ROLLING STONES 'GOIN BACK TO THE ROOTS' 1972 TOUR NORFOLK 'COLLECTOR' LP ON CBM

$

204

ROLLING STONES 'GOIN BACK TO THE ROOTS' 1972 TOUR NORFOLK 'COLLECTOR' LP
THE ROLLING STONES"GOIN' BACK TO THE ROOTS ~ AMERICAN TOUR 1972"RECORDED: SCOPE AUDITORIUM NORFOLK, VIRGINIA JULY 5, 1972LABEL: NONE (BUT ARTWORK IS CLEARLY 'CONTRABAND')LABEL: CONTRA BAND RECORDSRELEASED: CIRA 1975MATRIX (SIDE A): RI 3508 A1MATRIX (SIDE B): XXXXX 3508 B1 KYOTO BADAV
CONDITION:  VINYL: VG++  JACKET INSERT:  VG++
I've been going thru my massive vinyl record collection these past few weeks and pulling out some LPs that I thought that someone else would want for their collection. I've been collecting records for over 45 years and it's time to pass some of them on to the next generation of collectors.
This week on EBay I am offering up this rare Rolling Stones 'collector' record recorded live at "The Scope" in Norfolk, Virginia, on July 5, 1972.
This is my original copy, purchased back in the early 80's at a NYC record show, that I've taken great care of for many years. See details on Condition below.
The vinyl is in great shape and the sound quality is a very nice, clear audience recording. This is an excellent audience recording and the sound quality is superior to what is typically on these 'Collector' records.
This is pressed on the ContraBand (CBM) label, known for their quality recordings and they were a direct competitor with TMOQ, Pig's Eye, Amazing Kornyphone, Rubber Dubber and other early Collector record labels.
Recorded live at Scope Arena, Norfolk, Virginia on 5 July 1972
This is a later mid-70s era pressing on the 'ContraBand' label. This record comes in a plain white jacket with the cover image printed in black on a separate tan colored paper insert.
This is the very early style ContraBand cover with the group's name in larger sized text and the album title in hyphens. Later covers had everything in the same font and no hyphens.
~~~~~~The very first pressings of this Collector record were also made by 'ContraBand', but were cleverly designed to look like a record released by their competitor 'Rubber Dubber', complete with their trademark sleeve and crude rubber-stamped title.
There were several reasons for this, mostly due to the fact that the 'Rubber Dubber' label, out of Los Angeles, made some of the very best sounding 'Collector' records, and 'ContraBand' knew if it looked like a 'Rubber Dubber' release it would sell well.
The actual 'Rubber Dubber' was an electronics whiz kid, one of the first to use a high tech microphones to 'broadcast' their signal to a recording truck parked outside the venue. He mixed and mastered his own recordings and even sent royalty checks to the artists he taped, trying to skirt the laws around recording live music and make it all very legit. For a while, he succeeded.
However, the original 'Rubber Dubber' label was busted in September 1971 and all of his master tapes, plates and stampers were intentionally destroyed when things started to go foul.
That's why original, true, 'Rubber Dubber' collector records are so rare, valuable and collectible. The 'sources' for those pressings were intentionally destroyed and the only way to get those recordings are from the original records or 'needle drop' copies. 
Anyhow, this record was originally released by ContraBand (CBM)in late 1972, shortly after the show, but after 'Rubber Dubber' was out of business, as a 'Rubber Dubber' style record, making many fans at the time think 'Rubber Dubber' was back in business. They weren't. 
ContraBand records was a local Virginia company, at least back then, and this record was made and pressed on the East coast to cash in on Rubber Dubbers previous success.
Later mid-70s copies, like this one, were pressed like many other Collector records at the time, with a paper insert sleeve cover, a plain white jacket, and the ContraBand logo on the record labels.
This famous record went on to be repressed and rereleased by other companies, all in inferior sound. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~The sound quality on this record is quite good for the time period and sounds quite nice for a 'Collector' record. This is one of the best audience recordings from the Rolling Stones 1972 Tour.
The SCOPE theater in Norfolk was one of the smaller venues on the tour. It only held about 10,000 fans, compared to places like Madison Square Garden that held twice as many.
As a result, the Norfolk show had a better 'vibe' and much more audience interaction with the band.
From information I discovered back in my tape trading days of the 1970's, this was recorded using a Marantz Superscope cassette recorder and twin Aiwa Microphones. It's technically Stereo but the separation is pretty narrow. Still  a nice audience recording. The guitars, horns, vocals sound great.
Unlike the Stones 1969 tour, there weren’t many releases of good quality audience recordings of the 1972 tour on vinyl. This is one of the better ones.
The TMOQ Trade Mark of Quality label released 'Burning at the Hollywood Palladium' and 'Get Your Rocks Off' back in the day, but the sound quality on those was pretty bad. This CBM release of 'Goin Back to the Roots' sounds much better.
Mick Taylor's playing was crisp and fierce at this show and his guitar sounds great, at least as far as recordings like this go.
The version of  “Bye Bye Johnny” on here is fantastic with the whole band on fire and playing looser than usual. 
The photo of Mick on the cover is actually from the Norfolk '72 show, a nice added touch.
Famously the Matrix of the very first pressing was boldly stamped with the message “CATCH ME IF YOU CAN”. The Matrix of this pressing is an early one, but doesn't have those words. See full matrix above.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~THE ROLLING STONES 1972 TOUR
The official name of the tour was 'American Tour 1972', but was also known as the "Stones Touring Party" (STP), and by band 'insiders' as the "Cocaine and Tequila Sunrise tour."
It was a highly anticipated, highly publicized and hyped up. It was one of the most electrifying tours in rock history.
The tour was in support of their great 'Exile on Main Street' album that was just released in mid May.The tour was relatively short, only 48 shows, in Canada and the United States, and ran from the beginning of June to the end of July 1972.
It was the first time that the Stones were back touring in the USA since the mess that happened at the Altamont Free Concert in December 1969.
The tour kicked off in Vancouver on June 3rd and wrapped up with 4 shows at New York City's Madison Square Garden, with the final show on July 26th, being Mick's Birthday Party celebration.
Stevie Wonder, who had some current hits and some fantastic albums out at the time, was the opening act for the tour. 
Despite excellent shows and fantastic set lists, the Stones purposely did not play 'Sympathy for the Devil', the song blamed for the murder and mayhem that happened at Altamont.
Also, on this tour, the Stones did not play any songs from before 1968, except for rare encores of 'Satisfaction.' At the time, Allen Klein owned the entire Stones catalog of songs up to 1971 and the Stones were still fighting Klein for withholding royalties, so they weren't going to play any earlier songs that they didn't own.
That forced the band to play excellent, blistering sets of 'newer' classic songs from 'Sticky Fingers' and 'Exile.' Their set lists were 'All killer, no filler' and every show was full of one swaggering, rebellious and raunchy classic after another. Songs like 'Brown Sugar', 'Bitch', 'All Down the Line', 'Rocks Off', 'Rip This Joint', 'Tumbling Dice' and, of course, Keith singing 'Happy'.
Unlike other tours of the States, there was no live album from this tour released at the time, making 'Collector' records, like this one, an essential part of any Stones collection.
Some shows were taped for a potential live record, but that idea was scrapped by the band. Press and TV coverage was high and many of the shows were filmed, leading to some very good recordings of parts of many of the stops along the tour.
Two films of the tour were made; the concert film 'Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones!' which was released to theaters in 1974, but not availble to consumers until 2010, and Robert Frank's 'Cocksucker Blues' a tour documentary. That film was X-rated, revealing sex, drug use, and backstage debauchery, and it was blocked from release by court order. So, despite some great film footage of the tour, most of that material remains hard to come by.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Rolling Stones, in July 1972, were "The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World" and proving it night after night. Their shows personified sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.
Drug and alcohol use within the band at this time was notorious and legendary. Keith was fresh out of a failed Detox stint in Sweden and was still in the midst of a crippling heroin addiction. Cocaine was everywhere and flowed freely. Every shape and color of pill that you could imagine were available.
In Boston, both Keith and Mick were arrested and ended up in jail, but for assault, not drugs. There were many altercations and confrontations with the police and many fans were arrested. In Montreal, a bomb exploded under one of the band's equipment trucks, destroying gear, but no-one was injured.  
Keith famously stated that "The only way to do a tour like that is to be as high as you can be and not think about anything else"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In retrospect, one could argue that they were at their creative peak in the summer of 1972, having released, in order, "Beggars Banquet," "Let It Bleed," "Get Yer Ya-Yas Out," "Sticky Fingers" and then, a month before the tour, the amazing double album "Exile on Main Street."
By early July, when this Norfolk show took place, the band was playing at their peak. Both of the band's guitarists, Keith Richards and Mick Taylor were on fire, Mick Jagger's voice was great, and he joyfully danced and pranced around the stage brilliantly. Nicky Hopkins kept the melodies tight and flowing on the keyboards. The rhythm section of Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman had punch, drive and power, and the 2 horn players, Bobby and Jimmy, added just the right amount of soul, accent and attitude.
~~~~~~~~~~~This 'Collector' record only has highlights of the July 5, 1972 Norfolk show, but it captures some of the best, classic, moments of the concert.
The folks at the 'Contra Band' label rearranged the song order a bit and also cleverly start side A with 'Sweet Virginia', appropriate since this was a Virginia show.
The songs on this album include:
Sweet VirginiaBrown SugarRocks OffGimme ShelterHappyTumbling DiceYou Can't Always Get What You WantBand IntroductionsBye Bye JohnnyRip This JointJumping Jack FlashStreet Fighting Man
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CONDITION: I tried to show good hi-resolution photos of the cover, labels and vinyl in my pictures.
I purchased this copy back in the early 80's, 45 years ago, and have taken great care of it since.
VINYL: The vinyl looks excellent. Clean and bright. No serious scuffs, palpable scratches, or dings. There's some mild 'haziness', mostly noticeable in the run-off area, but it sounds fine.
I haven't messed with it or cleaned it, other than my trusty 'DiscWasher' brush, in 45 years, since Ronald Reagan was in office. It could use a good deep cleaning to make it even bettter looking and better sounding than it already is. 
Other than that, it looks fantastic and I'm sure you'll be very pleased with it.
The Deadwax has the early pressing, but not first pressing marks. Again, see the full Martix above.
I tried to show some close-up pictures of the vinyl to show how good it looks. I'm sure you'll be happy with it.
LABELS: This is pressed with the 'classic' early pale blue ContraBand labels with their blue logo. As typical of these collector records, no mention of the Band or a title. Just a big 'A' and 'B'.
The labels look to me like they were placed on top of a rough surface underneath them. The playing area of the record is smooth, bright, and clean, but the vinyl under the labels seems 'rough'. The labels look nice, but they have some odd rough appearance when viewed from a certain angle. The record plays fine, just an odd look to the 'texture' of the labels in places. Kinda strange. 
The spindle holes are still sharp and clean, suggesting minimal playing and my careful handling over the years.
JACKET: As you can see from my pictures, this still looks very nice for a 50 year old OG copy. 
The jacket is just a sturdy plain white jacket.The insert is printed black on Tan paper. The insert is clean, square and bright, but over time, the cheap paper has become mildly 'crinkled'. I think it's just the combo of cheap paper and time. I showed a picture of the back of the insert sheet so you can see the mild 'wrinkling'. Not a big deal, but should be noted. I've had this happen to other 40+ year old paper inserts on my other 'collector' records.
The insert, as mentioned above, is the early style with the band name large and the title in quotes.is straight. 
Overall, a rare Stones record and a nice survivor. I'll call the whole record VG+ to keep everyone happy, but it's a beauty. You just don't see these anymore.
This record has been sleeved and stored properly for decades, and is still quite nice for an original early CBM pressing. Very acceptable, all original, and a real gem. I'm sure you'll love it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~** NOTE: I'm selling this rare 'Collector' record "AS IS" and "NO RETURN". It's rare and as described and I'm sure you'll be very happy with it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I’m recently retired and downsizing and letting go some gems and rarities from nearly 45 years of vinyl record collecting. Check out the many other fantastic 45s and 33s coming soon to my page!
All records have been carefully evaluated and graded by me. I visually inspect all records under bright light, personally gently clean them with a soft cloth and then, if unsure, play them on a modern high-end turntable to get a true picture of condition. Please look at all the high-resolution pictures I added. They are all my own and are of the actual record being sold. The pictures are part of the description and can show small details, label variations, and condition better than I can put into words. 
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOURS AND WE WISH YOU MUCH PEACE AND PROSPERITY IN THE YEAR TO COME!!
THANK YOU for looking and reading if you got this far.  -- JOHN