PETER COLLINS - First album (Decca Nova, 1970)

His first and only album.
Where the label is supposed to guarantee a certain  hi-class pedigree, actually the music is very poor quality:
Flood of honey-sticky orchestrations, melodramathic violins and Zoom-Pa-Pa explosions, deign more of a circus combo than of a Decca publication.  Anyway, we know how things go in these cases: the fact of belonging to this label means that all those SHEEP-COLLECTORS will sell their souls to get such an LP.  Pity for them!  :-)

Shall I upload it?

The ********************
UPDATE, 20 MAY 2010

After the number of requests arrived for this album, okay, I will see what I can do, although there are so many many albums more (and more beautiful ones!) in the row, waiting for their turn to be recorded on computer, cleaned, etc etc.  Looking and reading the post, it comes definitely the strong suspicion to me that the readers who ask for the album are ALL THE SAME ONE SINGLE PERSON, very likely living around Brighton, according to my "Folkworld" detector, but as I try to be always sweet and kind to the whole world, as far as possible, I will not mind for this "expedient", therefore I will insert this album as well in the list of the things to do .  Probably I will finish it in the next 10 days.
KISS
Your COUNTESS

VAN DER GRAAF GALLERY

FIRST POST - HOMMAGE TO VDGG

From a VDGG fanatic for real VDGG fans only

VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR DELIRIUM

(A SMALL GALLERY OF RARITIES)

(the picture below is not source of mine, I took it from somewhere in the web, can't remember anymore where, I apologize to the owner...)

 http://www.4shared.com/file/183938690/51c77177/VDGG_-_pawn_hearts__single.html

The now-n-then controversial inner sleeve of the album, where the group poses as an obviously sarcastic parody of a complex of statues they had seen in Kaiserslautern (a town in Germany).

My five copies of "Pawn hearts" originals. I used to have 7, but I sold 2, years ago

The lyrics insert included in the 1st UK "Pawn hearts" edition, with a drawing by Paul Whitehead, and the inner envelope with Charisma records advertisings

The 1st UK label, in pink. The USA release of Pawn hearts (right side) included "Theme one" on side 1 between Lemmings and Man-Erg. "W" wasn't present on the LP.

VDGG single: "Theme one"/ "W" Italian edition, Philips 1971

In each country where this release took place, this single had always a different sleeve.

The first bootleg ever: "Fellow travelers", with VDGG on side one and Hammill on side two, released in 1972, with a powerful, a DEVASTATING live version of "Killer". For many eventual years (till the recent reconstruction!) we all had to stick to this one, because the group was ON PURPOSE abstaining from performing Killer alive, with huge disappointment of all VDG lovers... Luckily, they finally changed their mind, but it took more than 30 years before they did!.... I bet we all VDGG fans would have even beaten Job, as to having patience...!

The original "Aerosol grey machine" release, USA only, Mercury 1968, promotional copy.

After Peter Hammill named this LP in an interview in Italy, all the hooligans and the hunters got unleashed. But the album was so rare - already in the very late 60's - that even fanatics and connoisseurs couldn't get convinced of its existance. Things were finally fixed with the first official reissue, in 1974 on Vertigo and Fontana (Europe only)

Aerosol grey machine, back cover

What is bizarre in this promo copy, is that label and cover declare "Necromancer", but the vinyl plays "Giant squid" !!  :-)))

"The least we can do..." in the first USA release, on ABC Probe, with a completely different cover, front and back.

The glorious poster included in the UK release of "The least we can do..."

"The least we can do..." UK inner sleeve

2 pics above: the USA cover of "H to HE", on ABC Dunhill

I didn't have to make 2 separate fotos of the Red shift single: the advantage of having two copies ;-))

The song is divided in 2 parts, it's not the one appeared on LP, but a completely different version .

 Because of the VDGG's huge success in Italy, the very first edition of "Silent corner" appeared in Italy only, late Summer 1973, with this temporary cover and with typewritten lyrics inside, a few months earlier than the official UK release.

 The two editions of Peter Hammill's first book "Killers, angels, refugees", first published 1974. When the moment of re-printing came, 7 years after, being discontented, he repudiated some parts of the 1st edition.

My copies signed by the Maestro in person.
I cut that piece coz it bears my name

 Two mailing-list letters for-fans-only that I received: one from Peter Hammill directly, Sofa Sound (1981, left) and from "Pawn Hearts Box", Michigan, 1982

VDGG Bootleg, "Montreal 77"

The first 100 % Peter Hammill bootleg, "Farewell my lovely".

At the moment that the name of  "Pete Hamill, New York" appeared as the author of the cover notes for "Blood on the tracks" (only on the very first edition) by Bob Dylan, in 1975, we all thought it was OUR Peter Hammill, also due to this mistake in spelling his name on this bootleg, but we were wrong, they're 2 different persons.

The bootleg "Modern", a double abum by Peter Hammill and Graham Smith, something no less than moving...

VDGG single "Cat's eye..." (LP version) / "Ship of fools" (studio version, unissued on LP)

 KISS from your
Countess

RON GEESIN - Patruns (Ron - private label, 1975)

Ron Geesin, the genius: this is his 6th album - or better his 5th and 1/2, considering that "Music from the body" is a collaboration with Roger Waters

 The label Ron was semi-private, and got a concrete support from Peter Townshend. Copies of the albums were obtainable directly from Ron Records, at least this is what the cover notes say; actually I found my 3 LPs of him in a shop, new and sealed, many ys ago. The same that happened with John Martyn's Live at Leeds, it was also available through regular record shops.

 A small discography, probably not complete, but it's all I know about:

1. A raise of eyebrows (Transatlantic, 1967)
2. Music from the body (Harvest, 1970)
3. Electrosound (KPM, 1972)

4. As he stands (Ron, 1973 - see foto)
5. Electrosound vol. 2 (KPM, 1975)
[ Does anybody have this album?  I NEVER-EVER could find it!! :-(( ]
6. Patruns (Ron, 1975)
7. Right through (Ron, 1977 - see foto)

8. ...some recent live recordings of "Atom heart mother", with Pink Floyd or members of PF, I dunno anymore, I lost track of them...

In the next future I will also upload all of the titles named above, except Music from the body, which you can easily find everywhere online.  I saw that a copy of his first LP is present on another blog, but they miss the track nr. 1 - LOL - So, okay, I will take care of it. :-))))



Kisses, the Countess

FAIRWEATHER - Beginning from an end (RCA Neon, 1971)

The USA album presents the outer and the inner sleeves (of the UK edition) exactly exchanged ;)

The people at RCA in America repeated this... "experiment" partially also with Centipede's double album.

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And now.....

ANDY FAIRWEATHER-LOW - Be Bop'n' Holla


This LP was provided by Manila, the link is:
http://sharebee.com/5630f240

and finally we also have the PW: manilaalinam

CHICKEN SHACK - OK Ken? (Blue Horizon, 1968) - ORIGINAL LP version!

As I expleained some time ago, the official CD release of this album gives you 3 bonus tracks, but lacks completely all those introductory dialogues. Prior to each song, the group makes a spoken intro, with jokes and laughters, mainly by Stan Webb, but there's also Jon Peel himself speaking, etc.  The recent compilation "Chicken Shack, the complete Blue Horizon sessions" doesn't include them as well. how strange...  Therefore, it can be anything but complete! - So, my Friends, here you are ensured to find EXACTLY the faithful original LP version, with ALL the dialogues included.  There must be a reason why CBS decided not to reissue the jokes, who knows?  I also added here the CD reissue bonus tracks.  One more thing: I gave each song its title, but for what regards dialogues, I decided to separate always songs from spoken things. And every time you see a dialogue, there's no title but just a sequential number. So it's:

1. spoken

2. song title

3. spoken

4. song title

etc etc 

http://www.4shared.com/file/184817371/92d00099/ok_ken__mega_rebuilt__-_by_VAN.html

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below: "The complete Blue Horizon sessions", in 4 CD, which is definitely NOT complete - ;-)))

Have fun

Your Dame Vanessa

SOFT MACHINE - Bundles (RCA Neon, 1976)

JUST OUT OF CURIOSITY:

This album of Soft Machine, "Bundles" was released on Harvest label, 1976.  But maybe not everybody knows that the LP was also released on RCA Neon...! It was the very last of the serie, the nr. 20. This shows that RCA Neon existed between 1971 and 1976.

However, this edition is for completists only :-)

JAN STEELE / JOHN CAGE - Voices and Instruments (Obscure, 1976)

This album, released on Brian Eno's experimental short-lived Obscure label, is a

real masterwork.  Each author has one side, dreamy and haunting voices (Janet Sherbourne, Robert Wyatt, Carla Bley) and music. Many original Obscure albums were lately reprinted by Polydor EG, but this LP was unfortunately excluded.... It never came out on CD, as far as I know, and it's a shame, it would deserve sssooo much to...!!

KISS, The Countess

CAPTAIN BEEFHEART - Easy teeth (2 LP, bootleg, rec. 1978)

 

This is a great bootleg, and for long long time remained the only one existing of the Captain. Today we have about 3 more bootlegs of him, I guess....  It's a superb recording, good quality, and it's TWO LPs, so, perfect!  I did the scan about 2 months ago for our friend and member Inca, but it still takes to be cleaned and edited. So, it will take a while again, I reckon by the end of February.
XXX, Your COUNTESS

LAKE - Paradise island (CBS, 1979)

 Nothing to do with Greg Lake, a good group sounding inbetween Toto and Styx, with some moderatedly progressive lines... Sorry for the foto, my copy is a picture disc,  I'll see if I find soon a better pic in internet :-
TITLES:
1 - Into The Night

2 - Glad To Be Here
3 - Crystal Eyes
4 - Paradise Way
5 - Hopeless Love
6 - One Way Song
7 - Hard Road
8 - The Final Curtain

HEY, I FOUND IT!

KISS

the Countess

DURUTTI COLUMN - Live at the Venue, London (Vini, 1983)

This record was issued - so says the cover - in limited edition of 4000 numbers. The label was likely dedicated mostly to recordings of this group, but as far as I know this is the only publication they released. The catalogue number is "VINI 1". The recording quality is first class, a real "normal" album, the songs are superb, I personally adore this version of "Never known".  Once again, an album that's imposible to understand why is not present online... 

   Enjoy, your Countess  :-))