A Visit to Some San Francisco Record Stores – Part 1

Posted on August 10, 2013 by beatlesblogger

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.

The 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.

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:

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:

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:

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

Posted on July 21, 2013 by beatlesblogger

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.

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:

Two Recent Russian Beatle Releases

Posted on July 17, 2013 by beatlesblogger

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:

They 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.The 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:

This 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

Posted on July 14, 2013 by beatlesblogger

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:

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]

At 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.

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:

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:

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

Ringo the 4th – An Auction….

Posted on July 13, 2013 by beatlesblogger

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:

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.

Another Variation of McCartney’s Choba b CCCP

Posted on July 7, 2013 by beatlesblogger

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:

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

Posted on June 30, 2013 by beatlesblogger

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.

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

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

Four Beatle Books for a Song…

Posted on June 19, 2013 by beatlesblogger

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.

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: This 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:I 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?

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:

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:

(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 – 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:

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.

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….

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.

Never-Before-Seen Photos of the Beatles

Posted on June 10, 2013 by beatlesblogger

This coming Wednesday sees the release of Ringo Starr’s new e-book, Photograph.

It features over 100 never-before-seen images of John, Paul, George and Ringo – some of them from their last days together as a band, some from their first trip to India, and some taken during their first U.S. tour.

Ringo says he completely forgot that he took a lot of photos of the Beatles during the 1960s. He apparently discovered the images by accident after his mother had died, tucked away in boxes at her house.

Other photos featured in the book are from Ringo’s childhood in Liverpool and family gatherings.

The e-book was previewed at a press-only event at Apple’s headquarters in London last week and is set for release worldwide on June 12. It allows readers to pick up, play with and zoom in on Ringo’s photographs while scrolling through. Photograph features 69 audio stories and 11 exclusive videos, with music, animation and new interviews from Ringo Starr. Here are some screenshots:

Photograph is available for pre-order now at www.RingoPhotograph.com. A limited-edition, hand-bound version by Genesis Publications is due in December:

Fundraiser Book and CD Fair – Some Good Beatle Finds

Posted on June 8, 2013 by beatlesblogger

Almost a year ago to the day I posted on a big book and CD fair where I found a couple of Beatle-related items of interest. This fair is held by a local classical music/jazz radio station (2MBS-FM) as a much-needed fundraiser. It has now become a well-established annual event.

This week saw the opening of the 2013 fair and again I got in on the very first day. Once more there was a huge selection of CDs and books on offer, especially good quality music books. This time around I tackled the CD tables first and after just a minute or two of browsing the first Beatle item I found was this:

The Best of George Harrison was released in 1976 and is a CD I don’t have. It’s one I’ve been on the lookout for for some time though so the evening was definitely off to a very good start. It was released in a number of countries, and has a unique cover. This one is the Australian pressing:

Next came George Martin’s In My Life, from 1998. I’ve been aware of this CD since it was first released but, until now, I didn’t have a copy in the collection:

In My Life is very much Beatle-related. Their producer invited into the studio a wide range of what he describes as his “heroes and friends” to record versions of Beatle songs. It has to be said the results are patchy at best, but at just $5.00 it seemed like a good time to finally get it.

The final two CDs I found I already have four versions of….

The Beatles 1 gathers together 27 of their number one singles. It was originally released in 2000, and I have a UK CD copy, a Taiwanese CD version, a copy on vinyl, and it was remastered and re-issued again in 2011 in a gatefold cardboard cover. However, at the fair I found two Australian pressing CD’s of the disc (the jewel case version) from 2000. One had a black sticker on the front, the other had a white variation:

Of course I had to have both. I know. Do I really need another two copies? Call me crazy. Enough CDs already!

From there it was over to the book section of the fair and as 2MBS-FM is a classical and jazz music station their book stall always seems to have a wide selection of music books on offer. This year did not disappoint. They had stacks of sheet music too, and in one of the piles I found some practically mint copies of two Beatles songbooks – one large thick one for the Beatles “blue” album, The Beatles 1967-1970:

No, I didn’t pay $41.99 for this!

The other find was a much slimmer songbook, one which I’d never seen before. It was published only in Australia and New Zealand by Northern Songs. The Colourful Beatles – Souvenir Song Album contains the sheet music for twelve of their songs and, despite its age, was in near-new condition:

Here’s the index page:

Next it was across the room to the books proper, and this one caught my eye immediately. It’s a really thick paperback called Can’t Buy Me Love – The Beatles, Britain and America by US author Jonathan Gould. It was published in 2007.

Again, I didn’t pay $45.00, or anywhere near it. The New York Times book review of Can’t Buy Me Love says in part: “Gould aims to meld the three primary, often distinct strands of Beatle bibliography — biography, music appreciation and pop sociology — into a single volume, a mother ship of Beatles books, with, as the subtitle implies, a special emphasis on the divide between the country that gave them birth and the country that arguably loved them best….Happily, the effort paid off: Gould has written a scrupulous, witty and, at times, appropriately skeptical study, which drew me back into a subject I thought I was sick of. The book lacks the intimacy of a full-fledged biography — if you want to know who John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr really were, you’ll do better elsewhere — but it compensates with an imaginative intelligence and a lively breadth of knowledge.” You can do one of those Amazon “Look Inside” reads to get a taste of Gould’s style and insights if you want.

Well, that was just about it. I was headed to the counter to pay, already thinking I’d probably gone overboard a bit on the purchases, when I saw this 1993 large-format book.

Inside are lots of great photos of George Harrison, including many unusual ones:

I tossed up whether to get this book as I know author Geoffrey Giuliano has a mixed reputation amongst Beatle and other fans (see his entry in Wikipedia for more). In the end it was the broad and eclectic photo selection which did it for me.

So, a successful Thursday evening trawling for Beatle treasure. Even by my standards I probably went a bit overboard this time – but how could you leave this sort of quality behind? And they were all at fantastically low prices (well, thats what I keep telling myself…..)

Beatles Blog

Adventures in collecting Beatles music

Tag Archives: Beatles Collecting

Two Recent Russian Beatle Releases

Paul McCartney – In His Own Words

Never-Before-Seen Photos of the Beatles

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: