Thank you for buying this record. What follows is its documentation: the
pressing identified, the matrix / runout transcribed by hand from the dead
wax, and the condition as assessed before it was listed. It is yours to keep
with the record.
Robin McBride, Buddy Miles ("Memphis Train" produced by Steve Cropper)
Performer / Orchestra
The Freedom Express (Buddy Miles' backing band)
Musicians
Buddy Miles (drums, lead vocal), Bob Parkins (organ), Andre Lewis (organ, clavinet), Wally Rosenblum (rhythm/lead guitar), Charlie Karp (guitar), Billy Cox (bass, fuzz bass), Marlo Henderson (guitar), David Hull (bass), Bob Hogins (organ, trombone), Lee Allen (trumpet), Phil Wood (fluegelhorn), Mark Williams (tenor saxophone), James Tatum (tenor saxophone), Robert/Bobby Pittman (alto/tenor saxophone), Teddy Blandin (trumpet), Dwayne Hitchings (organ), Jim McCarty (guitar), Roland Robinson (bass), Percy Carter (trumpet), Tom Hall (trumpet), Tobie Wynn (baritone saxophone), Fred Allen (background vocals)
Matrix / Runout
Side A: SR 61280-A-M6 A1 E
Side B: IS 1280-B-M6 A2 E
Condition
Cover
VG+
Vinyl
EX
Variant chronology
1970 - US Mercury SR-61280 stereo, lowercase "manufactured and distributed by" rim text (original first-issue window) <- this copy
1970 - US Mercury SR-61280/SR 61280 stereo, uppercase rim-text reset of the same label
1970 - US Mercury SR 61280 White Label Promo (WLP)
1973-74 - US Mercury SR-61280 reissue pressings - no documented sale found for this variant
This Pressing
1970 US Mercury SR-61280 stereo original - lowercase rim-text label places this within the original-issue design window, though the runout carries an M6 stamper, a generation beyond the commonly seen M1 variants for this release.
The Album
Them Changes arrived in 1970 as Buddy Miles' first major post-Band of Gypsys statement, made after his brief but era-defining stint drumming alongside Jimi Hendrix and Billy Cox. Fronting a new large horn-and-rhythm outfit billed here as the Freedom Express, Miles fused hard funk, soul balladry and rock guitar into a single, muscular sound anchored by his own booming drumming and gospel-inflected vocals. The title track became his signature song, an instantly recognizable funk-rock groove that would be covered and sampled for decades and remains his best-known composition. The album also stretched outward stylistically, taking on Neil Young's
Tracklist
Side 1
1. Them Changes - 3:20
2. I Still Love You, Anyway - 4:13
3. Heart's Delight - 4:06
4. Dreams - 4:52
Side 2
1. Down By The River - 6:20
2. Memphis Train - 2:55
3. Paul B. Allen, Omaha, Nebraska - 5:31
4. Your Feeling Is Mine - 2:11
The Label
The Side 1/2 labels are the standard orange Mercury 'globe' design with the oval Mercury logo top and small repeating oval logos around the rim, matching the Mercury corporate label used circa 1970. The rim text reads 'manufactured and distributed by Mercury Record Productions, Inc.' in lowercase, the original-release rim-text variation for SR-61280; a later state of the same label reset this text in uppercase. This lowercase rim text, combined with the catalogue number SR-61280 and stereo designation, places this copy within the original 1970 US first-issue label-design window rather than the later uppercase-text state or a subsequent reissue. No deep groove or other era marker is present on this 1970 Mercury pressing, as expected for the type.
Fidelity
No specific mastering engineer credit appears for the original 1970 Mercury cut; it was pressed in-house at Mercury Record Manufacturing Company (plant code MR) rather than by an outside audiophile mastering house. Collectors on the forums have raised the question of how the CD compares to the LP without reaching a settled consensus on the best-sounding pressing. Collector opinion on the original describes it as a 'fantastic sounding pressing' with 'good instrument separation,' while some Canadian pressings are separately reported with distortion on side A4/B1; the 2014 Music On Vinyl 180g reissue also draws praise for its quiet surfaces. With no audiophile remaster (no Analogue Productions, Mobile Fidelity, or similar edition) existing for this title, this 1970 US stereo original sits at the top of the available fidelity hierarchy, ahead of the 2003 CD remaster and the 2014 MOV vinyl reissue, both of which derive from it.
Notes
This is a 1970 US Mercury SR-61280 stereo pressing in the embossed textured gatefold jacket. The label's lowercase 'manufactured and distributed by' rim text places this copy in the original-issue window, as opposed to a later reset of the same address text in uppercase. The runouts read SR 61280-A-M6 A1 E / IS 1280-B-M6 A2 E, which do not match the two commonly known stamper states (M1 1-1 MR and M1 1-11 MR) for this catalogue number, pointing to an additional, undocumented stamper generation within the same original Mercury pressing run rather than a different release. The album was released in June 1970, reaching #35 on the Billboard 200, consistent with a first-run pressing of this scale. No deep groove or other secondary era marker is present, as expected for a 1970 Mercury pressing.
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This record’s page: https://vinylcurator.net/albums/buddy-miles-them-changes/
