The Byrds - "The Columbia Singles '65-'67" 2xVinyl, Compilation, Mono, 2002 (Columbia/Sundazed Music)

As a kid (around 10-years old) I had the first Byrds album with "Mr. Tambourine Man" which was a huge radio hit in the Los Angeles area.   I liked it, but I never loved the record or song. Still, the presence of the 12-string lead guitar and the perfect harmonies of the band was and still is appealing to my ears.  I never took to the band full-on, and I think it's due to my prejudice against David Crosby.  I never liked his hair or his fashion sense.  Even to this day, I have a problem with him on the cover of this compilation.  His cape really bugs me.  The others in the band had a nice style, but Crosby seems to have the annoying talent of standing out.  In a sense like Brian Jones, but David is not Brian.  I tried to like him, and his songs.  And at times, I can bear his work, but his strength is within the Byrds format.   When he's singing vocals with Gene Clark or Jim (Roger) McGuinn it is really something of great beauty.  When he sings with Stills and Nash, I find his vocals really irritating.   Like a shadow-boxer, I come in and out of The Byrds world but never fall into the thought of their greatness.  Until hearing this compilation. 

This is a collection of singles from 1965 to 1967, all Mono.  In that singular format (both single and mono) is where their great strength lies.  I'm not a tech-head in the sense I can tell a difference between album cut and these recordings, but they all sound puncher and oddly enough more texture in sound.  Both A and B sides are here, and it tells a tale of the band at its best.  After Crosby and Gene Clark left the band, I stopped listening to them. I know there are fans of the later recordings, but at this time, I haven't investigated those albums/songs.   What I like about these recordings is the harshness of McGuinn's guitar against the sweet vocals that bring up the tension.  Noise/sweetness for me is a perfect cocktail, and the early Byrds captures that sense of fragile beauty very well.  Also, the excellent presence of Gene Clark, who is really the 'star' of the band, is quite magnificent in those years.   A superb collection and I think this would be the perfect introduction to The Byrds.  More so than their individual albums. 

Buffalo Springfield - "Buffalo Springfield" Vinyl, Mono, Album, 1967 (ATCO Records)

Buffalo Springfield had so many pluses that it eventually erased what's good about the band and left the drab, which turned into disappointment. The solid songs mostly by Steve Stills and Neil Young, as well as Richie Furay's contributions,  is almost too good. Their first album "Buffalo Springfield" is my favorite among the three releases. For one, here they were focused and produced by one team: Brian Stone and Charles Greene. Those two worked with Sonny & Cher, as well as other acts on the label ATCO. I also believed they were the managers of Springfield as well. Still, the consistency is important, but on the negative side, their production is wimpy. I suspect Buffalo Springfield on the stage were guitar lunatics, and due to the egos of Stills and Young, probably a battle of the bands, even though they were in the same group. That's the problem with their next two releases where the sense of a band falling apart, and becoming various solo recordings, made the music limp. There are highlights throughout their existence, but I have always had the feeling that they could have been better in the recording studio. It's a shame that Jack Nitzsche didn't produce or arrange all the songs. He would have been a perfect producer for this band.

Having Richie Furay singing most of the material was a good idea at the time. His voice is heavenly clear, and although Stills and Young do have a 'sound' in their distinctive vocals, they come nowhere to the technical excellence of Furay's approach to the vocal. Again, I find the recording of this album very thin, and the production doesn't serve the masterful playing of the band. I feel that they are too contained in the format that's the studio.  For 50 something years, this album has been in and out of my record collection. I finally found a vintage mono edition, and still, not satisfied with the sound. Almost there, and you can even taste it, but still a distance. 

David Bowie ' "Spying Through A Keyhole" 4 × Vinyl, 7", Mono, 2019 (Parlophone)

A good season for the Bowie lunatic.  Parlophone and the Bowie estate has been releasing a series of demos, that is from the late 1960s.  All are fascinating.   "Spying Through A Keyhole" is part of a two-volume boxset of 7" singles.  Elaborate packaging, perhaps a tad too much of a design project, still the music inside is way more than worthwhile.   This boxset is four 7" singles (9 tracks), and it's total Kenneth Pitt era Bowie.  Before he went Anthony Newley, he had a folk fixation that eventually turned into British Music Hall aesthetic, but at this time, and demo quality, a quiet look into the Bowie psyche.  The famous song here is "Space Oddity," and we get two versions, one just an excerpt, and the other is a more full arranged with the assistance of guitar and voice John "Hutch Hutchinson.   Who I think plays a bigger part in the other Bowie 'demos,' but more of that in another blog post.

The obscure songs here are "Mother Grey," "Love All Around," and "Angel Angel Grubby Face."  Not as great as the other undiscovered Bowie material, but still interesting to hear how strong his sense of aesthetic and vision was at the time.  The other obscure number, and it's excellent is "Goodbye Threepenny Joe."   A great melody, lyric, and I don't know why he didn't re-do this song on a future release.  For me, this is the tune that is worth the whole package.  If you are a Bowie lunatic, you must have this package, but there are better demo albums out there by David, and I will be writing about them shortly.

Lesley Gore - "I'll Cry If I Want To" Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, 1963 (Mercury)

Lesley Gore is a unique artist in her time and place.  For one, she had a clear plan artistically, and she thought (or her producer Quincy Jones) of the album as a mood piece, or carry a theme.  Here on this album is the subject matter of tears.  A teenager's tears are the most bittersweet of them all. She is billed on the album cover as "The amazing 17-year-old," and clearly, this is the case. 

There is a defiance in Gore's approach to pop that she has the right to feel blue or to express her feelings fully.  There is an intelligence at work here, and I don't think it was manufactured by her manager, record producer or even adults in the room.  The power of her vocal delivery and the choices of songs on this album makes it a fantastic work.  "It's My Party" is a teenager's lament of existence, yet, her tone is strong that she will not accept this insult any longer.  On the other hand, she is a teenager, and Gore knows that's her natural state of mind and body.   The articulation of her stance is genius-like, in that she even made an answer song or a continuation of the "It's My Party" narration to "Judy's Turn To Cry."  

Claus Ogerman's arrangements are sophisticated, yet in tuned to the teenage market at the time. The whole package is one of intelligence, passion, vision, and Gore's ability to express the everyday angst of a teenager facing a harsh world.  Lesley I feel is very underrated talent. 

The Kinks - "The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Mono, 2014/1968 (Sanctuary Records)

It took me a while, but I finally purchased a new or mint copy of the Mono edition of The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society." The sound of the record is brilliant, but what's more important is the music itself.  Clearly a masterpiece, and I think it is at that status due to its powerful images of a world that is a combination of William Makepeace Thackeray, Henry James, and a touch of Oscar Wilde. In other words, it's British, but not the lad England of Oasis but the world of English gentlemen, quiet pubs, and great inner depression.  Perhaps there is a touch of the Angry Young Men movement as well.  It's a shame that this album was never turned into a musical in London's West End.  There is no narrative, but one can quickly write the 'book' and make this an instant classic, just due to the excellence of the songs.  

I originally bought this album in the time of its original release in 1968.  I have been a somewhat consistent Kinks fan, but life in Los Angeles didn't always allow an easy route to purchase a Kinks album, even though they were on Reprise Records in America.   For one, they dropped out of the press or TV appearances, and for about six months, I totally forgot that they even existed.  I came upon this album when I lived in Topanga Canyon, and I felt like a prisoner in that area of the world.  "Village Green" unknown to me at the point of purchase, exposed me to another prison, but one in Merryland England.   My sense of alienation perfectly fitted the mood of this Kinks' album.  When I got home with the record and put it on my turntable, I think I felt tears from my eyes.  I never had a record that encouraged such an emotional response before.  It wasn't sadness exactly, but more of the fact that I too felt I lived in a village, and there is something rotten in that neighborhood.  

Also, this is very much music made by and for Dandies.  I like the cover, but I feel that it should have been a painting portrait of The Kinks, perhaps in oil, or even an image of Francis Bacon at the very least.  Still, over the years I have purchased this album in every format possible, and it was until very recently I bought the Mono mix of "Village Green."   For my ears, it sounds more punchy and forceful, and therefore I prefer the Mono to the stereo mix.  Not one wrong musical moment on this record, it's perfection as an art form, with the band performing this delicate music as an oil painting or perhaps building the village as a sculpture.  One of the remarkable albums from the 20th-century.

Shirley Bassey - "The Fabulous Shirley Bassey" Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, UK, 1959 (Columbia)

Shirley Bassey, famous in the United States for her recording of "Goldfinger" is an exceptional British singer.  Born in Wales, "The Fabulous Shirley Bassey, released in 1959, was her second album.  Always a big voice, she strikes me as a powerful wind machine, and even the orchestration around her has to go from 8 to 10 in volume control.  Which sounds a bit much, but the fact is her voice has a lot of warmth, and on the "Fabulous" album there are classic songs.   "The Man Who Got Away," "Cry Me A River,"  "I've Got You Under My Skin," and others on this disc are superb pieces of contemporary music. 

As part of my obsession with British pop music before the Fab Four, Bassey is a key showbiz figure that expressed the grit and soiled nature of pop music at the time.  Hearing the recordings of that period it sounds light and fluffy, but I suspect it's aural candy to disguise the roughness of the post-war U.K. years.   Bassey is not a light singer, but a performer of great attitude and brings magnificence to the main meal.  When one digs up the beautiful landscape of a part of the world that suffered greatly, one can find great art.  Shirley Bassey is such a fine, and the "Fabulous Shirley Bassey" is an album full of polished gems, but there is a lot of grit within its textures. 

Jefferson Airplane - "Surrealistic Pillow" Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, 1967 (RCA)

It's strange to me, but I have this compelling need to look back at the music that I ignored due to either hating the band or just didn't like the landscape where that band came from. In this case, I have a hard time getting into the San Francisco sound of the 1960s.   In my mind (and ears) it's Jefferson Airplane's "Surrealistic Pillow, and that's ground zero for everything I disliked about that city in that era.   It wasn't until the recent passing of Marty Balin that I decided to pick up a battered-up Mono version of this album.  In my head, I decided to question my tastes, and go onto an adventure, and this is one of the first of what I think many voyages I'll be making in the next few years. 

I always liked "White Rabbit," but never cared about the image of the Jefferson Airplane.  They seemed too self-important with respect to their hippie/folk/community thing they had going.  There appeared to be a 'one-for-me-one-for-all aspect of that scene that's a turn-off to me.  After Balin's passing I decided to leave my prejudices outside my listening room, and just get into the Mono edition of this album.

Without a doubt, and not putting down the talents of Grace Slick, I think Marty Balin was a remarkable vocalist.  The two songs, side-by-side on the first side, "Today" and "Comin Back To Me" is a phenomenal work of mood and angst.  Both sung by Balin and written or co-written by the singer as well.  Not only heartfelt but in a funny manner, it reminds me of a classic Johnnie Ray approach to the song.  A beautiful vocal and almost a spiritual aspect of romance that doesn't seem human, in the sense that is anchored on the ground.   These two cuts I keep going back again because I feel it's the heart of the album.  Then again, you have the upbeat "She Has Funny Cars" and "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds."  All, of course, are wonderful.  "Fantastic Plastic Lover" and other songs remind me a bit of the Rolling Stones' "Aftermath," which were both engineered by the great Dave Hassinger, and recorded at the RCA studios on Sunset Boulevard (not far from Amoeba Music). 

So, yes, I have entered to the other side.   Where I go from here, is anyone's guess.  Nevertheless, "Surrealistic Pillow, beyond "White Rabbit" and "Somebody to Love" is a terrific trip. 

The Byrds - "Fifth Dimension" Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, 1966 (Columbia)

The Byrds are a classic band that had a busy and successful career.  From 1965 to 1967 at the very least the David Crosby, Chris Hillman, Jim (Roger) McGuinn and Gene Clark years were the prominent landscape of their classic sound, which in a nutshell would be their harmonies, Jim's 12-string electric guitar, and a relationship between folk and psychedelic music.  On paper, it sounds perfect to me, but in actuality, I have always had a problem with The Byrds. 

I liked them, but compared to my friends for the last few decades or so, who see them perhaps as the most important band, I, on the other hand, found them conventional.  As a young teenager, I bought their albums up to "Younger Than Yesterday," but when they turned to country on the next album, "Sweethearts of Rodeo," I couldn't deal with that identity nor sound.  But even before "Sweethearts" there is something about their overall sound that was pleasing, but not fitting in as a band, or a singular identity, and that I have always found troubling.  I recently purchased an original mono copy of "Fifth Dimension," which was my favorite Byrds album as a young tot, and I still remember playing this album over and over again in my bedroom on a very cheap and portable turntable.  The density of McGinn's great 12-string electric guitar freak-outs in the midst of Crosby and others perfect harmonies or folk-related ballads was an interesting relationship between noise/chaos and rigid pop/folk melodies.   I have thought that McGuinn was going one direction and the rest of the band to another part of the world.  Even though Crosby's songwriting had an Eastern drone, it was never as fascinating as The Beatles experimental approach to the drone, or of course, the music being made by John Cale, Tony Conrad in New York City around that time. 

Still, the one song that is a massive standout on "Fifth Dimension" is "Eight Miles High." A work of beautiful perfection that is either a fearful look at flying or a narcotic reaction - but for me, it works as a musical version of a phobia for being in a metal machine in the sky.  The opening cut on side one is "5D (Fith Dimension)" with Van Dyke Parks on organ, is a great swell of sounds, with a wonderful McGuinn vocal.  The rest is enjoyable filler.  Like a lot of bands during that period, they also do a version of "Hey Joe" which is lame compared to The Leaves, Love, and the brilliant Jimi Hendrix version that will come out later either that year 1966 or in 1967.  

I understand the importance and stance of The Byrds, and why they are so beloved by their fans, but for me, they never went far enough with their sound.  Los Angeles had a fantastic run of great music/bands at this time, and when you compare The Byrds to either Buffalo Springfield or the great Love, they come off as weak and an afterthought.  Still, I find some pleasure in their rubble. 

The Beatles "Rubber Soul" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissued, Remastered, Mono, 2014/1965

As a gentleman (if I may call myself that) born in 1954, The Beatles were truly a band that I grew up with, as the albums were released.   It's so odd for me to hear such a sophisticated album "Rubber Soul" when I was 11 years old.  How could I possibly understood "Norwegian Wood" at that age, yet, on its original release I played that song over and over again.  Even as a young child I like songs that sounded sad, that somehow I felt was a reflection of my being at the time.   Of all the Beatle albums, "Rubber Soul" is an album that I can listen to in my head by just reading the songs off the back cover.  They're etched not in color, but in black and white, just like the photos on the back cover of the album.  A very contrast black & white, compared to high definition images replaced by "Revolver" their next album. After that, it was all bright technicolor photos of The Beatles from "Sgt. Pepper" to "Abbey Road."

The sound I hear on "Rubber Soul" is four men, who seemed to be older (of course) and perhaps wiser, yet, in reality, it's a record of reflection of men still young.  Almost like a soldier who came from the front lines of a war, young, but bitter from the experience.   In reality, there is not one bad song on this album, yet, it's not my favorite Beatles album anymore.  I recently purchased the album in mono (all the Beatle records I own are in mono, except "Abbey Road") and as I played it, I didn't feel any emotional attachment to "Rubber Soul" whatsoever.  Yet, as a child, it had a huge impact on me by how it brought a sense of sophistication into my world.  If you think of the pop music (almost all great) being made in 1965, especially by the British Invasion bands of the time, "Rubber Soul" in comparison is a rainy day with thick clouds in the sky type of record.  "Michelle" is probably the first time I heard a song that is sung in partly French.   How could I possibly relate to that, except I loved how the language was sung by Paul in that song.  Not exotica in the sense of an American tourist in a foreign part of France, but conveyed a sense of bitter romanticism just by Paul's voice and instrumentation.  

"Rubber Soul" is an important album, and when you think of it as being released in 1965, the Fab Four were somewhat distanced from all the others in the music market at the time.  It reminds me image-wise of Fellini's early film "I, Vitelloni" (1953) when one of the characters at the end of the film moves on from his childhood/teenage friends to a new world, but traveling alone.  In a sense, The Beatles were waving goodbye to their contemporary fellow musicians and some fans, that they are moving on, to territory that is not yet formed or idealized at the time. 

The Rolling Stones - "12 X 5" Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, 1964 (London Records)

The second "American" Rolling Stones album.    One of the secret pleasures of this album is that the recording of "Time Is On My Side" is the organ-heavy version, rather than the guitar orientated track. Most of the album was recorded in Chicago, which at the time, was ground zero for the Stones' interest in the blues.  The key cuts for me are "Time Is On My Side," and their great version of Bobby and Shirley Womack's "It's All Over Now."   Also, the songwriting talents of Jagger and Richards was slowly put to use on their "Good Times, Bad Times."  In a sense, it was a look back as they moved forward in time. 

"12 X 5" should and must remain as a Mono recording.  I would argue that the Stones entire work with Andrew Loog Oldham should stay in mono.   The earthiness of these recordings is made for transistor radios and one giant speaker.   Stereo would open up the process, but this is music made in a specific area of sound, and it should remain murky, dark, and wonderfully mysterious. 

The Beach Boys - "Pet Sounds" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Mono, 50th Anniversary, 1966/2016 (Capital)

I have a copy of The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" in Mono, but it's trashed by time and lack of care.  As I was strolling at a local record store in Atwater Village (Jacknife), I found a new copy or edition of this classic in Mono.   I bought it, and in our darkened living room I played the album.  Some records define the time of day, for instance, some recordings work great in the morning, and others in the afternoon. "Pet Sounds" strikes me as a work that is perfect for the late evening.  I'm a firm believer that one should go to, or prepare for bed in a sad state of mind.   "Pet Sounds" is the perfect soundtrack for that mood.

Hearing a fresh new copy is a gift that keeps on giving.  I think one can only listen to The Beach Boys in Mono.  Not only due to Brian Wilson being deaf in one ear, but the aesthetic of the recording needs to come from one direction.   It's a very compressed recording, where you feel the emotion is being put in a tiny room.   Yet the feelings are expansive and vast.  There is lots of tension that runs through the album.  I have written about "Pet Sounds" back in 2013 on this blog.  My feelings are the same, but listening to it last night, strikes me as a very intimate experience.  It's not a record that I'm compelled to share, but to be in a dark room in the middle of the evening - that's the perfect setting for The Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds."

Miles Davis - "Sketches of Spain" Vinyl, Album, Mono, LP, 1960 (Columbia)

This album was a big presence in my childhood, but not in my parent's house.  This is the one Miles album that they didn't like.  On the other hand,  the Preppy-set and architects adored Miles Davis' "Sketches of Spain."  The album feels like a mid-century home.  Hi-fi world loves "Sketches of Spain."  For a Jazzier, the idea of the string section with Jazz is a no-no.  Which in theory is totally correct.  Then there is this album, which is not really a jazz or classical album  Maybe it's the combination of the two "Classjazz."  

The album is arranged and conducted by Gil Evans, and this is very much his album as well as Miles'.   The music is based on the Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concierto de Aranjuez."  I never heard the original so I can't comment on it, except that it's a score for guitar and orchestra.  Miles, of course,  removed the guitar for his trumpet.  Beyond that, it is a magnificent Gil Evans album.  In truth, both of them collaborated on the album.  Hand-in-hand they made this album.  Two sessions: first on November 20, 1959, and the other on March 10, 1960.  I wasn't kidding that this is an album made for and by the influence of mid-century design.  

The modernist approach is someone who keeps the eye on the present and stays alive for the future. The past is the past unless you can somehow control the imagery and power of the former.  Like the music of the late 1950s, "Sketches of Spain" has traces of exotica.  To my ears, it's not far off from Martin Denny's take on exotic islands.  Spain is a romantic image, especially for those who never visited that country.  "Sketches of Spain" by its very title admits that it is a work that doesn't go into Spain, but the observation of an outsider looking within a culture. 

Miles doing "Porgy and Bess" with Gil Evans was another trip through a different landscape. Most of the Miles' recordings are all placed in a location that is totally Milesville.  I think Paris, Manhattan, San Francisco as not as a foreign destination, but a home to Miles and his aesthetic. "Sketches of Spain" is a tourist visiting with a map in place, but then through the eyes of Miles/Evans, it becomes an adventure of sorts.  

The music is gorgeous and the arrangements strike me as perfection.  It's an album that is easy on the ears and the heart.  What is important to know is that once this music is done, Miles is going to travel without a map.  And that is what he did.  

Love - "Da Capo" Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, 1966 (Elektra)

Love's second album.   More musicians and fewer songs on the second round.  The first six songs on the A-side is magnificent.  The band was progressing soundwise from the first album to "Da Capo" and what one hears here, can see the congo line that led to "Forever Changes."  Another significant change was to remove Alban "Snoopy" Pfisterer from the drums to organ and harpsichord.  His playing gives the first side a masterful baroque pop feel to the material.  Also, the addition of Tjay Cantrelli on sax and especially flute adds a potent part of the cocktail to the Love sound.  Johnny Echols' guitar blends into the orchestration of the songs, as a soloist, but as part of the overall power of its instrumentation. Most of the songs are by Arthur Lee, but Bryan MacLean's "Orange Skies" is just heartbreakingly beautiful.  "7 and 7 Is" my favorite garage/punk/god knows what piece of sonic delight.  When I was a child, I couldn't get enough of this song. In Los Angeles, it was played on the AM radio, and it was like a spiritual being was connecting to me as a listener who had the portable radio glued to my ear.  Perfection!

It's interesting to compare "Da Capo" to another album that was recorded and released that year (1966) and sharing the same recording studio (RCA Studios in Hollywood) and engineer, David Hassinger and that is The Rolling Stones' "Aftermath."   Like Love, the Stones were experimenting with instrumentation within the pop song format, and both had a long jam track.  The Stones' "Goin' Home" and Love's "Revelation."   Without a doubt, both are very similar.  "Aftermath" came out first, but Arthur Lee claims that the Stones saw Love do this song live, and therefore copied or inspired to do their own version.  The big difference between the two is that Stones' song lasts for ten minutes, and Love's "Revelation" takes up the entire side of the album.    Musically it's different, but sonically and recording wise it's a brother or sister related recording. 

The prevailing opinion is that no one talks about "Revelation," but for me, it works on different levels.  For one, the guitars are great and how they interact among the musicians is fantastic, and the opening and closing of the piece is Pfisterer's harpsichord, him playing Bach's "Partita No. 1 BWV 825."  I like the frame of Bach and having "Revelation" caught between the old world, and the then recent Sunset Strip jam piece.  "Da Capo" is the beautiful bridge between "Love" and "Forever Changes." 

The Rolling Stones - "Flowers" LP, Vinyl, Compilation, Mono, Terre Haute Pressing, 1967 (London)

"Flowers" is an album that I never owned till very recently.  For the sole reason that I want every mono edition of their work in the 1960s.  For me, there's the Stones in the Oldham/Brian Jones years and then... there was another band that I'm not that much into.  "Flowers" is a compilation of their recordings roughly from 1966 to 1967.  I suspect to fix the odd song that didn't make it into their American editions at the time.  Or songs that were only released as a single. In a sense, this album is like the perfect mix-tape of that period in the Stones' world and activity in the studio.  

"Flowers" has all the odd Brian Jones touches on one disc.  Accordions, various keyboards and string instruments, it's Brian's playground of aural delights.  Andrew Loog Oldham, I feel added his textures as well.  His Phil Spector/pop music loving identity served the Stones well in this era.  Mick and Keith were writing (although it has been noted that Brian may have written the melody to "Ruby Tuesday") one great tune after another.  

The rhythm section of Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman were fantastic, in the same light as the classic Motown recordings around the same time.  They grooved hard, and Bill's bass playing is very aggressive and robust.  A musician that is muchly under appreciated.  The songwriting also had a strong Motown influence as well.   The Stones cover The Temptations' "My Girl, " and it fits well with their original songs. 

Often people of my generation like to compare The Beatles with The Stones, and the truth is, there is no comparison in sound whatsoever. The Stones may have been influenced by The Fab Four in bringing exotic instruments into the big picture, but I found The Stones more factory-made and focused on obtaining the hits, and I think Oldham's influence was a powerful presence in their songwriting at this time.  Once he left, the band as songwriters, became focused on other genres such as Country and classic soul.  This is here or there.  I prefer the older Stones than the band in the 1970s and onward. Still, "Flowers" is a lot of fun.  A great compilation album. 

Elvis Presley - "Wordwide 50 Gold Award Hits, Vol 1" 4 x Vinyl, LP, Mono, Compilation, 1975 (RCA)

Mr. Presley is a large subject matter.  It's hard to wrap one's head around this (once) young man's recordings as well as his stature in the 20th-century.   In many ways, he is the 20th century in all its glory and horror.   In my collection, I have some 45 rpm singles, and also the Sun Recordings, and then there is this:  "Worldwide 50 Gold Award Hits Vol. 1."   And in Mono!

For me and my ears, one really has to work at locating the Elvis gems from the pile of RCA recordings.  In other words, he recorded a lot of crap.  But with him, even his crap is better than someone else's shit.  A brilliant vocalist who can work poop into something listenable.  But then again when he has a great song, and his voice/presence is wrapped around it  - nothing can be better.  His instinct is a well-tuned radar.  

When Elvis works with songwriters like Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman (my faves), Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller, and Otis Blackwell, he can't do no wrong.  Brilliant songwriting meets the voice equals masterpieces.  I'm a fan of Elvis' recordings such as "Surrender," "Return to Sender," "You're The Devil in Disguise," "Little Sister" and even the hyper Italian pop of "It's Now or Never.'  Operatic to blues is a huge landscape, and Elvis easily can jump from one spectrum to the other. 

Right now, this is not a hard collection to find on vinyl, and not that expensive. It's big in scope and deserves a spot in one's home/listening area.  The great thing about Elvis is that he's a springboard to investigate and enjoy contemporary music.  With respect to the songwriters and the different mediums such as Country n' Western, Blues, Rock, Pop, show tunes, etc. - Presley is a magnet for further and very enjoyable studies in American culture. 

The Shadows - "Meeting With The Shadows" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue 2015/1962 (Doxy)

Such a fantastic album cover.  Originally this specific album came out in Italy.  Sort of a greatest hits collection at the time, it shows the strength of The Shadows.  The hits are here, "Apache," "Guitar Tango," and more.  I'm intrigued by their sound.  It seems simple, but there is something quite complex about how their music is put together.  All four are fantastic, but the stand out (for me) is Jet Harris' bass playing, and Hank Marvin's guitar work.  

Total showbiz act, but a very mysterious one to me.  Among their incredible dance choreography, while playing their guitars and the smiles plastered on their faces, there is something manic or demon like in their presentation.  I know very little of their personal lives, except I heard Jet went through tough times - still, it's a band that reshaped their world, and sort of spit it out to the public.  A beautiful album, that's in mono.  I think that format is the best way to listen to The Shadows.  And yes, another amazing release from Doxy, that mysterious label from Europe. 

The Zombies - "The Zombies Greatest Hits" Vinyl, LP, Album, Compliation, Mono, 2017 (Varése Sarabande)

A limited edition (3000 copies) of the old fashioned greatest hits album.  The Zombies are an exceptional band with two wonderful songwriters in their midst (Rod Argent and Chris White) as well as the breathy pop-perfect vocals from Colin Blunstone.   Jazzy in that London Soho mode, The Zombies are the perfect soundtrack to a wine bar around 11:30 at night.  I can smell the tobacco from the grooves on this album.   The early hits "She's Not There" and "Tell Her No" are here of course, but the surprise track for me is "Indication."  Incredible song.  It is a bridge from their old early 60s sound to the "Time of the Season" era.    And there is not a song better than "Imagine the Swan."  It's not a surprise that an audience picked up on them.  They're too good to be obscure.  

The Beatles - "Hard Day's Night" Vinyl, LP, Album, Remastered, Mono, 2014 Orig 1964 (Parlophone)

As a kid, I had all the American Beatles releases as it happened.   Seeing the film "Hard Day's Night" was like going to another planet for me.   My dad and mom took me to the Village Bruin to see the movie, which I think was the first weekend of its release.  The theater was full of screaming children and teenagers.  I couldn't hear a word of dialogue throughout the screening.  Instead of upsetting me, it was a new way for me to see a movie -with the audience being a bigger part, even bigger than the actual film.  Even when I watch the film now, I still expect to hear screams coming somewhere, maybe under the living room couch.   The American version of "Hard Day's Night" never seemed like a proper Beatles album.  Due to that side one, was all the Beatle recordings, and side two was the George Martin stuff - which I never listened to as a kid.  

Around 2015 I had the urge to buy the mono reissue of "Hard Day's Night, which the British edition is issued throughout the world.  Two sides of Beatle recordings!  Now it sounds like a proper Beatles album.   The real main reason why I wanted to buy the album was to hear the mono mix (just like what I heard in my childhood) but also for the song "Things We Said Today."  For me, this is the secret or underrated song to go under the radar of pop Beatle culture.  It's mysterious and very sexual, and it has that singer communicating with the listener effect - where I feel it's a secret message that John and Paul are telling me.  What is that secret?  That, I don't know.  It's the mood of the piece. It has layers of depth that I would need a diving suit to truly understand the song.   The album is great, but "Things We Said Today" is the real deal.  

Donovan - "Sunshine Superman" Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue, Mono, 2005, Originally 1966 (Sundazed)

"Sunshine Superman," I think is the first Donovan album that I purchased in the year of its release 1966.   You can't get more 1966, than "Sunshine Superman."   The song was a big hit on the radio and very hard to avoid if one even dared to do so.  Everyone loved that song.  I clearly remember driving with my dad on Sunset Boulevard and hearing this song in another car's AM radio speaker.  Once on the radio, everyone put the volume up.   Very summer-like soundtrack. 

Donovan always had that ultimate hippie white robe thing going, but the truth is, he's a masterful pop songwriter and an incredible singer.  His appeal for me is that he has a jazzy vocal, but that is blended into his beautifully orchestrated pop music mode.  He has a very unique sound, that goes beyond the image of flute, guitar and bongo drum.  Even his earlier folk recordings had more of a jazz cafe quality than New York's Washington Square.   The other great ingredient in his overall sound of his albums is the talent of hitmaker Mickie Most.   He often used Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones on his recordings, and I suspect (especially Jones) are on "Sunshine Superman."

"Season of the Witch" is the other outstanding track beside the title that is iconic like. Druggy, groovy, and hypnotic; one would think this would be the ultimate laid back garage rock recording of all time.  It hints of exotic overtures, which makes it irresistible.   The truth is, the whole album is on that train of thought.  It flows like pouring a beautiful glass of wine into a large wine glass.  The other highlight is the closing song "Celeste" which is Donovan's most beautiful melody and delivery.  

The Music Machine - "(Turn On) The Music Machine" Vinyl, LP, Album, Mono, 1966 (Original Sound)

"Talk Talk" is one of the great 45 rpm singles in my life.   As a 12-year-old, I couldn't wait till it came on the radio.  I think it lasted under two minutes which was torture to me.  I remember keeping the radio dial on KHJ or KCRW, or both, in the hopes to hear this song again.  Oddly enough I never had the 45 rpm single.  Reasons why, is in the memory bank of the forgotten.  

It was years later that I purchased an early CD edition of his album, and in stereo.  I thought the stereo mix was terrible.  Not the way I remembered the song, which again, was through the magic of a transistor radio.   At Mono (no pun intended) Records store I found an original 'Mono' pressing of "(Turn On) The Music Machine."   What is there not to like?  A band dressed all in black, and all wearing one black glove.   Fascism, punk rock, religious cult/order?   When I got home and put it on my turntable, I was blown over by the great sound coming out of the speakers.  No separation of the organ from the voice of Sean Bonniwell.  Who also, by the way, wrote the original songs on this album, and the half are covers of songs from that era or year 1966.  It's almost a jukebox of hit songs like "Taxman," Neil Diamond's "Cherry Cherry,' and the other punk garage rock iconic song from Question Mark and the Mysterians'  "96 Tears."   What took me by surprise is that all the songs by Bonniwell, including "Talk Talk" were magnificent and crafted song(wo)manship. 

"Masculine Intuition" and "Come On In" are songs that struck me just as hard as "Talk Talk."  It's a strange feeling to listen to an album made decades ago, and just thinking they were a one-hit wonders for "Talk Talk."  That they had other songs right up there with that piece of music - magic was a wow for me. 

Their version of "Hey Joe" is actually my fave of all the many versions that are out there.  Bonniwell was an excellent vocalist.  His voice can convey a deeper sense of hurt and disappointment.  The banality of a young man yes, but throughout Bonnniwell's composition skills,  the subject matter of the song becomes the status of Shakespeare tragedy through the medium of garage rock.