Recorded in 1964 and 1965, restored by George Martin for release in 1977, and then re-released in 2016 with four additional tracks and fully remastered by Giles Martin as Live At The Hollywood Bowl. It’s been out of print for a long time so I was happy to find a copy in the used market.

If you’ve seen many Beatles documentaries you’ve heard how difficult it was for them to play live in this era, not being able to hear themselves over the crowd.

George Martin and Geoff Emerick basically did the best they can from the original three track tapes and polished them, editing together two different performances. It’s not the quality you expect from a modern live recording, but it is a rare Beatles live album. I’ve not compared the 2016 edition on vinyl, but it is available on streaming services and sounds somewhat improved.

My copy—via Vinyl Vault in Little MA—is a Winchester pressing with the title and ticket graphics embossed on the sleeve.

Recorded in 1969, with Vaughan backed by Johnny Veith (piano), Gus Mancuso (bass), and Eddy Pucci (drums). The Berliner Philharmonie is used here as the name of the hall, not the orchestra – built in the 1960s.

The Lost Recordings is a French label that, in their own words, “travel[s] the world in search of rare or previously unreleased recordings by legendary artists” and uses a proprietary “Phoenix Mastering” approach to restore and release them.

My copy—via a private sale—is the 2xLP limited edition numbered mono set pressed at Optimal GmbH.

This EP followed 2020’s Half Moon Light with two alternate versions (“Good Times” and “Count Me In” plus four additional tracks recorded during those sessions. (Dualtone calls it “an addendum”).

My copy—direct from Magnolia Record Club—is what I think is the only edition, on “Black and Bone Swirled Marble” vinyl.

Recorded at Town Hall on February 21st, 1966. The trio here includes Chuck Isreals and Arnold Wise – this being the only commercial recording with Wise on drums.

The second side includes the 13 minute “Solo -In Memory of His Father, Harry L. Evans” who had died in 1966.

My copy—via private sale—is the 2022 Acoustic Sounds Series reissue supervised by Chad Kassem from Analogue Productions.

Brown and Roach are joined by Harold Land (tenor), Richie Powell (piano), and George Morrow (bass). Recorded Feb 23rd and 25th of 1955. Fantastic album.

My copy—via private sale—is the 2021 Acoustic Sounds Series reissue on 180g vinyl, supervised by Chad Kassem, cut by Ryan Smith, and pressed at Quality Record Pressing. As you’d expect, a flawless pressing.

Recorded in 1955 and 1956 but not released until 2019 by Light in the Attic, the second LP here includes a draft of what became Trouble is a Lonesome Town, Hazlewood’s debut album from 1963.

Most know Hazlewood from his Nancy Sinatra collaborations which came from the mid-sixties, so interesting to get these earlier recordings.

My copy—via Flip Over Records in Acton MA—is the 2019 limited edition pressing on gold vinyl, pressed at RTI with lacquer cut at Golden Mastering.

Art Blakey is joined here (at least on the A-side) by Cuban drummers Candido and Sabu, with Ray Bryant, Oscar Pettiford, and Charles Wright. On the B side, Jackie McLean, Spanky DeBrest, Sam Dockery, and Bill Hardman join as the Jazz Messengers.

My copy—via private sale—is a 1950s Columbia Hollywood plant pressing with the 6-eye label. The artist is credited as “The Art Blakey Percussion Ensemble” on both labels but the cover credits the B side to the Jazz Messengers.

Yes, that’s “Get Happy!!” with not one but two exclamation marks. Fourth Costello studio LP and the third with The Attractions, following after Armed Forces. More influence here from R&B, soul, and even Ska.

My copy—via the Vinyl Vault in Littleton MA—is a Pitman pressing with (like most releases of this LP) the sides reversed on the rear jacket. (The tracks listed as “side one” are actually side two and vice versa – the labels are correct to the audio).

Later reissued as Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown, this was Vaughan’s second self-titled LP, and her second studio album. The band also includes Paul Quinichette on tenor sax, Roy Haynes on drums, Herbie Mann on flute, and Jimmy Jones on piano.

It was originally recorded December 18th, 1954, and released in 1955. What a masterful set of recordings.

My copy—via private sale—is the Acoustic Sounds Series reissue from 2021, on 180 gram vinyl, with a gatefold cover and an inner liner about the series and the role of Quality Record Pressing and Chad Kassem.

Having recently seen Deliver Me From Nowhere, which covers the period where Springsteen wrote and recorded Nebraska, it was interesting to come back to this album, which included some of the songs that came out of that era but did not fit that record.

It was so unavoidable, and so associated (so much for any irony) with a kind of patriotism, that I mostly avoided it (and Bruce!) in the early 80s – but I’ve come to appreciate all of him, even this one.

My copy—via private sale—is a 1984 Carrollton pressing cut at Masterdisk, and still has the original liner.

Another Sunday, another Bill Evan’s live LP from Resonance. This one was recorded October 23, 1968 in Greenwich Village. This time Eddie Gomez and Marty Morell join Evans.

This was recorded by Geoge Klabin himself, founder of the Rising Jazz Stars foundation and Resonance Records, as a 22 year old college student.

My copy—via a private sale—is the 2019 Record Store Day limited edition numbered release.

Fantastic collection of Sarah Vaughan doing Gershwin standards from the twenties and thirties, supported by Hal Mooney & His Orchestra.

My copy—via a private sale—is a 2xLP gatefold reissue in mono by Verve/UMe, which reproduces the old Mercury labels.

This was Cooder’s second studio album, with some great legacy American music, including “How Can You Keep On Moving (Unless You Migrate Too)” and Woody Guthrie’s “Vigilante Man.”

You can’t go wrong with Ry Cooder. Produced by Lenny Waronker and Jim Dickinson.

My copy—via a private sale—is a Pitman pressing on orange Reprise labels with a lovely gatefold.

Sixth full-length with Ervin as leader, recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in 1963, for Prestige. Ervin is joined here by Jaki Byard (piano), Richard Davis (bass), and Alan Dawson (who was a drum instructor at Berklee in Boston) (drums).

My copy—via a private sale—is the 2023 Analogue Productions / Craft Recordings reissue, in the Prestige Stereo Series. It was mastered by Kevin Gray and pressed at QRP on 180g vinyl.

Compilation album for North America put out by Sire in 1984, pulling the title track single and a combination of album cuts, and b-sides. This song was such a key to the soundtrack of my life in the early 80s: “People are people so why should it be / you and I should get along so awfully.” I still sing along word for word when it comes on First Wave.

It also included the 7-minute plus “Everything Counts (In Larger Amounts)” from the 12″ single of that song. I’m still fleshing out my Depeche Mode collection but they can be hard to find in original pressings.

My copy—via Academy Records in NYC—is a 1980s Specialty pressing with the E A S T around the spindle and the “tm” under the Sire logo.

Jackson and Coltrane are joined by Hank Jones (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Connie Kay (drums). Recording supervised by Nesuhi Ertegun, engineered by Tom Dowd.

Great LP, bringing together Milt Jackson (Bags) of The Modern Jazz Quartet and John Coltrane (Trane) who had a year earlier put out Giant Steps. I’m not always a fan of the vibraphone but love how it plays off of Coltrane on this album.

My copy—via a private sale—is the 2017 reissue by Rhino Vinyl, in mono, pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal GmbH. Sounds great.

Eleventh (?) LP from Kottke, a solo outing instrumental style. Recorded at Sound 80 in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Includes a cover of Ry Cooder’s Available Space” as well as “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” and eight originals.

My copy—via Salem Flea Marketplace—is a Santa Maria pressing on blue Chrysalis labels.

Second 1968 Bill Evans performance I’ve posted this week, this one has the trio (again with Eddie Gomez and Jack DeJohnette) at Casino de Montreux in Switzerland, and was recorded by the technical department of Radio Suisse Romande.

My copy (via a private sale) is the 2020 Analogue Productions reissue on two 45rpm 200g records, cut by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab. Sounds fantastic, though I can’t say I like having to change the platter twice as often.

Another fantastic Blue Note jazz LP, this came out originally in 1966. It features Mitchell (trumpet) with Junior Cook (tenor sax), Chick Corea (piano), Gene Taylor (bass), and Aloysius Foster (drums), and was recorded at Van Gelder Studios in New Jersey.

My copy- via a private sale – is the Blue Note Tone Poet reissue from 2024, cut by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed at RTI. Great sound and packaging.

Credited on the cover to “Kevin Rowland & Dexys Midnight Runners,” this was their second LP, the first with Mercury Records and the one with the massive hit “Come on Eileen.” Wonderful album – also includes “Jackie Wilson Said.”

There were plans for a 40th anniversary reissue of Too-Rye-Ay “As It Could Have Sounded” (a remix) but I don’t believe it ever came to fruition.

My copy – via Vinyl Vault in Littleton MA – is a 1982 Mercury pressing with the “SRM-1-4069” catalog number and a “Previously released as SHRM 1-4069” notation.