An interesting discovery - early UK Stateside albums

TonyCurrie

Well-Known Member
Industry Member
I had always believed that the 1964 UK Stateside label compilation "Sounds Tijuana" was released with two different front covers, but I have now discovered that there were two different albums. The first - SL 10176 - Contained: (Side 1) Acapulco 1922; Mexican Corn; Desafinado; Mexican Drummer Man; The Great Manolete; Numero Cinco; Surfin' Senorita (Side 2) The Mexican Shuffloe; Winds of Barcelona; Crawfish; Marching Thru Madrid; Struttin' with Maria; The Green Leaves of Summer; Limbo Rock; Swinger from Seville

The second version was titled "Sounds of Tijuana" (subtle difference) and tracklisting was the same EXCEPT "More" replaced "Mexican Drummer Man"; "Mexico" replaced "Numero Cinco"; and "America" replaced "The Mexican Shuffle".

I'm guessing this may have been because at this point A&M switched licences from EMI to Pye Records and EMI no longer had rights to these three tracks. However, it does mean that !Mexican Drummer Man" did appear on an album - I'd hitherto understood that it didn't.

The first version only appears to have been released in mono; however I think a stereo version was issued in India. Not sure whether "Drummer Man" and "Mexican Shuffle" were stereo or not.
 
Yes Tony, that's correct. I found a copy of SOUNDS TIJUANA a few years ago. My purchase was specifically to have "Mexican Drummer Man" on an album, hoping for some great audio reveal, but it sounds no different from the 45 I own. In fact, I think the 45 might sound a little "fuller".
 
The first version only appears to have been released in mono; however I think a stereo version was issued in India. Not sure whether "Drummer Man" and "Mexican Shuffle" were stereo or not.
Only mono mixes exist for those two tracks, along with a fake stereo version of the latter track that appears on the stereo SOTB LPs that is slighly one channel heavy (forget which) but is so slight they might as well have left it true mono.
 
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