Rock And Roll Music, Parlophone PCSP 719 and Music For Pleasure MFP 50506/7

Rock And Roll Music, Parlophone PCSP 719.

Release June 11, 1976. Idea for this album, Rock And Roll, came from Bhaskar Menon, the head of Capitol Records in the USA. After trying unsuccessfully to contract one or all of  The Beatles for approval of the track listing for this new double album, Menon eventually gave up and contracted George Martin, their producer. When Martin was told of the plan to release this compilation of old Beatles tracks as a new album he flew to the Hollywood office of Capitol. After hearing some of the older tracks with bad background noise and poor stereo Martin was appalled at the prospect of their reissue and set about filtering and remixing every track included on this album. On some of the older tracks, such as “Twist And Shout” and “I Saw Her Standing There”, he reversed the stereo and brought the vocal track away from the edge into the center, adding a slight echo for a more modern sound. He also filtered out the bass from the rhythm track and also placed that in the center of the stereo sound stage and with the aid of filters and equalisers, gave the recording a crisper sound. When he had finished his work, Martin took a copy of the revised tapes back to EMI Records in Britain. The company was horrified because The Beatles had issued official instructions that the tapes must not be “touched, added to, edited or mutilated in any way”. EMI Records took this edict rather too literally, assuming that if they were to be reissued, the tapes should be exactly as originally recorded. Thus George Martin’s remixed and filtered versions of the original tracks were not included on the Rock And Roll Music album when it was released in Britain.

Full laminated “Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd” gatefold sleeve. White paper EMI custom inner sleeve.

Black label with two white-black EMI logos and silver print. “The EMI Records Ltd…”printed at the start perimeter print and “Made In GT. Britain” printed at the end of the perimeter print. First matrix numbers: Side 1: YEX 955-1; Side 2: YEX 956-1; Side 3: YEX 957-1; Side 4: YEX 958-1.

Parlophone PCSP 719 - ROCK'N'ROLL MUSIC...£ 42.00 (NM)

Factory samples (with red letters on white background "FACTORY SAMPLE. NOT FOR SALE" are selling for about £ 75.00 (EX+)

1st pressing on CAPITOL SKBO 11537...£ 60.00 / $ 90.00 (M- or NM)

     

     

Rock And Roll Music, Music For Pleasure, Vol.1 MFP 50506 and Vol.2 MFP 50507.

Release October 27, 1980. In 1980, EMI Records relented and decided to issue the remixed recordings. They split the two albums, put them into new sleeves after receiving numerous complaints about the original sleeves and issued them on the Music For Pleasure label as Rock And Roll Music, Volumes 1 and 2. These two albums are worth buying if only to compare the original recordings with the remixes.

Unlaminated “Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd” sleeves. White paper EMI custom inner sleeves.

     

     

Red-black labels with the bottom text “COPYRIGHT RECORD ALL RIGHTS OF THE MANUFACTURER AND OF THE OWNER OF THE RECORDED WORK RESERVED UNAUTHORISED PUBLIC PERFORMANCE BROADCASTING AND COPY OF THE RECORD PROHIBITED”. Matrix for these albums were made with the Capitol Records laqueurs. Matrix numbers: Vol.1: Side One: SKBO 11537-1A-1, Side Two: SKBO 11537-1B-1; Vol.2: Side One: SKBO 11537-2A-1, Side Two: SKBO 11537-2B-1.

MFP 50506 - ROCK'N'ROLL MUSIC... £ 8.00 / $ 12.00 (EX)

MFP 50507 - ROCK'N'ROLL MUSIC... £ 10.00 (EX+)

MFP 50506 & MFP 50507 - ROCK'N'ROLL MUSIC VOL.1&2.... £ 9.00 (EX)

MFP MFP 50506 - ROCK 'N' ROLL MUSIC VOL. 1 (with George Martin's 1976 mixes)...£ 15.00 / $ 25.00

MFP MFP 50502 - ROCK 'N' ROLL MUSIC VOL. 2 (with George Martin's 1976 mixes)...£ 15.00 / $ 25.00