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Great thread - thanks Chris

drakula63 wrote:Sadly, my version is the bog standard black vinyl. Only joking! It is black vinyl, but the whole item is in virtually mint condition and I got it for a fairly reasonable price, considering its scarcity. There is a red vinyl version for sale somewhere, but a bit more than I wanted to pay. To have it in such a great condition, in the gatefold sleeve with the poster still attached is something I am very happy about!

I actually saw the gatefold version just once before and that was at Alan Hawkshaw's house, late 2012, I think. I can't remember now whether his copy was red vinyl or not... but I'll hazard a guess that it was. Actually I don't think I took it out to look! There's actually some video footage shot in his studio control room and in the background you can actually see me having a quick look through his records!

Anyway, 50 years ago today... although I suspect that in Japan they are already in tomorrow. A great album, underrated, and certainly not one to be dismissed as casually as some seem to.

Here's a video frame-grab, from about 7 years ago. At my request, Alan actually played the theme from 'Exodus' on his keyboard. It was a great experience. That's me top left - minus my head! (The other vidcap. the one above it, is in the control room part of the studio. In the background you can see Alan's albums on the shelf, behind the huge Synclavier tower. He had all his library albums in there and they were all numbered. So somewhere in that lot is 'The Shadows "Live" at Sankei Hall' - October 12th, 1969.)

Here's a picture of the red vinyl and of the promo release with the customary Obi.

I've spent so much money recently on stuff I don't really need... I really should have bought the red vinyl version when I saw it! Oh well... I'll hopefully get the chance one day. Last time I looked, there was one going for £100+. I'll admit to never having realised that they had coloured vinyl 50 years ago.

In the book "Funny Old World" there's a quote from Alan in which he says that the "'Live' In Japan" album was recorded with just one microphone. This can't be the case, because the stereo image has clear separation.

Is this possibly the first coloured vinyl release?

It would be wonderful to watch the video in completeness - can you please post it or put it on a share link where we can all see it?! Thanks.

Fenderman wrote:Is this possibly the first coloured vinyl release?

I don't know when the very first coloured vinyl release appeared by any artist, but this was not the first one by The Shadows. Two years ealier, in November 1967, the album "The Shadows In Japan" was released, featuring eight tracks from the "From Hank, Bruce, Brian And John" album and the four 'Japanese' tracks. This one was also pressed on transparent red vinyl.

iefje wrote:

Fenderman wrote:Is this possibly the first coloured vinyl release?

I don't when the very first coloured vinyl release appeared by any artist, but this was not the first one by The Shadows. Two years ealier, in November 1967, the album "The Shadows In Japan" was released, featuring eight tracks from the "From Hank, Bruce, Brian And John" album and the four 'Japanese' tracks. This one was also pressed on transparent red vinyl.

The use of coloured vinyl started in the USA with the 7" 45 rpm singles when different colours were used for different music categories, but this stopped in the 1950s. In the early 1960s Storyville singles from Denmark were pressed in various colours.
Shadowswise all singles and albums from the 1960s had an initial pressing on transparent red vinyl (a few thousand copies) and if there was enough demand following pressings were made on black vinyl.
The only Shadows 1960s album I am unsure regarding the red vinyl is their very first Japanese release "What's Mysterious Sound" (ZL 3514) of which I have never seen a red vinyl copy.
The "Live At Sankei Hall" (OP-8863, 25. March 1970) album was the second last on red vinyl only followed by the compilation "The Shadows Golden" (OP-9709, mid 1970).

UlrichS wrote:

iefje wrote:

Fenderman wrote:Is this possibly the first coloured vinyl release?

I don't when the very first coloured vinyl release appeared by any artist, but this was not the first one by The Shadows. Two years ealier, in November 1967, the album "The Shadows In Japan" was released, featuring eight tracks from the "From Hank, Bruce, Brian And John" album and the four 'Japanese' tracks. This one was also pressed on transparent red vinyl.

The use of coloured vinyl started in the USA with the 7" 45 rpm singles when different colours were used for different music categories, but this stopped in the 1950s. In the early 1960s Storyville singles from Denmark were pressed in various colours.
Shadowswise all singles and albums from the 1960s had an initial pressing on transparent red vinyl (a few thousand copies) and if there was enough demand following pressings were made on black vinyl.
The only Shadows 1960s album I am unsure regarding the red vinyl is their very first Japanese release "What's Mysterious Sound" (ZL 3514) of which I have never seen a red vinyl copy.
The "Live At Sankei Hall" (OP-8863, 25. March 1970) album was the second last on red vinyl only followed by the compilation "The Shadows Golden" (OP-9709, mid 1970).

I didn't know that, thank you Ulrich. By the way, the release date of the original Japanese pressing of the "'Live' In Japan" album you mention is March the 25th, 1970, but wasn't the album already released in December, 1969? In any case, that is the release date given by Malcolm Campbell in his books.

Hi Ivo,
To my knowledge this album was released in Japan (as listed) and in Belgium (4C 052-05081), The Netherlands (5C 052-05081), Denmark (6C 052-05081) and in Sweden (7C 052-05081) with Swedish re-pressings (4E 052-05081).

Very late in 1969 / early in 1970 EMI changed their system of catalog numbers where all countries could set up their own way of creating and allocating catalog numbers.
The first digit of the new system is a country code (0 for UK, 1 for Germany, 2 for France, 3 for Italy, 4 for Belgium, 5 for The Netherlands, ...). The second digit is a label code ("C" for Columbia), third to fifth a price code and the five digits after the hyphen is the individual catalog number of this release.
In the new system the individual catalog numbers started with 04xxx onwards.

The earliest number which I could find for a Shadows album is 1C 062-04111 for a German re-issue of "Dance With The Shadows" from late 1970.

The individual catalog number of the "Live At Sankei Hall" is 05 081 which is definitely not from the very beginning of this new system. In Belgian and Dutch sales catalogues I have found a release year of 1972 for this album (no information for Denmark or Sweden). Thus my guess for the European release is 1972.

The year 1969 as given in Malcolm Cambell's books might origin from the "(P) 1969" as printed on the label of the Danish release. Unfortunately the "(P)" or "(C)" information on record labels only means that with this date this specific combination of tracks has been made not necessarily issued for sale.
I hope this is of some help.
Ulrich