Today, Twickenham has just two breweries within its boundaries,Twickenham Fine Alesfounded in 2004, andJawbone Brewingfounded in 2019. However, the town was home to several more breweries right up until the 20thCentury. But who and where were they? In this, the first of two films, we look to discover the location of the breweries that once called Twickenham their home.
The White Stripes were formed in 1997 by then husband and wife, Jack and Meg White. They officially disbanded in 2011 after releasing six studio albums, one live album and 23 singles. Since then, there have been a plethora of archive releases of unreleased studio tracks and live recordings. The majority of these have been released via Jack White’s Third Man Records label’s Vault series. This has been a gold mine for White Stripes fans but Vault is a subscription service and therefore not available to the general public. This does mean that the majority of these archive releases have been issued on vinyl and due to the nature of The Vault, they have not been available to all but the hardest of hardcore fans. This has given me an opportunity to address this by looking at what each of the White Stripes albums could have looked like if Jack White had followed convention and released the bands back catalogue in deluxe CD sets instead. We start with their self titled debut album.
Jack White was already an established musician in the Detroit area, having played drums in Gobber & The Peas as well as guitar in The Go, The Henchmen and Two-Star Tabernacle. He and Meg White had started dating a few years before this and were married in 1996. A year later, she started to learn the drum on Jack’s kit, making their live debut at local club, the Gold Dollar not long afterwards. A recording of that first ever gig was made and is presented as the opening three songs on Disc 3 of this set. Adopting the motifs of only wearing clothes that were red, white and/or black, they were back at the Gold Dollar a month later to play a fuller set. This was also recorded and is also presented on Disc 3.
In 1998, Dave Buick who one Detroit based independent label Italy Records approached the band to release single. This was ‘Let’s Shake Hands’ which was followed later that year by ‘Lafayette Blues’. Both of these singles are presented with their respective B-Sides on Disc 1. In 1999, the band signed to Sympathy For The Record Industry label and released ‘The Big Three Killed My Baby’ as well as their debut album. They also released a split single with another Detroit band, The Dirtbombs, on the B-Side. Their contribution was called ‘Hand Springs’. The debut album and ‘Hand Springs’ make up the rest of Disc 1.
Disc 2 comprises of alternatives takes from the first LP sessions that originally came out on ‘The White Stripes XX’ set. This disc also includes some early cover versions of Love’s ‘Signed DC’ and Otis Reddings ‘I’ve Been Living You Too Long’, both of which first saw the light of day on a 7” single as part of the eighth Vault package. ‘Let’s Shake Hands’, ’Look Me Over Closely’, ‘Dead Leaves’ and ‘Let’s Build A Home’ are alternative versions that were released with the second and eleventh Vault package respectively. ‘Dead Leaves’ would eventually be re-recorded for the bands third album.
Discs 3 and 4 comprise of live recordings. Live at the Gold Dollar 1 and 2 were originally released as part of Vault page 13. Live at the Gold Dollar III was released as part of Vault package 26. Live at the Magic Bag came out as part of Vault package 34 and Live at the Raleigh came out as part of Vault package 42.
This is the only one of these White Stripes deluxe editions that will be a four disc set. That is because there were a number of releases made from before their first LP came out and I thought this should be included due to their historical importance.
Disc 1
The debut album with single A and B sides from 1999
Jimmy The Exploder
Stop Breaking Down
The Big Three Killed My Baby
Suzy Lee
Sugar Never Tasted So Good
Wasting My Time
Cannon
Astro
Broken Bricks
When I Hear My Name
Do
Screwdriver
One More Cup Off Coffee
Little People
Slicker Drips
St. James Infirmary Blues
I Fought Piranhas
Let’s Shake Hands (Single A-Side)
Look Me Over Closely (Single B-Side)
Lafayette Blues (Single A-Side)
Red Bowling Ball Ruth (Single B-Side)
Hand Springs (Single A-Side)
Side B
Alternative takes, early versions and outtakes
Dead Leave (Acoustic Demo Fragment)
Dead Leaves (Outtake)
I Fought Piranhas (Alternative Take)
Jimmy The Exploder (Take 2)
Jimmy The Exploder (Take 3)
Let’s Build A House (Outtake)
My Little Red Book (Outtake)
Screwdriver (Alternative Take)
Slicker Drips (Alternative Take)
Sugar Never Tasted So Good (Take 1)
Sugar Never Tasted So Good (Take 2)
Wasting My Time (Alternative Take)
When I Hear My Name (Alternative Take)
Why Can’t You Be Nicer To Me? (Take 1)
Why Can’t You Be Nicer To Me? (Take 2)
Signed D.C.
I’ve Been Loving You Too Long
Let’s Shake Hands (Alternative Take)
Look Me Over Closely (Alternative Take)
Dead Leaves (Alternative Take)
Let’s Build A House (Alternative Take)
Red Bowling Ball Ruth (Live)
Disc 3 – Live
Tracks 1-3 – Live At Gold Dollar 1 – Bastille Day (14th July 1997)
Tracks 4-14 – Live At Gold Dollar 2 (14th August 1997)
Tracks 15-30 – Live At Gold Dollar 2 (14th August 1997)
St James Infirmary
Jimmy The Exploder
Love Potion #9
St James Infirmary
Jimmy The Exploder
Red Bowling Ball Ruth
I Can Learn
Love Potion #9
Why Can’t You Be Nice To Me?
Marantette Blues (Lafayette Blues)
Jumble, Jumble
TV Eye
Big Girl (Little People)
Screwdriver
Broken Bricks
Jimmy The Exploder
The Big Three Killed My Baby
Stop Breaking Down
Suzy Lee
Let’s Build A Home
Sugar Never Tasted So Good
Do
Little People
One More Cup Of Coffee
Astro
Dead Leaves & The Dirty Ground
Wasting My Time
Red Bowling Ball Ruth
Cannon/John The Revelator/Grinnin’ In Your Face
Let’s Shake Hands
Disc 4 – Live
Tracks 1-16 – Live At The Magic Bag (30th July 1999)
Tracks 17-31 – Live At The Ritz – Raleigh N.C. (26th September 1999)
Released 30 years ago today, Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Live at the BBC’ was just one of a number of archive albums recorded at the Beeb that came out in the mid 90s’. Even though a number of BBC Sessions had seen the light of day on the Strange Fruit label, these tended to be a single session and not a career overview. This changed with The Beatles and their BBC sessions album from 1995 and a year later, Mac followed suit. The band were billed as Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, but some of the songs were recorded after he had left with one song being recorded as late as 1971, a full year after Green had gone. What I found surprising is that there wasn’t a contribution from Christine McVie included. The songs were not in chronological order and the sleeve notes were a little on the small side making it quite difficult to read which sessions they did come from. It did not stop this from being an awesome compilation especially as the band did not record some of these songs for one of their studio albums.
As there were a good deal of songs recorded for the BBC that did not make the cut, I thought that on the 30th anniversary of this compilation there should be a follow up. I was genially surprised there has not been a second volume, especially as there was enough material to compile one. Not all of the sessions were kept by the BBC and you can tell that some of them are off air recordings.
Some have also been released on compilations down the years but did not acknowledge they were BBC sessions in the sleeve notes, once again showing the disregard Fleetwood Mac have had when it comes to the majority of their archive releases.
Like the first volume, I took songs from the same years but this time there some audible contributions form Christine McVie. She can heard singing backing vocals on ‘Station Man’ as well as contributing some keyboard parts. For the most part, I have tried to keep the material blues based which is what the band were famous for at the time.
Unlike the majority of my what-if records, this one is designed for CD in the same way the first one was*.
Disc 1
Coming Your Way
My Baby’s Sweeter
Talk With You
How Blue Can You Get?
Please Find My Baby
Buzz Me Baby
Underway
Lazy Poker Blues
Got To Move
Tell Me All The Things You Do
I Can’t Stop Loving Her
Station Man
I Have To Laugh
Stranger Blues
Love That Burns
I’m So Lonely & Blue
Disc 2
Bo Diddley
Black Magic Woman
Tiger
You’re The One
Sweet Little Angel
You Need Love
Mean Old World
Peggy Sue Got Married
Dead Shrimp Blues
Albatross
Without You
The Sun Is Shining
Wine, Whiskey & Women
The Green Manalishi (With The Two Pronged Crown)
Leaving Town Blues
Great Balls Of Fire
The cover mirrors Vol.1, except with a blue tone instead of the sepia one of the original. Unfortunately I cannot remember where I found it online.
*This record did see a limited vinyl release in Japan in 1996, but had exactly the same songs as the standard CD which were over 50 minutes in length. Not exactly a vinyl friendly length.
This was a project I have been milling over for a number of years now. It was inspired by hearing the single version of ‘In-A-Garda-Da-Vida’ by Iron Butterfly. The original album version clocked in a side of an LP filling 17:05, but the single was only 2:52. There was some severe editing going on here butt gave me an idea. How many other songs from this era, and from North America (as I had already covered British psych quite extensively already) had single versions considerably different to the LP ones? Well, not many but there were several that were different mixes, or completely different versions. Mono was also a dying format in the USA in the late 60s and by 1968, few LPs were released in this format. However, singles continued to be so as most radio stations were still using the AM signal, which only broadcast in mono. Stereo singles were also released in this time.
When reissue programmes gathered pace in the mid 1990’s, mono was mostly ignored and so the original vinyl version of these records became sought after by collectors. Slowly, but surely, mono releases started being reissued but this tended to be album mixes. The more obscure single mixes tended to be relegated to specialist compilations or forgotten about.
This is my attempt at compiling a three disc set with as many single version of songs I could find. This includes well known acts as well as the more obscure. It is not only A-Sides as well, but some B-sides as well. Some of the artists were just starting out (e.g. Alice Cooper) whereas some were trying to adapt to a new sound having been part of the previous scene (e.g. The Electric Prunes).
In terms of the artists represented on this compilation, the vast majority come from the USA, but there are the odd interloper from Canada. I also thought this would have been the sort of compilation that Rhino would release. If this ever to come out, with the way these things are released in 2025, it would come out on vinyl and CD so the timings of each disc had to be able to fit on both forms without any loss of songs or a change in the running order. The name of the compilation comes from a song on Disc 1 by The United States of America.
CD1
LP Side 1
On The Road Again (1968 Stereo Single Mix) – Canned Heat
Heroes & Villains (1967 Mono Single Mix) – The Beach Boys
Mr. Soul (1967 Mono Single Mix) – Buffalo Springfield
32-20 (1966 Mono Single Mix) – The Charlatans
Love Street (1968 Mono Single Mix) – The Doors
She Sang Hymns Out Of Tune (1967 Mono Single Mix) – Harry Nilsson
Pandora’s Golden Heebie Jeebies (1967 Mono Single Mix) – The Association
LP Side 2
Omaha (1967 Mono Single) – Moby Grape
Abba Zaba (1967 Mono Single) – Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
Rain (1968 Mono Single Mix) – Kak
Hello Hello (1966 Mono Single) – Sopwith Camel
A Girl I Knew (1967 Mono Single Mix) – Steppnwolf
White Light/White Heat (1967 Mono Single Mix) – The Velvet Underground
Brother Lou’s Love Colony (1967 Mono Single Mix) – Colours
In-A-Garda-Da-Vida (1968 Mono Single Mix) – Iron Butterfly
LP Side 3
Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man (1968 Stereo Single) – The Bob Segar System
Talkin’ To Your Toothbrush (1968 Stereo Single) – Mama Cass
Nickles & Dimes (1968 Stereo Single) – The Bag
Dino’s Song (1968 Stereo Single) – Quicksilver Messenger Service
Shadow In The Corner Of Your Mind (1967 Mono Single) – Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
Free Up (Part 1) (1969 Promo Single) – The Surprise Package
White Bird (1969 Stereo Single Mix) – It’s A Beautiful Day
LP Side 4
The Garden Of Earthly Delights (1968 Stereo) – The United States Of America
Hold On (1969 Mono Single Mix) – The Rascals
Last Night I Had A Dream (1968 Stereo Single Mix) – Randy Newman
Coo Coo (1968 Stereo Single) – Big Brother & The Holding Company
Think Twice (1968 Mono Single Mix) – Think Twice
Scorpio Red (1968 Mono Single) – The Holy Mackarel
Change Is Now (1967 Mono Single) – The Byrds
CD2
LP Side 1
Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35 (1966 Mono Single Mix) – Bob Dylan
I Can Only Give You Everything (1967 Single) – MC5
Reflected (1969 Single) – Alice Cooper
Impressions With Syvonne (1967 Mono Single) – Don Grady
Lantern Gospel (1968 Single) – The World Column
900 Million People Daily All Making Love (1968 Single Mix) – The Seeds
LP Side 2
Sanctus (1968 Mono Single) – The Electric Prunes
House Of Painted Glass (1967 Single) – The Sandals
Please (1968 Single) – Kaleidoscope
Pancake Trees (1970 Promo Single) – Jefferson Lee
Smile, let Your Life Begin (1967 Mono Single) – The Factory
Who Is That Girl (1967 Single) – The Scott Richard Case
Bubble Gum (1969 Single) – Kim Fowley
LP Side 3
Fool (1970 Single) – Blue Cheer
Skipping Through The Night (1967 Single) – NGC-4594
Come Down (1967 Single) – The Common Cold
Not To Know (1970 Mono Single Mix) – Moon
Song Of A Gypsy (1969 Single) – Damon
Night Sounds Loud (1968 Single) – Clear Light
One Ring Jane (1969 Single) – Mother Tucker’s Yellow Duck
LP Side 4
L-12 East (1968 Single) – Groundspeed
Nobody (1968 Mono Single Mix) – Three Dog Night
Hungry Woman (1967 Promo Single) – Euphoria
Raising Sorrow (1969 Single) – The Mass
Mary Maiden (1969 Single) – The Scarlett Letter
Who Do You Love (1969 Single) – The Blues Magoos
Revelation In Slow Motion (1968 Single) – Count Five
CD3
LP Side 1
Alone Again Or (1967 Mono Single Remix) – Love
Dark Star (1968 Single) – Grateful Dead
I Want To Take You Higher (1970 Mono Single) – Sly & the Family Stone
Invisible People (1967 Mono Single) – Hamilton Streetcar
White Rabbit (1967 Mono) – Jefferson Airplane
How Could I Be Such A Fool (1966 Mono) – The Mothers Of Invention
You keep Me Hangin’ On (1967 Stereo Single Mix) – Vanilla Fudge
LP Side 2
Tripping Into Sunshine (1968 Single) – T.I.M.E.
Sum Up Broke (1966 Mono Single) – The International Submarine Band
I’ll Slip Away (1967 Mono Single) – Rod Riquez
Choo Choo Train (1968 Single) – The Box Tops
I Feel Like I[m Fixin’ To Die Rag (1965 Original Mono EP Version) – Country Joe & the Fish
I Stole The Goodyear Blimp (1967 Mono Single) – The Book Of Changes
Sing Me A Rainbow (1966 Mono Single) – The Sons Of Champlin
LP Side 3
Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (1969 Mono Single Mix) – Crosby, Stills & Nash
Kaleidoscoptic (1968 Single) – Shiva’s Headband
The Big Bright Pleasure Machine (1968 Single) – The Joyride
Uncle Jack (1968 Single) – Spirit
Sittin’ In Circles (1968 Single) – Steve Miller Band
