A definitive catalogue of music released by artists and bands who shaped the music industry AROUND the world for over 70 years Thomas Balacco Australia’s Most Comprehensive Vinyl Record Guide Copyright © Thomas Balacco 2016 This publication is copyright. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or any means (electronic, mechanical or otherwise) without the prior written consent of the publisher. ISBN: 978-0-9945495-0-1(pbk) First edition published by Thomas Balacco in 2016 For a all enquiries, please contact: Email: [email protected] Website: www.aussievinyl.com.au Compiled and edited by Thomas Balacco Design and print management by Hardshell Publishing www.hardshellpublishing.com Contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................... iv Feedback ..................................................................................................... iv The Aussie Vinyl Record Guide ....................................................................... 1 The birth of Aussie Vinyl ........................................................... 2 Special sections ....................................................................... 2 What’s a record worth? Who says? ............................................. 3 Quality and condition ............................................................... 3 Mono and Stereo ..................................................................... 3 How to use this guide ............................................................... 4 Record and sleeve designs ........................................................ 5 78 rpm releases ...................................................................... 5 Commercial releases, samples and promos ................................ 5 Custom pressings ..................................................................... 6 Quadraphonic .......................................................................... 6 8 - Track ................................................................................... 6 Who’s sold the most records? .................................................... 7 Abbreviations and Terms .......................................................... 8 Aussie Vinyl’s grading system ................................................. 11 Aussie Vinyl’s grading matrix ................................................. 12 A - Z guide ................................................................................... 1 3 Acknowledgements It has been many years from conception to publication, and there have been many changes from the original format to the format that had been finalised in this book with most of the changes arising with the constant increase of information being included. Some people had been involved in preparing this book, particularly in the later stages when I decided to publish the material and begin the Designing and Promotional works. In particular, I would like to thank (in Alphabetical order) Rommie Corso (Hardshell Publishing) and Heather and Steve Holmes (SHMarketing & Design). Thank you to all the Record Shop owners around Australia for their assistance in providing information and links to possible sources of information in my quest to produce this book. Special thanks to the many websites, fan clubs and individual collectors for their input and expertise, which has helped and continued to help. Finally and most importantly I would like to thank my family (In Alphabetical Order) Marlene Balacco, Robert and Margaret Farrow and, in particular, my wife Valeska and my two children Katia and Joshua for their patience, understanding and support with this project. Feedback The contents of this book have been proofread numerous times, and I am confident that there are very few errors. There are a small number of entries where the information may not be complete and some entries where I have relied on reputable sources for the information such as newspaper articles, press releases, record company catalogues and fan club documentation. However, the publishers cannot take any responsibility for any errors or omissions, nor can they be held responsible or liable for any loss or damage to any person acting on the information in this guide. I will be working on the next edition of Aussie Vinyl Record Guide very soon and in the interest of correcting such items for future editions of this book, I would be pleased to hear from any readers or collectors who wish to assist. Also, what would you like to see in the next book? Do you have proof of an unknown unlisted record? I’d like to hear from you! Via e-mail: [email protected] Via Website: www.aussievinyl.com.au I look forward to reading your suggestions and incorporating as many as possible. Thank you for the time and thought you have put into sharing your viewpoints. Thomas Balacco iv The Aussie Vinyl Record Guide elcome to the First Edition of The Aussie Vinyl Record Guide, the largest and most comprehensive book of its kind to be released in Australia. It has been 40 years in the making, 15 years to be W compiled and this project has been driven by one of Adelaide’s largest private collectors of vinyl and music history. Our team at Aussie Vinyl is small but our passion for the music from years gone by is huge. The dedication and perseverance of the team who have put this guide together have done so in their spare time and also at their cost which is a credit to all involved. What you’re holding is not only a catalogue of numbers and dates but a definitive catalogue of music released by the bands and artists who moulded the shape of the music industry all over the world for over 70 years. It’s their history and with each publication it can be preserved in a unique way, and now this is your history as well. The aim of this book is to list and value collectable records released only in Australia from 1920-1991. The book includes artists from Australia and Overseas that released records in Australia on vinyl singles, EP’s, LP’s, 78’s and Cassettes not to mention Samples, Promos, Limited Editions and Test Pressings. As a whole, the book is diverse and thorough, covering many genres with over 70,000 entries, over 17,000 artists on over 1,000 record labels. Despite the great number of independent and custom releases, I have documented as many bands and singles as I could find. Although there are similar publications such as Britain’s, ‘Rare Record Guide’ and America’s “Goldmine Record Price Guide’ there is a significant amount of entries from the host countries in their editions, unfortunately, the amount of Australian content is severely lacking. In most cases many artists from around the world are deliberately left out of these editions also to conserve space and to do this they only list records with a minimum value of $10 US or 5£ UK. Recently interest in the CD’s has declined, and the interest in vinyl from the past continues to grow despite the increase download / portable technology. As collectors of all ages track down all the records they want in a particular genre, they start to broaden their horizons. So if this is the first time you’ve picked up this type of book, welcome and enjoy the experience. The response to the idea of having our Australian version has been tremendous from collectors, friends and fans alike, which contains a very large amount of homegrown artists. Many Australian artists over the decades have in fact had released overseas with varying success, and the results can see in overseas publications such as “Billboard Charts” in America and “Guinness Charts” in Britain. Those who were successful may find their releases in the overseas Record Guide publications, but most do not get a mention. Arguably, many homegrown releases that made it on the Australian Charts through the sixties, seventies and eighties, are some of the best pop/rock songs ever to come out of Australia and even 30-40 years later, they still can be heard on Australian radio today. Vinyl is also making another comeback on another front with artists nowadays deciding to release their latest albums on vinyl, new and old artists selling vinyl releases at concert merchandising stands and record companies now re-releasing albums from decades gone by on new vinyl. Some of the most unforgettable music of all time are detailed in these pages with the songs and the artists. A successful pop song will stick in your mind for days, whether they were a one-hit wonder, or they have become a national anthem, love them or hate them, we all remember them. Take a trip down memory lane and relive the music of the last 70 years. I hope you get a lot of enjoyment out of reading this book, as much as I’ve had fun compiling this book. I’m sure you’ll be saying at some stage, “I didn’t know he released that” or “I didn’t realise they recorded with that artist” because I know I did as I was compiling all my research. No matter what your taste, this is an essential work of reference for any music fan or collector. THOMAS BALACCO 1 The birth of Aussie Vinyl Music has been a passion all my life, having started out with vinyl, and then cassette, then CD and then back to vinyl. I always felt at home with the black plastic. Watching countdown on a Sunday night through the 70’s and then the 80’s, I was always eager to see the latest clips and hear Molly’s “Do yourself a favour and buy this record”, as I felt his recommendations were in line with my taste