The French V.P.I. record label continued their string of reproduction 45 RPM singles with the release of the singles ‘Wooden Heart’ and ‘Good Rockin’ Tonight’. Time to give these two classics a spin.
Corazon De Madera
The first single is a reproduction of the second version of Spanish ‘Wooden Heart / What's She Really Like’ single. This single was originally released in 1961 by RCA Española, S.A.
Corazon De Madera
The first single is a reproduction of the second version of Spanish ‘Wooden Heart / What's She Really Like’ single. This single was originally released in 1961 by RCA Española, S.A.
It was good to see that there was no French copyright information or record label visible on the cover, that really adds to the idea of an authentic reproduction.
The single, available on white, bordeaux red, brown, black and green colored vinyl, is a good reproduction too, and also important, it sounds good too. It comes housed in a white protective sleeve.
Playing these singles was fun, like in the old days when you bought your favorite tracks song by song. OK, 5 time ‘Wooden Heart’ is a bit much, but playing ‘What’s She Really Like’ from the flip-side really made up for that, I had almost forgotten about that upbeat song.
For me the original sides might have been the other way around as I’ve always thought of this song as folklore music - even if it was adopted as part of the movie - and therefor it probably sold as well as it did in Europe, hitting the No. 1 spot on the charts in various countries. In the United States, it was released in November 1964 as the B-side to ‘Blue Christmas’.
Good Rockin' Tonight
The second single released by the V.P.I. record label is a reproduction of the ‘Good Rockin’ Tonight / I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine’ from the ‘Gold Standard Series, SS Series’ as released by Victor Company Of Japan Ltd. in December 1965. It was available intil 1971.
This re-issue comes with a printed sleeve reproduction sleeve with the single’s cover art on the from and the back of the standard company sleeve on the back. Not a 1-on-1 reproduction of the original, but an understandable choice by the record company.
The single, with a nice reproduction of the original label comes in a printed containing the lyrics in Japanese and English. The vinyl - available on black, white, gold, yellow and red colored vinyl - played well, as we have come to expect from this label.
Japan was late to the party, releasing these songs on 45 RPM. But seeing the vinyl spinning very colorfully on my record player in 2023 was both fun and entertaining. Two great songs, with ‘Good Rockin’ Tonight’ as my favorite as it is a more solid performance than the jumpy sounding ‘I Don’t Care If The Sun Don’t Shine’.
Playing this single made me look forward to the upcoming book 'From Memphis to Tokyo - A Reference Guide to the Absolute Mastery of Elvis' Japanese Vinyl' by Dick Dekker and David Ward which should be available soon (see banner on the right for more information).
Conclusion
I categorize these kind of releases as novelty releases, items you add to your collection every now and then. The reproductions - limited to just 200 copies per color - are made with care and a good eye for the (original) details, adding only a little color through the vinyl. For those fans not able to collect the original releases, these are a fun alternative.
Fun to add to the collection and I’m sure these good looking discs will find a way to various jukeboxes too.
Fun to add to the collection and I’m sure these good looking discs will find a way to various jukeboxes too.
The singles are available from the >>> French Culture Factory website and from various Amazon sites (paid associate links).