Rare Sgt Pepper Fetches Big Price at Auction

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Remember this very rare and collectable copy of the Beatles Sgt Pepper which came up for auction?

Well, it sold earlier today for US$24,375, plus a buyers premium of $8,125, bringing the total to $32,500:Sgt Pepper CoverSgt Pepper rear coverSgt Pepper discThe reason it is so rare is that the cover features the faces of some forty Capitol Records executives rather than the original collage of celebrities. It’s believed only 40-50 copies were ever produced to be distributed at a Capitol Records conference, essentially one for each of the executives pictured. This particular copy belonged to Marvin Beisel, Capitol’s National Sales Director at the time, and one of the executives pictured on the cover.

You can visit the auction house website (Heritage Auctions in Texas) for more.

A Visit to Some San Francisco Record Stores – Part 1

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You may have noticed that beatlesblogger hasn’t been updated for a little while. That’s because I’ve been on holiday in San Francisco, USA and of course while there I had to make time to visit some record stores seeking out any Beatles or Beatles-related records and CD’s. What I found will be the subject of the next couple of posts here.

First though to the main stores I discovered in San Francisco offering either new and/or second-hand Beatles. There were three main contenders here – and all very worthwhile checking out if you happen to be in town.

The first was Rasputin Music. They have two stores in San Francisco itself, plus shops in nine other locations in the wider Bay area and California. The two I got to were the store just down from Union Square on Powell Street, and the one on Haight Street in the famous Haight-Ashbury district.

Rasputin 2The Powell Street store is by far the largest of the two, with five floors (that’s right, I said five levels) of new and used records, CD’s, DVD’s and tee shirts to tempt you. Rasputin 1

Joining Rasputin on Haight Street is the wonderful Recycled Records. Owner Bruce Lyall has been there for over 25 years – and it shows. For anyone who loves the smell, look and feel of a large second-hand record store this is the place to come. I loved it so much I took these photos:Recycled1Recycled2Recycled3

As you can see, Recycled has a wonderful ambience and can be a bit overwhelming at first such is the extent of their collection. They sell LP’s, 45’s, compacts discs, posters and assorted paper memorabilia; rare books and a wide assortment of collectibles. If at first you don’t see what you want in the bins look below them to the shelves. I found quite a few other great items stored down there. Again, well worth checking out.

Finally the big one: Amoeba Music:

Amoeba1

Amoeba have two shops in the Bay area – one in Berkley, and one at 1855 Haight Street (they also have one in Los Angeles too). So, if you are on Haight for a visit to the groovy, picturesque and historic Haight-Ashbury district you can use the time to check out not one but three stores (Rasputin, Recycled, and Amoeba) all within easy walking distance of each other and all harbouring potential Beatle treasure.

When you walk into Amoeba be prepared for an intake of breath. It is HUGE:

Amoeba2Amoeba3

So, those are the stores I visited covered. Next time some details on what I found……check back again soon.

George Harrison – Two New Rare Tracks on the Way

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For those George Harrison completists among us there are a couple of new rare tracks to be aware of.

Bob Dylan is about to release another volume in his continuing Bootleg Series, and it contains two songs where Harrison makes an appearance.

The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) comes out on August 27 and the trailer for the compilation (below) says it features unheard collaborations between Dylan and Harrison:

Rolling Stone says the two songs, “Time Passes Slowly” and “Working on a Guru,” come from Dylan’s one-day session in New York with George in May, 1970. “Most of the songs from that day suck,” says a quoted source. “The story we heard from the engineer is that they were just messing around as they waited for Elvis, and Elvis never showed up. They were just treading water. But these two songs are very nice.”

The Harrison session marked the first day of recording for the Dylan album which followed Self Portrait called New Morning.Unknown

The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10 – Another Self Portrait (1969-1971) will be released as a 2CD Standard Edition, a 3LP Standard Edition, and a 4CD Deluxe Edition:dylanproductshot-600-1373913023

Two Recent Russian Beatle Releases

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Got an email the other day from friend Andrey in the Russian Federation letting me know about two recent Russian Beatles releases I hadn’t heard of:DOK_326_Aaa

DOK_326_BaaThey are both on the Doxy label. The first is The Decca Tapes [MiruMir Music Publishing / Doxy DOK326] which is on 180 gram vinyl and comes with a bonus CD of the same title, contents and catalogue number. There’s an additional plastic bag for the CD – inside the cover. It was released on March 14, 2013.DOY011_BOX-AssDOY011_BOX-BssThe second (above) is 1958-1962 [MiruMir Music Publishing / Doxy DOY011]. This one comes as a box set, complete with clear vinyl, a 20-page LP-size booklet and a 6-page A4-size replica of the original “Love Me Do” press-release. It is a limited edition of 1000 copies and was released on May 30, 2013

These can be found on Amazon or Ebay. They’re also available at the Music Direct site.

Andrey provided a little bit of background information about the MiruMir company. MiruMir in Russian is written as МируМир. This, says Andrey, is an old Soviet slogan which means “Peace To The World”. You can find the Moscow-based label on two websites http://mirumirmp.livejournal.com/ and http://www.miru-mir.info/?lables.html, and they have a Facebook site.

MiruMir release a lot of LPs by Russian and ex-Soviet artists, plus the Doxy label (not to be confused with Sonny Rollins’ label of the same name) release a very wide range of other artists from around the world.

Actually, in researching all this I discovered another Russian Beatles LP that looks like it comes from the same series as The Decca Tapes – only this time it’s a release on Lilith Records, another subsidiary of MiruMir:

Savage Young BeatlesThis pressing of The Savage Young Beatles [LR305] was released in 2010. It is also a 180 gram vinyl and comes with a free bonus CD copy of the same songs. It’s available at the Music Direct site too. According to Discogs, Lilith has been a Russian reissue label since 2004 for mainstream rock albums re-released on vinyl and compact disc for Western markets. The records are manufactured at GZ Digital Media A. S. (Loděnice, Czech Republic). For more on GZ Digital Media see my post “Where “Made in the EU” Vinyl Might be Pressed“

If anyone knows anything about the quality of these recordings above please let us know. There are varying opinions out there.

Paul McCartney – In His Own Words

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Just got a copy of this double Paul McCartney CD set released by the BBC and AudioGO. It was a nice gift from a friend:In His Own Words front

It’s a double interview CD with lots of BBC radio and TV interviews with Paul McCartney and the title is In His Own Words issued by Audiogo in England. It takes material from the BBC Archives ranging from 1968 to 2009 including rare material from throughout his long-spanning career, delving into both his public and private life. McCartney talks about his early influences, song-writing and life as a Beatle. The band’s eventual break-up is covered, as is the forming of Wings.

BBC audiobooks are designed to give an insight into some of the major identities in British history. These interviews delve into the past and give the opportunity to put some context around the happenings in and around the group, as well as life post-Beatles. Here are two short extracts cut together to give you a taste. The first is Paul talking about meditation, and then songwriting and his relationship with the other Beatles:

[audio https://beatlesblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/media_downloadables_samples_9781408497395.mp3]

In His Own Words RearAt both the US and the UK sites this appears to be available as both a digital download and a hard-copy CD, which is what we have here.

In His Own Words CD1In His Own Words CD2

AudioGo have also got a couple of John Lennon titles. There’s a similar-looking set also called In His Own Words which I’ll have to keep an eye out for:Lennon in his own words

They also have a HUGE book reading of a Lennon biography. It’s author Philip Norman reading his Lennon – The Life. Like Norman’s book, it is big!  Volume 1 takes up no less than 16 CDs and runs 18 hours and 32 minutes:Lennon Norman 1

And Volume 2 is 12 CDs, running time just a little bit shorter: 14 hours and 10 minutes….Lennon Norman 2

Ringo the 4th – An Auction….

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I recently posted on getting a promo copy of Ringo Starr’s Ringo the 4th LP.

Now the fabulous Chained and Perfumed has discovered that the “power” ring that Ringo is seen wearing for the album’s cover shot is up for auction shortly:
RINGO'S Ring

Turns out the ring was commissioned as a Christmas gift for him by the lady who is sitting on his shoulders in the cover shot (front and back). She was also the photographer and Ringo’s then-girlfriend – Nancy Andrews. So, a self-portrait of sorts.Ringo the 4th cover-front

Another Variation of McCartney’s Choba b CCCP

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Another variation of Paul McCartney’s Russian album Снова в СССР has come into the collection. I found another version on Ebay which I didn’t have. It was listed by an Australian seller (so postage was relatively safe, fast and cheap). It was also at a very reasonable price and so I couldn’t resist:

Choba b CCCP frontChoba b CCCP rearChoba b CCCP

Снова в СССР is Russian for “Back in the USSR” and last time I posted on this was way back in 2010 when I detailed some of the other variations in my collection. I had five different vinyl pressings then, plus the CD edition, but there are actually almost too many variations of this LP to count. This latest one I have comes from the Aprelevka pressing plant which was just on the outskirts of Moscow. It’s the 1989, thirteen track version.

You can see all the many variations of this disc at the amazing The Beatles Get Back in the USSR website. To get to the key Снова в СССР entries go to the site’s pages detailing the original 11 track release; the more common 13 track release (which we have here); and the very rare mis-pressed 12 track release. As well as the many label variations from the different Russian pressing plants you’ll be able to explore the many cover variations in the printing of this album as well.

Linda McCartney Exhibition Moves to Vienna

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Paul McCartney’s official blog currently has an article about Paul attending the opening of a Linda McCartney photographic retrospective at the Kunst Haus Wien Museum in Vienna, Austria. Linda 5

This is very similar in scope to a previous exhibition which premiered in New York in June, 2011.Linda 4 Linda 3Linda 1

The museum site includes an interesting extract from a documentary about Linda made for Austrian television:

As one fan puts it on the McCartney website: “I love that you are keeping Linda’s legacy alive. Her art and her spirit.”

All photographs © Paul McCartney / Photographer: Linda McCartney

A New McCartney Song Collaboration

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Just when you were recovering from the release of Wings Over America (in deluxe box set, triple vinyl, and standard CD), and Rockshow on DVD and Blu-Ray, comes news of yet another Paul McCartney release to track down.

This time he’s teamed up an Italian dance punk outfit which goes by the name of The Bloody Beetroots. Using some of the basic vocals from a song called “Nothing Too Much Just Out of Sight” (from the 2008 Fireman release Electric Arguments performed with Youth – a.k.a. Martin Glover) they’ve just issued a pretty crazy remix single called “Out Of Sight“.

Here’s the teaser clip from June 10th:

Then the single came out as a digital download on June 14.Bloody Beetroots McCartney

Rolling Stone magazine says of the song: Out of Sight (which also features Youth) finds the old Beatle appealing to the stadium EDM crowd in a heavily thumping, airily melodic track on which he wails in his finest Little Richard mode. There’s an interesting background article on how the song came about here.

If you want to hear it: [audio https://beatlesblogger.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/01-out-of-sight-feat-paul-mccartney-youth.m4a]

I’m not sure if there’s going to be a physical version on CD or vinyl. If anyone knows that can they please let us know? The only thing I can find is that the track will appear on The Bloody Beetroots’ album Hide, out on Ultra Music in September.

Meantime it’s on the web at Soundcloud, on iTunes and on YouTube:

UPDATE: On July 8 this official film-clip was added to YouTube:

 

Four Beatle Books for a Song…

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Made the mistake of walking past my local discount book store today…..haven’t been near the place for weeks and it’s always a bit of a lottery to go in. They turn over discontinued and surplus titles very quickly and at very cheap prices so you never know what you might find. Today, in ten minutes, I came away with not one but four new Beatles titles for the collection.

This first one is a ripper and comes from 2010. It documents what is now a legendary photo shoot by the band in July, 1968 otherwise known as “The Mad Day Out”. Photographer Don McCullin shot about fifteen rolls of film over the course of a day out in the streets of London and back at Paul McCartney’s house at St John’s Wood.Beatles Day In the Life Fro

Many of the photographs had until now remained largely unpublished. If you have the Beatles “1962-1966” or the “1967-1970” double LPs or CDs you’ll have seen at least one photo from this same photo shoot. It’s the black and white one inside the gate-fold album cover, or in the very centre of the CD booklets, labelled (incorrectly as it turns out) “St Pancras Old Church, 22 July 69”. Here’s two other photos from the book: Beatles Day in the Life insThis edition is in a smaller format than what I recall seeing in shops when this book first hit the shelves, but it is a very nice book to have none-the-less.

Here’s the rear cover:Beatles Day In the Life reaI already had a copy of this next one, but not in the same format. The book I found in the discount shop today is a very small paperback copy. It’s Ringo’s Postcards From the Boys, and for just $4.99 how could I resist another copy?Ringo Postcards front

Postcards is a collection of 51 postcards sent to Ringo from John, Paul and George. Each card (displayed front and rear) is accompanied by brief reminiscences from Ringo:Ringo Postcards inside

This book first came out as a hardback in 2004 after originally being released in a very limited and expensive edition by Genesis Publications. This one I found today is at the other end of the scale – a small-format, budget re-issue from 2005:Ringo Postcards rear

(If you want to see the absolute deluxe version in minute detail, check out this lengthy  YouTube clip).

Next find was a what looks to be a very interesting study of the Beatle money trail, how they got ripped off, and lost and made fortunes:Beatles For Sale front

Beatles For Sale – How Everything They Touched Turned to Gold is by John Blaney, the author of a number of Beatle-related books (including this one). It was published back in 2008. I have always been interested in the Beatle money matters (especially around the formation and eventual demise of their Apple Corporation) and so this one looks like it will be a very good read. Here’s the rear cover: Beatles For Sale rear

Finally, a book about Beatles books.

Beatle Books – From Genesis to Revolution is an extensive compendium detailing all the books written about the band, by the band members, and about them as solo artists too.

Beatles Books Book Front

There was only one copy of this on the shelf, and it has been pretty beaten up. It looks like its been dropped, or something heavy has been dropped onto it. But it’s a really handy reference book and one I have never seen before. The guy gave me an extra discount because of the damage – so I paid the princely sum of $5.99….Beatles Books Book

If you’re interested this came out in 2008, is manufactured in Canada, and was published by Collectors Guide Publishing in Ontario. Strange to find one copy floating around a discount bookshop in Sydney, Australia.