Paying for things

When I left school one of the first things I needed to do was to get a bank account which at the time wasn't an automatic thing as many manual workers were still paid  in cash  but the type of work I was looking for had for a number of years moved over to payment through the banking system.

One major consideration was accessibility as where I lived there wasn't a high street bank and back then stuff like internet banking was a pipe dream rather like the internet itself.

I decided on what then was called National Girobank, a branch of the General Post Office because you could make withdraws and run your account from your local post office and there weren't any operating costs  one of several innovations it introduced to UK banking.

One perk was the slimline magazine that you got through the mail for free that told you about banks services but also featured a section on consumer rights and a number of reader offers for things such as fashion and so on. It's name was Giroscope and I always looked forward to seeing it coming packed with my statement.

Sadly when it was taken over by Alliance and Leicester who in turn were taken over later on by Santander, this stopped but I've never really forgotten about it.

Another thing that helped with was paying for photography stuff as at one point I'd either have to draw out cash from the bank to pay in store or leave a cheque which may need to wait for clearance before I could take home my purchase.

I was able to get a debit card that meant not only could I draw cash from machines but also I could use it to pay for purchases in store cutting out the clearance delays  which also coincided with the increased amount of mail order activity for things like used lenses that made tracking and paying easier than relying on say the local Jessop branches, shuffling stock between stores.

The Beach Boys

I have always liked the music of the Beach Boys from a small boy playing on a simple portable record player and this is a small feature on the albums by them I have.
It also is the case their music reminds me of summer.

Surfin' USA

The second album followed pretty much in the tone of the first majoring on Surf music but showing more of Brian Wilson's arranging abilities but saw the emergence of Shut Down, a song about drag racing that lead to Capitol Records issuing a various artists drag racing themed album that took its title from and featured it.

Surfer Girl

This, the third beach boys album was issued in September of 1963 seeing real progression in the groups arrangements and playing.

Little Deuce Coupé

Little Deuce Coupé was originally a car concept album taking four previously issued songs and adding eight co-written between Brian Wilson of the group and Rodger Christian.
This issue takes two songs out but Custom Machine the original last track of side two is to be found on the album below and 409 was originally on the Surfin' Safari album.

Be True To Your School was a mono compilation from 1982 that apart from having the hit single version of Be True To Your School on it also housed many of the tracks chopped off the 1980's green label reissues in SN for stereo and N for mono reissues.

Fun Fun Fun which was a cut down version of Shut Down Volume 2 issued in the Beatle dominated winter of 1964 that featured Don't Worry Baby, Fun, Fun, Fun and The Warmth Of The Sun.

All Summer Long

This is a 2015 Analogue Productions re-issue of the original 1964 album that marked the last of the albums that depicted teen Californian lives that kept the original duophonic I Get Around and title track cut by Kevin Grey from the analogue tapes.

Today offered a mixture of hit singles and uptempo numbers plus on its second side  a suite of introspective mature songs by Brian Wilson.

In 2008 Capitol Records reissued it in full and also in mono on so-called audiophile 180 gram vinyl with the original inner sleeve design.

Summer Days

 

The original was bought for me by my brother in 1978 where it was reissued in its original monophonic form in the UK only after being available in fake stereo for a good number of years.

This year I replaced by the new Analogue Productions 200 gram mono lp which sounds that bit better when it comes to detail and presence.
It manages to blend in a group sound featuring the singles Help Me Rhonda, California Girls and Then She Kissed Me with more thoughtful numbers and a instrumental.

Party

Issued in late 1965, it was a kind of "unplugged" folksy acoustic set pretending to be a real camp fire like party with chat dubbed in but it works well and featured Barbara Ann which was a massive single for the in early 1966.

Pet Sounds

This edition dates to 2015 when it was cut from the original tapes by Kevin Gray for Analogue Productions in the U.S.A in it's original monaural form.

Wild Honey

This came out in the fall of 1967 featuring the hit single Darlin' plus the title track and this 2017 Capitol issue has been remixed into stereo as the original lp was recorded in mono and issued as that or in fake stereo.

I have the following seven lp compilation which comes from varying sources in the EMI Tape Library in the UK that fills the holes that was issued in 1980.

It has six albums that cover songs from 1962 through 1970 by the Beach Boys plus a separate disc of productions group leader Brian Wilson produced.

In the summer of 1986 Rob Burt compiled and Capitol Records UK issued Surf City, Drag City, an album of songs recorded by Capitol distributed artists connected to surf and drag car racing many of which had been written or performed by the Beach Boys.
Apart from the iconic Jan and Dean hit, Surf City, it featured the Honeys Shoot The Curl of which one member Marilyn Rovell was group leader Brian Wilson's girlfriend and I Live for The Sun by The Sunrays.
It also featured the beach boys recordings for Capitol of Surfin' U.S.A. and Don't Worry Baby.

Kite flying

Kite flying in Bucks, June 5th 2016. Taken on Digital compact camera.

Mastersound gold compact discs

 This week we're moving away from photography and more towards music

These mastersound gold cd's came out during the mid 1990's and I bought several of them as they purported to from the original mastertapes and were a bit cheaper than those issued by so-called 'audiophile' labels such as MFSL and DCC.

They were a mixed bag - I couldn't get on with the issue of Boston S/T being screechy replacing that by a regular US version - and failed to see the sense and trying to make a audiophile issue of Bat Out of Hell, an album that has lots of mixing issues whatever you might think of it musically.

Miles Davis's Kind Of Blue benefited from a new stereo mixdown with the tapes run at the correct speed and a more richer sound than the 1986 Jazz Classics cd issue.

For me the 52nd Street and Infinity albums remain the preferred digital versions despite newer remasters emerging.

People still argue about Reo Speedwagon's Hi Infidelity album on cd and for me nothing beats a good original lp version.

The original Japan for Europe Issue I bought back in 1987 has it's strong points such as the smooth mid range but the lowest notes are reduced and the hi hats on Keep On Loving You are over emphasized.

The Mastersounds has a few drop outs on what was side one and may sound  bit more processed but to me sounds more balenced overall.

Audiophiles also argue about Tapestry, the classic 1971 Carol King album but for me it's all about the mids and this mastering focuses on her voice.

One that's beyond argument is this, the forth Toto album with it's massive hits, Rosanna, Africa and I Won't Hold You Back which was exceptionally well recorded and I still feel holds a sublime mix of songwriting, arranging and performance.

The rear design of whole series is very much like this with the heavy duty textured slip cover and gold embossed text which is just beautiful.