Label Variations Part Nine – Plastic Ono Band “Cold Turkey”

Posted on December 16, 2012 by beatlesblogger

In Label Variations Part Eight an unusual New Zealand Parlophone label version of John Lennon’s “Imagine” was featured.

I’ve stumbled across another from NZ – this time Lennon’s anguished drug withdrawal song “Cold Turkey“, performed by the Plastic Ono Band. It’s definitely original and as you can see pretty beat up, but interesting I guess – especially for one particular reason which will be revealed later:

It is in it’s original New Zealand Parlophone bag – very faded, but the rear side is interesting with it’s groovy “Young Internationals” advertisement for Air New Zealand (only $397.50 one-way to Singapore or Hong Kong!):

The main point of interest though is the black and yellow Parlophone label:

The printing on the A-side is kind of faded and difficult to read because the silver-coloured lettering does not stand out well on the black background. Like the UK edition, this 45 rpm single carries the catalogue number APPLES 1001, and as in other markets around the world the flip-side is the Yoko Ono song “Don’t Worry Kyoko (Mummy’s Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow)”. However, this New Zealand pressing has a spelling mistake. It clearly says “Don’t Worry Kajoko”, and it has no sub-title printed on the label:

Some people quite like collecting label printing mistakes and so this makes it interesting as well. The spelling should be “Don’t Worry Kyoko….”:

Here are some other label variations from around the world, starting with Australia:

These images following aren’t from my collection but gleaned from the web. Here are two different variations from Brazil:

The original UK version looked like this:

And the US and Canadian versions:

Here’s one variation from Germany, followed by one from the Netherlands:

And since posting this I’ve been contacted by Claude Defer in France with two French variations. He says: “In France, we have 2 types of labels : the first one has «Cold Turkey» on the white part of the apple and the second one has «Cold Turkey» on the green part of the apple. The first one was probably a misprint and the second one fixed it.”:

Also, Andrey in Russia sent another France variation which is very similar to the one above, just a greener Apple:

If you have any other label variations you would like to share please email me.

Ravi Shankar – Beatles Friend – Died Today Aged 92

Posted on December 12, 2012 by beatlesblogger

The opening lines of George Harrison’s “Bangladesh” song from 1971 are: “My friend came to me with sadness in his eyes, he told me that he wanted help, before his country dies…..”.

That friend was Ravi Shankar – Indian sitar virtuoso and legendary musician who has died today – aged 92.

A statement on the musician’s website says he passed away in San Diego, near his Southern California home. His foundation issued a statement saying that he suffered upper respiratory and heart problems and had undergone heart-valve replacement surgery last week.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also confirmed his death and called Shankar a “national treasure”.

Labelled “the godfather of world music” by George Harrison, Shankar helped millions of classical, jazz and rock lovers (including me) discover the centuries-old traditions of Indian music. He became a teacher, mentor and father figure to Harrison and greatly influenced the Beatles music, from composition through to their fascination with India and it’s culture.

His discography is understandably extensive, spanning a recording career of well over 55 years. Ravi Shankar was briefly signed to the Beatles Apple Records label and released two albums. The first was a soundtrack album to a film about his music and life called Raga (1971), with the album of music from the film produced by George Harrison:

And then in 1973 came a double LP called In Concert 1972, with sarod player extraordinaire Ali Akbar Khan:

George Harrison of course famously called upon his friend Shankar in 1971 to open the fundraising Concert for Bangladesh in 1971, and then released a live film and a triple LP called The Concert for Bangladesh with the whole of the first side of Disc One dedicated to a performance by Ravi Shankar. This was also released on Apple Records:

Following the demise of Apple in the seventies, George Harrison continued his association with Shankar, releasing two LP’s on his Dark Horse label. The first was Shankar Family and Friends (1974):

Shankar Family and Friends was followed on Dark Horse Records in 1976 by Ravi Shankar’s Music Festival From India:

George Harrison also compiled and produced a 1996 box set called Ravi – In Celebration (for the EMI subsidiary label, Angel Records). A single CD of highlights was also released:

And in 1997 (also on the Angle label) came Chants of India, which was again produced by George Harrison:

It was no surprise then, when in 2002 a tribute concert was held in honour of the late Beatle, that the music of Ravi Shankar would feature prominently. He was present for the show and a Shankar composition “Arpan” (Sanskrit for ‘to give’), was specially written for the occasion:

All the Dark Horse Harrison/Shankar collaborations, plus Chants of India, came out in a lavish box set simply called Collaborations in November 2010:

In recent years Ravi Shankar’s own record label EastMeetsWest Music has been steadily working through his back-catalogue and re-releasing his life’s work on CD, DVD, and digitally.

Amazing Pixelated Beatles Album Covers

Posted on December 9, 2012 by beatlesblogger

OK. These are a bit old now (2003), but this is the first time I’ve seen them. So here goes.

For those of us who feel we know the Beatles album catalogue like it is part of our DNA it is always interesting to have that challenged from time to time.

The visual nature of collecting has always intrigued me. How you can know so many of the variations of album covers and album art. Looking at and handling these all the time I guess means they become ingrained in your subconscious memory. That’s why I was intrigued to see these examples of the catalogue stripped right back to the basics by British artist Jonathan Lewis.

It’s Beatle album cover inspired pixel work. I recommend taking a few steps back (or squinting) to really see how amazing these painting are.

You can see all the collection in an online book called “The Pixles” (after “The Beatles (White Album”)….but these are five of my favourites:

Please Please Me

For Sale

Sgt Pepper

Magical Mystery Tour

And last, but not least, Abbey Road

Weird “Sgt Pepper” Inner Bag

Posted on December 2, 2012 by beatlesblogger

Stumbled across a nice old copy of Sgt Pepper, and a copy of With the Beatles yesterday at a garage sale. They are both Australian pressings. The Sgt Pepper is mono on nice heavy vinyl in the gatefold cover, with the cut-out insert, and it’s on the black and yellow Parlophone label:

That, according to Jaesen Jones’ fantastic reference book “An Overview of Australian Beatles Records“, would make this pressing from around 1969. The weird thing though is the inner bag. It’s one I’ve certainly never seen before and I wonder if it’s an official variation on the original, or just a random bag that a previous owner has adopted for the purpose. It looks like this:

It looks aged and very much like it comes from the same vintage as the LP. The colours are very similar to the famous “psychedelic” original inner sleeve too. As you can see they are shades of pink, red and white – but in regimented stripes. Does anyone know anything about this one? Ever seen it included in a Sgt Pepper before? This is what the usual bag looks like:

At the same garage sale I also got a really nice copy of With the Beatles – with an original Australia-only cover:

These are difficult to find in reasonable condition as they suffered ring-wear badly. With an orange Parlophone label this means this particular copy comes from around 1969:

It would have been amongst the first to use the orange Parlophone label, but amongst the last of the Beatles LPs to have the old-fashioned flipback cover construction:

And it would have been the last to have a black and white “STEREO” sticker on the top left-hand side as these were phased out in 1969:

So, two nice additions to the collection. If anyone can help with information on the unusual Sgt Pepper inner sleeve above let us know by posting a comment below or you can email me.

More McCartney Christmas News

Posted on December 1, 2012 by beatlesblogger

Paul McCartney is to release a vinyl single of “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)”, from the Holidays Rule compilation CD and the Complete Kisses iTunes-only Christmas release.

The coloured vinyl single will be backed with McCartney’s original 1979 version of “Wonderful Christmastime”, or is it the version of the song on the Holidays Rule CD by The Shins? That is still to be confirmed. A label spokesman quoted by Beatles Examiner said the record comes out in the U.S. on December 4 and will be available through independent record stores.

McCartney – “Complete Kisses” Announced

Posted on November 24, 2012 by beatlesblogger

Paul McCartney has announced a special Christmas release – an exclusive iTunes-only album called ‘Kisses On The Bottom – Complete Kisses’. It will be available for download only on November 26th in the UK and internationally, and on November 27th in the US.

‘Kisses On The Bottom – Complete Kisses’ will feature the standard edition of the album ‘Kisses On The Bottom’ along with the entire 13 tracks from the ‘Live From Capitol Studios’ concert performance.

There’ll also be four bonus tracks including a special festive recording of ‘The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)’, which Paul recorded at Avatar Studios in New York in September. The album will also feature a previously unreleased version of ‘My Valentine’ arranged by Johnny Mandel, and the tracks ‘Baby’s Request’ and ‘My One And Only Love’ (both previously available only on the “Deluxe” edition of the CD or via iTunes).

There has also been a behind–the–scenes look at the recording of ‘The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)’ put up on a couple of sites.

“Complete Kisses” TRACKLISTING:

‘Kisses On The Bottom’:

01. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter 02:36
02. Home (When Shadows Fall) 04:04
03. It’s Only A Paper Moon 02:35
04. More I Cannot Wish You 03:04
05. The Glory Of Love 03:46
06. We Three (My Echo, My Shadow And Me) 03:22
07. Ac–Cent–Tchu–Ate The Positive 02:32
08. My Valentine 03:14
09. Always 03:49
10. My Very Good Friend The Milkman 03:04
11. Bye Bye Blackbird 04:26
12. Get Yourself Another Fool 04:42
13. The Inch Worm 03:43
14. Only Our Hearts 04:21

Bonus Tracks:

15. The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) 03:35
16. Baby’s Request 03:30
17. My One And Only Love 03:50
18. My Valentine (Johnny Mandel Original Arrangement) 03:12

Live From Capitol Studios:

19. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter (Live) 02:44
20. Home (When Shadows Fall) (Live) 04:26
21. It’s Only A Paper Moon (Live) 02:55
22. More I Cannot Wish You (Live) 03:28
23. The Glory Of Love (Live) 03:53
24. We Three (My Echo, My Shadow And Me) (Live) 04:14
25. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive (Live) 02:51
26. My Valentine (Live) 03:31
27. Always (Live) 04:21
28. My Very Good Friend The Milkman (Live) 03:14
29. Bye Bye Blackbird (Live) 04:45
30. Get Yourself Another Fool (Live) 07:48
31. My One And Only Love (Live) 04:16

‘The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)’ is also featured on a new holiday CD compilation called “Holiday’s Rule”. It features a variety of artists performing Christmassy-themed songs. The project is coordinated by Paul’s record companies Hear Music/Concord Music and MPL. You can hear the song in full if you visit the MPL site – it’s currently featured on their embedded music player.

McCartney’s “Live Kisses”

Posted on November 21, 2012 by beatlesblogger

This just a quick follow up to an earlier post pointing to Paul McCartney’s “Live Kisses” coming out on DVD, BluRay and digital video.

I got a copy of the BluRay today so I thought I’s share some photos of the packaging and what’s inside:

That’s it still in it’s shrink wrap. The front cover photo is taken by Mary McCartney. Here it is released from the plastic:

It is really quite a nicely put together package. It’s not in a standard BluRay plastic cover but is more like a small, bound hardback book. (The DVD comes in the same packaging only in a slightly larger format). That dark black stripe you can see down the left-hand side is embossed with a shiny finish. Quite stylish. Here’s the rear cover:

There’s a 41 page book inside which contains some nice photos and the stylish layout begun on the exterior continues:

The design is reminiscent of the “Kisses on the Bottom” CD packaging, but is also quite distinctive in itself. There’s a Foreword from Mr Diana Krall – none other than Elvis Costello:

Costello also conducts an extensive interview with Paul McCartney about the project and the recording and this takes up the bulk of the book. At the rear are a couple of pages containing info on the composers, the song publishing details, and the recording personnel for each track. The disc contents and the bonus features are detailed, and the final page is a thin slot container for the BluRay disc itself:

(click on images to see larger versions)

So, all in all, quite nicely put together. Now to go and watch it! For those wanting a preview, McCartney’s MPL site has just put up an extended promo video package.

Meanwhile, a Paul McCartney Christmas track (which sounds like it may have been recorded during the “Kisses” sessions) is part of a new holiday CD compilation called “Holiday’s Rule” featuring a variety of artists. It’s a project coordinated by Paul’s record companies Hear Music/Concord Music and MPL. He does the classic “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)”. You can hear the song if you visit the MPL site – it is featured on their embedded music player at the moment.

Beatles on the Radio – A BBC Feast Coming Up This Week

Posted on November 18, 2012 by beatlesblogger

There’s a veritable feast of Beatle programming coming up this week on the BBC. In this the group’s 50th year, the broadcaster has just announced a series of programmes celebrating the life and music of the band.

First up comes “A Year in the Life: The Beatles ’62“, a 53 minute documentary which goes to air and online at 1305 GMT on Monday, 19 November 2012. In it “…Roger McGough tells the story of the pivotal breakthrough year for the Liverpool beat combo via twelve interlinked recollections from those who knew and worked alongside them in 1962.”

Then on Tuesday 20 November at 1305 GMT comes “Beatleland“. The BBC press releases says: “The Beatles left Liverpool in 1962 to conquer the world, but it never left them. Craig Charles heads home to Liverpool to find out what they took with them and the legacy they left behind. Every day, tourists visit Lennon and McCartney’s childhood homes, restored to their 1950s glory by English Heritage. From Albert Dock to Mathew Street, Beatle memorials are ever-present: Penny Lane and Strawberry Field, The Jacaranda, The Casbah and The Cavern where the group learned its trade, The Grapes and Ye Cracke, where the young Beatles would sit over a pint of cider, and Gambier Terrace, where John Lennon shared a flat with fellow art student Stu Sutcliffe. The Beatles connection is worth an estimated £20 million a year to the local economy.”

The week of special Beatles programming continues next day with “Paul McCartney at the BBC” – another 53 minute doco on Wednesday 21 November, again at 1305 GMT. “Johnnie Walker presents a portrait of Sir Paul McCartney, drawn from BBC archive interviews and performances. The programme starts with the break-up of The Beatles and traces McCartney’s career as a solo artist up to the present. It’s made up entirely of rare BBC archive interviews and performances, and presents a fascinating picture of one of Britain’s greatest musicians. Among other treats we hear Sir Paul deconstructing Band On The Run for a television ad for a domestic radio station and recording a session at the famous Abbey Road studios.”

Finally, Thursday 22 November at 1305 GMT, you’ll be able to listen in to a special on “The Magical Mystery Tour“, a 53 minute programme about “….the television film called Magical Mystery Tour devised, written and directed by The Beatles. It has a significant place in the history of The Beatles – not least, because it was viewed by many as the group’s first failure. Paul Gambaccini presents a programme revealing the story behind the making of Magical Mystery Tour.”

The BBC World Service schedule for the series can be seen here. There are also some programs on the Rolling Stones if you are a fan.

Beatles with Records – Part Thirteen

Posted on November 13, 2012 by beatlesblogger

In Part Twelve in our series The Beatles With Records I couldn’t identify what disc a young Julian Lennon was holding in this photograph kindly sent in by reader Ariel Caceres:

Well, thanks to Beatles Blog reader Thomas McConnell, who incidentally is a singer/songwriter from Liverpool, we now have an answer:

He is holding the UK 1978 reissue of the 45rpm single “The Ballad of John and Yoko/Old Brown Shoe” from The Beatles Collection box set. This box set contained every UK Beatles single and had specially created picture sleeves. I even have a copy of the set, but I missed connecting the Julian Lennon photo with it! So, thank you to Thomas for solving that one.

Ariel (mentioned above) has sent in another interesting photograph. It’s of John Lennon and Harry Nilsson holding the early artwork for the 1979 Nilsson LP “Pussy Cats” – which Lennon produced and played on. It also featured the likes of Ringo Starr on drums and Klaus Voormann on bass:

If you’d like to read some more about this album – click here.

I’ve also had sent in a simple but striking candid photograph of Paul McCartney clearly enjoying a quiet browse through a box of second-hand LPs. This comes from French collector and author Claude Defer:

I reckon he looks pretty happy and contented. We’ve mulled over just which album that “Jazz Greats” LP could be at the back of the pile. Maybe Paul was doing some research for his “Kisses on the Bottom” recordings? With only the rear cover in view the album we can see could be any number of jazz records which carry that title. If you have any ideas contact me at: beatlesblogger@gmail.com

Russian collector Andrey sent the photo below with a bit of a story attached. In August, 1998 Ringo Starr visited Russia for the first time. Andrey was a winner of the Beatles United Radio-TV-Newspaper competition. The prize was a brief meeting with Ringo. Andrey (thats him in the picture) presented Ringo with one issue of the Russian BEATLESBEAT fanzine (released in 90s) and the bootleg CD-album “Rory Storm and the Hurricanes”:

This photo was taken on August 25, 1998 just an hour before Ringo’s show in the Russia State Central Concert Hall in Moscow (this building doesn’t exist any more). Ringo is taking a good look at the CD, which can be seen well in this enlarged fragment:

Later Ringo put his autograph on the photo specially for Andrey. Here’s the Rory Storm Russian bootleg CD cover that he’s studying:

And here’s an honorary Beatle if ever there was one. It’s their manager, Brian Epstein with a copy of their debut LP “Please Please Me”. Parlophone rush-released the album on 22 March, 1963 in the UK to capitalise on the success of singles “Please Please Me” and “Love Me Do”:

Thanks again to everyone who provided photos and further information. You can see the other parts in “The Beatles with Records” series here: Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17.

Beatles 2012 Remastered Vinyl – Released (First Pictures)

Posted on November 8, 2012 by beatlesblogger

Is Australia the very first country to see the new Beatles Remastered Stereo Vinyl Box Set delivered?

The new records aren’t due for release in the UK and the USA until next week (12 and 13 November respectively). However, today I got a call from my local record store in Sydney saying “Come on in – your order for the Beatles box set is ready for collection today“. (That’s Thursday, 8 November)

Naturally I high-tailed it down there – and here are the first pictures of it being unpacked. It comes in a big protective outer box:

The large sticker declaring the contents is placed on both sides of the box:

The two shipping labels on the side. Both say “Deliver Thursday”:

When you open the box you see what looks like another box-within-a-box:

It is held in place by two thick white foam inserts that you usually see in packaging for large electrical goods like TV’s, etc. At this point I should say this package is incredibly heavy. You actually have to lie it on its side to slide it out:

What initially looked like an inner box is actually a thick brown cardboard wrap around the main package (above). Once you take it off you see this:

It’s just like the Beatles Remastered Stereo CD box released in 2009. There’s a thin cardboard outer sleeve around the record box itself. As you can see above it has “The Beatles” and an Apple logo printed on the front. This is what’s printed on the rear:

The outer sleeve slides off to reveal the main, lidded box:

Opening the lid – there are two pieces of black foam and two large moisture absorbing packs:

The book and all the LPs are completely sealed in heat-shrink plastic:

“Let It Be” (below) has the green Apple on the rear:

The book is really heavy and looks amazing – even in its heat-shrink wrap:

It has black-edged pages:

One side of the outer sleeve has the record and book edges printed on it. I guess that’s so it’ll look good when sitting on a shelf with that edge facing out:

Well, that’s about it for now. Hope you enjoyed this. Haven’t had time to open up any of the records or the book. Just wanted to get this up quickly for all to have sneak peek at the new Beatles Remastered Stereo Vinyl Box Set.

(Click on images to see larger versions)

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