August 31, 2025

20,000 vinyl LPs 392: The Rolling Stones ~ Goats Head Soup

 ~  
vinyl LP front cover 
 cover artwork: John Pasche  
photo of album cover by Styrous®


On Saturday, August 31, 1974, fifty-one years ago, The Rolling Stones released their eleventh studio album, Goats Head Soup.        
 
I have three favorite songs on this album: Angie (at the top), Hide Your Love and my second favorite: 100 Years Ago. The song begins mellow but has tempo changes and speeds up. The song's lyrics are a reflection on aging:  

Now all my friends is wearing worried smiles, Living out a dream of what they was; Don't you think it's sometimes wise not to grow up?

Went out walkin' through the wood the other day; Can't you see the furrows in my forehead? What tender days, we had no secrets hid away; Now it seems about a hundred years ago

The album was recorded in Jamaica, the US and UK from November 1972 to May 1973 and released on August 31st 1973. It is a gatefold format.                        
 
 
vinyl LP gatefold interor 
 cover artwork: John Pasche  
photo of album cover by Styrous®
 
 
 
 
 
 
            
Tracklist:
       
Side 1:
        
A1 - Dancing With Mr. D. - 4:52
A2 - 100 Years Ago - 4:00
A3 - Coming Down Again - 5:55
A4 - Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) - 3:27
A5 - Angie - 4:31
       
Side 2:
       
B1 - Silver Train - 4:25
B2 - Hide Your Love - 4:10
B3 - Winter - 5:30
B4 - Can You Hear The Music - 5:32
B5 - Star Star - 4:25
        
Companies, etc.
       
    Distributed By – Atlantic Recording Corporation
    Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Promotone B.V.
    Copyright © – Promotone B.V.
    Published By – Promopub B.V.
    Recorded At – Dynamic Sounds Studios
    Pressed By – Bestway Products Inc.
        
Credits:
       
    Arranged By [Horns] – Jim Price (tracks: A4)
    Arranged By [Strings] – Nicky Harrison (tracks: A5, B3)
    Artwork [Goats Head Soup] – John Pasche
    Bass – Bill Wyman
    Clavinet – Billy Preston (tracks: A2)
    Design [Album], Photography By – David Bailey (5)
    Design [Designer] – Ray Lawrence (10)
    Drums – Charlie Watts
    Engineer [Assistant] – Carlton Lee, Doug Bennett, Howard Kilgour
    Engineer [Chief], Mixed By – Andy Johns
    Flute, Alto Saxophone – Jim Horn
    Guitar, Bass, Vocals – Keith Richard*, Mick Taylor
    Other [Jangles] – Stu
    Percussion – Pascal*, Rebop*
    Piano – Billy Preston (tracks: A4), Ian Stewart (tracks: B1), Nicky Hopkins (tracks: A1, A3, A5, B3, B4)
    Producer, Percussion – Jimmy Miller
    Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Bobby Keys
    Trumpet – Chuck Finley*
    Vocals, Guitar, Harp, Piano – Mick Jagger
    Written-By – Mick Jagger, Keith Richard*
        
Notes:
       
Distributed by Atlantic Recording Corp.

℗ © 1973 Promotone B.V.

Printed in U.S.A.
       
Barcode and Other Identifiers
        
    Matrix / Runout (A-side, etched, variant 1): ST-RS-732933-A AT PR BW
    Matrix / Runout (B-side, etched, variant 1): ST-RS-732934-F PR BW
    Matrix / Runout (A-side, variant 2): ST-RS-732934-D
    Matrix / Runout (A-side, center label, variant 1): ST-RS-732933-BW
    Matrix / Runout (B-side, center label, variant 1): ST-RS-732934-BW
    Rights Society: ASCAP
    Other (On spine): 0598
 
The Rolling Stones – Goats Head Soup
Label: Rolling Stones Records – COC 59101
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, BW - Bestway Pressing, Gatefold
Country: US
Released: Sep 12, 1973
Genre: Rock
Style: Classic Rock
         
Viewfinder links:        
        
         
Mick Jagger        
Billy Preston        
Keith Richards         
Charlie Watts              
Bill Wyman              
        
Net links:        
         
Bourbon & Vinyl ~ Goats Head Soup Deluxe Box Set        
Experience the Rolling Stones ~ The Story of Goats Head Soup      
The Rolling Stones ~ Goats Head Soup        
Ultimate Classic Rock ~ Goats Head Soup 50 years later      
        
YouTube links:        
        
100 Years Ago         
Angie         
Hide Your Love            
        
         
        
        
        
Styrous® ~ Sunday, July 19, 2020       
       
 
 






Bill Wyman articles/mentions

 ~        
      
     
     
mentions:     
The Rolling Stones ~             
Beggar's Banquet (reel to reel tape)     
Beggar's Banquet (vinyl LP)     
Some Girls Miss You      
Sticky Fingers      
     
      
      

       
Bill Wyman - 1968     
photo by V. K. Hietanen     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 

August 30, 2025

20,000 vinyl LPs 391: The Korgis ~ Boots & Shoes

 ~  
vinyl LP front cover 
 cover photo by Martyn Goddard 
photo of album cover by Styrous®


This month is the birthday of James Warren and Andy Davis who founded The Korgis in 1978. Davis was born on August 10, 1949, in Yatton, a small village in North Somerset, UK. and Warren was born on August 25, 1951, in BristolSouth West England.        
 
 
vinyl LP back cover 
photo by Martyn Goddard 
photo of album cover by Styrous®
 
 
Their big hit was Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime, what I call "easy new wave", the equivalent of "easy rock".        
 
I have two favorites (of course) from their first album, The Korgis, Young and Russian and Boots and Shoes. My first choice is Boots! Boots has everything I could desire in a new wave song, a fantastic beat to dance to, nice variations and fun lyrics.   
 
You're my friend I hear you say

But I can't see you anyway
You keep that sack on your head all day

And when you dance you never sweat

You do the hustle like a minuet

You're the strangest thing on two legs that I've ever met

No I don't wanna Prima Donna in drag

And I can never imagine why

You always keep on

Your boots and shoes

You're sweet kid but you can't stand to lose

You keep on your boots and shoes
You're a neat kid

You're losing weight to keep in trim

Your friends all wonder how you stay so slim

But you forget about the state that I'm in

Everyday you count your gains

Amino acid pumping through your veins

You say you're liberated but you're in chains
No I don't wanna Prima Donna in drag

And I can never imagine why

You always keep on

Your boots and shoes

You're sweet kid but you can't stand to lose

You keep on your boots and shoes

You're a neat kid

But you can't stand to lose

You just can't stand it  
 
 

vinyl LP record sleeve, front & back 
Art Direction: George Rowbottom & Julian Balme 
photo by Styrous®
 

 
The Korgis released their first single Young 'n' Russian in February 1979 on the label Rialto Records, owned by their managers Nick Heath and Tim Heath. Joined briefly by drummer Bill Birks; their next single If I Had You, was released soon after and moved up to number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, featuring on Top of the Pops and prompting the release of an eponymous debut album, The Korgis, in July 1979.        
 


vinyl LP record, side 1 & side 2 
photos by Styrous®
 

Tracklist:
       
Side 1:
        
A1 - Young 'N' Russian - 3:13
A2 - I Just Can't Help It - 3:47
A3 - Chinese Girl - 2:16
A4 - Art School Annexe - 3:33
A5 - Boots And Shoes - 4:32
       
Side 2:
       
B1 - Dirty Postcards - 4:43
B2 - O Maxine - 2:37
B3 - Mount Everest Sings The Blues - 2:30
B4 - Cold Tea - 4:28
B5 - If I Had You - 3:56
        
Companies, etc.
       
    Recorded At – Crescent Studios
    Copyright © – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
    Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
    Published By – Warner Bros. Music Ltd.
    Published By – Heath Music Ltd.
    Pressed By – Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Los Angeles
        
Credits:
       
    Art Direction – George Rowbottom, Julian Balme
    Backing Vocals – Jo Mullet, Jo Pomeroy
    Bass – James Warren
    Drums – Al Powell*, Andy Davis, Bill Birks
    Engineer – David Lord
    Engineer [Assistant] – Glenn Tommey
    Harmonica – Keith Warmington
    Keyboards – Andy Davis, David Lord, Glenn Tommey, Phil Harrison
    Management – Heath Bros.
    Mandolin – Andy Davis, Stuart Gordon
    Percussion – Bill Birks, Kenny Lacey, Phil Harrison, Stuart Gordon
    Photography By – Martyn Goddard
    Producer – The Korgis
    Violin – Stuart Gordon
    Vocals – Andy Davis, James Warren
    Written-By – Davis* (tracks: A1 to A5, B5), Ridlington* (tracks: A1), Warren* (tracks: A1, A5 to B4)
        
Notes:
       
Recorded at Crescent Studios, Bath, England.
       
Barcode and Other Identifiers
 
The Korgis – The Korgis
Label: Warner Bros. Records – BSK 3349, Rialto – BSK 3349
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1979
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: New Wave, Pop Rock, Synth-pop 
        

         
Viewfinder links:        
         
Andy Cresswell-Davis                 
Martyn Goddard                       
The Korgis        
James Warren      
        
Net links:        
         
Martyn Goddard         
        
YouTube links:        
        
Boot & Shoes         
Young and Russian        
        
         
        
        
        
Styrous® ~ Saturday, August 30, 2025        
       
 
 















Andy Cresswell-Davis articles/mentions

 ~        
The Korgis ~ Boots & Shoes   
     
     
mentions:     
      
     
     
     
     
     
     
Andy Cresswell-Davis right     
date & photographer unknown     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 



James Warren articles/mentions

 ~        
The Korgis ~ Boots & Shoes   
      
     
     
mentions:     
      
     
     
     
     
     
     
James Warren left     
date & photographer unknown     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
 

Martyn Goddard articles/mentions

 ~      


mentions:   
The Korgis ~ Boots & Shoes   
           
          
          
           
          
           
          
self-portrait
           
           
          
          
           
          
           
          
           
          
          
           
          
          
           
          
           
          
           
          
           
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

August 28, 2025

20,000 vinyl LPs 390: Devo ~ Are We Not Men?

 ~   
Devo - 1978 
photo by Ebet Roberts 


In 1977 five misfits from Ohio with a love of performance art, took the Mick Jagger classic (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction and mutated it beyond recognition.  
 
 
Devo - 1977, NY City
 
 photo by Ebet Roberts  
 
 
On August 28, 1978, Devo released their first album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!, a venture that fused the electronic music of the time with punk.      


vinyl LP front cover 
 cover design by John Cabalka & Erik Munsön 
photo of album cover by Styrous®
 
 
I remember seeing the video for Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! on MTV in the early 80's. At that time the channel broadcast 24 hours a day and they were desperate for videos to play and they played ANYthing! I saw the most amazing things before they eventually played only music videos.         
 
Recommendations from David Bowie and Iggy Pop enabled the group to secure a recording contract with Warner Bros. The album was produced by Brian Eno and featured re-recordings of their previous singles Mongoloid and (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.         
 
                  
vinyl LP back cover 
 cover design by John Cabalka & Erik Munsön 
photo of album cover by Styrous®


The album was produced by Brian Eno at the Conny Plank studio in CologneGermany and the Different Fur Studios located in the Mission District area of San Francisco, California, with Patrick Gleeson.      
         
vinyl LP back cover detail 
 cover design by John Cabalka & Erik Munsön 
detail photo by Styrous®






vinyl LP back cover detail 
 cover design by John Cabalka & Erik Munsön 
detail photo by Styrous®


Tracklist:
       
Side 1:
        
A1 - Uncontrollable Urge - 3:08
A2 - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, written by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards* - 2:38
A3 - Praying Hands - 2:47
A4 - Space Junk - 2:13
A5 - Mongoloid - 3:42
A6 - Jocko Homo - 3:38
       
Side 2:
       
B1 - Too Much Paranoias - 1:56
B2 - Gut Feeling / (Slap Your Mammy) - 4:54
B3 - Come Back Jonee - 3:46
B4 - Sloppy (I Saw My Baby Gettin') - 2:37
B5 - Shrivel-Up - 3:05
        
Companies, etc.
       
    Copyright © – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
    Recorded At – Conny's Studio
    Mixed At – Conny's Studio
    Recorded At – Different Fur Studios
    Published By – Devo Music
    Published By – Virgin Music Ltd.
    Published By – Immediate Music Inc.
    Pressed By – KM Records Inc.
        
Credits:
       
    Design [Graphic Supervision] – John Cabalka
    Design [Package Production Design] – Erik Munsön
    Engineer – Patrick Gleeson (tracks: B3, B5)
    Engineer [Mix] – Conrad Planck*
    Graphics [Concept And Execution] – Devo Inc.*
    Performer – Alan*, Bob1*, Jerry*, Mark*, Bob2*
    Photography By – Bobbi Watson*
    Producer – Brian Eno
    Written-By – Bob Mothersbaugh (tracks: B2 [Gut Feeling], B4, B5), Gary Jackett (tracks: B4), Gerald V. Casale (tracks: A3 to A5, B2 [Slap Your Mammy], B3 to B5), Mark Mothersbaugh (tracks: A1, A3, A4, A6 to B2 [Gut Feeling], B3 to B5)
        
Notes:
       
This version was pressed at KM Records Inc.. Grey WB labels, slight variation from other releases listed here (see photos).

Issued with printed inner sleeve containing lyrics, credits, info and photos.

Runouts are etched.
       
Barcode and Other Identifiers
       
    Matrix / Runout (Run-out Side A): BSK-1-3239 KM1 Q: ARE WE NOT MEN?
    Matrix / Runout (Run-out Side B): BSK-2-3239 KM1 A: WE ARE DEVO!
    Rights Society: BMI
 
Devo – Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!
Label: Warner Bros. Records – BSK 3239
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, KM Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1978
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave 
         
Viewfinder links:        
        
David Bowie         
Devo        
Brian Eno         
Patrick Gleeson            
Mick Jagger              
Mark Mothersbaugh            
Conny Plank               
Iggy Pop         
        
Net links:        
        
altrockchick.com ~ A: We Are Devo! – Classic Music Review        
Club Devo ~ Are We Not Men? We Are Devo! (re-mixes)         
        
        
YouTube links:        
        
Devo ~        
         (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction          
         Mongoloid       
David Bowie introduces Devo, (Max's Kansas City, NY City, 14 November '77)    
        
        
         
        
        
        
Styrous® ~ Thursday, August 28, 2025        
       
 
 

















August 27, 2025

John Kongos ~ Try to Touch Just One

 ~     
     
     
     
Ths month is the birthday of South African musician, John Kongos, born on August 6, 1945, in Johannesburg.         
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
date & photographer unknown
 
 

I have written an article about Kongos before (link below), this is an extension of it. One of my favorite songs by him is Try to Touch Just One. The lyrics are simple but say a lot. The music is a brilliant example of progressive rock that goes through many chord and tempo changes with a marvelous three minute instrumental break at the end.           
    
Try to Touch Just One

Look at me, look at me
I am looking to you
Can you see, can you see
I'm not looking through you?

There's a man at your side
Do you know his name?
When you see so many
Do they look the same to you?

Open up your heart
Open up your door
If you ain't got no chair
You can live on the floor

Millions and millions
Trying to get by
Come on, look at one
Right in the eye

Try to touch just one
Try and try to touch just one
Try to touch just one
Try and try to touch just one

Look at me, look at me
I am looking to you
Can you see, can you see
I'm not looking through you?

There's a man at your side
Do you know his name?
When you see so many
Do they look the same to you?

      
Kongos began working in the music world in his teens, joining a band called The Dukes. He then formed The G-Men, a beat group that proved very popular, producing hits such as Johnny & The Mermaid and Tulips For Toinette in the days before the charts started. In 1966 he moved to England where he released a single called Flim Flam Pharisee before joining the band Floribunda Rose whose members included future Bats member Pete Clifford and Chris Demetriou who would work with John E. Sharpe & The Squires. From there he moved onto the band Scrugg. In 1970 Israeli born actress Daliah Lavi scored a number 9 hit in Germany with a German language cover of a song Kongos had written called Won’t You Join Me (the German version as called Willst Du Mit Mir Geh’n). This helped Kongos finance a recording studio in his basement and it was here that he recorded the demo of He's Gonna Step on You Again which came to the attention of Gus Dudgeon. Dudgeon had produced Space Oddity by David Bowie and was just starting on what would be a successful working relationship with Elton JohnHe's Gonna Step on You Again would reach number 4 in the UK and 70 in the US. His follow up, Tokoloshe Man would again hit number 4 in the UK. Both songs would later be covered by the Happy Mondays (He's Gonna Step on You Again going under the title Step On). His 4 sons would form the band Kongos and would have a number 31 hit in the US with Come With Me Now.                        
           
     
Viewfinder links:       
         
David Bowie          
Chris Demetriou          
Elton John          
Kongos         
Daliah Lavi                  
      
Net links:       
         
Chris Demetriou          
Fandom ~ Scrugg         
Floribunda Rose        
Rockasteria ~ John Kongos             
SA Singles Charts ~ John Kongos (SA)        
     
YouTube links:       
         
Johnny Kongos & The G-Men ~.  
        Johnny and the Mermaid               
        Tulips For Toinette     
John Kongos ~               
        Flim, Flam Pharisee          
        He's Gonna Step on You Again          
        Try to Touch Just One     
        This is the way we did it!                
        The original drum tracks               
 Daliah Lavi ~ Willst Du Mit Mir Geh’n               
              
           
        
        
        
        
                  
        
        
Styrous® ~ Wednesday, August 27, 2025