#tmoq

Vinyl of the week. Waiting For the Moo.

The other Trade Mark of Quality bootleg I own - a compilation of Beatles Christmas fan club singles. Back in the day, if you were in the Beatles’ fan club, you got a 7” every year of the guys goofing around in the studio, maybe playing some music, and wishing you happy holidays. The Beatles officially released a box set of those singles a few years ago (because what corner of the Beatles’ discography hasn’t been mined to death?), but for decades, bootlegs like this were the only way to hear these often bizarre and definitely rare singles. Since the audio was lifted direct from the singles themselves, the sound is fantastic, and of course, it sports a gorgeous cover by commercial illustrator William Stout. 


Trade Mark of Quality Label

Vinyl of the week . . . Bath Festival Of Blues and Progressive Music. Live 27-06-1970 on the Trade Mark of Quality label.

Goofy story with a twist ending: I wrote a three-page article for Mix Magazine about this book earlier this year—and never got to actually SEE it! The book wasn’t out yet, the publisher didn’t have physical copies and also wouldn’t send a digital version. Flummoxed, I did my best to interview the authors, which was a moderately cagey experience given the book’s topic, and then did a lot of my own research on bootlegs at other sources to fill in the gaps. It resulted in a good article but it was still a frustrating experience. Even when the book came out, I still didn’t see it around — it’s with a small publisher, so it’s not like you stumble over it at Barnes & Noble (they don’t carry it), and let’s not ignore the cover price: $75 for a paperback. Admittedly a heavy, glossy paper, full-color paperback, but even so—yikes! So here’s the twist: My in-laws gave me a copy for Christmas, mail-ordering it direct from the publisher. The book arrived at their place all beat to hell—certainly readable, but you wouldn’t give it as a gift. So they called up the publisher and, providing them with excellent customer service, he said “Ah keep it; I’ll send you a new one.” And he did—so I received not one but two copies of this thing! From famine to feast. And it’s a pretty good tome, too. The history of a 1970s bootleg record label is esoteric reading, to be sure, but it’s deeply illustrated and is told in a very ‘10PM at the far end of the bar,” nonchalant style. If you love classic rock, dig bootleg records and enjoy a true-crime story told a little slowly (and have $75 burning a hole in your pocket), it’s definitely worth a read.

Stack of BOB DYLAN boots from the ‘60s and ‘70s just in - all of these plus a few more. #bobdylan #tmoq #trademarkofquality #robertzimmerman #lunchboxrecords (at Lunchbox Records) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzwWGbOJjh1/?igshid=42s5uwf6g9pj

The Grateful Dead at the Fillmore West. Trade Mark of Quality Splatter Wax. Available now. #splatterwax #coloredvinyl #gratefuldead #tmoq #trademarkofquality #heavyhitters #newarrivals #vinyl #vinylporn #vinyllife #vinylgram #vinyllover #vintagevinyl #vinyligclub #vinyligcommunity #records #recordstore #recordsforsale #recordcollection #revillagrooves #recordcollector #ditc #vinyljunkie (at Revilla Grooves and Gear) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqdTp8HA3_4/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1uq60utypp84e

The LPs above courtesy of ILLUSTRACTION GALLERY