Artist: Plastic Ono Band
LP: 7" single
I was one of the last people out at door at Discos Revolver when they closed at 9pm, and then I began making my way down Calle de les Sitges, heading in the general direction of our apartment near the Filmoteca Catalunya. I'd only gone a few steps when the bright lights from inside Kebra Disc caught my eye. This little store hadn't been on my list! The place is only open in the evenings from 6:30-10pm, so it was fortunate that I passed by when I did. (Here's how to get there from Seattle.)
I found yet another handful of singles, but I ended up more with American and British rock and new wave records (Pat Benatar, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Cure, Nina Hagen Band) rather than the usual vintage Spanish releases I'd been finding most of the time. The owner of Kebra Disc is friendly and talkative and helped me dig up a few things I'd been looking for, including a 4AD single by Tanya Donelly. Most things already had prices on them, but a few did not, and the fellow there wanted to charge me an outrageous amount for a 1977 Grace Jones single (€20!) but I didn't bite. I found a copy at another store a week later for just €3 instead.
One of the treasures I picked up at Kerba Disc is this Spanish release of Plastic Ono Band's 1969 single "Cold Turkey" (or, "Pavo Frio" en español). It's pretty torn up, taped up, scratchy, and all that, but still holds together well enough to be enjoyed. One of Plastic Ono Band's very first singles, released just after John Lennon had departed The Beatles, "Cold Turkey" went to #30 on the US singles charts and peaked at #14 in the UK. According to Wikipedia, in most cases the cover featured an X-ray of John Lennon on the front, with Yoko Ono's X-ray on the back...but "an alternative sleeve with the X-ray photographs of John and Yoko side by side, rather than on either side of the cover, was issued in several European countries." So it seems that Spain was one of those!
The single features John Lennon on vocals, Eric Clapton on guitar, Klaus Voormann on bass, and Ringo Starr on drums. Though Yoko Ono doesn't provide vocals on this version (there are reportedly versions where she does), the influence of her particular brand of avant-garde performance artist circa 1969 makes a pretty strong appearance all the same.
I found yet another handful of singles, but I ended up more with American and British rock and new wave records (Pat Benatar, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Cure, Nina Hagen Band) rather than the usual vintage Spanish releases I'd been finding most of the time. The owner of Kebra Disc is friendly and talkative and helped me dig up a few things I'd been looking for, including a 4AD single by Tanya Donelly. Most things already had prices on them, but a few did not, and the fellow there wanted to charge me an outrageous amount for a 1977 Grace Jones single (€20!) but I didn't bite. I found a copy at another store a week later for just €3 instead.
One of the treasures I picked up at Kerba Disc is this Spanish release of Plastic Ono Band's 1969 single "Cold Turkey" (or, "Pavo Frio" en español). It's pretty torn up, taped up, scratchy, and all that, but still holds together well enough to be enjoyed. One of Plastic Ono Band's very first singles, released just after John Lennon had departed The Beatles, "Cold Turkey" went to #30 on the US singles charts and peaked at #14 in the UK. According to Wikipedia, in most cases the cover featured an X-ray of John Lennon on the front, with Yoko Ono's X-ray on the back...but "an alternative sleeve with the X-ray photographs of John and Yoko side by side, rather than on either side of the cover, was issued in several European countries." So it seems that Spain was one of those!
The single features John Lennon on vocals, Eric Clapton on guitar, Klaus Voormann on bass, and Ringo Starr on drums. Though Yoko Ono doesn't provide vocals on this version (there are reportedly versions where she does), the influence of her particular brand of avant-garde performance artist circa 1969 makes a pretty strong appearance all the same.
[ Kebra Disc — Barcelona, Spain ]
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