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vertigo



THAILAND, PHILIPPINES, SOUTH KOREA


These are indeed exotic locations, but they did produce some swirl releases nonetheless. We have encountered the following issues.



From Thailand we found an unlikely seventies sampler, complete with tiny swirls on the label and many of the beloved bands featuring. We also found a doubtful release of the second Gracious LP!

PTV-6641 116
VARIOUS ARTISTS - UNDERGROUND GOLD

PTV6641116
PTV6641116lbl


Line-up: see track listing.
Cover-design by unknown.
Photography by unknown.
Liner notes: none.
Cover manufactured by unknown.

Track listing A-side: Sarabande (Beggar's Opera)/ Train (Juicy Lucy)/ Prayer (Manfred Mann Chapter III)/ A Prenormal Day At Brighton (Jade Warrior)/ Tomorrow's Dreams (Black Sabbath).
Track listing B-side: The Kettle (Colosseum)/ Red Mountain River (Livin' Blues)/ Asylum (Cressida)/ Living In The Past (Jethro Tull)/ Time For The Leaving (Magna Carta).

The Vertigo logo on front is black.
There are no running time indications.

Matrix number A-side:
PTV-6641 116 A (hand-etched)
Matrix number B-side:
PTV-6641 116 B (hand-etched)

Rarity scale: R4/5



We have no means to determine the year of release, but the design surely looks like the seventies. The choice of tracks is quite good, but we wonder a little at the inclusion of Livin' Blues (a Dutch blues-rock legend that recorded for Philips in The Netherlands, but never reached an international audience) and above all of Jethro Tull, a band that had no connection to Philips/Phonogram as far as we could establish. We do enjoy the choice of Cressida's Asylum very much.

The cover sports such a strange design, that we marveled about its intentions. Probably the idea was to convey something of a ''live rock'' atmosphere. There are some simplifcations that leave us breathless, like the fried egg that serves as a bassguitar (with three pegs only) and the perfect circles that are the singer's eyes. The backcover repeats the image from the front, but this time in red and white only.
The lettering is straight from the font catalogue, but bears no connection to the image.

Notes: on the cover three bands are victim of creative Thai spelling, on the label Colosseuw is corrected, Black Sabbaht and Jetro Tull are not. The spelling for the Sabbies is remarkable, especially when considering the name of the Thai currency.
The title on the label and that on the cover do not match.



TI 004
GRACIOUS -THIS IS GRACIOUS

TI004
TI004lbl


Line-up: Alan Cowderoy, voc, gtr/ Paul Davis, voc, gtr, perc/ Martin Kitcat, voc, keyb/ Robert Lipson, dr/ Tim Wheatley, bsgtr.
Production by Hugh Murphy.
Cover-design by Roger Dean.
Liner notes: none.
Cover manufactured by unknown.

Track listing A-side: Super Nova: a) Arrival Of The Traveller b) Blood Red Sun c) Say Goodbye To Love d) Prepare To Meet Thy Maker.
Track listing B-side: C.B.S./ What's Come To Be/ Blue Skies And Alibis/ Hold Me Down.
All tracks by Paul Davis + Martin Kitcat.

There is no Vertigo logo on front.
There are no running time indications.

Matrix number A-side:
T1 004-A 1HP (machine-stamped)
Matrix number B-side:
T1 004-B 1HP (machine-stamped)

Rarity scale: R?



We are not really sure whether or not this is a Thai release, but reliable sources say so and thus so do we. Perhaps this issue isn't entirely legal, it surely looks pretty strange. We're contemplating the second album by this symphonic prog crew, who made an interesting LP in the early Vertigo years (1970). This second one proudly shoulders on in the same vein. On the sidelong suite Super nova a threatening electronic rock introduction gives way to another of those angular mellotron themes that we know from the debut. A fine and vaguely menacing melody takes over. A mellow ballad now comes as quite a surprise, but do not worry, it soon mixes with the impending doom from the beginning. A religiously inclined soft-rock piece ends the side. The B-side starts due to C.B.S. with more muscle and more like a pop-psych band with stray progressive elements. A long Caravan-like instrumental episode fills the middle part of this excellent track. More cosmically disposed mellotron prog follows suit with a lot of diversity. There are pastoral textures as well as driving rock, equally well executed. Everything works quite authentic and inventive, so on the whole this is a rewarding listening experience.

The cover shows Adam and Eve in a Tiffany-styled stained window, as well as a preacher preaching with St.John's eagle supporting him. There may be traces of these images in the lyrics, but the atmosphere is a very different one, so this design is quite incomprehensible.
The lettering is downright banal and has nothing to defend itself
.
Notes: this was released in Britain on Philips (6382 004) in 1971.
The cover design somehow repeats the exclamation mark from the debut.



From
The Philippines we have seen advertised one single:

PHI 1187 BLACK SABBATH
A: The Wizard. B: Evil Woman.
But this seems to be issued on Philips, so no deal.



From
South Korea we found something we could not quite fathom. The front cover is identical to the UK version. One of our readers solved the enigma. See below the scans.

SEL RP-2235 (1991)
MAY BLITZ - ''same''

SELRP2235bc
SELRP2235

The front cover is similar to the British version, but the backcover is completely different (see scan). Furthermore, the running order has been revised and there is an inner sleeve that displays the lyrics in both English and Korean.
We have now also seen a copy without the ''sample'' sticker. Underneath is the pressing date! It's from 1991...

korinner1
korinner2





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