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Studio Sessions Volume One by The Beatles (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Studio Sessions Volume One
  • Group name: The Beatles
  • Year: 1973 (according to this source)
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Contra Band Music
  • Collection: Selman
  • Distinguishing characteristics:
    • Sticker on back: “William H. Butler III”[1]

Studio Sessions Volume One by The Beatles

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’m not familiar with this record at all, but like MORE get back session, it appears to be a bootleg that came from the collection of a certain William H. Butler III.

There’s a track list printed in the lower left corner, with the additional text: “UNRELEASED STUDIO SESSIONS.”

The first side of the LP says: “STUDIO SESSIONS / JOHN, PAUL, GEORGE & RINGO / A / VOLUME ONE.”

The SECOND side of the LP says: “STUDIO SESSIONS / JOHN, PAUL, GEORGE & RINGO / B / VOLUME ONE.”

What I expected

Based on the track list, my guess is that these recordings were done around 1962-1964 (though this source has them recorded in two sessions on 24 May 1963 and 24 June 1963). My hope is that they will be release quality material, but alternate versions that I have never heard before. Realistically, though, I assume they will be more like the MORE get back session, that were lower quality demos.

What it was actually like

Listening to this was really cool, particularly because I strongly prefer the early Beatles era to the late Beatles era (though middle Beatles still of course remains the best Beatles). The audio quality was not very good, but it wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t follow along. Piano seemed to be missing in a lot of places, as was a lot of the percussion, particularly the cymbals. Somehow the music just didn’t seem to pop like it does on their records.

The track list was also slightly out of order: Do You Want to Know a Secret was printed first on the album, but was actually the sixth track. And “Please Me” was a typo on the album (it should have been Please Please Me).

Several of the songs sounded relatively quite close to their release versions, like Till There Was You and From Me To You. Misery was also pretty close, but not as tight as I’m used to hearing. Do You Want to Know a Secret sounded well rehearsed.

You Really Got a Hold on Me, which is one of my favorite songs, was slower than the release version and more acoustic. Roll Over Beethoven was also more acoustic, but had the same tempo as the release – without the clapping.

Money was pretty rough, and I could almost hear the percussion and guitar work coming together with the vocals. Love Me Do was slow and the vocal harmonies had not come together yet. Please Please Me‘s guitar part was not there yet, and the harmonica needed a lot of work. Kansas City was a bit too slow.

Long Tall Sally was not on a canonical Beatles release, but it was part of Past Masters. The audio for the vocal part of this version was not good, which is such a shame because Paul’s voice is so crucial to the Beatles’ take on the song.

And I never even knew that the Beatles recorded a version of Hippy Hippy Shake is not a song that I knew, but here is a version that’s pretty similar to what I just heard.

Grade

4/5: would listen again

References

References
↑1 This is just like the sticker on the back of MORE get back session.

An Innocent Man by Billy Joel (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: An Innocent Man
  • Artist name: Billy Joel
  • Year: 1983
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: CBS
  • Collection: Selman
  • Buy it on Amazon: $7.50

An Innocent Man by Billy Joel

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I don’t think I’ve ever heard this record, and have never listened to Billy Joel intentionally (and have always gotten him confused with Bruce Springsteen), but I do recognize at least two of the songs, Uptown Girl and The Longest Time.

What I expected

Soft rock.

What it was actually like

This was a really unusual record. I was prepared to mock Billy Joel relentlessly for trying to look “punk,” but actually, though none of this music was punk at all, there were certain things about it that were aligned with the punk ethos, which is highly reactionary: most of An Innocent Man sounded like it was explicitly meant to evoke earlier musical eras, particularly 1950s and 1960s American music, which is more or less consistent with groups like the Ramones.

The title track An Innocent Man was everything about why I’ve never listened to a Billy Joel record before: weird vocals, weird rhythm, too much piano, too slow, no energy, and it went on far too long.

Easy Money was a soul song and, not to compare, but it kind of evoked Sam Cooke’s Twistin’ the Night Away, though it was nowhere near as good.

Similarly, Christie Lee reminded me of one of my favorite scenes from one of my favorite movies, but could not seriously be compared to Little Richard (or John Goodman).

The Longest Time was played on the radio when I was growing up, and I think I always assumed that it was an actual oldie (ie, a doo wop song from when doo wop was actually popular), but I guess it was not! And it’s pretty song solid! Nicely done, Billy Joel!

This Night also had an oldie sound, but with much more rock instrumentation and much less of a great melody, and the saxophone was terrible.

Uptown Girl was another that I heard on the radio when I was growing up, and I think it’s a good song. I wouldn’t want to listen to it more than one or two times in a year, though.

Tell Her About It was another that I recognized, but not as well, and it had a soul sound, too. The other soul songs were Leave a Tender Moment Alone and Careless Talk, the latter of which also had some doo wop elements.

Keeping the Faith weirdly tried a reggae-type beat and was not successful.

Grade

4/5: would listen again

Ella & Louis by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Ella & Louis
  • Artist name: Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
  • Year: 1972
  • Number of discs: two
  • Label: Verve Records
  • Collection: Selman
  • Buy it on Amazon: $39.47

Ella & Louis by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’m familiar with Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, but not with this record.

What I expected

Jazz.

What it was actually like

I didn’t think I would like this very much because it’s not the kind of jazz that I prefer, but I actually found it pretty enjoyable, though there’s not much to say about the individual songs because I only recognized one of them, Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off, and in general they were all extremely similar.

The effect of listening to this record was to make me feel as if I was in a 1990s romantic comedy, and that I would just need some candles and a glass of wine to complete the mood, or maybe to be rushing through the streets in midtown on a rainy fall night, and step into a dimly lit bar, where I meet… someone.

I wouldn’t listen to this all the time, but I probably would listen to it again when I’m entertaining guests, or maybe just one special guest!

Grade

4/5: would listen again

Welcome To Fat City by Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: Welcome To Fat City
  • Group name: Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert
  • Year: 1972
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: Paramount Records
  • Collection: Selman
  • Distinguishing characteristics:
    • Sticker on album front: F-7-1 / 1972(1)
    • Printed on LP: DJ COPY ONLY / NOT FOR SALE
  • Buy it on Amazon: $13.04

Welcome To Fat City by Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I have never heard of this and have no idea what it could be.

What I expected

Maybe folk rock?

What it was actually like

I didn’t have high expectations for this record, but actually the songs on it were mostly very strong, and as a whole, I definitely liked it.

Several had a country sound, like Nobody Can Take My Dreams From Me, which also had rock influence, but with a prominent fiddle, and great vocal harmonies. Workingman’s Day was also a great country rock song with nice vocal harmonies, and O, Say Can You See! was similar.

Several others were folk style, like Fallin’ In A Deep Hole, which was slower and much more about the vocals, and I Guess He’d Rather Be In Colorado and Not What We Promised To Be.

Morning Go Away started out boring, but then got much more lively, and had a great rhythm.

Readjustment Blues and The JESUS SAYS HELLO Tango were both folk rock, the former pretty good and with mostly just Danoff singing, and the latter with Danoff and Nivert harmonizing.

Baby, What’s Wrong With You started out Oompa Loompa, and kept going back and forth between it and what might have been a good song, then ended up being terrible.

The Fat City High School Fight Song was, as its name implied, a march (like for a marching band) that began with the lyric, “Thank god for marijuana,” and then proceeded to hold a level of weirdness approximately equivalent to Tuli Kupferberg singing, I’d Give Everything for Herzegovina.

Grade

4/5: would listen again

1+1 by Grin, featuring Nils Lofgren (Vinyl record album review)

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Record basics

  • Album name: 1+1
  • Group name: Grin
  • Artist name: Nils Lofgren
  • Year: 1972
  • Number of discs: one
  • Label: CBS Records
  • Collection: Brenner / Gessner
  • Who owned it: it’s unclear which of my parents owned this one
  • Buy it on Amazon: $7.99

1+1 by Grin, featuring Nils Lofgren

My review

Level of familiarity before listening

I’ve heard of Nils Lofgren, but don’t know anything about him. I am not familiar with “Grin,” which appears to have been his band.

What I expected

Maybe folk rock.

What it was actually like

Normal records have side 1 and side 2, or A side and B side, but 1+1 by Grin, featuring Nils Lofgren, had “Rockin’ Side” and “Dreamy Side.”

I opted for “Rockin’ Side” first, and it was definitely rock. There were even guitar parts that reminded me of Pete Townshend, like on Please Don’t Hide, and if I squinted, I could almost imagine it as a Who song – with the exception of the vocals. Nils Lofgren is no Roger Daltry.

White Lies was also a pretty good rock song, with sort of bluesy style vocals and a more choral style chorus.

Other parts of “Rockin’ Side” sounded almost proto-metal, like Slippery Fingers, that was very repetitively rhythmic, but with a great guitar solo. Unfortunately, the chorus was awful:

Slippery fingers
Slippery fingers
Slippery fingers
Slippery fingers
Slippery fingers
Slippin’ all over you

End Unkind seemed to start out metal, but then it got more country, which was pretty unexpected and interesting. I also liked its guitar solo, and its fast tempo, and complexity.

“Dreamy Side” was mostly not quite as dreamy as the name would have suggested.

I guess there was a little bit of dreaminess on Just a Poem because of its instrumentation, but I thought that the piano and violin really didn’t work together, and that it was the most boring song.

Soft Fun also had a slightly dreamy quality. It started with a baby singing, then progressed to harpsichord. Its piano sounded like an Elton John song, which is not a positive for me, and the violin and flute detracted a lot. It also ended with a sappy violin part that sounded like a 1950s Hollywood movie soundtrack.

Sometimes was more of a folk rock song, with drums. Lost a Number was not folky, and sounded more to me like rock from about ten years earlier, plus banjo and harmonica. Hi, Hello Home also a little banjo and some country sound, and was too fast to be dreamy.

Grade

4/5: would listen again