6499
025/6
(6441 016)
VARIOUS ARTISTS - THE VERTIGO
TRIP
(1971)
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Participating bands:
see track listing.
Cover-design by
Ian Brown.
Photography by
Nicholas J.van der Ley.
Liner notes:
none.
Cover manufactured
by unknown.
Track listing A-side
disc 025: St.Louis (Warhorse)/ Hole In My Pocket (Legend)/ Time
For The Leaving
(Magna Carta) / We'll Talk About It Later
(Nucleus).
Track listing B-side
disc 025: Reno, Nevada (Ian Matthews)/ High Beech (May Blitz)/
Bird Catcher
(Clear Blue Sky)/ Gambling Man (Daddy Longlegs)/ My Archangel Mikael
(Graham Bond).
Track listing A-side
disc 026: After Forever (Black Sabbath)/ The New One (Gravy
Train)/ Memory
(Beggars Opera)/ Hold Me Back
(Patto).
Track listing B-side
disc 026: Funny Ways (Gentle Giant)/ Promises (Catapilla)/ This
Is What Happens
(Keith Tippett Group)/ Home (Nirvana).
The Vertigo logo on front is red.
Running time is mentioned inside the gatefold (identical to the British
clockings).
Matrix number A-side disc 025:
A MX165141 6499025-1
Matrix number B-side disc 025:
A MX165142-B 6499025-2
Matrix number A-side
disc 026:
A MX165145-B 6499026-1
Matrix number B-side disc 025:
A MX185146-B 6499026-2
Matrix numbers are machine-stamped.
Rarity scale: R3
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No new points of view are offered by
this rather patchy double sampler album. The choice of tracks is surely
surprising, but too many weak cuts are allowed to fill up room. In
fact, almost the whole of the first disc is discardable, mainly because
the wrong tracks were chosen to represent the albums involved. The
start of the record with Warhorse's St.Louis
could very well be an expression of chauvinism, as this track is
written by the Australians Vanda and Young (Easybeats). The second disc
is much better, except the last two songs of side B. They sound even
bleaker in this context, than on their own albums.
Someone at the art-department must have gone ape over the ''Vertigo
Annual 1970'' cover from Britain. The symbolism of horse and lady is
adopted, but simultaneously stripped to the bare core. Now, it is a
purely sexual symbiosis and this shows strongly on the photographs. The
blonde lady on front is now stark naked and rocks her horse with a lewd
grin. The horse's mane stands in for pubic hair, not very subtle, we
think. On the inside horse and lady are seen from below, as though from
inside a water-well, even though its walls seem to belong to a church
ruin. She holds the reins as if they would be involved in an erotic
game with leather. The gigantic poster that was given away with this
record shows another, this time dark-haired, lady on the horse. She is
naked too and rejoices climactic feelings on the horse's back. Another
shot is in black and white and shows her kissing the cheek of her
mount. Furthermore there is a large advertising section with small
pictures of ever so many Vertigo albums. Only Black Sabbath's Master of reality shows any
difference to the British issue: the bottow lettering is outlined in
white. Of course, the cover of Rod Stewart's An old raincoat won't ever let you down
has the inside for the outside, but in Australia this is a release on
Fontana.
6357
007
BUFFALO - DEAD FOREVER
(1972)
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Line-up: Paul Balbi, dr/
John Baxter, gtr/ Alan Milano, voc/ Dave Tice, voc/ Peter Wells, bsgtr.
Production: Spencer Lee.
Cover-design by Ian Brown.
Photography by
Nicholas J.van der Ley.
Liner notes: none.
Cover manufactured
by unknown.
Recorded at
United Sounds, Sydney & Copperfield Sound Productions, Sydney.
Track listing A-side:
Leader (Dave Tice + John Baxter + Peter Wells)/ Suzie Sunshine
(John Baxter + Brett)/ Pay My Dues (Blues Image)/ I''m A Mover
(Paul Rodgers + Andy Frazer).
Track listing B-side:
Ballad Of Irving Fink (Alan Milano + John Baxter)/ Bean Stew (Dave Tice
+ John Baxter)/ Forest Rain (Dave Tice + John Baxter)/ Dead Forever
(Dave Tice + John Baxter).
The Vertigo logo on front is
black.
There are no running time indications.
Matrix number A-side:
6357007 1Y 2YS-2135-1
Matrix number B-side:
6357007 2Y 2YS-2136-1
Matrix numbers are hand-etched.
Rarity scale: R2
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The influence of Black Sabbath and
above all Blue Cheer can hardly be overheard on this debut album.
Grinding tempi and the tendency towards black-magical lyrics, leave no
doubt where textural and textual inspiration is found. Still, Buffalo
evokes
something of an own atmosphere. This is alternately cold and bitter,
like on
the opening track, that suggests satanism without actually giving the
game away, and dispairingly bluesy like on Suzie sunshine, simple blues-rock,
really. There are almost no overdubs, except for the guitar solos, so
the sound is quite straightforward. Baxter proves himself a talented
guitarist, but it is just not enough to save the whole album. Too many
tracks are weighty slow-rock with heavy riffs and without any form of
variation. The cover of Blues Image's Pay
my dues isn't bad (Baxter pulls all stops) but The Free's I'm a mover is not very succesful.
The expressive voice of Rodgers is sorely missed and the ''moving''
drive of the original has got lost somewhere in the process. The album
shows some promise, but sounds also dated. Clearly the band needs more
inventiveness to satisfy the discerning listeners.
The cover shows a strange foreground in
black and brown, with a male human face peeping through. Agitated,
muddy and blood-stained he doesn't look very favourable to us. Inside
the gatefold a large photograph of the band (in good spirits) in a, you
guessed it, churchyard.
The lettering is overly simple, but will do for now, I guess.
Meticulous research brought to light two variations of this release:
for some reason it was adorned with two different matrix numbers, which
is reflected on the label. See scan below.
Diligent readers have now pointed out that the ''MX'' version was
probably issued by the Australian Record Club, hence the different
catalogue number.
6357
101
BUFFALO - VOLCANIC ROCK
(1973)
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Line-up: John Baxter, gtr/
Jimmy Economou, dr/ Dave Tice, voc/ Peter Wells, bsgtr.
Production: Spencer Lee.
Cover-art by
J.Phillip Thomas.
Cover-design by Ian Brown.
Photography by
Nicholas J.van der Ley & Taylor.
Liner notes: none.
Cover manufactured
by unknown.
Recorded at
United Sounds, Sydney.
Track listing A-side:
Sunrise [Come My Way] (Dave Tice + John Baxter) 4'55''/ Freedom
(Dave Tice + John Baxter) 9'00''/ Till My Death (Dave Tice) 5'34''.
Track listing B-side: The
Prophet (Dave Tice + John Baxter) 7'23''/ Intro: Pound Of Flesh (John
Baxter + Peter Wells)</> Shylock (Dave Tice + John Baxter)
10'24''.
The Vertigo logo on front is red.
Matrix number A-side:
6357101 A 2YS-2906
Matrix number B-side:
6357101 B 2YS-2907
Matrix numbers are hand-etched.
Rarity scale: R3
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Restricted to a power-trio plus singer
and with a new drummer, the band sounds tighter than before. The
guitars are more integrated into the sound and no cover versions are
played anymore. The black-magical overtones have disappeared and the
band is evidently more confident. Even the compositions are a bit more
interesting. The opening Sunrise
still is absolutely average, but Freedom
begins mysteriously and atmospherically, before merging into the
well-known and ruthless sledgehammer style. Till my death sounds like Ten Years
After with the brakes on. On side B the monotony unfortunately wins the
upper hand, with the exception of Intro,
that suddenly boasts great melodic guitar parts and is the best on
offer here. Shylock that
follows suit is too colourless to excite.
Quite a strange cover-design, though.
On top of an enormous female-shaped rock, lava bubbling inside, a young
blonde hero without genitals emerges. He heaves the missing private
parts with great effort above his head. No wonder, as they are of
supernatural size. Inside some acceptable live shots. A small poster is
added. One side shows the lyrics, the other show more of the volcanic
landscape, where all kinds of beings, bizarre and uncanny, wander
around. Pretty scary.
The lettering is nice in itself, but weighs too heavy on the image.
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White label pressings of this
record were accompanied by above cue sheet.
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6831
040
GRAHAM PARKER & THE RUMOUR - THE
PINK PARKER
(1978)
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Line-up: not mentioned.
Production: Nick Lowe.
Cover-design by unknown.
Liner notes: none.
Cover manufactured
by unknown.
Recorded at
unknown.
Track listing A-side: Hold
Back The Night (Graham Parker)/ [Let Me Get] Sweet On You
(Graham Parker).
Track listing B-side: White
Honey [Live] (Graham Parker & The Rumour))/ Soul Shoes [Live]
(Graham Parker).
The Vertigo logo on front is
white.
There are no running time indications.
Matrix number A-side:
6831040-A
Matrix number B-side:
6831040-B
Matrix numbers are hand-etched.
Rarity scale: R2
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A marginal case for inclusion, as the
swirl label was already obsolete at this time in Australia. Yet, it is
no reissue, so here you are.
The cover does not really show a
design, so there isn't much to say about it except that it looks
perfecty ghastly. The simplest of lettering, slightly tilted, yes sir,
now that's an interesting idea! Did they really pay any designers for
such covers? But, stop complaining please, the vinyl is stark nakedly
pink!
847 200
ROD STEWART - AN OLD RAINCOAT WON'T EVER LET YOU DOWN
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Only the 'old' catalogue number for Rod in Oz, but a very different cover makes up for this.
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CASSETTES
As you would expect, Vertigo released
cassettes in Australia too. Here's just an example:
Apart from the logical caption ''Made
in Australia'' on the cassette itself, there is little to distinguish
it from its British counterpart, a remark which includes the catalogue
number 7138 027.
SINGLES
Early singles (like the albums) were
released on Fontana. Some of these do have the wording ''A Vertigo
Production'' on the label as seen here:
and in glorious mono too!
Later singles do, of course, appear on swirl labels.
We have had confirmation of the
following differing swirl singles and local releases. None of these had a
picture sleeve.
The label of one of these singles is depicted below.
6036 028 SHONA LAING
A: 19.05. B: There Are No Words [To Describe]
(same cat.nr. as in New Zealand).
6036 908 DRAGON
A: Vermillion cellars. B: Rock 'n' roll ponsonby.
6037 901 BUFFALO
A: Lucky. B: On my way.
6037 904 BUFFALO
A: Rolling. B: Hotel Ladies.
6059 032 FAIRFIELD PARLOUR
A: Emily. B: Sunny side circus.
6059 033 JIMMY CAMPBELL
A: Don't leave me now. B: In my room
6059 052 MAGNA CARTA
A: Country jam. B: Home groan.
6059 075 SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND
A: Jungle Jenny. B: Buff's bar blues.
6059 112 SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND
A: Anthem [short version]. B: Anthem [long version].
6078 113 KENNY JONES
A: Ready or not. B: Woman trouble.
(B-side credited to ''Kenney Jones and a pop group'')
6165 001 BLACK SABBATH
A: Sabbath bloody sabbath. B: Changes.
6237 001 BUFFALO
A: Suzie sunshine/ Dead forever.
B: Barbershop rock/ Sunshine [come my way].
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Australian
picture sleeve for 6237 001, Buffalo EP.
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And a very strange one here:
MAC 761 Macarthur
A: Macarthur. B: Good stuff
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Promo
issue of MAC-761.
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