Fonodisc label - Beatles hits 1964 - 1965

The label I know the least about is Fonodisc (confusing: Discofoon and Fonodisc). The Beatles hits were covered here by The Stars. Where the recordings came from remains a mystery. The pronunciation of the lyrics sounds British, but the audio quality of the records is tinny. Obviously these recordings were made with less professional musicians. The Extended Play records (4 tracks) were also relatively expensive at Hfl. 3,95 (the same price of a regular single), but they had stylish full colour sleeves with ladies in cocktail dresses or dancing teenagers and they were sold in sealed plastic outer sleeves in supermarkets and petrol stations.

Rating: **

"Have you seen her face" b/w "Don't make waves" by The Byrds (CBS 2789)

This month a quartet by The Byrds. "Have you seen her face" was not a hit and it was one of those typical bargain bin singles. The "Younger than yesterday" album has remained one of my all time favourites apart from the dreadful "Mind gardens", but this Chris Hillman track was no doubt one of the highlights. Un-Byrds like guitar work, no Rickenbacker 12-string here. Although McGuinn played the guitar solo live on a 6-string Gretsch Country Gentleman it could well be that it's actually Clarence White playing. He is mentioned on the back of the "Younger than yesterday" sleeve, no doubt because of his work on "Time between". For years the flipside was a bit of a rarity as this song wasn't on any Byrds album, but "Don't make waves" isn't a very good song. The film version is even worse, but that's quite another story.
Rating:*****

"My back pages" b/w "Renaissance fair" by The Byrds (CBS 2648)

This was the most "Mr Tambourine Man" like track on the great "Younger than yesterday" album. Another great Dylan interpretation. Not as big a hit as it should have been, especially since the flipside "Renaissance fair" was one of Crosby's most beautiful compositions. I think he even sang it all by himself overdubbing the harmonies as all the voices sound so angelic. "I think that maybe I'm dreaming............."
Rating:*****

"Eight miles high" b/w "Why" by The Byrds (CBS 267)

The best single ever? It could well be. "Eight miles high" has it all: great melody, beautiful harmonies, good lyrics and innovative playing by the whole band, including Crosby's incredible rhythm guitar.
The flipside is a great track too, driving guitar chords and beautiful melody line. Crosby manages some intricate harmony lines again. It is a bit of a confusing song in the Byrds history as at least three versions were publicly released. This one is the single version (also known as the "raga version") and generally regarded as the best one. But I don't agree: I like the re-recorded version off "Younger than yesterday" better. Then there's also the "RCA-version", an early attempt to record the song, but it was still in its formative stage by then.
Rating:*****

"Turn turn turn" b/w "She don't care about time" by The Byrds (CBS 1897)

After the relative failure of "All I really want to do" The Byrds retrubned to the #1 spot with a vengeance. Incredible guitar work by Jim McGuinn and one of the few Byrds records to actually feature THREE part harmonies, albeit only in the last line of the chorus.
Rating: *****

Dedicated follower of fashion b/w Sittin' on my sofa by The Kinks (Pye 7 N 17064)

This month a quartet of envelope sleeves. These sleeves were used by Dutch record company Negram between 1963 and 1965 for releases on the Pye and Vogue labels (but strangely enough not for domestic releases on Negram and Havoc). Another example can be found in the November 2009 post of Françoise Hardy's Only friends. They were thin cardboard sleeves that looked like envelopes and to get the record from the sleeve it had to be opened on the back. Very vulnerable as the envelopes tended to get damaged if heavily used. So mint copies are rare. Strange thing is that Negram often released a second, third or fourth pressing with a regular picture sleeve. Dedicated follower of fashion was the first record I obtained in an envelope sleeve, but this is one that was later available with a regular picture sleeve (both in purple and in blue versions) in a plastic protective cover.
Rating: *****

A well respected man b/w Such a shame by The Kinks (Pye 7 NH 111 )

Another one I didn't obtain until later as I also first got this this on the "Well Respected Kinks" album. It was released on the European continent as a single taken from the British EP Kwyet Kinks. This was supposed to be the turning point in the Kinks' career from one of the heavier beatgroups to a more reflective style in which Ray Davies' songwriting blossomed. But Tired of waiting, Set me free and See my friends had already hinted at that and so had many other album tracks. But this was the first of a series of very British singles by the Kinks.
Rating: *****

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