Sunday, September 30, 2012

Great collection sold on Ebay!


I guess most of you out there have noticed that a big Ramones-collection with 200+ singles was out on on Ebay last week. It ended today, sunday, and went for GBP 2 219. If you read this and are the winner, congratulations! And if you are going to sell any of the records please let me know.
ramonesonvinyl@gmail.com 

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Record of the week – too ugly for the Ramones?

When Liberation Records would release the single Pet Sematary in Australia it did not go very well. Someone from the U.S. reacted on the design of the cover and it got withdrawn.
Somehow I can understand the reaction...
According to a printer who worked at the plant at the time the sleeves ended up in the trash.
Instead the single was sold in a CBS company bag.
But some of the original sleeves survived. Here it is – the sleeve that was too ugly for the Ramones.

UPDATE: I havn't noticed it before but the fact that the writing credits on the back of the sleeve are wrong must have been a big reason why this sleeve got withdrawn. Dee Dee wrote Pet Sematary and Charles Barris wrote Palisades Park...

Title: Pet Sematary/Palisades Park
Number: Liberation Records 102100 7
Year: 1989
Country: Australia



This is how the single was sold, in a company sleeve. I have also 
seen the single in a blue version of this sleeve.



Friday, September 28, 2012

The great Swallow my pride

Swallow my pride is one of my favorite tracks from Leave Home and one of the best slow songs the Ramones ever released, if you ask me. Joey wrote the song after the commercial failure of the first album. In Mickey Leights book I sleept with Joey Ramone Joey tells the story behind the song:
"I wrote a song called 'Swallow my pride'. It was about signing with Sire. Tommy always used the expression 'You gotta swallow your pride', and we did when we signed to Sire".
It was released as a single in july 1977. The US version has a great picture sleeve, the UK issue has an ok picture sleeve, the rest came in company sleeves.
Here they are:



Title:Swallow my pride/Pinhead
Number: Sire SA-738
Year: 1977
Country: US


Title:Swallow my pride (stereo)/Swallow my pride (mono)
Number: Sire SA-738
Year: 1977
Country: US
Note: Has the same PS as the stock version.


Title: Swallow my pride //Pinhead/Let's dance (live)
Number: Philips 6078 607
Year: 1977
Country: Ireland
Note: Sold in a irish version of the Phonogram company sleeve.




Some copies have a big centre hole.

Title:Swallow my pride//Pinhead/Let's dance (live)
Number: Sire 6078 607
Year: 1977
Country: UK


Title: Swallow my pride //Pinhead

Number: Philips 6078 512


Year: 1977
Country: Australia
Note: Sold in a australian version of the Phonogram company sleeve.


Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Ramones - and a safety pin

Here's an exeption from the "only about vinyl"-rule on this blog. Mr Smith sent me pictures of this badge that was sold on Ramones concerts somewhere between 1977 and 1980. Anyone who knows more?




Saturday, September 22, 2012

Record of the week – only in France

Here is another example that shows how the record company in France went their own way. In 1977 Philips released You're gonna kill that girl as a single from Leave Home. Some say that is was only out as a jukebox promo, but there is no signs of that on the label. I have seen the record in this turquoise company sleeve and in a red one.


Title:You're gonna kill that girl/Gimme Gimme shock treatment
Number: Philips 6837 381
Year: 1977
Country: France


The "Time Square"-single

Ramones appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Time Square from 1980 with I wanna be sedated. The track was released by RSO records as a single in the UK, USA, Spain and the Philippines. The US versions are pressed on styrene plastic, not vinyl. Watch out for copies with cracks! All stock versions have The return of Jackie & Judie on the flip. Here are the different versions:

UK:



Title: I wanna be sedated//The return of Jackie and Judie 
Number: RSO 70
Year: 1980
Country: UK


United States:


Title: I wanna be sedated//The return of Jackie and Judie 
Number: RSO 1055
Year: 1980
Country: UK
Note: !st press, released in RSO company sleeve


Title: I wanna be sedated//I wanna be sedated
Number: RSO 1055 DJ
Year: 1980
Country: US
Note: !st press, DJ copy with stereo/mono versions, released in RSO company sleeve.


Title: I wanna be sedated//I wanna be sedated
Number: RSO 1055
Year: 1980
Country: US
Note: !st press, white label promo with stereo/mono versions, released in RSO company sleeve.


Title: I wanna be sedated//I wanna be sedated
Number: RSO 1055
Year: 1980
Country: US
Note: 2nd press, released in RSO company sleeve.




Title: I wanna be sedated//I wanna be sedated/ 
Number: RSO 1055
Year: 1980
Country: US
Note: 3rd press, released in RSO company sleeve or in a plain white?

Spain:




Title: I wanna be sedated//The return of Jackie and Judie 
Number: RSO 20 90 512
Year: 1980
Country: Spain


Philippines:



Title: I wanna be sedated//The return of Jackie and Judie 
Number: RSO 873-096
Year: 1980
Country: Philippines
Note: Promo

Title: I wanna be sedated//The return of Jackie and Judie 
Number: RSO 873-096
Year: 1980
Country: Philippines


It would be great if anyone have information about if the Philippines singles. Did they come in a company sleeve or not?








Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Ramones – the thai releases

Some the most obscure Ramones-singles are the thai releases on Express songs. There are four of them and each one contains "stolen" releases from different labels and with different artists, four tracks on each 45. These very rare and sought after records are not official releases. Still they are not bootlegs, they should rather be seen as counterfeit or pirate records.
There are two reasons why big labels did not find it worth it to release records in Thailand in the 70's, according to the site sex-pistols.net:  

1. Foreign record companies could not stock their own products on site due to the weather damage.
2. Foreign record companies did not want to deal with local Thai companies. It was purely a question of business, there was not enough money to be made. In the 70’s & 80’s no one in Thailand could afford to buy an official Sex Pistols single, retailing around £1. However, Thai record manufacturers could provide low price counterfeit records for local fans. The EP format was a good way to provide cheap compilations with 4 different artists each time.

There are very little information to be found about the thai manufacture, Express Songs. Even the year of release is up for discussion, but it is likely that the first two EP's was released in 1977 and the last two in 1978. Sometime after the first two records with Ramones tracks Express Songs changed the label design.

Around 2005 someone in Sweden did a bootleg of the EP with the God Save the Queen-sleeve. The original thai version have a serrated crown that the bootleg don't have. There are also later pressings of the bootleg on colored vinyl. 

The most rare of the four thai records is the the God Save the Queen single. The reason is that it contains songs from both the Sex Pistols and the Ramones, two of the most collectible band from the punk era. 




I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend 
Other tracks: The Glitter Band – People Like You and People Like Me, Blondie – X Offender, Inner Circle – Reggae Thing.
Number: Express Songs EXP-260
Year: 1977 (?)




California Sun / I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You
Other tracks: Blondie – In The Sun, Rick Dees And His Cast Of Idiots - Disco Duck (Parts 1 & 2)
Number: Express Songs EXP-264
Year: 1977 (?)



Sheena Is A Punk Rocker 
Other tracks:  Bryan Ferry – Tokyo Joe, Boz Scaggs – Lido Shuffle, Sex Pistols – God Save The Queen
Number: Express Songs EXP-0330
Year: 1978 (?)



Swallow My Pride 
Other tracks: Leif Garrett – Surfin' USA, Ram Jam – Black Betty, Stranglers – Something Better Change.
Express Songs EXP-0352
Year: 1978 (?)

Thanks to Oliver Breit for help with scans.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

The right sleeves for the japanese singles

The great and collectible japanese singles with the Ramones were all released with a company bag and a sheet instead of a ordinary sleeve. Typical japanese style. The sheet is printed on textured paper exept for the last one, Do you remember Rock'n'roll Radio. That one has glossy plain paper. The records were sold in a sealed plastic bag back in the days when they were released in Japan.
There are three versions of the company sleeve, this is the correct sleeve for each release:


Blitzkrieg Bop SFL-2122
I wanna be your boyfriend SFL-2132
Suzy is a headbanger SFL-2152
Sheena is a punk rocker SFL-2208


Rockaway Beach SFL-2259
Do you wanna dance? SFL-2324
Needles & Pins SFL-2358
Come on let's go (w Paley Brothers) SFL-2372
Do you remember Rock'n'roll radio SFL-2471


Do you remember Rock'n'roll radio SFL-2471 (The white label promo version). Here in the sealed plastic bag.