Vinyl Albums - Comments by EMB2014

Vinyl Albums - Comments by EMB2014

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Member	Item		Review/Comment
EMB2014 24th Sep 2017		Vinyl Album Various Artists - 15 Golden Hits (1962)	Well, it was just hyperbole; of course this wasn't the first 'oldies' comp though it was apparently UA's first, taken from its own masters. Someone just wanted us to think it was something unique and a big deal.
EMB2014 2nd Apr 2017		Vinyl Album David And Anthony - Walnut St.	Review Fascinating local pressing out of Pittsburgh PA, USA. These fellas were a pair of acoustic guitarists very smitten with Simon & Garfunkel (seven tracks covered) and, to a lesser degree, Peter, Paul and Mary (they must have loved the ALBUM 1700 track "Weep for Jamie," but why not the equally downbeat "The House Song" from the same album?) And curiously, although the back cover claims that this was recorded live at two locations, as I remember, there were no audience sounds at all; in fact, if memory serves, this album (which sounds good if not great, and is in true stereo) could have been used as a demo sent to indie or major labels as an audition. But as this was most likely issued regionally in early or Spring 1969 (the most recent track, the Bee Gees' "I Started a Joke," which charted in late '68, suggests this), two guys and guitars (and nothing else) probably wouldn't have impressed execs and A&R guys at the time. Well worth hearing, however! 6 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
EMB2014 30th Aug 2016		Vinyl Album Vaughn Meader - The First Family (1962)	The ratio of stereo FIRST FAMILY's to mono must have been worse than 80/20, given the handful I've seen relative to the zillions of mono copies you can still find everywhere there are used records. As for the 'stereo' edition, I have a copy, and while it can't really be deemed 'rechanneled' in the normal way we associate that word to Lp sonics, it's not true stereo, either. Sound effects are sometimes panned left-to-right-and-back-again, and voices do move around on occasion, but it seems manipulated and contrived, rather than even an ambient, 'in the studio' sound from a few microphones. One can guess that the unexpected phenomenon that was the album's success may have forced Cadence into asking for a stereo edition; or, having one planned but not expecting much in sales, pressed it in very limited numbers.
EMB2014 26th Jun 2016		Vinyl Album Donna Rhodes - I See Love (1971)	Like the Discogs entry, this one's erroneously listed as being a 1969 release. Its catalog number, however, puts it late in 1970 or sometime (probably Jan or Feb) 1971. Very good and very forgotten album.
EMB2014 21st May 2016		Vinyl Album The O'Jays - In Philadelphia (1970)	Yet another reason never to trust liner notes, since this was indeed a 1970 release, as were two of its four A-sides. On the other hand, the recordings might all have been recorded in 1969. Don't remember that this one made the national charts, but its 1973 repackage on PIR (KZ 32120) did hit Billboard's Top Lp's at #156. The same situation also may apply to Neptune 201, Billy Paul's EBONY WOMAN. I've often seen it listed as a 1969 release, but like the O'Jays platter, seems to have been released in the summer of '70, and this one did make the soul chart beginning with the 8/1/70 issue (and a reissue also charted in 1973 on PIR KZ 32118).
EMB2014 9th Jan 2016		Vinyl Album Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs - Li'l Red Riding Hood (1966)	While the early Animals and Herman's Hermits albums on MGM were rechanneled (since there was nothing but mono sent to the label at the time) other (US) artists were true stereo, others were not (like the Gentrys' first album) but Sam the Sham's were mostly stereo except for a track here and there. Here, the title track is rechanneled but all others, according to my database, are stereo.
EMB2014 30th Sep 2015		Vinyl Album Various Artists - Northwest Collection Vol. 1 (1966)	Review Of the three Etiquette albums issued in 1966, probably the easiest to find and least expensive to own. A good sampler understandably showcasing Takoma's two big acts, the Wailers and Sonics, but someone should have included Robin Roberts' version of "Louie Louie" which was the first single on the label (1961) and at the least regionally important, since it was the version that acts like Paul Revere & the Raiders and the future Kingsmen must have used as a reference. 5 people found this review helpful. ✔︎ Helpful Review?
EMB2014 25th Jun 2015		Vinyl Album Various Artists - Disco Teen '66 (1966)	One of the very few custom CRC comps of the period that really was loaded with hits (only "La Bamba" was not), and what's more, unlike most CRC comps, aimed at teens instead of our parents. If my memory is correct, on the stereo edition A1, A5 and B2 were rechanneled, the rest in true stereo.
EMB2014 25th Jun 2015		Vinyl Album Various Artists - Super Oldies, Vol. 2 (1966)	Actually released around July 1966, "Time Won't Let Me" being proof enough of that.
EMB2014 25th Jun 2015		Vinyl Album Various Artists - Opening Nights At The Met (1966)	A sold out limited edition it was, too, and crossed over from Classical, where it was #1, to the pop Lp charts, where it got to #49 in Billboard. Issued in mono only, of course. Billboard also printed an article from disgruntled dealers who didn't realize they couldn't reorder it for customers, that once it was gone, it was gone for good.
EMB2014 25th Jun 2015		Vinyl Album Various Artists - Mondo Hollywood (1967)	Released in late 1967, actually.
EMB2014 24th Jun 2015		Vinyl Album Various Artists - The Best Of '66 Volume 1 (1967)	Original sealed pressings came with a 1966/67 'Columbia calendar' which also displayed many 1966 album releases. Almost impossible to find now, since most copies of this budget album wound up pretty well trashed, as my trolling of flea markets and used shops would suggest. And "Just Like Me" is the only rechanneled cut on the stereo album.
EMB2014 24th Jun 2015		Vinyl Album Various Artists - Oldies But Goodies Vol. 4 (1966)	The rechanneling on this one isn't quite as noxious as Vol. 5, but that's faint praise. For decent sound, the mono edition is the only way to go here. The original pressing is from 1962, but the labels above are definitely c. 1966.
EMB2014 24th Jun 2015		Vinyl Album Various Artists - Oldies But Goodies Vol. 5 (1966)	This is a later pressing; a true first pressing cover will show only the previous releases (here, that would be Vol. 1-4 only). This Lp was originally issued in 1963, if memory serves, and the stereo Lp is hideously rechanneled though I think "Bongo Bongo Bongo" was stereo on Epps' Original Sound album. As for Volume 13, Art Laboe must have been superstitious, because he skipped that number and went on to 14, which I think was the last of the original OBG series.
EMB2014 24th Jun 2015		Vinyl Album Various Artists - The Sound Of Christmas (1967)	I believe the year of release is 1968 at the earliest, possibly '69. Special products and record club albums are often hard to date without club pamphlets or trade ads.
EMB2014 24th Jun 2015		Vinyl Album Various Artists - The Super Hits (1967)	SD 501 is stereo except for "Midnight Hour" and "When a Man Loves a Woman," which were recorded in mono only. "Mustang Sally" is stereo but a very wonky mix.
EMB2014 24th Jun 2015		Vinyl Album Various Artists - Smash Sounds (1967)	The label should be 'Atco Group,' which was used, as far as I know, only this once. On the stereo edition, tracks are stereo except for "Sweet Soul Music" and the Wiggins and Hughes tracks, which were recorded by Fame studios, which at the time was still recording only in mono. "Respect" in stereo is the OTIS BLUE rerecording, of course.
EMB2014 21st Nov 2014		Vinyl Album Shelley Berman - Inside Shelley Berman (1959)	By 1960 a rechanneled stereo edition was released, Verve MGVS-610.
EMB2014 21st Nov 2014		Vinyl Album Rusty Warren - Bottoms Up (1969)	Agreed. I forgot to remember that it wasn't until WONDERFULNESS that Warners issued a Bill Cosby album in stereo (the first three were originally released only in mono; by 1966 rechanneled versions with tons of added echo and reverb hit the market). Even so, I doubt that bringing a pair of tape machines to record in 'stereo' even on location back in '59 would have been prohibitively expensive, and would have added separation to the audience and some ambience that is lost in flat mono. Can't argue with success, though, her albums did very well although it took some time from the original release dates of her first two to finally get national attention.
EMB2014 21st Nov 2014		Vinyl Album Fats Domino - Let The Four Winds Blow (1961)	Also issued in true stereo as LP-12073. Good one though devoid of hits beyond the title track.
EMB2014 21st Nov 2014		Vinyl Album Fats Domino - ...A Lot Of Dominos! (1969)	Fine album, and Fats' first in true stereo, half of it including then-recent chart singles.
EMB2014 21st Nov 2014		Vinyl Album Rusty Warren - Knockers Up! (1960)	For what it's worth, SONGS FOR SINNERS and this Lp were originally pressed on the purple Jubilee label, but most copies found are the black label with the updated logo that would be used (with the later logo a smaller size, if memory serves) for the rest of the company's existence. This one also had postcard-sized inserts. Two I remember: one that offered a free Jubilee catalog, another promoting the previous album, and there might be one more, but can't remember what it was about. Listening to this later, I wondered who bought Rusty and what fascinated them about her bawdy (but hardly dirty) cabaret act. She does sound like a fun gal, but I swear she looks younger or older depending on the photo.
EMB2014 21st Nov 2014		Vinyl Album Rusty Warren - Bottoms Up (1969)	Rusty's first stereo Lp...what took Jubilee so long? Although they jumped on the stereo bandwagon in the late '50s like many labels did, their comedy Lp's in the 2000 series were all mono, as far as I know--not even rechanneled (just as well there, but surprising they didn't try to get the extra buck for a stereo pressing).
EMB2014 21st Nov 2014		Vinyl Album Richie Havens - Electric Havens (1968)	I wonder if those original demos saw light of day, because even with all the overdubbing, the sound is good and the material typically solid all the way. As we know, producer Douglas would use the same dubious approach in the '70s with Jimi Hendrix's catalog, i.e. CRASH LANDING and the like. There is good to be found, of course, but the morality of such enterprises is very specious at best. Didn't hurt Richie's career, though, he was talented enough to transcend the frippery.
EMB2014 21st Nov 2014		Vinyl Album Jaime Brockett - Remember The Wind And The Rain (1971)	The Oracle Lp was recorded in 1968 but released around April/May 1969. The Capitol reissue was released in April 1971 after Brockett's second, which had been issued in 1970. Quite a long album, too, clocking in at nearly fifty-five minutes!
EMB2014 24th Oct 2014		Vinyl Album Claire Lane - Drummer Girl Sings (1967)	Private or local pressings are fascinating and mainly undocumented. However, although your signed copies may be from 1967, it seems that the music is almost if not entirely pre-1964, with "More" a fall '63 hit. That would suggest a 1964 pressing, perhaps, but really impossible to be sure without more info. Thanks for posting, though, never heard of this one!
EMB2014 24th Sep 2014		Vinyl Album Bobby Goldsboro - Honey (1968)	Unlike the 1970 Lp WE GOTTA START LOVIN'--which was repackaged as WATCHING SCOTTY GROW after that song started moving quickly up the charts--HONEY retained the original cover graphics, but even so, many pressings retain the old title on the labels, but pressings with HONEY on the label came along as those with the original title were depleted. The mono edition of this album has eluded me to date, but probably was mostly pressed under its original title.