The Squire Presents

This was a project I have been milling over for a number of years now. It was inspired by hearing the single version of ‘In-A-Garda-Da-Vida’ by Iron Butterfly. The original album version clocked in a side of an LP filling 17:05, but the single was only 2:52. There was some severe editing going on here butt gave me an idea. How many other songs from this era, and from North America (as I had already covered British psych quite extensively already) had single versions considerably different to the LP ones? Well, not many but there were several that were different mixes, or completely different versions. Mono was also a dying format in the USA in the late 60s and by 1968, few LPs were released in this format. However, singles continued to be so as most radio stations were still using the AM signal, which only broadcast in mono. Stereo singles were also released in this time. 

When reissue programmes gathered pace in the mid 1990’s, mono was mostly ignored and so the original vinyl version of these records became sought after by collectors. Slowly, but surely, mono releases started being reissued but this tended to be album mixes. The more obscure single mixes tended to be relegated to specialist compilations or forgotten about. 

This is my attempt at compiling a three disc set with as many single version of songs I could find. This includes well known acts as well as the more obscure. It is not only A-Sides as well, but some B-sides as well. Some of the artists were just starting out (e.g. Alice Cooper) whereas some were trying to adapt to a new sound having been part of the previous scene (e.g. The Electric Prunes). 

In terms of the artists represented on this compilation, the vast majority come from the USA, but there are the odd interloper from Canada. I also thought this would have been the sort of compilation that Rhino would release. If this ever to come out, with the way these things are released in 2025, it would come out on vinyl and CD so the timings of each disc had to be able to fit on both forms without any loss of songs or a change in the running order. The name of the compilation comes from a song on Disc 1 by The United States of America. 

CD1

LP Side 1

1. On The Road Again (1968 Stereo Single Mix) – Canned Heat
2. Heroes & Villains (1967 Mono Single Mix) – The Beach Boys
3. Mr. Soul (1967 Mono Single Mix) – Buffalo Springfield
4. 32-20 (1966 Mono Single Mix) – The Charlatans
5. Love Street (1968 Mono Single Mix) – The Doors
6. She Sang Hymns Out Of Tune (1967 Mono Single Mix) – Harry Nilsson
7. Pandora’s Golden Heebie Jeebies (1967 Mono Single Mix) – The Association

LP Side 2

1. Omaha (1967 Mono Single) – Moby Grape
2. Abba Zaba (1967 Mono Single) – Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
3. Rain (1968 Mono Single Mix) – Kak
4. Hello Hello (1966 Mono Single) – Sopwith Camel
5. A Girl I Knew (1967 Mono Single Mix) – Steppnwolf
6. White Light/White Heat (1967 Mono Single Mix) – The Velvet Underground
7. Brother Lou’s Love Colony (1967 Mono Single Mix) – Colours
8. In-A-Garda-Da-Vida (1968 Mono Single Mix) – Iron Butterfly

LP Side 3

1. Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man (1968 Stereo Single) – The Bob Segar System
2. Talkin’ To Your Toothbrush (1968 Stereo Single) – Mama Cass
3. Nickles & Dimes (1968 Stereo Single) – The Bag
4. Dino’s Song (1968 Stereo Single) – Quicksilver Messenger Service
5. Shadow In The Corner Of Your Mind (1967 Mono Single) – Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
6. Free Up (Part 1) (1969 Promo Single) – The Surprise Package
7. White Bird (1969 Stereo Single Mix) – It’s A Beautiful Day

LP Side 4

1. The Garden Of Earthly Delights (1968 Stereo) – The United States Of America
2. Hold On (1969 Mono Single Mix) – The Rascals
3. Last Night I Had A Dream (1968 Stereo Single Mix) – Randy Newman
4. Coo Coo (1968 Stereo Single) – Big Brother & The Holding Company
5. Think Twice (1968 Mono Single Mix) – Think Twice
6. Scorpio Red (1968 Mono Single) – The Holy Mackarel
7. Change Is Now (1967 Mono Single) – The Byrds

CD2

LP Side 1

1. Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35 (1966 Mono Single Mix) – Bob Dylan
2. I Can Only Give You Everything (1967 Single) – MC5
3. Reflected (1969 Single) – Alice Cooper
4. Impressions With Syvonne (1967 Mono Single) – Don Grady
5. Lantern Gospel (1968 Single) – The World Column
6. 900 Million People Daily All Making Love (1968 Single Mix) – The Seeds

LP Side 2

1. Sanctus (1968 Mono Single) – The Electric Prunes
2. House Of Painted Glass (1967 Single) – The Sandals
3. Please (1968 Single) – Kaleidoscope
4. Pancake Trees (1970 Promo Single) – Jefferson Lee
5. Smile, let Your Life Begin (1967 Mono Single) – The Factory
6. Who Is That Girl (1967 Single) – The Scott Richard Case
7. Bubble Gum (1969 Single) – Kim Fowley

LP Side 3

1. Fool (1970 Single) – Blue Cheer
2. Skipping Through The Night (1967 Single) – NGC-4594
3. Come Down (1967 Single) – The Common Cold
4. Not To Know (1970 Mono Single Mix) – Moon
5. Song Of A Gypsy (1969 Single) – Damon
6. Night Sounds Loud (1968 Single) – Clear Light
7. One Ring Jane (1969 Single) – Mother Tucker’s Yellow Duck

LP Side 4

1. L-12 East (1968 Single) – Groundspeed
2. Nobody (1968 Mono Single Mix) – Three Dog Night
3. Hungry Woman (1967 Promo Single) – Euphoria
4. Raising Sorrow (1969 Single) – The Mass
5. Mary Maiden (1969 Single) – The Scarlett Letter
6. Who Do You Love (1969 Single) – The Blues Magoos
7. Revelation In Slow Motion (1968 Single) – Count Five

CD3

LP Side 1

1. Alone Again Or (1967 Mono Single Remix) – Love
2. Dark Star (1968 Single) – Grateful Dead
3. I Want To Take You Higher (1970 Mono Single) – Sly & the Family Stone
4. Invisible People (1967 Mono Single) – Hamilton Streetcar
5. White Rabbit (1967 Mono) – Jefferson Airplane
6. How Could I Be Such A Fool (1966 Mono) – The Mothers Of Invention
7. You keep Me Hangin’ On (1967 Stereo Single Mix) – Vanilla Fudge

LP Side 2

1. Tripping Into Sunshine (1968 Single) – T.I.M.E.
2. Sum Up Broke (1966 Mono Single) – The International Submarine Band
3. I’ll Slip Away (1967 Mono Single) – Rod Riquez
4. Choo Choo Train (1968 Single) – The Box Tops
5. I Feel Like I[m Fixin’ To Die Rag (1965 Original Mono EP Version) – Country Joe & the Fish
6. I Stole The Goodyear Blimp (1967 Mono Single) – The Book Of Changes
7. Sing Me A Rainbow (1966 Mono Single) – The Sons Of Champlin

LP Side 3

1. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (1969 Mono Single Mix) – Crosby, Stills & Nash
2. Kaleidoscoptic (1968 Single) – Shiva’s Headband
3. The Big Bright Pleasure Machine (1968 Single) – The Joyride
4. Uncle Jack (1968 Single) – Spirit
5. Sittin’ In Circles (1968 Single) – Steve Miller Band
6. Wings (1966 Single) – Tim Buckley

LP Side 4

1. I’ve Got Leviathan (1967 Mono Single) – The 13th Floor Elevators
2. Machines (1968 Single) – Lothar & The Hand People
3. Dialated Eyes (1969 Mono Promo Single) – The Gregorians
4. The Truth Is Not Real (1968 Mono Single Mix) – Sagittarius
5. Darkness, Darkness (1969 Mono Single) –  The Youngbloods
6. Porpoise Song (1968 Mono Single Mix) – The Monkees

I went a bit over the top with the artwork on this compilation by having gatefold sleeves for the vinyl edition as well as for the CDs. 

Outside box set cover comes from ‘Sixties Psychedelic Movement Typography of Psychedelia by Shanley Mitchell (artist unknown) 

Volume 1 artwork by James Lewicki

Volume 2 artwork by an unknown artist. Found it on a blog

Volume 3 artwork by Tyrus Wong

As I mentioned earlier, I thought this would be the sort of compilation that Rhino would release so I have included their logo on the artwork. 

As this was designed to be a series of gatefold LPs as well CDs, I made some relevant artwork if a vinyl version was ever to be released.

To round of the month, here is the latest instalment of my sampler LPs looking at the Flying Vinyl label.

Side 1

1. I’m Gonna Do Well – Calva Louise
2. Boyfriend – Confidence Man
3. She Looks Like A Dreamer – Hey Charlie
4. Fun Garcon – The Van T’s
5. Weeping – Horsey
6. Saltwater – Beowulf

Side 2

1. Boyfriend – Marika Hackman
2. Love – Anteros
3. Waste Of Time – The Cosmics
4. Look The Other Way – Family Friends
5. Never Start – Middle Kids
6. Finally (Acoustic Version) – Francobollo

Side C

1. Heartfelt – The Ninth Wave
2. Dead Dreamers – Demob Happy
3. Vendetta – Mellow Gang
4. Heathen – Colouring
5. Do Tell – Sides

Side D

1. Boyish – Hippo Campus
2. Island – Waves
3. Manicure – Sports
4. Dreams Tonite – Alvvays
5. No Big Deal – Our Girl
6. Reverie – Isaac Gracie

If you look at a discography of The Kinks, you will see that they have released a number of live recordings down the years. The first was ‘Live At Kelvin Hall’ in 1967 and the next being ‘One For The Road’ in 1980. However, there was another, released in-between these but it was included with the 1972 studio album ‘Everybody’s In Show-Biz – Everybody’s A Star’. This live album was not advertised as such. On the back cover, the tracks are listed as just being on sides 3 & 4 of the double album. All very confusing. However, what if these live tracks were not included on the ‘Everybody’s In Show-Biz’ but were released as their own album. 

On the 2nd and 3rd of March, 1972, The Kinks played two shows at Carnegie Hall in New York. The band were augmented by The Mike Cotton Sound whose horns had first been heard on the 1971 Kinks album, ‘Mussel Hillbillies’. All of the songs on the original incarnation from ‘Everybody’s In Show-Biz’ were taken from the 3rd March, but when this album was given the deluxe treatment in 2016, songs from the 2nd March were also made available. What was most surprising was how few of the songs were same. The Kinks were known at the time for their unpredictability during their concert but it seems that they could pull out deep cuts from their earlier days. ‘You’re Looking Fine’ being the best example, as it was an album track dating back to 1966 and taken from the ‘Face To Face’ album. 

With these additional recordings, it was almost possible to create a double live album. I say almost because without using the more than one version of a song, side 4 would be a little short. Luckily, the deluxe version of ‘Everybody’s In Show-Biz’ included the song ‘History’, a studio outtake which had remained unreleased until 2016. Putting a studio track onto a live album was not unheard of, even in the early 1970s. For example, ‘Live Cream’ by Cream included the song ‘Lady Mama’ which was a totally studio recording. Putting the song ‘History’ at the end of side 4 does mean that sides now match up roughly to each other.

Double live albums became popular in the 1970s, be it as a way of showcasing the band in a concert setting. However, most were released as a contractual obligation (especially if the band had spilt up and there wasn’t a possibility of any new studios recordings), during a period of writer’s block or as a stop gap between releases. It is for this last reason that I think this album could have come out. The Kinks, and in that regard, I mean main songwriter Ray Davies was a busy boy in the 1970’s. They release eleven studio albums during this period as well as being a major concert drawn, especially in America. However, 1976 is the odd year out as this was the only one where the band did not release a new studio album. This would be the year I would have putout this live double album out. 

The first LP in this double album follows the original release from 1972, except that I have taken ‘Lola’ off and placed it on side 4 to end the concert performances. Doing this means that sides 1 & 2 match up a lot more closely in terms of playing time on each side and ‘Lola’ sounds as though it should be at the end of the album. It is also an edit so we do not get the full song. The unedited version of this song was not even on the deluxe version from 2016. One thing I would change if I had been in charge of producing this album was to make a mix that made it sound more like a live experience than what we got. There are some abrupt edits between songs and it really sounds a bit shoddy. I’ve heard live bootlegs with more care and attention put into them. I would also have liked to see what other songs were recorded on these nights so I could have taken out ‘Banana Boat Song’ and ‘Baby Face’. They sound a bit out of place to my ears, and they are not complete performances. It was like Ray Davies decided to have a quick sing song of an old tune to fill out the time. Interesting to see what was going through his head at the time, but not essential. 

Side 1

1. Top Of The Pops
2. Brainwashed
3. Mr. Wonderful
4. Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues
5. Holiday

Side 2

1. Muswell Hillbilly
2. Alcohol
3. Banana Boat Song
4. Skin & Bone
5. Baby Face

Side 3

1. ’Til The End Of The Day
2. You’re Looking `fine
3. Get Back In Line
4. Have A Cuppa tea
5. Sunny Afternoon

Side 4

1. Complicated Life
2. Long Tall Shorty
3. She’s Bought A Hat Like Princess Marina
4. Lola
5. History (Studio Outtake)

The cover is one of those rare occasions where I have created the back of the sleeve as well as the front. That is because the picture has pretty much the who band and the Mike Cotton Sound in view (apart from keyboard player John Gosling). As this is a double LP and would have had a gatefold sleeve (this was the 70s you know), having the whole image was the right thing to do. 

To end the month, it is time to post another sampler of songs from Flying Vinyl looking at the songs that they put out on their monthly box of seven inch records for 2016. 

Once again, I had a couple of rules I needed to follow. 

One – none of the songs that I had used on my podcasts I made celebrating the label could be used. 

Two – all of the songs had to be available on Spotify so the artist would hopefully earn some money from this, however pitiful the royalty rate is. 

Three – I was looking to include artists who had been on the 2015 sampler. I did fail by including yet another song by Beach Baby, but is a cracker so I decided it should stay. 

Side A

1. Lost Direction – Cameron AG
2. Baby’s Alright – Inheaven
3. Skin Dives – Tangerines
4. True – Junk Son
5. Joey Says We Got It – The Orielles
6. Dreamland – Johnny Lloyd
7. Making Eyes – Saltwater Sun

Side B

1. Make Me Better – Ten Fe
2. Ay Ay – Otherkin
3. All My Pride – Black Honey
4. Summer – Skinshape
5. Make It Go Away – Eliza Shedded
6. All That I Want – Royal Sons

Side C

1. You Stole My Blackout – Palm Honey
2. Cannonball – Hidden Charms
3. Pipedreams – Willie J Harvey
4. Make Up Your Mind – Trash
5. Make A Man – Estrons
6. Let’s Go Out – Alex Lahey
7. What We Haven’t Got Yet – Jaws

Side D

1. Set The Fire – Swimming Tapes
2. That Certain Favour – Pinemen
3. Sleepyhead – Beach Baby
4. Ice – Fake Laugh
5. Slipping – Treams
6. It’s A Secret Life – Paven

The cover is based upon the packaging that the singles came in for some of 2016.

Part one of this series looking into the releases from 2015

Flying Vinyl (2015 Sampler) – Various Artists

The original podcast, dating back to 2016. Time has flown.

Episode 46 – Vinyl Frontier: Flying Vinyl

Deep Purple are one of the greatest rock bands of all time having released such classics as ‘Black Night’, ‘Highway Star’, ‘Fireball’ and most famously, ‘Smoke on the Water’. However, most of the songs they are most famous for date from the period between 1970 and 1975. The classic era as it were, or the Mark II line up as it also known as. It is the Mark I line up that this post is concerned with. This line up included band stalwarts such as Ritchie Blackmore (guitar), Jon Lord (keyboards) and Ian Paice (drums). The other two members who made up this first line up were Nick Simper (bass) and Rod Evans (vocals). 

The band was the brain child of ex-Searchers drummer, Chris Curtis. The idea was that there would be a core of musicians who would then be joined by other members when their particular skills were needed. The original band name was Roundabout to reflect this. Curtis was already a bit erratic and his lifestyle, fuelled by his use of LSD lead to him not sticking with the project for long. Members came and went before the Mark I was in place. All that was left was to pick a new name with Blackmore suggesting ‘Deep Purple’, which was his grandmothers favourite song. 

After a period of rehearsals, the group recorded their debut album in May of 1968. ‘Shades of Deep Purple’ came out two months later with the lead single, ‘Hush’ becoming a massive hit in the USA and Canada. Neither single or album did very much in the UK and so the band focused their efforts in the USA, with a gig supporting Cream on their ‘Goodbye’ tour. 

The band returned for another US tour, but this time as headliners. Their US record company, Tetragrammaton, felt that they needed more material and another album to promote. The resulting ‘The Book of Taliesyn’ was written in a rush because the band had been so busy, they had not had much time to work on new material. The sessions for the record started before their debut had even been released in their native UK. 

You can tell that the band were lacking material. ‘The Book of Taliesyn’ contains only seven songs (even though one was split into the two in ‘Exposition’ and We Can Work It Out’). This also included a couple of instrumentals and three covers. The songs were longer with the cover of ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ breaking the ten minute barrier. The band were unable to take much of a break though because within four months, they were back in the studio recording what would be their third (and last) LP by the Mark I line up. Even though there was only one cover on this album, and one instrumental, the long song quota was met by the twelve minute song ‘April’. 

Even though they had had some success, mostly in the USA, the core members of the band were looking to take the band in a harder rock direction. They felt that Rod Evans did not have the voice for the more aggressive material they were writing. Evans also seemed to be keen to move to the US permanently. The core members were also not happy with Simper’s bass playing, which they felt was rooted in the past. Manoeuvres were in place to recruit replacements with Ian Gillan (vocals) and Roger Glover (bass) becoming the new members. With this line up in place, the classic Mark II were ready to go. 

However, what if the band had not been rushed into the studio in late 1968 and given time to develop more material. Well, this is the album that we could have had. What we have is a more concise record, rooted in psychedelic rock with prog rock flourishes. I also wanted to take out any covers and along with that, the longer songs, especially ‘April’ which takes up most of the side of an LP. Jon Lord and his classical influences should possibly have been kept for a solo project or two. 

The band also released the stand along single, ‘Emmaretta’ in 1969. Said to have been inspired by Emmaretta Marks, a cast member in the musical ‘Hair’ whom lead singer Rod Evans was trying to seduce. The original UK B-Side was the instrumental ‘Wring That Neck’, but as this has been included on the LP, I put original album opener ‘Chasing Shadows’ there instead. 

Side 1

1. Shield – The Book of Taliesyn
2. Listen, Lean, Read On – The Book of Taliesyn
3. Wring That Neck – The Book of Taliesyn
4. Anthem – The Book of Taliesyn

Side 2

1. Why Did’t Rosemary? – Deep Purple
2. The Painter – Deep Purple
3. Fault Line – Deep Purple
4. Bird Has Flown – Deep Purple
5. Blind – The Book of Taliesyn 

Single

1. Emmaretta – Non Album Single
2. Chasing Shadows – Deep Purple

Would this have meant that the Mark I lineup would have continued. I doubt it, but it is interesting to see what the band could have sounded like if they did not feel they had to come up with material on the hoof, and extend their cover versions to pad out the vinyl. 

For the cover, I used the name and the art work that was used when the self titled third LP was released. 

This is the fifth entry in my on going series of Beach Boys yearly deep dives and this one is posted as yesterday was the 60th Anniversary of the release of the ‘Summer Days (& Summer Nights)’ album 

With Brian Wilson off of the road, 1965 would be the year he could finally start concentrating on writing and producing material for the band, as well as others. A deep dive box set for Wilson’s none Beach Boys productions should really be a future project. Anyway, Wilson decided it was time to take the band away from the styles and lyrical subjects that they had used in the past. He also experimented with the LP as an art from. This was shown on ‘The Beach Boys Today!’ album where side one is uptempo tracks whereas side two is made up of ballads. 

‘The Beach Boys Today!’ was also their first album of the year. Like the previous two years, the band put out three albums in 1965, even though ‘Beach Boys’ Party’ was essentially a stop gap made up mostly of covers. However, it was still something different as it was made to sound like an impromptu session recoded with acoustic instruments with a party atmosphere. The recording was anything but. The songs were recorded individually in the studio having been rehearsed beforehand. Some consider this to be the first unplugged album. 

Even though albums up to and including Beach Boys Today! had dedicated Stereo mixes, for some reason, in 1965, it was decided that these would be replaced with Duophonic mixes. Duophonic mixes consisted of two mono signals with an almost imperceptible time delay (measured in milliseconds) between them. As far as I can tell, the only difference between the two master recordings of ‘Graduation Day’ on Disc 9 is that one has a spoken intro and the other does not.

I have not included the sessions for the ‘Beach Boys’ Party!’. This is down to the fact that the Party LP has received an official multi disc sets that the albums before then had not. Therefore I felt that this was a good place to stop (so no ‘Pet Sounds’ etc in future). 

Sources for the songs included on this set. 

1 – Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 8 – The Alternate “Today’ Album, Part 2 (Bootleg)

2 – Today!

3 – Today! (2012 Remaster)

4 – Summer Love Songs

5 – Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 9 – The Alternate ‘Summer Days (and Summer Nights!)’ Album, Vol. 2 (Bootleg)

6 – Summer Days (and Summer Nights)

7 – Summer Days (and Summer Nights) (2012 Remaster)

8 – Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of the Beach Boys (2003)

9 – The Warmth of the Sun

10 – Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 7 – The Alternate ‘Today’ Album, Part 1 (Bootleg)

11 – Today!/Summer Days and Summer Nights!) (1990 Reissue)

12 – Hawthorne, CA: Birthplace Of A Musical Legacy

13 – Alternate Dumb Angel 1 (Bootleg)

14 – Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 11 – Miscellaneous Trax, Vol. 3 (Bootleg)

15 – Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 9 (1965) – The Alternate ‘Summer Days (and Summer Nights!)’ Album, Vol. 2

16 – Stack -O-Tracks

17 – Remember The Zoo (Bootleg)

18 – Good Vibrations: Thirty Years Of The Beach Boys

19 – Endless Harmony Soundtrack (1998 Version)

20 – Made In California (2012 Box Set)

21 – Pet Sounds DVD-A (2003)

22 – Sounds Of Summer: The Best Of The Beach Boys (Expanded Super Deluxe)

Disc 1

1. Good To Me Baby (Takes 1, 2, 3 & 4) – 1
2. Good To Me Baby (Take 5) – 1
3. Good To Me Baby (Takes 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13) – 1
4. Good To Me Baby (Take 14) – 1
5. Good To Me Baby (Takes 16 & 17) – 1
6. Good To Me Baby (Vocal Overdub Takes 1a, 2a & 3a) – 1
7. Good To Me Baby (Vocal Overdub Take 4a) – 1
8. Good To Me Baby (Mono) – 2
9. Good To Me Baby (Duophonic) – 2
10. Good To Me Baby (Stereo) – 3
11. Good To Me Baby (2009 New Stereo Mix) – 4
12. Good To Me Baby (2021 Stereo Mix) – 22
13. Help Me, Rhonda (Take 1) – 5
14. Help Me, Rhonda (Takes, 2, 3, 4 & 5) – 5
15. Help Me, Rhonda (Take 6) – 5
16. Help Me, Rhonda (1st Vocal Overdub) – 5
17. Help Me, Rhonda (2nd Vocal Overdub) – 5
18. Help Me, Rhonda (Mono) – 6
19. Help Me, Rhonda (Duophonic) – 6
20. Help Me, Rhonda (Stereo) – 7
21. Help Me, Rhonda (Single Version) – 8
22. Help Me, Rhonda (2021 Streo Mix) – 22

Disc 2

1. Please Let Me Wonder (Rehearsals) – 1
2. Please Let Me Wonder (Rehearsal) – 1
3. Please Let Me Wonder (Takes 1, 2 & 3) – 1
4. Please Let Me Wonder (Take 4) – 1
5. Please Let Me Wonder (Takes 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10) – 1
6. Please Let Me Wonder (Take 11) – 1
7. Please Let Me Wonder (Takes 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17) – 1
8. Please Let Me Wonder (Take 18) – 1
9. Please Let Me Wonder (Takes 19, 20 & 21) – 1
10. Please Let Me Wonder (Take 22) – 1
11. Please Let Me Wonder (Takes 23, 24 & 25) – 1
12. Please Let Me Wonder (1st Vocal Overdub) – 1
13. Please Let Me Wonder (2nd Vocal Overdub Takes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 8) – 1
14. Please Let Me Wonder (2nd Vocal Overdub Take 9) – 1
15. Please Let Me Wonder (Track Only) – 1
16. Please Let Me Wonder (Vocal Track) – 1
17. Please Let Me Wonder (Mono) – 2
18. Please Let Me Wonder (Duophonic) – 2
19. Please Let Me Wonder (Stereo) – 3
20. Please Let Me Wonder (2007 New Stereo Mix) – 9

Disc 3

1. I’m So Young (Rehearsals) – 1
2. I’m So Young (Take 1) – 1
3. I’m So Young (Instrumental Insert) – 1
4. I’m So Young (Vocal Intro Session) – 1
5. I’m So Young (1st Vocal Overdub) – 1
6. I’m So Young (2nd Vocal Overdub Takes 1 & 2) – 1
7. I’m So Young (2nd Vocal Overdub Take 3) – 1
8. I’m So Young (2nd Vocal Overdub Takes 4 & 5) – 1
9. I’m So Young (Mono) – 2
10. I’m So Young (Duophonic) – 2
11. I’m So Young (Stereo) – 3
12. I’m So Young (2009 New Stereo Mix) – 4
13. I’m So Young – Alternate Take (Rehearsal & Takes 1, 2, 3, 4, & 5) – 10
14. I’m So Young – Alternate Take (Take 6) – 10
15. I’m So Young – Alternate Take (Takes 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11) – 10
16. I’m So Young – Alternate Take (Take 12) – 10
17. I’m So Young – Alternate Take (1st Vocal Overdub) – 10
18. I’m So Young – Alternate Take (2nd Vocal Overdub) – 10
19. I’m So Young – Alternate Take (Master) – 11

Disc 4

1. In The Back Of My Mind (Takes 1 & 2) – 1
2. In The Back Of My Mind (Takes 3 & 4) – 1
3. In The Back Of My Mind (Takes 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10) – 1
4. In The Back Of My Mind (Takes 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 & 21) – 1
5. In The Back Of My Mind (Take 22) – 1
6. In The Back Of My Mind (Takes 23, 24, 25, 26 & 27) – 1
7. In The Back Of My Mind (Take 28) – 1
8. In The Back Of My Mind (Take 31) – 1
9. In The Back Of My Mind (Mono Instrumental Insert) – 1
10. In The Back Of My Mind (Stereo Backing Track) – 13
11. In The Back Of My Mind (1st Vocal Overdub) – 1
12. In The Back Of My Mind (2nd Vocal Overdub Takes 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5) – 1
13. In The Back Of My Mind (2nd Vocal Overdub Take 6) – 1
14. In The Back Of My Mind (2nd Vocal Overdub Takes 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11) – 1
15. In The Back Of My Mind (2nd Vocal Overdub Take 12) – 1
16. In The Back Of My Mind (Mono) – 2
17. In The Back Of My Mind (Duophonic) – 2
18. In The Back Of My Mind (Stereo) – 3
19. In The Back Of My Mind (Instrumental – Dennis Thanks Everybody) – 12
20. Bull Sessions With ‘Big Daddy’ (20 Minute Version) – 1
21. Bull Sessions With ‘Big Daddy’ – 2

Disc 5

1. The Little Girl I Once Knew (Intro Rehearsals) – 14
2. The Little Girl I Once Knew (Rehearsals) – 14
3. The Little Girl I Once Knew (Rehearsal) – 14
4. The Little Girl I Once Knew (Take 1) – 14
5. The Little Girl I Once Knew (Take 2) – 14
6. The Little Girl I Once Knew (Takes 3, 4, 5 & 6) – 14
7. The Little Girl I Once Knew (Takes 7, 8, 9 & 10) – 14
8. The Little Girl I Once Knew (Takes 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15) – 14
9. The Little Girl I Once Knew (Insert Vocal Rehearsal #1) – 14
10. The Little Girl I Once Knew (Insert Vocal Rehearsal #2)- 14
11. The Little Girl I Once Knew (Insert Vocal Rehearsal #3)- 14
12. The Little Girl I Once Knew (Insert Vocal Rehearsal #4) – 14
13. The Little Girl I Once Knew (Insert Vocal Rehearsal #5)- 14
14. The Little Girl I Once Knew (Insert Vocal Rehearsal #6) – 14
15. The Little Girl I Once Knew (Single Version) – 11
16. Let Him Run Wild (Take 16) – 15
17. Let Him Run Wild (Instrumental Insert) – 15
18. Let Him Run Wild – 16
19. Let Him Run Wild (1st Vocal Overdub 1 & 2) – 15
20. Let Him Run Wild (1st Vocal Overdub 2) – 15
21. Let Him Run Wild (2nd Vocal Overdub 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8) – 15
22. Let Him Run Wild (Mono Mix) – 15
23. Let Him Run Wild (Mono) – 6
24. Let Him Run Wild (Duophonic) – 6
25. Let Him Run Wild (Stereo) – 7
26. Let Him Run Wild (2007 New Stereo Mix) – 9
27. Let Him Run Wild (Alternate Backing Vocals) – 11
28. Let Him Run Wild (Remember The Zoo Version) – 17

Disc 6 

1. The Girl From New York (Take 1) – 15
2. The Girl From New York (Take 2)- 15
3. The Girl From New York (Takes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 & 13) – 15
4. The Girl From New York (Take 15) – 15
5. The Girl From New York (Take 16) – 15
6. The Girl From New York (Take 17) – 15
7. The Girl From New York (Vocal Overdub) – 15
8. The Girl From New York (Mono) – 6
9. The Girl From New York (Duophonic) – 6
10. The Girl From New York (Stereo) – 7
11. Amusement Parks USA (Take 9) – 15
12. Amusement Parks USA (1st Vocal Overdub) – 15
13. Amusement Parks USA (2nd Vocal Overdub) – 15
14. Amusement Parks USA (Mono) – 6
15. Amusement Parks USA (Duophonic) – 6
16. Amusement Parks USA (Stereo) – 7
17. Salt Lake City (Intro Rehearsal) – 15
18. Salt Lake City (Rehearsals) – 15
19. Salt Lake City (Takes 1, 2 & 3) – 15
20. Salt Lake City (Takes 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8) – 15
21. Salt Lake City (Take 9) – 15
22. Salt Lake City – 16
23. Salt Lake City (Mono) – 6
24. Salt Lake City (Duophonic) – 6
25. Salt Lake City (Stereo) – 7
26. Salt Lake City (2001 Stereo Mix) – 12

Disc 7

1. Girl Don’t Tell Me (Rehearsals) – 15
2. Girl Don’t Tell Me (Takes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6) – 15
3. Girl Don’t Tell Me (Take 7) – 15
4. Girl Don’t Tell Me (Takes 8, 9 & 10) – 15
5. Girl Don’t Tell Me (Takes 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15) – 15
6. Girl Don’t Tell Me (Take 16) – 15
7. Girl Don’t Tell Me (Instrumental Insert) – 15
8. Girl Don’t Tell Me (Vocal Overdub) – 15
9. Girl Don’t Tell Me (Mono) – 6
10. Girl Don’t Tell Me (Duophonic) – 6
11. Girl Don’t Tell Me (Stereo) – 7
12. You’re So Good To Me (Rehearsals) – 15
13. You’re So Good To Me (Take 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6) – 15
14. You’re So Good To Me (Take 7a) – 15
15. You’re So Good To Me (Take 7b) – 15
16. You’re So Good To Me (Takes 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 & 16) – 15
17. You’re So Good To Me (Take 17) – 15
18. You’re So Good To Me (Takes 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 & 23) – 15
19. You’re So Good To Me (Take 24) – 15
20. You’re So Good To Me (Instrumental Insert) – 15
21. You’re So Good To Me – 16
22. You’re So Good To Me (Mono) – 6
23. You’re So Good To Me (Duophonic) – 6
24. You’re So Good To Me (Stereo) – 7
25. You’re So Good To Me (2007 New Stereo Mix) – 9

Disc 8

1. California Girls (Rehearsals) – 15
2. California Girls (Takes 5 & 6) – 15
3. California Girls (Take 7) – 15
4. California Girls (Takes 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 & 14) – 15
5. California Girls (Take 15) – 15
6. California Girls (Takes 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 & 38) – 15
7. California Girls (Takes 39 & 40) – 15
8. California Girls (Take 41) – 15
9. California Girls (Takes 42, 43 & 44) – 15
10. California Girls (Take 43 Complete) – 15
11. California Girls – 16
12. California Girls (Session) – 16
13. California Girls (Vocals) – 18
14. California Girls (Mono) – 6 
15. California Girls (Duophonic) – 6
16. California Girls (Stereo) – 7
17. California Girls (1998 Stereo Remix) – 19
18. California Girls (2002 Stereo Mix) – 20
19. Summer Means New Love (Mono) – 6
20. Summer Means New Love (Duophonic) – 6
21. Summer Means New Love (Stereo) – 7
22. Summer Means New Love (Stereo Remix) – 21

Disc 9

1. Then I Kissed Her (Rehearsals) – 15
2. Then I Kissed Her (Takes 1 & 2) – 15
3. Then I Kissed Her (Takes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12) – 15
4. Then I Kissed Her (Takes 13, 14 & 15) – 15
5. Then I Kissed Her (Take 16) – 15
6. Then I Kissed Her (1st Instrumental Insert) – 15
7. Then I Kissed Her (2nd Instrumental Insert) – 15
8. Then I Kissed Her (1st Vocal Overdub) – 15
9. Then I Kissed Her (2nd Vocal Overdub) – 15
10. Then I Kissed Her (Mono) – 6
11. Then I Kissed Her (Duophonic) – 6
12. Then I Kissed Her (Stereo) – 7
13. Then I Kissed Her (2007 New Stereo Mix) – 9
14. Sandy (Rehearsals #1) – 15
15. Sandy (Rehearsals #2) – 15
16. Sandy (Track Only) – 15
17. Sandy (Instrumental Insert #1) – 15
18. Sandy (Instrumental Insert #2) – 15
19. Sandy (Chorus Rehearsal) – 15
20. Sandy (1st Vocal Overdub) – 15
21. Sandy (2nd Vocal Overdub) – 15

Disc 10

1. Do You Wanna Dance? (Take 1) – 1
2. Do You Wanna Dance? (Takes 2 & 3) – 1
3. Do You Wanna Dance? (Instrumental Insert) – 1
4. Do You Wanna Dance? (Vocal Overdubs) – 1
5. Do You Wanna Dance? (Mono) – 2
6. Do You Wanna Dance? (Duophonic) – 2
7. Do You Wanna Dance? (Stereo) – 3
8. Graduation Day (Vocal Rehearsals) – 15 
9. Graduation Day (Vocal #1) – 15
10. Graduation Day (Vocal #2) – 15
11. Graduation Day (Vocal Overdub) – 15
12. Graduation Day – 11
13. Graduation Day (Vocal Introduction Studio Version) – 11
14. I’m Bugged At My Old Man (Mono) – 6
15. I’m Bugged At My Old Man (Duophonic) – 6
16. I’m Bugged At My Old Man (Stereo) – 7
17. And Your Dreams Come True (Mono) – 6
18. And Your Dreams Come True (Duophonic) – 6
19. And Your Dreams Come True (Stereo) – 7
20. And Your Dreams Come True (Stereo Remix) – 12

The 12” single is a curious beast. The first commercially released single* in that format was “For Once In My Life/Glad Rag Doll’, by jazz guitarist Buddy Fite. The numbers pressed were quite small and only available at two Tower Records sites in California. The label proudly boasted that this was ‘The World’s First 12 Inch Single’. It was pressed to play at 33rpm which meant that there was a lot of dead space on the disc. It also took away one of the main selling points of the 12” single but I will come back to these two points later. More were to follow but these tended to be promotional items. It would take until the early days of the disco era for the format to really take off. 

This could arguably be down to one man, Tom Moulton. Inspired by DJ’s who would mix between the instrumental and vocal side of Ultra High Frequency’s single, “Walk On The Right Track” as well as other singles were an instrumental version of the title track was included, Moulton managed to pursued the Sceptre Record label to experiment with an already released song. This was “Dream World” by Don Downing. Moulton took the track and extended it to almost twice its original length. The single was re-released with the extend mix as the A-Side with the subheading, Disco Mix Version. Could this be the first disc designated as such? It was not released on 12” though. 

The disco mix on the longer form single would be a happy accident. Moulton wanted to test a mix he had completed of “I’ll Be Holding On” by Al Downing. As there wasn’t any 7” acetates available, it was decided to use a 10” instead. Moulton felt that there would be a lot of wasted space pressing this if this was for a 7” so he asked mix engineer Jose Rodriquez to cut it with the grooves more spread out. To do this, Rodriquez needed to increase the sound level which made the sound ‘hotter’ . This was due to the wider grooves allowing an overall wider range which went down well with the DJs. This also gave Moulton the idea to test run his remixes in the clubs before they were let loose on the public. 

Other labels took note and throughout 1975, several 12” singles were made for promotional use only. These were designed to help sales of the 7” as they were thought of as not being commercially viable. However, pressure from record shops to have these mixes released to the public eventually lead to the first commercial released 12” of the disco era. That being, “Ten Percent” by Double Exposure. The era of the 12” single had begun. 

What I have looked to do is compile some of these 12” mixes from he disco era, so from 1976 until 1982. By the early 80s, disco was all but dead but other genres such as rap were also using the format so I have included some of these pioneers as well. I have also tried to put them in as close to chronological order as possible.

The 12” single is till produced today but it is nowhere near as popular as once it was. It might be time to re-evaluate the format. 

Disc 1

1. Ten Percent (Special 12” Disco Mix) – Double Exposure
2. Space Age (12’ Promo Mix) – The Jimmy Castor Bunch
3. Gotham City Boogie – Ultra Funk
4. Brick House (Original 1977 12” Special Length Disco Version) – The Commodores
5. Ain’t Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman) (Original 1977 12” Full Version) – Joe Tex
6. You Should Be Dancing (Special Disco Version) – The Bee Gees
7. Everybody Dance (Original 1977 12” Single Mix) – Chic
8. Devil’s Gun (12” Tom Moulton Mix) – C.J. & Co. 
9. Shame (12” Disco Mix) – Evelyn “Champagne” King
10. Got To Give Up, Pts 1 & 2 (Original 1977 12” Full-Length Promo SingleVersion) – Marvin Gaye
11. Native New Yorker (Original 1977 12” Disco Version) – Odyssey

Disc 2

1. Le Freak (Original 1978 12” Single Version) – Chic
2. Contact (UK 12” Edit) – Edwin Starr
3. Running Away (Original 1977 12” Long Version) – Roy Ayres feat. Ubiquity
4. Rasputin (12” Single Version) – Boney M
5. Got My Mind Made Up (German 12” Mix) – Instant Punk
6. In The Bush (Original 12” Special Disco Francois K Mix) – Musique
7. Risky Changes (Original 12” Promo Mix) – Bionic Boogie
8. I Want Your Love (12” Promo Mix) – Chic
9. If I Can’t Have You (Extended) – Yvonne Elliman
10. I Feel Love (12” Version) – Donna Summer
11. Love Hangover (Original 12” Promo Mix) – Diana Ross

Disc 3

1. Good Times (Original 1979 US 12” Single Mix) – Chic
2. Got To Be Real (Original 12” Version Single Version) – Cheryl Lynn
3. Blame It On The Boogie (John Luongo Disco Mix 12” Version) – TheJacksons
4. Street Life (12” Full Length French Disco Mix) – The Crusaders feat. Randy Crawford
5. Funkytown (Original 1979 12” Single Mix) – Lips Inc
6. Can’t Live Without Your Love (Original 12” Mix) – Tamiko Jones
7. Boogie Wonderland (Special Disco Mix) – Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions
8. Let’s Start The Dance (Original 12” Promo Mix) – Hamilton Bohannon
9. Boogie Oogie Oogie (Original 1978 12” Single Mix) – A Taste Of Honey
10. Rivers Of Babylon (Original US 12” Single Version) – Boney M
11. I Will Survive (12” Version) – Gloria Gaynor

Disc 4

1. Is It Love You’re After (US 12” Promo Version) – Rose Royce
2. Flashlight (Extended 12” Mix) – Parliament
3. The Boss (Original 12” Mix) – Diana Ross
4. He’s The Greatest Dancer (12” Mix) – Sister Sledge
5. Spacer (12” Full Length Disco Mix) – Sheila & B. Devotion
6. Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now (12” Mix) – McFadden & Whitehead
7. Love Sensation (Tom Moulton Long Remix) – Loleatta Holloway
8. Rappers Delight (Long Version) – The Sugarhill Gang
9. Rapture (12” UK Special Disco Mix) – Blondie

Disc 5

1. Super Freak (Original 1981 12” Disco Mix) – Rick James
2. Jump To The Beat (Original 1980 12” Single Version) – Stacey Lattisaw
3. Need Your Lovin (12” Version) – Teen Marie
4. Pull Up To The Bumper (Original 12” 1981 12” Long Version)
5. The Message (Original 1982 12” Single Version)
6. Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag (Original 12” Single Mix) – Pigbag
7. You Got The Floor (12” Version) – Arthur Adams
8. Sexy Dancer (UK 12” Long Version) – Prince
9. Last Night A D.J. Saved My Life (Original 1982 12” Single Version) – Indeed
10. Going Back To My Roots (Original 1981 12” Extended Version) – Odyssey
11. Forget Me Nots (Original 1982 12” Special Dance Mix) – Pattrice Rushen
12. Dance Freak (Original Club 12” Mix) – Chain Reaction

*There was a 12” single released by Old Town Records in 1966. This was Betty Lou & Bobby Adams with their song, “Soul Stirrer”. This was a promotional item with the same song on both sides. Being a promo, it was not available for commercial release. 

10cc released their first record, ‘Donna’ in September in 1972. A parody of doo-wop records, it was a number 2 hit on the UK singles chart. The follow up, ’Johnny Don’t Do It’ was also an homage to late 50s music but was too similar to ‘Donna’ and did not chart. However, their third single, ‘Rubber Bullets’ hit number 1 and the band continued to have success in both the singles and album charts for the rest of the decade. 

10cc did not come out of nowhere either. All four members had been in the recording industry in one form or another since the early 60’s. Graham Gouldman had been in a band called The Whirlwinds which had recorded a song by Lol Creme on the B-Side of their one and only single. Kevin Godley had been in a band with Lol Creme but would join Gouldman in ‘The Mockingbirds’. Godley and Creme reunited and released records under a series of pseudonyms such as The Yellow Bellow Room Boom, Fratboy & Runcible Spoon as well as Doctor Father.

Goudman meanwhile became a songwriter of note, providing songs for ‘The Yardbirds’, ‘The Hollies’ and ‘Herman’s Hermits’. He also spent some time in ‘The Mindbenders’; the lead singer and guitar of which was Eric Stewart. As ‘The Mindbenders’ came to an end, Stewart invested in a recording studio that would eventually be known as Strawberry Studios. Gouldman started recording demos at the studios and soon he would also be a financial partner there. Godley and Creme were also using the studios and eventually all four members would record together, the first being a single called ‘Sausalito’ released under the band name of Ohio Express. The four musicians ended up recorded a lot of what would be called today, bubblegum records for American writer-producers Kasenetz-Katz. The deal meant that they recorded a number of forgettable songs but it did mean that they had the financial backing to upgrade the studio. 

Some of this equipment needed testing and out of these experiments came a single called ‘Neanderthal Man’, released under the name of ‘Hotlegs’ (Gouldman was not on this record). The single was a number 2 hit in the UK, but the resulting album was not a success. The musicians continued to create their own music as well as back others who were using the studios. These included Ramases, Dave Berry, Wayne Fontana and most importantly of all, Neil Sedaka. 

It was whilst recording with Sedarka that the four musicians decided they should try and make a more concerted effort at not just being sessions guys, but promote the material they had been working on. They released a single under the name of Festival which only reached the promo stage, and then they took a song to Apple Records who rejected it for not being commercial. It was then they came up with Donna, and Eric Stewart later said that there was only one person mad enough to realise it. That mad man was Jonathan King. King heard the track, loved it and signed the band to his UK Records label and the rest is history. 

With this, I was looking at releasing a compilation of 10cc that concluded all of the single edits and B-Sides that were different to the versions released on their albums. I was quite surprised at how many there were. It would seem that 10cc were one of the last bands who truly made their single edits different for m the album versions. The cover art is based upon the 2017 compilation During // After – The Best of 10cc. Being a vinyl nut, I also thought it should be released in that format even though it would need to be a triple with a bonus 7″ single thrown for good measure. 

Side A

1. Donna (Single Mix)
2. Hot Sun Rock (B-Side To Donna)
3. Johnny, Don’t Do It (Single Mix)
4. 4% Of Something (B-Side Of Johnny Don’t Do It) 
5. Rubber Bullets (Single Mix)
6. Waterfall (B-Side To Rubber Bullets)
7. The Dean & I (Single Mix)
8. Bee In My Bonnet (B-Side To The Dean & I)

Side B

1. The Worst Band In The World (Radio Version)
2. 18 Carat Man Of Means (B-Side To The Worst Band In The World) 
3. The Wall Street Shuffle (Single Version)
4. Gismo My Way (B-Side To The Wall Street Shuffle)
5. Life Is A Minestrone (Single Edit)
6. Channel Swimmer (B-Side Top Life Is A Minestrone)
7. I’m Not In Love (Single Edit)

Side C

1. Good News (B-Side To I’m Not In Love)
2. Art For Art’s Sake (Single Edit)
3. Get It While You Can (B-Side Of Art For Art’s Sake)
4. I’m Mandy Fly Me (Single Edit)
5. Hot To Trot (B-Side To I’m many Fly Me)
6. Don’t Squeeze Me Like Toothpaste (B-Side To Good Morning Judge)

Side D

1. I’m So Laid Back, I’m Laid Out (B-Side To People In Love)
2. Nothing Can Move Me (B-Side To Dreadlock Holiday)
3. For You & I (DJ Edit)
4. One-Two-Five (Single Edit)
5. Les Nouveaux Riches (Single Mix)
6. Dreadlock Holiday – Live (B-Side To 10” Of 24 Hours)

Side E

1. I’m Not In Love – Live (B-Side To 10” Of 24 Hours)
2. Feel The Love – Oomachasaooma (Radio Edit)
3. She Gives Me Pain (B-Side To Feel The Love)
4. Food For Thought (Radio Edit)
5. The Secret Life Of Henry (B-Side To Food For Thought)

Side F

1. Woman In Love (Radio Edit)
2.  Man With A Mission (B-Side To Woman In Love)
3. Welcome To Paradise (7” Edit)
4. Don’t (B-Side To Welcome To Paradise)
5. Lost In Love (B-Side To CD Single Welcome To Paradise)

Bonus 7”

1. Memories (US Mix)
2. Woman In Love (DJ Edit)