UK Psychedelia Discussion Forum

Regal Zonophone 2

General Forum
Start a New Topic 
Author
Comment
Elton John -Regimental Sgt Zippo album for RSD

I see there's an issue of an imagined Regimental Sgt Zippo album,as the original idea back in the day Unfortunately never came to fruition.Its a limited release for record store Day, which to be honest i don't take part in,as there's usually nothing much that interests me, plus the Choice of cd releases is never as comprehensive as the vinyl releases,in fact it's mainly vinyl, it's as if cds didn't keep record stores afloat for years, and I'm sure cds are still the main seller, but this predominantly vinyl only releases, sniffs of making as much money by charging expensive prices compared to what they could for a cd..... that's just my opinion of course!!

Yes you've guessed it the Regimental Sgt Zippo album is a vinyl only release, no cd option,but i was wondering If anyone has bought this, or any plans of buying it,as the title track is the most blatant psychedelic track Elton John did, fortunately i bought the jewel box set, that has many of his later 60s demos and recordings, Including a fine immaculate sounding version of this track, that box set has many of the songs included on Regimental Sgt Zippo album,but some in just a Reg and piano demo form, are the versions on this album all full band versions? If so are they good and how does Regimental Sgt Zippo as an album hold up?
The cover looks attractive, and rather tripped out looking, and in a wee way reminds me of the US version of Del Shannon's "Charles Westover"album.
Does this RSD release have liners and information inner sleeve? With photos etc?
This is definitely an album I'd love to buy on cd, as i have not bought vinyl for many years,but i do wonder why they don't give the option of a cd release,as surely all formats should be catered for if this is really all about record stores,as record stores sell cds too, and many still do,so this is really not all inclusive,i detect a real snobbery toward CD since the revival of vinyl,but if it wasn't for CD,many record stores would've found it very hard to survive through the 80s,90s and beyond,so I'm always disappointed when i see the list of releases, mostly vinyl only, the cd buyer,is being snubbed as if over 20 years of CD never happened, and in that 20-30 years, kept the stores ticking over, this reeks of opportunism by companies to reep benefit from ever increasing prices in vinyl, while cd prices have been stagnant,so I'm very cynical of RSD as an opportunity to give music buyers a treat, and as a promotion to keep people buying from record stores, which have been closing at an alarming rate, this feels like the big companies deciding what they could release what's best for them, particularly when they only release stuff in one listening source, which is predominantly vinyl, and not cater for cd buyers.....ok I'll end this here,but would love some feedback on the Regimental Sgt Zippo album,is it a more psychedelic orientated album?
Thank you for listening.

Re: Elton John -Regimental Sgt Zippo album for RSD

I have a copy on the way, so will update here.

I remember the days when vinyl was the cheaper alternative to CDs, something like £7.99 for the LP and £9.99 for the CD. It has definitely switched

Re: Elton John -Regimental Sgt Zippo album for RSD

I’m not anti-CD really, since a lot of good reissues and boxed sets are on CD. If I can’t find vinyl, I will get a CD. But the real culprit here is streaming, which is something I could have predicted the moment they reduced our record collections to 1’s and 0’s and sold them back to us as CDs, transformed into digital data. Now that it’s digital data, the formats are obsolete, and those 1’s and 0’s can be sent over wires or wirelessly. Of course the CD has been pushed aside, but not by Record Store Day... it’s been pushed aside by Spotify and their ilk.
Cool recommendations, Stu! Anything that has a Carsvan feel to it is something I need to investigate!πŸ˜€πŸ‘

Re: Elton John -Regimental Sgt Zippo album for RSD

I’ll add this though.. The Gang of Four boxed set having a cassette is just silly. Cassette’s were always a lousy format, and I say that as someone who had a lot of cassettes. I recorded music on cassettes, and I was overjoyex to get that music digitzed. So what in the name of all that is sacred is any band thinking releasing cassettes in 2021? I still listen to reel-to-reel and THAT is a much better format. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard (I might have messed up that name😜) even get that as some of their albums are available on reel-to-rerl. But cassette??? Pu-lease! πŸ™„ That was always crap. Nostalgia only.

Re: Elton John -Regimental Sgt Zippo album for RSD

Yes, the streaming thing is what the music industry supports. Like vinyl in the 90s when CDs were THE format, the industry takes every opportunity to talk down the format as they don't want to have to make them anymore. It's true that for bespoke labels like Numero or Light In The Attic in the US, CDs don't make commercial sense as they were selling fewer copies than the vinyl counterparts of any given title so they stopped offering them. CDs in box sets, nicely presented style are just as popular though. Record Store Day has always been about vinyl, I think there's two CDs on offer this time by Tears For Fears (live) and a Steven Wilson mix of Ultravox's Vienna album. I have lots of former RSD vinyl and glad to have it as well though these days RSD vinyl looks like fine art rather than something I'd dare drop a stylus on.

On cassette tapes, yes bonkers. They were briefly a US student fad a few years back. I have super delux box set of the complete output of British indie rock band Reef from 2010 which includes a casette tape of their first four songs. That is still sealed!

The other thing to say about RSD and vinyl is that a lot of the time the content of these vinyl releases end up being tacked onto CD box sets or extended editions of albums on CD later on anyway. How many times have you read a preview of the content for an upcoming extended content anniversary CD that says something like 'previoulsy only available on vinyl, record store day 20...' ?

Looking through the vinyl for 2021 RSD (UK anyway) on Super Delux website, it is a visual feast. All the lovely glossy gatefold sleeves and clear or coloured vinyl. But I do see this more as art than anything. For big fans of any given artist covered they are presumably must haves (usually from eBay the day after) but the little space I have left has to be for CDs in thin card sleeves thanks!

PM:slightly_smiling_face:

Re: Elton John -Regimental Sgt Zippo album for RSD

This site has a version of the Elton John album

https://albumsthatshouldexist.blogspot.com

The guy who runs the blog makes up albums 'that should have been' and he does some great write ups of the albums he puts together worth a looksee

I'm curious as to what the track list of the original album is. Does anyone know?
just found it

1. When I Was Tealby Abbey
2. And The Clock Goes Round
3. Sitting Doing Nothing
4. Turn To Me
5. Angel Tree
6. Regimental Sgt. Zippo
Side 2
1. A Dandelion Dies In The Wind
2. You’ll Be Sorry To See Me Go
3. You’re My Woman (aka Nina)
4. Tartan Coloured Lady
5. Hourglass
6. Watching The Planes Go By

Re: Elton John -Regimental Sgt Zippo album for RSD

Got it today! Sounds nice and I like very much the title track and the whole side 2, first songs not impressed me but it was just the first listen. There's a download code too, but no details at all about the musicians involved, apart from Caleb Quaye

Re: Elton John -Regimental Sgt Zippo album for RSD

Hello Joe,No i dont blame RSD as being a part of the decline of cd sales,the point i was making, was RSD was originally started as record stores were shutting at an alarming rate,and RSD was started to try and and give a boost to this dieing part of music as younger generations were avoiding buying music in their masses,as many where downloading music for free,plus the massive increase of internet buying,i for many years always took trips round all the record and cd stores,at first when i still bought vinyl,and then for the last 20 years cds,if this was a "true"RSD,surely cds would be much more included in their RSD releases,as for years CD sales kept "real" Record Stores open?Or is it because vinyl is the "trendy"thing again,the companies taking part know they can charge higher prices,as vinyl is far more collectable than cd,i personally dont think this has anything to do with record stores any more,this is marketing...simple as that,if this was trully for music fans,why are cds basically ignored? I totally understand cds are NOT as popular now,but there are still many people who buy them,i'll admit not many younger people,even if they issued a smaller limited amount on cd,even smaller than the vinyl options,but why is the option NOT there,as cds were a vital part of the music industry,and shops selling music,is it because those behind RSD ,dont think cds will attract people to go into a store?Also the original idea of RSD ,seems to have been forgotten ,as many of those releases are bought online.......i'm sorry but ive became very cynical,i was happy when RSD started,i thought it was a good idea,but now like mostly everything else,its just another marketing tool,by the corporate world,can i ask those who take part in each RSD...have prices increased much with every year?How many times does RSD happen every year?Is the number of RSD increased over time?
Or maybe i'm missing the whole point of RSD??Vinyl and cd are just 2 modes to hear music....its the music that matters to me the most,yes i understand the real interesr in vinyl,in particulsar original vinyl from 50 years ago,to me thats part of history,and i get that completely,but these RSD releases are not..finally i just want to say,yes cds at the beginning years were poor sounding,but thats decades ago,the technology in cd production and reproduction of sound has vastly improved,i can't comment on quality of sound on new vinyl,but i'm sure theres poor sounding vinyl,so i'm very dubious when i see comments that vinyl always sounds better than cd,i personally don't believe it!!Much of the romancing of vinyl,sounds like hyperbole to me,i use to buy vinyl for years,and believe me ,i much prefer the sound on cd,it last longer,as vinyl develop clicks,pops,warps,scratches easily,not as hardy,plus the record grading on the record buying market can be ludicrous to say the least,putting total trust in someone from the other side of the world,and particularly the music we all love,some ludicrous prices........so to me theres many negatives involved in collecting vinyl,its another reason i dropped out off buying vinyl,and completely switched to cds,as the market got far too expensive,many albums far outwith my reach concerning finance....so i'm very happy with cds,particularly the legit companies,as you get good liners,booklets,extras tracks,extra cds,good sound,and all for a good price,but for me its the music that matters,and of course price,as i'm sure many like me who love 60s sounds,cant afford much of the music on original vinyl........My word i've went on one here,this is not aimed at you personally joe,i'm just talking in general and thinking aloud!!
Gee whizz i can talk!!

Re: Elton John -Regimental Sgt Zippo album for RSD

It was during the intense research phase for last year’s Jewel Box box set Rarities items that the hidden history of Regimental Sgt. Zippo came into focus. In late 1967 and early 1968, the year before Empty Sky was released, twelve songs were recorded and organized onto two LP sides for intended release as Elton's introduction to the world.

However, it was not to be.

As graphic designer David Larkham recalls, “[Then-manager] Steve Brown would have said to Dick James, ‘Give these guys a little more slack other than just as songwriters in the ‘moon and June’ genre that you’re looking for because they do have other things to say.’ And then a bit later he may have said to Elton and Bernie, ‘Let’s shelve this album and see what you can come up with, and let me produce the next album.' Which turned out to be Empty Sky.”

Three of the twelve songs on the unreleased 1968 LP were actually included, in their final version, on Jewel Box last year. The box set also contains eight more RSZ titles, but in the form of early demos or previous incarnations (there is also one alternate mix). The remaining song, You’ll Be Sorry To See Me Go, has its official debut with the Record Store Day drop.

The earliest known activity for a song on Regimental Sgt. Zippo was the recording of the demo for Nina on November 3, 1967, a mere month after the release of Bluesology’s third and final single (Since I Found You Baby) and a full week before Elton and Bernie signed their first publishing deal with Dick James.

On the 15th of that month (so now five days into the songwriting team working on the clock, as opposed to skulking around the 1st-floor studios in the dead of night to capture their steadily growing volume of work before the famed publisher's staff became wise), Elton, producer/guitarist Caleb Quaye, and the musicians mentioned below picked up their instruments and fired up the four-track tape machine to cut the full-band version of Nina. At some point after, strings were added to the track, and the project was launched. "Regimental Sgt. Zippo was put together as an album, it wasn’t just a pile of demos", says Larkham.

Elton’s studio work that year was not yet done. In amidst demo-ing and developing a number of other John/Taupin compositions, Elton – or, more accurately, someone at the Dick James office – registered Angel Tree with the UK copyright office on December 13, quite possibly at the very same moment the demo was being recorded. As an intriguing point of reference, Elton sang backing vocals for the Tom Jones hit Delilah the following week. The version of Angel Tree heard on RSZ was recorded on January 11, 1968, with the backing vocals tracked on the 19th, during the same session as the orchestration for Elton’s first single, I’ve Been Loving You, was recorded.

Busy days indeed: in March and April of 1968, he recorded the bulk of RSZ as well as a handful of other new songs, released I’ve Been Loving You, and played his first club performance under his own name on April 30 at the Marquee Club in London. 20 days later, the album's title track, evoking not only the Beatles' mind-blowing Sgt. Pepper album but also Elton’s birth name, “Reg”, and the fact that his father was a regimented military man, was tracked and the sessions were complete.

And that is where the story ended...for 53 years. Until now. Finally, “the album that never was”, as Elton calls it, has a home on the Record Store Day shelves and in fans' collections.
'Regimental Sgt. Zippo' album details

All songs written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, unless otherwise noted.

Recorded on four-track at Dick James Studios, 71-75 New Oxford Street, London, UK.

Produced by Caleb Quaye
Engineered by Frank Owen

Musicians:

Elton John (as Reg Dwight): Piano, Electric Piano, Organ, Harpsichord, Lead and Backing Vocals
Caleb Quaye: Acoustic and Electric Guitars, Flute, Percussion, Backing Vocals
Dee Murray: Bass, Backing Vocals
Dave Hynes: Drums, Backing Vocals
Paul Fenoulhet Orchestra – arranged by Zack Laurence

Re: Elton John -Regimental Sgt Zippo album for RSD

Thanks a lot PP!

Re: Elton John -Regimental Sgt Zippo album for RSD

Given this a good listen now and I think this is just fantastic. I was expecting a bunch of demos when I ordered this, but we have a set of very well produced finished tracks, all with full band backing, great harmonies and orchestration. The music is mainly period pop with nods to Bee Gees and Beatles, but has it's own sound and does get psychedelic at times. A very nice well made package in a colourful period looking sleeve with flipbacks. No booklet or insert unfortunately, but still nice and a great pressing.

And Stuart, I'm sure this will be out on CD pretty soon, as tends to happen with initially limited vinyl pressings, especially for something so good and by such a big name.

Re: Elton John -Regimental Sgt Zippo album for RSD

Hello Gian. I saw you mention that this LP came with a download code as well. I just received my LP copy but I'm not seeing a download code. May I ask where you got your code from? Was it physically included with the LP? I'd love to listen to these tracks when I'm away from my turntable as well. Thanks.

Re: Elton John -Regimental Sgt Zippo album for RSD

Apparently quite a few have come without them included. See comments section on Discogs:

https://www.discogs.com/release/19027960-Regimental-Sgt-Zippo/reviews#c2382190