STACK #244 February 2025

MUSIC FEATURE

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There’s nothing quite like taking home some fresh vinyl and putting it on the turntable for the first time. It’s a total experience. Each month we pull together a collection of reissues, JB-exclusives, or just straight-up classic long players to add to any burgeoning collection. Words: Paul Jones, Amy Flower V I V I T A L

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THE BEATLES 1964 U.S. ALBUMS IN MONO

C apitol Records initially refused a deal with its owner, EMI, to distribute the Beatles’ music in the U.S. It believed the Fab Four’s appeal would fall flat with audiences across

Dexter, sliced and diced the album formats for U.S. release. Ironically, it was Dexter who had rejected the band. Cut in mono, it’s the only way to listen to these first Beatles albums, and this set

SKYHOOKS LIVING IN THE 70’S (1974) (50TH ANNIVERSARY 2024 REMASTER) I n the early 1970s, not much exciting was happening in Australian music – at least if you listened to radio. But the timely emergence of Skyhooks, Mushroom Records, and TV music show Countdown changed all that, with one hell of a bang. Melbourne’s Day-Glo coloured Skyhooks unleashed their debut long-player, pro duced by Daddy Cool’s Ross Wilson, in October of 1974, to little fanfare. But come 1975 - and much Countdown exposure – the album topped the charts for 16 weeks. It was the highest selling Aussie album by anybody to that point. What was different about Living in the 70’s was that Skyhooks sang about local stuff – songs with titles such as Lygon Street Limbo and Toorak Cowboy , combined social com mentary with acerbic wit (and top tunes) in a way that simply hadn’t been heard previously. It was a game changer. TOP TRACK: Horror Movie FUN FACT: Six of the ten tracks on Living in the 70’s were banned on commercial radio. As a statement of intent, 2JJ – later JJJ – debuted in 1975 with the album’s You Just Like Me ‘Cos I’m Good in Bed .

the pond. However, the band’s phenomenal UK success would sway the label. Through

of records tells the aural story of the Fab Four’s

incredible ascendance in America. Playing back Something New

Capitol’s famed marketing power and the Beatles’

and The Early Beatles , both albums have been cut bright and full, with a vibrant sound that only rocks harder the higher you turn the dial. Sonically, these records are excellent. Well-balanced highs and lows stay true to the original records. Tell Me Why, Twist and Shout, and Please Please Me punch from the speakers. We recommend slumping back in an armchair and visualising the impact these records had on American teenagers 60 years ago, searching for part two of the rock and roll revolution. They certainly found it.

now legendary appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show , the door swung open. With the deal in place, in

early 1964, Capitol began releasing Beatles albums. The label adopted a different modus operandi, ignoring the UK releases and handpicking track lists studded with hits to increase the potential for commercial success. Consequently, the Capitol releases featured reshuffled songs, new artwork and, to the disdain of George Martin and the Beatles, extra echo and reverb added to the mix to spice up the sound. Thus, these early releases have become synonymous with their unique sonic signature. In exciting news for Beatlemaniacs, Universal has followed up its recent remaster Blue and Red album releases with seven Capitol albums. The label enlisted the expertise of Grammy-nominated mastering engineer Kevin Reeves, who referenced the original album pressings to cut new vinyl lacquers. All the releases are pressed on 180gm vinyl, feature meticulous reproduction

artwork, and come with individual essays from Beatles aficionado Bruce Spizer. Also included are glossy one-page studio sheets

relating to each album that outline how Capitol’s head of foreign product, Dave

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