TOP OF THE POPS
Company: TMOQ-Smoking Pig on Highway HighFi label
Matrix Number: HIGHWAY HIFI 111-A / HIGHWAY HIFI 111-B
Release Date: early 1974
Country: USA
SIDE A
1. PEOPLE SAY
2. I'M WALKING
3. count-in HEY JUDE
4. count-in REVOLUTION
5. TOP OF THE POPS
6. B. Matthews intro LONG TALL SALLY B. Matthews comment
SIDE B
7. dialogue and intro A HARD DAY'S NIGHT
8. dialogue and intro THINGS WE SAID TODAY
9. TOP OF THE POPS (with B. Matthews comment)
10. SHOUT!
11. TWIST AND SHOUT
12. YOU CAN'T DO THAT
13. Paul intro ALL MY LOVING
14. John intro SHE LOVES YOU
15. George intro THINGS WE SAID TODAY
16. ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN
Source:
1 to 10: from LIVE AT NASSAU COLLESEUM
11 to 16: from ALIVE AT LAST
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Sound Quality: VG-mono
​
COMMENTS
The third of the compilations more or less simultaneously released by the Los Angeles group in 1974, the other two being THE BEATLES and LIVE IN ANYTOWN, and the second under the Highway HiFi label. This one is possibly the least interesting, since the producers simply copied part of two previously released records without caring too much of the content.
RELEASES
1. Early 1974 (photo below the title). This record had a similar sequence of releases as LIVE IN ANYTOWN. The first pressing had the insert printed in "rainbow" colors, the jacket was in strong colored cardboard and the disc had the light blue labels with the "Smoking-pig" logo.
1976-1977. These records had an insert printed black on colored paper, usually light blue, and often labels were blank. A series or repressing were done by the Wizardo group at the plant whose pressing mark is a groove at 31 mm from the central hole, compared with the first pressing done at the plant with a ring at 33 mm from the hole. The discs had blank white or colored labels, yellow was seen, and, probably in 1977, the "flower" label by the "Idle Mind" productions.
1977. Also this record was reissued with a new insert, in this case it was titled ALIVE IN LONDON 1964. The disc had blank yellow labels. The track listing on the back insert was that of LIVE AT NASSAU COLLESEUM. Only a limited number of copies of this rarer version were produced.
1983. The last appearance of this record dates to 1983, when it was included in the repressing series with the colored Smoking pig labels, with a new insert, partly folded over the back of the jacket, with some notes on the Beatles history in the folded part. The new insert reported the source of the tracks, but it is not always correct.
INTEREST. All these records released by this L.A. company are mainly interesting for high-level collectors. **/*
COPIES
TOP OF THE POPS was copied by an unknown bootlegger with a different cover, and the disc has a small black blank label. It may have been pressed in Japan, but we do not have further information and do not know its matrix number.
INTEREST. This is for sure a very rare edition, and as such it has a good interest for collectors, more than the common original version. ***
NOTE. The EP titled TOP OF THE POPS released in 1979 by Melvin records is not related with this LP