featuring Brian Auger doing his bit as the mad scientist type character he plays in the show.   The first musical number features Dolenz doing a soul-style version of "I'm A Believer" with Julie Driscoll.  I've never cared much for Driscoll, her stiff singing here makes Dolenz's soul man shtick sound more convincing than usual.  Next up is Tork doing the Middle Eastern/Indian influenced "(I Prithee) Do Not Ask For Love."  If anyone else was singing it, I'd think it was a parody, but Tork sounds like he really means it.  It could be perceived as ridiculous, but I like it.  Mike Nesmith delivers "Naked Persimmon (The Only Thing I Believe That's True)" which is my favorite song on the record.  In the show the song is performed as a duet between country Mike and rocker Mike and the song similarly veers between the two styles.  Jones has "Goldilocks Sometime" (listed as "Smile" on this album) for his number which is a music hall type number which suits him well.  The group tackles "Wind-Up Man" which reminds me of the Mothers of Invention particularly in the cheesy vocal.  The song parodies the image of the Monkees as an artificial, manipulated band.  "Darwin" (listed as "In The Beginning") is a slight number they do with Brian Auger.  The fifties-style "I Go Ape" is a comic number with silly monkey noises and clownish vocals.  Side two opens with the big rock and roll production number in the special which they perform with Little Richard, Lewis, Domino and the Clara Ward Singers.  It has been edited to include only the Monkees' numbers which are "At The Hop," "Shake A Tail Feather" and "Little Darlin.'"  The arrangements are basically faithful to the originals although the vocals are a bit over the top.  It is a shame that the guest performances aren't here because they are really good, especially the Ward Singers' performance of "Dem Bones."  "A String For My Kite" features Jones singing the sort of wistful ballad that he was so adept at.  It could have been a really good song with a little fleshing out.  It is followed by Tork playing C. P. E. Bach on an electric keyboard and then comes the grand finale, an epic version of "Listen To the Band" featuring a bunch of guests including the Buddy Miles Express and Brian Auger and the Trinity.  It is self-indulgent, but occasionally spectacular.  The performance degenerates into a noisy free-form freakout that is probably the wildest music the Monkees ever made.  The album ends with Tork warbling "California Here It Comes" with the "it" being Armageddon apparently as the song is accompanied by images of dancers writhing in front of psychedelic footage of atomic bombs and erupting volcanos.  As he croons "this is the end" he is referring to the end of California, but I think about the end of the Monkees since this is the end of original quartet (for a long while anyway).  This is hardly essential Monkees music, but I would value this record if it sounded better.  Unless you are a hardcore fan, you can easily get by with a DVD of the show itself or if you've got deep pockets, the best songs on here were released on Rhino's fancy CD box set of "Instant Replay."  I'm happy to have this record, but I got it absurdly cheap and it is definitely not worth its normal price.  I guess I could have picked a better record to honor Davy Jones, but at least I'm honoring him.  That is more than the bozos at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame can say.  Rest in peace David Thomas Jones and thank you for all that you've given to me and daydream believers everywhere.  Recommended for Monkees fans who don't have DVD players.                      

The Beatles Christmas Album/The Complete Christmas Collection 1963 to 1969 - The Beatles

The Beatles Christmas Album
The Beatles
Apple SBC 100
1970
 

The Complete Christmas Collection 1963 to 1969
The Beatles
Trade Mark of Quality  BCC 104
1971

I was record shopping up in Portland over the holidays and I noticed a new bootleg of the Beatles Christmas album in the bins.  It looks like the original except that it is tinted green instead of blue and it is pressed on green vinyl.  I was tempted to buy it, but I wasn’t all that happy about the green tint and besides I already have two bootlegs of it.  I wish the Beatles would just do a legitimate reissue of it.  It has been so extensively bootlegged I don’t see why they don’t reissue it.  Admittedly it is not great, but there is more embarrassing stuff on the “Anthology” comps.  When I first got into record collecting I used to see the counterfeit copies of it in Berkeley record stores although they looked so convincing that I thought they were legitimate ones.  They had hefty price tags and I was poor so I didn’t buy them and eventually they disappeared and were replaced by obvious bootlegs like the one above.  That was my first one, it has typically crappy artwork and is an inferior pressing although not bad by bootleg standards.  I think mine is actually a bootleg of the TMOQ bootleg since the insert is missing the TMOQ logo that was on the original otherwise identical insert, but it does have the same matrix number.  I bought the counterfeit one at Boo Boo Records in San Luis Obispo (well worth checking out if you find yourself in the area.)  At first I thought it was real since the cover is pretty nice, it just has slightly more contrast than originals.  Looking at the vinyl though, I knew it was a fake.  The labels were off-center and slightly blurry, the vinyl was dimpled and the run-off groove lacked the pressing information.  It was a little worn, but I bought it anyway because it was cheap and I’ve always regretted not buying it back in Berkeley when I had the chance.  I’m never going to pay what an original costs, so it will do.  The album basically mirrors the history of the Beatles as a band.  It starts out with the zany Fabs, talking Liverpudlian slang and trying to be funny and charming, then it gets psychedelic and obscure, then after the “White Album” the Beatles do their bits separately no longer interacting as a group and John brings in Yoko, ouch.  The 1963 segment is my favorite one.  The Beatles butcher "Good King Wenceslas" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", John indulges in funny word play and the band seems greatly pleased ("dead chuffed") with all their success and express affection towards their fans.  It is endearing and charming.  1964's entry is fairly similar.  The group again expresses affection towards the fans and there is a lot of humor.  The 1965 segment is zanier, less heartfelt but still very appealing.  John does a lot of weird voices and shows off his Scottish accent.  The segment has a "Goon Show" and "Monty Python" flavor.  The Beatles impersonate Barry McGuire singing "Eve of Destruction" and there are some other silly songs, including a sloppy version of "Yesterday" where "yesterday" is replaced with "Christmas day."  The segment is lots of fun.  1966 begins with the music hall style song "Everywhere It's Christmas" leading into more funny skits.  They are more funny-weird than funny ha-ha.  There is no longer any direct address to the fans, it is all performance.  It is fascinating to hear the Beatles openly acting, their performances are more elaborate here than in any of their films.  1967 opens with "Christmas Time Is Here Again" which is in the vein of the psychedelic music they recorded for "Sgt. Pepper" and "Magical Mystery Tour."  The skits are even weirder than the ones from the previous year, they border on surrealism and again remind me of "Monty Python" although not as funny.  John's Scottish accent makes a welcome reappearance as well.  1968 is fragmented.  The Beatles contribute separate segments for the first time.  Paul does a Christmas song that sounds like an outtake from the "White Album."  John does a dialogue about his relationship with Yoko.  George makes a speech thanking the fans, but it is so exaggerated that I suspect sarcasm.  He brings out the Beatles long time employee Mal Evans to wish "Merry Christmas children everywhere."  Ringo does a dialogue with himself that shows off his acting skills.  Then John rattles off some nonsensical wordplay which is followed by George returning to introduce Tiny Tim who performs "Nowhere Man" in his inimitable manner, ugh!  1969 is even worse though, it depresses me.  Perceptive fans who listened to this record must have realized the end was near.  John chats with Yoko about food and walls.  George greets the fans briefly to wish them a merry Christmas.  Like the previous year, Paul improvises a little Christmas song and briefly wishes the fans a happy Christmas.  It is then the return of the John and Yoko show as they discuss the upcoming new decade and improvise some Christmas music interrupted by a segment of Ringo plugging "The Magic Christian" movie and then they return to discuss John's Christmas list.  The segment ends with Ringo laughing and I imagine the fans scratching their heads wondering what's so funny.  If you are a Beatles fan this is a fascinating album, but I imagine non-fans would find it tedious.  I like to pull it out at Christmas and give it a spin, but otherwise I rarely play it.  Recommended to fans of the Beatles' movies.

Live on Sugar Mountain/Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 1971 - Neil Young

Live on Sugar Mountain
Neil Young 
Trademark of Quality  TMQ 71022 
1971

Dorothy Chandler Pavilion 1971

Neil Young

Shakey Pictures Records 093624885139

2021

I found this bootleg in Wisconsin last year.  I was in a combination cheese shop/antique store (which is not as weird as it sounds if you've ever been to Wisconsin) and while my wife was sampling the local fromage, I poked around in the antique store.  I found a bin of records.  I rarely find good records in antique stores, they are usually either overpriced or poor quality.  This bin had a lot of classic rock, but it was not in collectible condition for the most part and I already had much of the desirable stuff in there.  Just as I was about to give up I noticed this record nestled among some Neil Young albums.  As you can see it is just a generic blank sleeve which usually means a bootleg.  Old timers out there probably can recall that a lot of the lesser quality bootleg albums came in generic sleeves with mimeographed sheets identifying the record slipped inside the shrink wrap.  Once the shrink wrap is gone, often the mimeograph sheet gets lost.  The inner label of the record was blank but someone had written "Sugar Mountain" on it.  I figured it must be a Neil Young concert bootleg.  I don't really collect bootlegs especially not vinyl ones and even more so vinyl ones missing their artwork but it was only a buck so I picked it up.  It was a good decision.  It turned out to be Young's February 1, 1971 concert at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.  On it he previews a bunch of songs that had yet to be recorded on an album.  The concert has been bootlegged in various guises through the years but the original pressing was on Trademark of Quality but I don't think this is one, because all the copies I've seen of those have actual labels on the vinyl.  This has the Trademark of Quality matrix number stamped on the vinyl but I think it is a later generation issue, perhaps a bootleg of the bootleg.  It is a popular bootleg, I imagine at some point Young might want to put it out himself if he hasn't already.  I haven't been keeping up with the abundance of archival recordings he has been releasing.  It is not a professional recording though, it is a lo-fi audience recording.  Nonetheless, the sound is decent, no distortion and not too much audience noise aside from the occasional cough which amazes me since every time I go to a show there is always some jackass nearby yapping all the way through it.  It is a solo acoustic show with just Young and his guitar and occasionally piano.  It opens with "On the Way Home" from the Buffalo Springfield and "Tell Me Why" from "After the Goldrush."  Then he starts with new songs.  There is a moving version of "Old Man" (from "Harvest") and then he goes to the piano to introduce "Journey Through The Past" which would eventually be recorded for "Time Fades Away."  "Sugar Mountain" gets a lengthy introduction with Young exhorting the crowd to sing along.  Young is quite talkative at the show, perhaps because it was the last show on his tour.  In the middle of the song he stops and tells the crowd that he originally wrote 126 verses for the song and had to narrow them down to four and one of them is the worst thing he ever wrote (it is the "Now you're underneath the stairs" verse in case you are wondering) and if he can deal with the embarrassment of singing it they ought to be able to sing along with him and finally the crowd does join in a little.  Next up is "Don't Let It Bring You Down" and the side ends with Young returning to the piano for "Love In Mind" which also wouldn't appear on legitimate vinyl until "Time Fades Away."  Side two begins with "Cowgirl In the Sand" and then he plays "Heart of Gold."  It is back to the piano for "A Man Needs a Maid" which Young explains came to him when he was bedridden.  There is a slightly altered line when Young substitutes "A man feels afraid" for "A man needs a maid" in one of the choruses which I think improves the song.  This performance seems a bit naked without the strings on the recorded version (on "Harvest") but I find it more moving.  There is a lengthy introduction for "Needle and The Damage Done" where Young puts down bootlegs (oh the irony) in particular the CSN&Y "Wooden Nickel" which he calls a "capitalist ripoff."  There are also some comments about the lost accomplishments of people who succumb to heroin addiction.  Next up is "Ohio" and then back to the piano for "See the Sky About To Rain" which wouldn't get released until 1974 on "On The Beach."  The Buffalo Springfield song "I Am a Child" is next and it is one of the loveliest versions I've heard.  The album ends with a rousing performance of the unrecorded song "Dance, Dance, Dance" which features the audience loudly clapping along.  I really enjoy this record but I don't think I'd pay the inflated price it normally costs and if I did I'd probably opt for a CD version since it would probably have better sound quality.  Bootleg vinyl is always a crap shoot, the pressings are usually inferior to commercial ones, this one is okay but the mastering is so poor that you have to crank up the volume to hear it which means the surface noise is amplified as well.  Still I'm very happy to have it and I've been playing it quite a bit.  It is a great concert with a lot of warmth and atmosphere coming through on the recording.  Recommended for people who think "Harvest" is over-produced.

Post Script: Of course ol' Neil had this one in his archive.  It's not a crappy audience tape either, this one was professionally recorded by Joni Mitchell's favorite engineer, Henry Lewy, who was working with Young on "Harvest" at the time.  It sounds much clearer and I could not be happier to finally have it in a quality recording on a properly mastered album.  I do have two minor complaints.  The record packaging is lifted from one of the bootleg versions.  I'm not pleased with the faux ring wear and shoddy artwork.  I get that Young wants the record to look like a bootleg but I think this performance deserves a better package.  It is among my favorites of the many concert albums he has put out in his career and I would like it to look as nice as it sounds.  My bigger complaint is that Young's humorous diatribe against bootlegs in his introduction to "The Needle and the Damage Done" has been edited out.  I'm not sure if it was done to save space or because it seemed hypocritical given the zeal with which Young has been issuing his own "bootlegs."  Curiously the song order is different than the one on my bootleg.  On the boot, "Sugar Mountain" "Don't Let It Bring You Down" and "Love In Mind" follow "Journey Through the Past" to close out side one.  On Young's version they open side two and "Cowgirl in the Sand," Heart of Gold" and "A Man Needs a Maid" take their place on side one.  I don't know which one is correct although several of the other boots follow Young's order so I'm going to assume it is correct.  I find it a more satisfying sequence anyway.  I'm not sure that its worth keeping my bootleg copy just to have a bit of missing between song patter but being the idiot collector that I am, I am going to keep it anyway.