BACK, FROM THE USSR

Collective, comrades!

Many Beatle fans know by now that the Rooskies just love their
Fabs to death.
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We have learned from several documentaries and books about just

how important the lads were in helping to subvert the top Commies, and bring down the USSR.
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And what we also are coming to know, now, is that Russians have in their possession some of the best bootleg Beatles.

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In the past few years, the ex-Leninist lot have dined off Lennon and the boys, knocking off pretty decent counterfeits of all the US
Capitol albums, some with boot bonus tracks of some repute.

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Most of these CDs sold for about $15.

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And now, for the same price, comes a copy of a 1999 Vigotone boot, Another Sessions...Plus, 19 track-with some hidden stuff and two unlisted tracks-along with copious liner notes, and an original essay by Peter Mewtilate (get it?).
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So, just because I was really bored and had nothing better to do than scan 15 or so pages, I have included all of the supplied 24

page CD booklet, which ye can pursue via a click.

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(Interesting also, how big a hard-on the track annotator has for Geof Emerick!)

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In any event, the sound quality of this disc is generally very good to

very, very good, throughout, although the spectre of "outfakes"

does sometimes come to mind, and ear.

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Nevertheless, there are some very interesting songs on this
collection.

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Recommended, highly.

150 TO DIE FOR

Progessodelic!





UNCUT, MOJO and Record Collector have bee round for a while in North America, but lately a newish one, Classic Rock is beginning to draw some serious looks.
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Case in point is the current issue, with the feature 150 Albums Ye
Must Hear Before Thou Croak-and you may be surprised at some of the picks- as well as a just stupendous 2010
calendar designed by none other than Storm Thorgerson.
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If you are not so familiar with Storm, two words: Pink Floyd.
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And this calendar feature two never published outtakes of albums cover shoots for the Floyd.
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A very interesting left-over from the Momentary Lapse of Reason
album.
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And some tasty eye-candy from the SACD Dark Side of the Moon, featuring the familiar prisimed pyramid, but with a different background.
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Also of note in this special issue is a freebie CD which has remastered versions of classics like Ace Frehley's Fox on the Run,
Mr. Big ripping through Bab O'Riley, and Buckcherry rolling out Highway Star.
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All in all, a splendid time guaranteed for all.
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And perhaps a good X-Mas stocking stuffer for the bloke or blokette who has everything but cool music and artists to read about.
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Not bad for $14.99, mate.

GUITAR LEGENDS FABS' SPECIAL: $9.99 (CHEAP)

Don't miss this one!

A special Guitar Legends mag hits the racks this week, and it should not be ignored.
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Yes, there is some filler and boiler-plate, but at least three features and many seldom seen pics-including shots of neat ephemera-make the 90-pager worth the price.

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There are fine essays on the making of "three masterpieces," being they Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, and Abbey Road.

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Plus, a nice little ditty on "inside the Yellow Submarine."
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But perhaps of most note, is a 1999 GL interview with George Harrison.
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Just a year before he would become terminally ill, George seems in high spirits, even gently shilling for the the then new, Yellow

Submarine Songtrack CD, as well as the remastered 5.1 DVD of the Sub film.

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George speaks excitedly of the remixed songs on the Songtrack, a release that some Beatle fans either love, or hate, due to its rejigging.
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And interestingly, not even Harrison appeared to be aware of the aborted
1969 YS EP-now available in the The Beatles In Mono box-when the GL

interviewer quizzed him on it.

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George replied that "there's nothing I can remember that was ever a solid discussion about an EP of any sort like that."

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This special GL edition is only available until January 2010.

(USUALLY) ACCEPT NO SUBS

Pretty cool, but...

So, I took a chance on an e-bay "Buy It Now" faux Yesterday and Today-better known of course as The Butcher Cover-CD for $30.

The seller had good feedback, and, well, this knock-off of a famous LP is something I always wanted.

Although the seller never claimed that it was a Dr. Ebbetts version, I figured it looked just as good.

And in fact, it is probably better, what with the glossy sleeve of the Butcher, and of the second choice Y&T LP, which when help up, one can see Ringo Starr in smock under the "Today" lettering, thus replicating a paste-over.

However, unlike a genuine Dr. E's, this edition appears to have been compiled from mono and stereo tracks from the recent remasters.
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Listening to the mono version of this CD is a pleasant experience,

as memory lane is strolled with the old familiar track sequence we all knew and loved in early summer, 1966.

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But, and there always seems to be one with these items, the
stereo version of Y&T has been transcribed rather haphazardly, with quite noticeable volume variations between tracks.

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Nevertheless, it was really the mono version that I wanted-as the stereo one was available via LP right up to the late 80s-although
subbing the UK mono versions for the American ones sort of
defeats one of the reasons for wanting this particular recording. (And the original stereo variations, as well.)

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Hopefully, some enterprising soul will rectify the source material, and then put out their own version of The Capitol Albums Vol. 3

Hey, now there's a great topic for a wank!

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What should a (legit), and for that matter fake, Vol. 3 contain?

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My vote is for, obviously, Rubber Soul, Y&T, Revolver and a sort of obvious, Hey Jude.
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A case could also be made for the UA, A Hard Day's Night, as well.
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And my guess is we will see a real Capitol Vol.3 within a year.

MARVELOUSESLY MAD, IN 2009

Brilliantly brilliant!

The Baby Boomers grew up with some of the most delicious and anarchic

satire.

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The first, gently easing us kids into a sick mind (ad) was MAD. In the 60s,

it was totally required reading.

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Totally.

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But by the early 70s, MAD had to take a backseat to the edgier and raunchier National Lampoon.
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Nat Lamp was laugh-out-loud funny, something that few magazines can accomplish.
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Yet alas, the Lampoon lies in the graveyard of great magazines since deceased.

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But MAD lives on.
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And not just treading water, either.

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2009 has provided amazing satiric fodder for the usual gang of idiots.
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So, they have done out-done themselves with the January 2010 ish.
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I urge you-no, command you-to rush out and get this treasure at once.

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It may be one of the funniest issues in years.
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The main attraction is The 20 Dumbest People, Events, and Things (of) 2009.
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The PCC has scanned several of the 20, which you'se can peruse by way's
of a click.
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But you really do need to get the mag in your dirty little hands.
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Really.

BACK TO THE FUTURE, BUDOKAN: LEGAL OR NOT,HERE WE COME!

Is it real, or cease&desist?

In the Great White North, AKA Kanuckistan, we have a music chain known as HMV, which today began peddling a very interesting DVD release.
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From KOCH records in Kanada, and also available via Australian import in US and A, "The Beatles, Budokan 1966", is an 80 minute DVD containing both the evening show (dark suits)June 30 and afternoon show (light suits) July 1, plus footage of the boys in Japan, and a Tokyo press conference.

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And while this material has long been available via bootleg-and for a short time as a legit, Apple licensed VHS in the mid 80s, and a Japan-only Laser Disc in the early 90s-this latest release appears to be the first time BOTH aft and eve shows have been collected on one (legit) disc.

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And, in very decent stereo and 5.1 sound to boot, to mix a metaphoric pun!
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The packaging contains German writing, and has the brand name/label, Headliner, and sold for $14.99 Kanuck bucks.
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I must say I was very impressed with the sound-about as good as the excerpts on the Anthology DVD, but the video appears to have been taken from less than master tape sources.

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In fact, the afternoon show looks like it was dubbed from a pretty lousy boot VHS.

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Still, not to worry, cuz it sounds great!

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I understand that thoughts of grief about Australia include their less than clarified copyright law, so it might be a good idea to grab this item quick if in fact the Apple wankers know naught, about it.
http://www.hmv.ca/

APPLE/EMI STICKS IT TO YA and STAN THE BEATLEMAN SCORES NEW/OLD PECULIAR PEPPER

It's That Time Of Year




The annual , excellent Goldmine Beatles issue is upon us, and besides several read-worthy Fabs and related tales, there is a real newsy item.
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As noted in the PCC at an earlier date, the weird find of a specially
produced Sgt. Pepper LP with Capitol/EMI big-shots' faces in place of (most) of the regular (famous) ones is chronicled.
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The Goldmine piece includes words from Stan "The Beatleman" Panenka, who claims to have the best American issue Beatle collection "on the planet."
http://www.ultimatebeatlescollection.com/
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The Beatleman is quoted as saying that he "should" acquire what may be one of only 30-100 produced- who knows how many are still sealed like this one in question-and this week Panenka said that he expects to sew up the deal for the special Pepper soon and/or forthwith.
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Both the seller and buyer have agreed not to go public with the price.
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For more details on this amazing collector's item, pick up the Nov. 6 GOLDMINE.
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And just when you thought it was safe to go back in your music store without any Beatle hype, Apple has announced their initial foray into digital delivery with the Dec. 8 release of the Beatles Stereo USB apples. (Click on left image.)
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"Limited" to 30,000 units-here we go again!-the apple shaped sticks will contain all of the tracks from the new stereo box set, as well as visuals and artwork.
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The best thing to be said about this release is the use of FLAC 44.1 24bit, virtually lossless audio, as well as the standard tin-ear MP3 digital drek.
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The fruity stick will retail for around $280, but like the CD box, may sell for less.
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The idea that you can carry the entire Beatles catalogue around in your shirt pocket in good sounding audio is pretty cool, we must admit.
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Wal-Mart and other music retailers have been selling single album music sticks for over a year, but so far the format has not really caught on.
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Will the Beatles' music do the trick?
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I would not bloody doubt it.

BUTCHERS & HARRY'S & BEST'S BEETLES

Good one, Lennon



Very worthwhile, the November ish of Record Collector.
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Besides a nice little bit on the Butcher cover-including interesting factoids on what Capitol called "Operation Retrieve," the recall of the Butcher cover LPs-there is a neat little sidebar on the Butcher photo-shoot.
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RC writes that one of the most rare Butcher related items may be the original cover slick that John Lennon attained, and which he gave away, telling the lucky recipient it should be worth "11 million dollars."
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But besides the Butcher bollocks, there is a VERY interesting interview with the former editor of the UK Mersey Beat music newspaper, Bill Harry.
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The piece is excerpted from the tome, The Mammoth Book Of The Beatles,
edited by Sean Egan.
In the excerpt, Harry, who was most tight with John Lennon from art school on, adds his take on the merry magical mystery tour, some of it at odds with generally accepted history/lore.
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Some good examples:
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Harry sez that it was he who clued Brian Epstein into the Fabs, not some bloke wandering into the NEMS store asking for My Bonnie, and Harry claims it was he who got Eppy into the Cavern Club for the first time to see the Beatles.
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Pete Best was sacked mostly because Paul McCartney and George Harrison did not like him, Best's mother Mona had become their de facto manager by late 1961 and Paul and George felt having a group member's mother as manager was iffy, and Best's personality was not a good mesh with the group, although Pete was good mates with John.
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Harry stresses that drumming style was way down the list, as apparently George Martin did not care for Ringo Starr at first, either.
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According to Harry, there is an unused Harrison/Starr song, composed around 1963.
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Contrary to myth, John was a "coward," and ran away from more fights than he took part in.
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And MUCH, MUCH more!
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Pick it up.

RECORD COLLECTOR REMASTERD, RE-INVENTED

Bootleg bollocks!

The October Record Collector has a pretty Fab, albeit aurally anally retentive feature on the the remasters, which you should pick up if you can find it.

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In a generally good interview with cantankerous remaster guvner, Allan Rouse-pictured at left- the whole ground Hog Day 4 year torturous process is explained, and I guess cuz he was there, we will have to take Rouse's word for it.

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But when the RC interviewer broaches the subject of how all the high-quality bootlegs-which are generally attributed to John Barrett and/or a certain Philly DJ-got loose out of Apple vaults back in the late 80s, Mr. Rouse appears to be on tea.

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Rouse actually puts forth the (unlikely) proposition that those great boots were the result/fault of individual Fabs' taking home demos and acetates!!!

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Cor blimey, wot a load of rubbish!

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Best be assured that whatever way the tape dubs got loose, only a small number of versions were/are the result of wayward take-homes.

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Although Rouse was very forthcoming when it came to why the 24 bit remasters were dumbed down to 16 bit for the actual CD transfers.

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"(We) know that 99 percent of (the) people will hear it as an MP3 file...and not complain!"

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Ah, Apple/Rutle Corps: dontcha just luv 'em!!!