The Uncle Roddus weeks playlist 28/9/2015-2/10/2015

Uncle Roddus Album Of The Week
The Beatles - Sargent Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)

I'm out of town for 9 days and will probably have no internet access among other things so I'm gonna post my weeks playlist early and also use this piece of writing that I posted on the Facebook YouTube Vinyl Community page earlier this week.

I have heard several people mention in videos and on facebook about their preference to having OG copies of albums in their collection. I noted this with interest and amusement but I don't consider myself a"Collector" per-see. I collect solely for the music, not based on first pressings, rarity or collectability etc... I do however like to have the best sounding issue available and that does not always mean that an OG copy is most desirable or that the latest remaster is either. I was also wondering how I would know if an LP I find in "the wild" was OG or not. Imagine something like Sergeant Pepper for instant, there must have been hundreds of issues of this album over the decades, so how would I know if I found an OG copy? I guess experience of the person buying would help and price could also be an indication. So I often wonder if all those early ECM records I found recently are OG copies or later reissues. The catalog numbers are certainly original.

Anyhow, I recently picked up a copy of Sergeant Pepper for a very cheap price with a bunch of other records I bought off a local gentleman here in my town. It looked a little rough and I already had it on CD but I thought what the hell, it will be worth hearing it on my turntable.(I actually scored 3 other records in this haul that I already had on CD)

I checked it over when I got home and noticed a white stain on the vinyl, maybe a watermark or something spilt on it. I filed it away thinking I would deal to it when I get my new record cleaning machine. Last night curiosity got the better of me and I pulled it out and gave it a clean with a soft wet cloth, it looked pretty good although as it dried the stain re appeared but on close inspection it looked playable and I decided to give it a spin. I looked at the center label and it looked suspiciously old. I did a close inspection of the cover and noticed the way the front sleeve flaps were glued over the top of the back cover, which I hadn't seen much before. I did also notice the label number on the top Right sleeve flap and that it was a New Zealand Issue, but was it an OG issue?

Searching Discogs and using the PCSM7027 as reference, it appears that it is indeed the first issue of Sergeant Pepper in New Zealand from June 1967. I was 6 months old. So in contradiction to what I said above about collecting, I got quite excited. But not as excited as I got when I actually played it. Clamping it on the VPI I noticed how incredibly flat this record was, as the needle hit the groove, there was far less crackle than anticipated and when the music started I was impressed as I noticed the slight crackling disappeared behind the music. As my ears adjusted I was astonished at the depth I was hearing from the speakers and I was just floored by the sonic reproduction, I had never head so much of this album. There was a couple of flat spots, maybe the stains, maybe wear and tear, Paul's Vocals on "A Day in The Life" sounded a bit flat but the rest was fantastic. It certainly is a good feeling to have an OG copy of this album and I certainly am proud of any rare and unusual albums I have in my collection, but always, the music comes first.

Sargent Pepper has never been my favorite of The Beatles albums but it is still a mighty impressive set and well worth all the praise it has earned over the years.Rating 5/5.

Here is what has been massaging (and sometimes pummeling) my ears this week.

In no particular order.

• Talking Heads - Little Creatures, EMI (1985 LP)
• Elvis Costello - Armed Forces, Radarscope Records (1979 LP)
• Rodger Coleman and Sam Byrd - Cosmologies, Nuvoid Jazz Records 46/200 (2014 LP)
• Various Artists - Mali Allstars:Bogolan Music, Wrasse Records (2013 CD)
• Rosanne Cash - The River and the Thread, Blue Note (2015 CD)
• Southern Front - Southern Front, Failsafe Records SAFE004 (1984 LP)
• Robert Plant and Alison Kruass - Raising Sand (2007 TIDAL Streaming)
• David Bowie - Aladdin Sane, RCA (1973 LP)
• Pretty Wicked Head and the Desperate Men - New Age Savage, BMG (1990 CD)
• The Cruel Sea - The Most, Grudge Records (1999 CD)
• Hunters and Collectors - Hunters & Collectors, Mushroom Records (1981 CD)
• Rhiannon Gibbons - Tomorrow Is My Turn (2015 TIDAL Streaming)
• Talking Heads - Little Creatures, EMI (1985 LP)
• Bloodrock - Passage, Capitol (1972 LP)
• Various Artists - The Vertigo Annual, Vertigo (1970 2xLP)
• Elton John - Greatest Hits, DJM Records (1974 LP)
• Cannonball Adderly - Somethin' Else, WaxTime (1958/2011 LP)
• Madlib - Shades Of Blue, Blue Note (2003/2014 2xLP)
• The 3 Sounds - Out Of This World, Blue Note ST 84197 (1965/2014 LP)
• Bobby Hutcherson - Total Eclipse, Blue Note BST 84291 (1968/2014 LP)
• Ornette Coleman - Something Else, DOL (1958/2015 LP)
• Jackie McLean - Let Freedom Ring, Blue Note ST 84106 (1962/2014 LP)
• Ryan Adams - Live At Carnegie Hall, Pax.Am/Blue Note (2015 6xLP)

The Beatles - Rubber Soul UK 1965

Whats Hot On The Roddus Stereo

Album Of The Week Part 1

What the hell could I possibly say about this album that hasn't beens said a thousand times already. It has, no doubt, been reviewed a million times, sold millions of copies and appeared on just about every top albums list ever. It is of course one of the greatest albums of all time and for me this is the first of the real Beatle albums. For this one it was the first time they recorded a batch of songs specifically for this album, as apposed to compiling albums from a stockpile of already recorded or written songs. Also, for Me, this is the record where the Beatles music becomes more Timeless. most of their earlier stuff, while still classics, sounds of its time, but the songs on Rubber Soul, and their subsequent albums, still have a very contemporary sound, even after 40+ years.

I was given the book, The Beatles:Off The Record for my last birthday and when I got to the parts about this album, I decided to dust off my CD copy and give it a long overdue listen and now have given it about a dozen listens this week. The real highlights on this album are, for Me, the slower tracks like Girl , Michelle, Norwegian Wood and of course In My Life, which is one of my all time favorite Beatles tracks.

Here is a quick comment and rating for each track. Not much point saying too much about them, I'm Sure the entire population of the planet knows them all off by heart.

1. Drive My Car: A very cool uptempo rocker 4.5/5
2. Norwegian Wood: Love that Sitar, great lyrics 5/5
3. You Won't See Me: Another great Lennon/MaCartney Vocal harmony 4/5
4. Nowhere Man: More Awesome vocal harmonies 5/5
5. Think For Yourself: Is this possible the track that introduced fuzz guitar to the world 4/5
6. The Word: Paul's fab bass playing 4.5/5
7. Michelle: Truely Beautiful, if Mrs. Roddus's name was Michelle, I'd play this at our wedding.5+/5
8. What Goes On: Ringos cameo on this C&W track 4/5
9. Girl: Sultry, love the first line, simply mindblowing 5+/5
10. I'm looking Through You: Great Folk song 4.5/5
11. In My Life: Sublime vocals, brilliant 5+/5
12. Wait:  This would have made a great single 4.5/5
13. If I Needed Someone: Harrisons best so far, better to come 4.5/5
14. Run For Your Life:  Another Classic 5/5

As you can see not an absolutly perfect album, not all 5/5 songs, but it don't get much closer that this, not a bad song in the bunch, this is a classic example of why the Beatles were simply the best.
My Overall rating 5/5