Neil Young “I’M HAPPY THAT Y’ALL CAME DOWN” (WCF copy, # 730/1) / LIVE ON SUGAR MOUNTAIN Volume 1 & 2 (#731, 732) / single album ‘best of’ (#733)

1971 in bootlegs mirrored the rise of a new breed of singer songwriters entering the scene: Leon Russell, Elton John, Cat Stevens and Neil Young had one of the best selling underground releases that year.

In an earlier post, I had tried to explore Rubber Dubber’s original of Neil Young’s recording at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, which is one of the auditoriums collectively named as the Los Angeles Music Center (and that’s why that name was used for the TMOQ version). I would love to know when exactly the WCF versions came out and when CBM’s was released but that is unknown so far, except pinning it down somewhere in late 1971 – early 1972. Rubber Dubber’s original – seen below – was probably available fairly soon after the concert date.

Side A: It’s So Hard To Wait (3:05) / Tell Me Why (2:10) / Look At My Life (3:05) / Journey Through The Past (3:10)
Side B: Cowgirl In The Sand (4:00) / A Heart Of Gold (3:00) / A Man Needs A Maid (5:00)
Side C: Sugar Mountain (10:25) / Don’t Let It Bring You Down (3:20) / Love In Mind (1:50)
Side D: The Damage Done (3:00) / Ohio (3:00) / See The Sky About To Rain (3:05) / I Am A Child (2:20) / See The Girl Dance (2:00)

This post will concentrate on the WCF versions, of which there are no less than three.

1. The double album using Rubber Dubber’s original title

 

 

It was around this time that WCF came up with label names that no longer referred directly to the artist on that specific album, first seen on Cat Stevens CATNIP LP on Bogart Records.

As we can see, the labels start with what is side C on the original, while the two volumes below reverted to the correct order (A & B on Volume 1 and C & D on Volume 2).

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2. The double album split into two volumes and with a new title

Using Rubber Dubber’s original art work. (I have only found an image for Vol. 2 so far.)

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3. The ‘best-of’ compilation

Wrap-around insert and either Skylonda or white labels. This also exists with ‘Sugar Mountain’ labels.

Matrix / Runout: 733 Side I / 733 Side II

Side A: Heart Of Gold / A Man Needs A Maid / (Old Man) Take A Look At My Life / Journey Through The Past / The Damage Done
Side B: Love In Mind / See The Girl Dance / Ohio / Sugar Mountain / See The Sky About To Rain

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ‘best of’ version was later reissued in a folder-type cover and blank white labels, with the new back cover crafted together from the inner sleeve/lyric insert of Neil’s official Harvest album from .

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I have been told that another WCF version named Young Man’s Fancy with a ‘ymf’ matrix exists as well.

 

Cat Stevens – ‘CATNIP’ (WCF 727)/ ‘LIVE!’/’THIS GIFT BORN OF US BELONGS TO US ALL……

 

CATNIP was the first Cat Stevens bootleg, riding on the tails of the commercial success of his Tea For The Tillerman album and the “Wild World” 45 in 1971. CATNIP is most often found in the CBM version, released in 1972. This post will look at three of the four releases by distinct producers.

WCF produced two different versions of this (I don’t know which one came first). Here, the BOGART Records version.

And the CATNIP Records version, with a wraparound insert saying “INCLUDED FREE POSTER” on the front and “CAT STEVENS LIVE” on the  reverse:

Perhaps the insert is supposed to be the poster? I have never seen this offered with an extra fold-out poster. Dittolino Discs would later copy this insert for their own version (see below).

USA: late 1971 / early 1972

Was CATNIP a WCF original? I am not sure but if it wasn’t, which was the original version? There seems to be only this candidate left, after discounting CBM & Dittolino as copies:

With a what looks like a printed cover:

It is sometimes seen with this sticker (either this inspired WCF’s “poster” comment or it was the other way around):

A typed and what looks like duplicated via a mimeograph, included track list:

This CLS-42471 version also exists with blank white labels.

In December of 2016, the following comment was left under my CATNIP – the CBM version post (the link to that is at the end of this post, if you wish to review the original comment thread):

“Me and two friends made the original recording of “Catnip”. It was recorded at The Gaslight in NYC around winter of 71-72 as I recall [ I still believe it was Nov./Dec. 1970 ]. We lived in Rochester, NY and on a trip to NYC took the opportunity to make a bootleg just for the fun of it. I recorded it on a Sony stereo cassette recorder and later copied it over onto a 2 track 1/4 inch tape so that mastering labs could use it easily, adjusting the equalization as best I could. Had it mastered in NYC at Audio Matrix and did a run of 1,000 pressings. Figured that would be it. Sold them ALL in Rochester!…so we ran another 1,000 and that was it as we had done what we set out to do. The cover is a photo produced by taking the 35mm. negative, contact printing a positive of it, then placing the two in the enlarger slightly out of register to make the final print. It’s usually assumed to be a drawing but it isn’t. I still have a few pressings still in their shrink wrap!…and still have the 2 track mastering tape also. ALL of the other issues of this are just copied from one of the original vinyl discs, so if you one of the originals it’s number X out of 2,000.“

I’ve been asked if I believe that the person who had left the comment, Larry, was responsible for the above version and my response is by way of exclusion: Larry wasn’t behind WCF or CBM or Dittolino Disc, so which version is left (unless I am still missing the original one).

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Here then is the Dittolino Disc version 1:

 

And version # 2:

Matrix: CS-A S-2654 / CS-B S-2655

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Some of the CBM versions can be found in this earlier post.

Source: The recording is usually listed as Chicago 5/12/1971 (or Boston in HW) and despite the US date format written as May 12th ’71, which seems doubtful. I did attribute it to the Gaslight in NY’s Greenwich Village on 30 Nov./01 Dec. 1970 but I have so far not found any of the vinyl sources online for final confirmation (as we have a ply-by-play description of the Gaslight recording).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filling Some WCF Gaps 2: White Cover Pirates

There are still some gaps in the WCF discography and thanks to Doinker, we have managed to fill one of them. For example, there used to be this gap here:

JJ-713 Janis JOPLIN – Wicked Woman
CC-714 CCR – LIVE AT FILLMORE EAST
DD-715 DONOVAN – LIVE AT THE REEDY RIVER JUNCTION

717 Rolling Stones – Stoned Again (pirate)
718 PROCOL HARUM – THE ELUSIVE PH

Well, not anymore:

The font used for the track list should look familiar.

If not, the label clinches the deal: Clearly, this was issued by WCF and fits right into the gap above, right down to starting the number with a two letter pre-fix derived from the artist(s)’ name.

An alternate blank label below, similar to what we have seen on other WCF releases:

And alternate inserts:

 

Obviously, this is not a bootleg but what is it? It’s a pirate of this 1962 novelty record (plus four additional tracks), making a lot of use of a technique later known as “sampling”, here using snippets of popular 50’s pop tunes spliced together and interspersed with dialog in the form of a radio show or an interview.

This seems to be an updated version of “War Of The Worlds”, with the back cover making some interesting claims:

Apparently, the original 1956 45 did reach # 3 on Billboard.

“An interesting, if not coincidental connection is a CD compilation of 50’s and 60’s “novelty” hits compiled by one of Goodman’s sons, Jon, and includes a couple of Dickie Goodman’s hits, including the The Flying Saucer song. The CD is available on the Varese Sarabande music label, a record company founded by (TMOQ’s) Dub Taylor and Chris Kuchler.” Thanks to YesDays for providing this piece of background information.

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Since the folks behind WCF were partial to pirating, it seems possible that other gaps in the WCF 700 series (719 -22; 729, 737; 745 – 749) were originally filled by similar non-bootleg releases.

 

Filling Some WCF Gaps 1: The THE YOUNGBLOODS HIT THE LIVE TRAIL 2,000 MILES FROM NOWHERE (YB-1-A/B) / TURNING ON THE SUNSHINE

Let’s get on with the show, shall we?

 

Matrix : (side A: none) Side 2: YB – 1B

I have only found this with a red insert.

By its appearance and release number, which now forms a trinity with LS-1 THE BAND – LIVE BAND and LB-1 THE BEATLES – LET IT BE LIVE , this appears to be an earlier release I missed before. It would be good to know precisely when this was recorded but my search has come up empty (if you know more, please leave a comment). However, “Hippie From Oleima (#5)” was only officially released on their 1971 album GOOD AND DUSTY.

In terms of value, this album is all over the map, I’ve seen it sell for just $1.50 and for $40 (and offered at $50 for a sealed copy). The Youngbloods, best known for their sleeper hit “Get Together” never really hit it big and were only bootlegged one more time on vinyl by the Italian Flying Horses label, ca. 1979 – YOUNGBLOODS LIVE AT AVALON BALLROOM.

 

It appears that this might have already been the second time and title that WCF had released this album under:

The stenciled cover does reminds you of the Band’s WCF release:

A Youngblood bootleg listing online states:

TURNING ON THE SUNSHINE LP EX quality, probably 1971 recordings.

20,000 MILES FROM HOME LP (same as above album with a different sleeve).

 

The recording was reissued one more time several years later, likely around 1979 – 82 on Crazy Jon Records 52471: