Record Collecting

THE YARDBIRDS Sonny Boy Williamson & The Yardbirds Extremely rare 1969 original Japanese blue & silver Philips label stereo LP manufactured by the Victor Company Of Japan. This amazing rarity has a unique psychedelic picture cover, undulled & unfaded with vibrant colour retention. The sleeve is in excellent condition with the pale cream back pasted cover showing only few signs of age and storage wear on the edges. The heavyweight vinyl is in 'near as new' condition retaining a beautiful sheen with only a couple of light spindle marks on the label, also comes with the original 12" x 12" double-sided English language lyric insert - a supremely rare LP in any condition.   U2 October Rare 1987 Japanese limited edition 'Final Vinyl' series 11-track LP manufactured by Polystar, the second album by the Irish rock band originally released in 1981, including the singles Gloria & Fire. Comes in a picture sleeve complete with lyric insert & obi-strip. This copy is in outstanding condition showing very little signs of age with the vinyl in 'near as new' condition.   SMASHING PUMPKINS Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness 2012 UK Deluxe Edition 28-track 4-LP set pressed on 180gram Heavyweight Vinyl featuring the Smashing Pumpkins' masterpiece album remastered for the first time and spread over 8 sides [4LPs] to provide the optimum sound. The four LPs are housed in a 12" x 12" deluxe rigid slipcase and come accompanied by two books containing personal notes, lyrics and new collage artwork!

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ROLLING STONES Little Red Rooster Very rare original first issue 1965 Japanese London Records label 7'' single, manufactured by King Record Co. Ltd, also including Off The Hook. The vinyl is in better than excellent condition. Comes with the unique wrap-around picture insert with ¥330 price code on the reverse, lyrics printed inside and adverts displayed on the back.   THE BEATLES Meet The Beatles 1976 Japanese Apple label 14-track mono vinyl LP - the original Japanese configuration with different tracks to the US issue. Pasted picture sleeve with Japanese text biography printed on the reverse, including 4-page illustrated lyric insert and wide #26 'Rising Sun' flag obi.   PET SHOP BOYS It Doesn't Often Snow At Christmas Rare 1997 UK exclusive 2-track fan-club only Christmas MiniMax snowflake CD single and with a spoken Christmas message from Chris & Neil! - housed in a silver bubble-wrap sleeve.

In today's Wall Street Journal, I have three articles that I know will knock you out. First, I speak with Tony Bennett for the Arena section about his CD Bennett & Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962 (Sony Legacy). Tony and I spoke about what it was like to sing with Dave (the first time and a rare occurrence) and how the concert came together. I must say, Tony is every bit the gentleman. To read, go here. Second, my "Anatomy of a Song" column for Arena centers this time on John Fogerty's Proud Mary—the first rock song many people of my generation danced to as kids in 1968 at an uncle's wedding. I did a deep reporting job, speaking with John, Sonny Charles of the Checkmates; Tamiko Jones, Solomon Burke's producer; Perry Botkin Jr., Phil Spector's arranger on the Checkmates' version; and Brent Maher, the engineer on Ike and Tina Turner's legendary recording. What I found is that Turner's overheated version was inspired by Burke's and the Checkmates' versions. Hear for yourself at the bottom. John has a new album out on Tuesday—Wrote a Song for Everyone (Vanguard). To read, go here. And finally, in the Mansion section, my "House Call" column this week is on a World War II B-17 bomber pilot who found refuge in a Belgian industrialist's home after being shot down 10 days before D-Day. As you can imagine, Memorial Day means a great deal to him. To read, go here. Oh, I almost forgot—in tomorrow's WSJ's Weekend edition, don't miss my Playlist column in the Review section. While I can't get into details yet, I can tell you that the comedian I interviewed on music had me in stitches and will tickle you pink as well. And now for the genesis of Proud Mary—from John Fogerty to Tina Turner... Here's John Fogerty's Proud Mary recorded in 1968...   Here's Solomon Burke's version in early '69 (note the talk-narration at the start)...    Here's the Chekmates' Wall of Sound version from late '69—with Sonny Charles on lead vocal. It was arranged by Perry Botkin Jr. and produced by Phil Spector...    And here's Ike and Tina Turner's '70 classic performed live. Interesting to hear how a song evolves and is remade into something different and special...

Read about this cool new track from Joe Blossom and Listen here!     We dig the cool album cover art by Lance Ravenswood too!

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THE ZOMBIES Odessey And Oracle Incredibly rare original 1968 UK 12-track mono LP, housed in a front laminated non-flipback picture sleeve. Overlooked on its original release but now regarded as one of the finest English pop/psych albums of the era, this is the almost impossible to find MONO pressing!   THE BEATLES Beatles No.5 Rare 1970 Japanese first Apple issue of the 1966 14-track stereo LP, complete with fold out Japanese/lyric insert, unique silk laminated picture sleeve and original green & white point obi-strip. The sleeve is strictly graded EX/EX+, with only a few minor signs of age & shelfwear, the obi has only a few light creases otherwise superb. The vinyl remains a beautiful EX/EX+ with just a a few light surface scuffs which do not affect play. A very respectable copy of this rare and sought after almost 45 year old pressing.   STATUS QUO Tokyo Quo Mega rare 1977 Japanese-only 9-track Vertigo 'Spaceship' label vinyl LP album recorded live at Sunplaza Hall Tokyo on 17/11/76. Comes in a red foil embossed & laminated gatefold picture sleeve with Japanese/lyric insert. The sleeve on this copy has some light signs of water damage which is only noticed on the inside, along with only light shelfwear. The vinyl is immaculate with only a couple of light spindle marks on the labels. A very respectable copy of this very hard to find pressing

I'm not sure why the jazz duo of Dwike Mitchell and Willie Ruff weren't better known in the '50s and '60s, when they did most of their recording—or why they still aren't household names. Part of the reason, I suppose, is that the delicate combination of Mitchell (piano) and Ruff (French horn and bass) wasn't exactly a happening sound back then. Delicate and sensitive with touches of classical influence, the duo's jazz wasn't pop flavored in the late '50s or expressive and excessive in the '60s. Today I suspect they aren't well known because most of their albums haven't been released digitally.  I must confess that the scarcity of their albums has kept me from being as up on their catalog as I should be. Back in the '70s, I remember passing on them because there wasn't enough crashing and bashing going on. Hey, I was in my 20s. Now that I'm slightly older, their music makes perfect sense. Recently I had an opportunity to hear their Brazilian Trip, and the music on the album is pure mink-soft joy. Recorded in the summer of 1966, Brazilian Trip isn't really a mid-'60s bossa nova album in the traditional sense. Many of those jazz albums had a splashy commercial sound—a free ride, if you will, the way kids on bikes used to hang onto the backs of buses for velocity. By contrast, this album by the Mitchell-Ruff Duo is caring, loving and fully understanding of Brazilian music's enormous sensitivity.  Essentially, what you have here is Mitchell and Ruff in New York matching tender wits with a group of unknown Brazilian musicians. The lineup includes Mitchell and Ruff joined by Brazilian guitarists Sergio Augusto, Durval Ferreira and Candinho on different tracks along with drummer Chico Batera. What's startling about this album is what it's not: Mitchell and Ruff purposely avoided the bossa trap and instead made an intensely graceful and exquisite Brazilian jazz album. Hopefully Mosaic or Fresh Sound will see fit to release a larger supply of the Mitchell-Ruff collaborations, since so little is available. You may recall that Dwike Mitchell died in April. Willie Ruff is still with us. JazzWax tracks: You'll find Brazilian Trip teamed with Campus Concert (Collectables) here. To sample tracks, go here. JazzWax clip: Here's Dwike Mitchell on piano, Willie Ruff on bass, Durval Ferreira on guitar and Chico Batera on drums playing Chuva...   Chuva And here's Mitchell and Ruff (on French horn) with Ferreira and Batera playing Sonhando...   Sonhando   JazzWax video: Here's a fabulous clip of Mitchell and Ruff. Sorry I can't embed the video here but the person who posted it disabled the code.

PET SHOP BOYS/ATOMIZER Hooked On Radiation Rare original 2003 UK limited edition Spagetti Records/Olde English Vinyl 4-track remix 12", released exclusively through the fan club. Features mixes unavailable on any commercial release. Die-cut cardsleeve. Limited pressing of only 500 copies, all of which sold out within days of being pressed!   BOB DYLAN The Bob Dylan Story Rare original 1966 Japanese only 23-track '' orange CBS label double LP set, pressed by Nippon Columbia, comes housed in the original embossed textured gatefold picture sleeve with integral lyric booklet. The sleeve is strictly graded VG/VG+, with some minor shelfwear mostly on the edges, some foxing on the inside but the lyric booklet is intact & complete. The vinyl is VG-/VG with some minor surface marks and the occasional light scratch which should not affect play. A respectable copy of this extremely hard to find and sought after pressing at an advantageous price.   U2 Achtung Baby - 20th Anniversary Box Set 2011 UK Super Deluxe limited edition 6-CD/4-DVD box set featuring exclusive bonus material including 'From The Sky Down' documentary, previously unreleased material, B-sides, remixes and rarities. The CDs feature the albums 'Achtung Baby' and 'Zooropa', along with two discs of remixes, a disc of B Sides & Bonus Tracks and the 'Kindergarten' version of the album. The NTSC format DVDs include the new documentary, videos, bonus material and 'The Zoo TV: Live in Sydney' concert. This stunning issue also includes a 92-page hardback book and 16 art prints. Comes in a 12½" x 12½" x 2" picture box which has only a few minor storage marks on the edges otherwise superb with all content immaculate, overall a near mint copy of this fantastic collectors item.

  DEEP PURPLE Shades Of Deep Purple Original 1969 Japanese Nippon Grammophon pressed 8-track stereo LP, unique to Japan high quality laminated gatefold picture sleeve with a completely different design to the more common UK & US issues & Japanesebiography information & lyrics inside. The sleeve is in superb condition with the minimum of shelfwear & NO evident edge scuffing with only some light foxing on the inside, the vinyl is IMMACULATE - A fantastic copy of this extremely rare album!