Elvis Costello on vinyl

Bear in mind, for the UK MAIT, the George Peckham cut is only for the original pressing made by Island with the Press & Post printed cover with the black and white photograph on the front, and 11 different coloured backs -- laminated yellow being the very first pressing with the lowest stamper numbers, like I-4 or I-10. Typically, a dark blue backed copy will have stamper numbers like I-80 and a stiff Island cardboard sleeve advertising bands. The LPs with the green posterised front art have the re-cut version signed by "STEVE." on one of the sides.

 

I have one of these; it is Porky on side two but not on side one.

Tim

 

This is off-subject, but since there are so many Elvis experts here, I gotta ask. I assume my copy of the Canadian promo LP "Live at the El Mocambo" is a counterfeit, but how can I tell for sure?

Thanks,
Ernie

 

Easy. Straight from the (now defunct) Beyond Belief magazine:

 

OK thanks. Everything you list leads me to believe it's a counterfeit, except mine does have the CDN-10-A-1A-2HDKZ (side 1) and CDN-10-B-1A-2HDKZ (side 2) hand etched.

 

Actually, not so "easy". The information in Beyond Belief was incomplete and inaccurate and it being quoted so often has perpetuated errors on the Web for a long time. Mike folded the magazine before I got a chance to do an in-depth article on the issue points surrounding the early and later pressings of the 2 Tone "I Can't Stand Up (For Falling Down)" and IMP "Pills and Soap" singles, and correctly identifying a real Live at the El Mocambo -- there are far more criteria that need to be matched in order for it to be genuine.

 

where do the blue vinyl versions come in? are they first cut as well? thanks.

 

The Belgian blue vinyl version fades out on "Mystery Dance" like the original George Peckham cut; the "STEVE." re-cut doesn't fade and the abrupt ending is more prominent, clearly revealing the reverb on the word "satisfied".

 

If you could give a quickie check on those two I'd appreciate it. I've got copies of both, I think the 2-Tone is later from something I read in "Record Collector" once but I'm unaware of issue points on the IMP.

 

The 1st issue of the 2 Tone single was given away at the Rainbow Theatre. The label is mostly flat... it's actually slightly recessed with a beveled slope that rises to the outer edge of the label. Most notably, in the run-off groove area, the "C" in the matrix, CHS-TT-7 A1 is upsidedown, or backwards. This is far scarcer than the 2nd issue, which was the one sold during the Trust tour in 1981. The label on this one has a deep recessed ring near the spindle and the "C" is correct.

With regard to the IMP "Pills and Soap" single: The plan was to only do the initial batch of 15,000 copies and have it go out of print on Election Day. It got a lot of radio airplay and there was great demand for it. Subsequently, something like 160,000 ended up getting pressed. Once again, the earliest pressing has a flat label -- "timtom-cbs" and "DAMONT" can be found in the run-off area on the A side, and "DAMONT" on the B. The later issue has a recessed label with "timtom-cbs" on the A side, and no mention of DAMONT at all on either side.

1st issue on left, 2nd on right:

 

Ah, sorry, and I had thought of contacting Mike Bodayle directly to check the info (seeing how as all my El Mocambos, real or otherwise, are in storage). Oops! I'll contact John Everingham and see what can be done about correcting the error as it stands on his web site. He's got a wiki for his site now too which might have this info in the discography; that I can certainly change!

Anyway, ernie11, it turns out that the info I gave about the run out groove is incomplete, some of the counterfeits have the run out groove engraving as indicated but are lacking extra markings in the dead wax. It could be that you could have one of these. Is there anything else in the run out groove other than:

CDN-10-A-1A-2HDKZ (side 1)
CDN-10-B-1A-2HDKZ (side 2) ?

As I recall there are less than 500 real copies of this promo, so that odds are that you've got is a counterfeit.

These get sold on eBay from time to time and I see (now that I've done a bit of detective work) that the Beyond Belief description is being used by sellers to "prove" the authenticity of their items.

 

Phew! Thanks, Jeff. I knew about the repressing of "Pills and Soap", but you had me scurrying to my Costello 7" singles (which luckily I do have with me), to check! Flat label, fortunately! Ditto for my 2 Tone (which is the "mostly flat" original)

 

LOL!

 

jeff,
i just got a copy of mait with a b&w costello pic, blue lettering, black innersleeve and yellow back, but it's not a "porky". is this the first press? if not, what is it?

thanks!

 

It sounds like a West German pressing (6.23318 AO) that I don't have -- I have one with blue lettering and an orange back, and another with green lettering with a yellow back, both with black inner sleeves and red Stiff labels, made by TELDEC/Telefunken-Decca. Just about every other country used red lettering (some with a black outline, most without.) They might be common in Germany, but, I don't see them often here.

 

I actally found a 1'st press....Yellow back...Laminated...Black 'n' White photo on front...Island Records manufacturing printin on back bottom....George Peckham "Pecko" stuff written such as "Elvis Lives" and "On this side too"...
Price...$30 and it's in excellent shape!

Really noticable how much eq was done on later pressings of this record and also the CD's...the tapes for each song sound all over the place and dare I say it...it sounds WONDERFUL!!!

 

mine has the standard black and white stiff labels. i believe it to be a uk pressing. did all peckam pressings have "a porky prime cut" inscribed, or did he master some and write other stuff? thanks.

 

here's a link to the one i got:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=007&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&viewitem=&item=170075677639&rd=1&rd=1

 

I have not read thru this entire post, but I did want to add my two cents.

On the first 2 LP's, you cats MUST get copies with "porky" & "pecko" in the dead wax. NOT easy to find. I bought my first copy of This Year's Model within a week of release and it's not a "porky". But, got one on ebay a year or so ago (WITH the bonus single) which was STRIPPED from almost every copy that was sold here in the USA by either the importer (seeking to make another buck or 2) or the record store (for the same reason). These versions blow away the non "porky" UK press.

I have UK (and German) vinyl of all Costello's catalogue all the way up to "The Juliet Letters". Brutal Youth and Kojak Variety do not exist on vinyl ANYWHERE. "All This Useless Beauty" exist as ONLY U.S. vinyl AFAIK. And, after that, I kinda lost track, though I know if it came on vinyl and it was by Costello, I bought it.

 

I just nabbed a uk "TYM" with the bonus single on Ebay. So I'll be set there but man, getting a Porky "MAIT" has proved harder than I thought it would be. But I'll keep looking...

 

Just make sure the "porky" is on BOTH sides. I have 4-5 copies of this LP and there are a ton of 1-sided MAIT "porkys".

 

Congratulations if it's a UK edition. I've never seen a UK one with blue lettering. Rhino recently reissued MAIT in the US with the B&W Keith Morris photo intact... maybe this a newer European version? Or an earlier UK LP in a German sleeve? As I've mentioned earlier, the only covers that deviated from red have been German in my experience.

 

Very cool, the blue is. All mine are black & white on the front, but have different colored backs.

 

I disagree with your disagreement. After listening to cds only of Costello for years, I have Trust and Goodbye Cruel World now on Columbia vinyl which sounds fantastic. Only one dollar each....

 

it's definitely not a rhino. i'll check it again when i get home tonight for country of origin hints and report back. still not a porky though.