A letter you answered in the Sept. 12, 2008, issue of Goldmine (#734, Sound Advice column) struck a chord with me. In it, David Colman explains that he has found a rare Beatles’ picture sleeve but “some fool has defaced the sleeve.”

You’re wrong, David. “Some fool” did not “deface” the sleeve. Some fan enjoyed the sleeve and the 45.

Records from the sixties were not made to be touched only by glove-covered hands and stored in a vault away from light and moisture like Scrooge would store his pieces of gold. They were made to be played on a phonograph.

That “fool” probably paid for the single with her allowance, played the record until her parents told her to turn off that infernal noise, and sat longingly gazing at the photo on the picture sleeve. And when it comes to a true fan of music or someone who is worried about a pen mark, I’ll take the fan any day.

Sure enough. No sooner had I read Mr. Slott’s mention that “vinyl makes a comeback — again” in the Please Mr. Postman section of the Oct. 24, 2008, Goldmine (#737), than I was at Costco and browsed the CD/DVD section. Lo and behold, there was a BOX of VINYL 12-inch records by Capitol Records artists. The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson’s new solo album, Coldplay, Pink Floyd and more were there with a special “from the Vaults of Capitol” gold sticker on the shrink wrap! And all that for $12.99.

Could life be any better for a collector? Yes, it could. Because these were pressed on 180 gram vinyl, per the sticker info.

Bad news: there was only ONE BOX of product. Who knows if they’ll come back. But I bought Pet Sounds — mono — and the brilliant new Brian Wilson solo album That Lucky Old Sun.

Do I need to tell anyone how warm and thrilling the records sounded? Dang, it ruined the enjoyment for Brian’s CD that I’ve been playing for the past month. Once again, the CD sounds cold, stark. But who’s to know unless you have the vinyl to compare it with? I do, and now I know.

{EDITOR’S NOTE: Mike, the good news keeps coming. Capitol’s From the Vaults campaign has expanded since your find at Costco. New reissues include albums from The Band, The Stray Cats, The Verve, Megadeth, Paul McCartney and Wings, Roxy Music, plus more from The Beach Boys. Visit http://fromthecapitolvaults.com/main.htm for details — and links to buy the albums online, if you don’t want to wait to find your favorites in a store.}

Reader Jeffrey Slott states that he hates the sound of vinyl and enjoys “the superior sound that comes with digital.”

I truly pity his hearing loss.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dave Thompson’s article on Pink Floyd’s masterpiece “Dark Side Of The Moon.” I thought I would make a few corrections regarding the mention of the bootleg LP/CD releases in the accompanying article.

Regarding the infamous FM broadcast of the Nov. 16, 1974, show at Empire Pool, Wembley, Middlesex, England: The show has been released numerous times over the years, but it was actually the Sirene label that released the show in far superior quality with the (then) never been released broadcast encore of “Echoes” (Catalog # Sirene-009). It has been subsequently re-released by several other labels including Swingin’ Pig.

Also, the show that was known as the Feb. 17, 1972, at the Rainbow Theatre in London is actually now known to be the Feb. 20, 1972, show at the same venue.

Finally, the show that was known to be the Radio City Music Hall, New York, show on March 17, 1973, is now known to be the show from the next night at the Waterbury Palace Theatre in Connecticut.

I wanted to write and say a huge thank-you to Goldmine for the great articles on Donovan and Steppenwolf (#737, Oct. 24, 2008) … two of my favorites acts from the 1960s… actually, two of my favorites of all time!

I recently ordered the Donovan DVD, and it is terrific! Donovan should be very proud of himself and all that he has accomplished in his lifetime and all the phenomenal and magical music he has given to the world. For him to assume an “aw, shucks” demeanor would be not only unrealistic, it would also be downright absurd!

To all Steppenwolf fans… if you have yet to read John Kay’s autobiography, “Magic Carpet Ride,” I highly recommend you read it. John Kay has had quite an amazing life, and their music has stood the test of time.

Also, to T.J. Tjernlund of Las Vegas, I wholeheartedly agree that these bands, The Zombies, Chad and Jeremy and Peter and Gordon have lost nothing over the years. I still have yet to see Chad and Jeremy in a live show, but I saw Peter and Gordon and The Zombies at the benefit concert for Mike Smith at the B.B. King Club in New York in 2005, and it was definitely a night to remember!

The entire audience was floored by Peter and Gordon’s stellar performance. And the Zombies, although late through no fault of their own, gave a great performance as well. They had been involved in a mishap with their plane, and David Letterman was kind enough to dispatch a plane to get them to the venue in time for them to give two shows.

I am looking forward to Part Two of the interview with Donovan.

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Simply Red’s seven-album WMG catalog will be released in expanded editions from all online music retailers starting Nov. 4, 2008.

The titles, originally issued on the Elektra Records and East/West labels,
include Picture Book, Men And Women, A New Flame, Stars, Life, Blue and
Love And The Russian Winter. These albums will be available from all
digital outlets as expanded audio editions priced at $11.99 unless noted.

On the heels of these rereleases, Simply Red is preparing for its 25th
anniversary tour in 2009. Dates in the U.S. will include:

March 13, 2009 — Los Angeles, Club Nokia
March 15, 2009 —  New York, Radio City Music Hall

Simply Red scored an immediate success with the 1985 debut Picture Book,
which included the hit "Money’s Too Tight (To Mention)" and the
group’s signature smash (and first U.S. #1 single) "Holding Back The
Years." In addition to the original album’s 10 songs, the new digital
release features five bonus 12-inch mixes previously available only on vinyl.

Simply Red’s second album, Men And Women (1987), offered more of their
sparkling blue-eyed soul; Rhino’s new digital version features six bonus
tracks, including the original version of "Broken Man" (later rerecorded
for Blue). Simply Red closed the decade in style with 1989′s A New Flame,
which brought the band another U.S. #1 single with their cover of "If You
Don’t Know Me By Now." The digital reissue adds five instrumental B-sides
to the original album’s 10 tracks.

Stars was Simply Red’s fourth album and one of its most well-received. In
America, the 1991 release went gold — but it was even more successful
internationally, logging 19 weeks at the top of the U.K. charts and selling
more than 10 million copies worldwide. The expanded digital issue features
nine bonus recordings including a quartet of Robert Johnson covers released
as B-sides to Stars singles and live performances from 1992. In addition to
this version, the 10-song original album and a deluxe edition  with 11 bonus recordings, five videos and a digital booklet will be available exclusively from iTunes and
Wal-Mart.

The follow-up, 1995′s Life, featured 10 new songs penned by band leader
Mick Hucknall; the additional tracks on the album download include remixes
of five of these — one of which (the Howie B mix of "You Make Me Believe")
is previously unreleased. Blue (1998) boasted several intriguing covers (of
such artists as Neil Young, Gregory Issacs and The Hollies); the 18-track
digital version includes rare remixes and an Italian rendition of Blue
songs, plus a jungle version of "So Beautiful" from their previous album.

Simply Red’s final album for East/West, 1999′s Love And The Russian Winter
added some fresh dance moves to their trademark blend of R&B and pop; the
digital reissue supplements the original 11 selections with five bonus
tracks: two club versions of "Ain’t That A Lot Of Love" and a trio of mixes
of "Your Eyes."

Led by the distinctive voice (and namesake red hair) of Mick Hucknall,
Simply Red remains one of England’s most successful groups more than two
decades after its debut. Simply Red wins fans with an inviting mix of
contemporary pop and — as Hucknall’s recent Tribute To Bobby album attests —
classic R&B.