Cactus (3) – Cactus

An excellent electric blues rock album that will remain one of my favorite LPs ever - even though singer Rusty Day (RIP) changes the lyrics of Moss Allison's "Parchman Farm" from "And all I did was shoot my wife" to "And all I did was shoot my aunt" alternating it with "And all I did was pull my knife out". A life sentence for shooting his aunt, sure. But sentencing a white guy to life for pulling his knife out is not realistic. But I digress.... Of course I'm just being silly. With all the comments left on Discogs there's not really much else to say!

Only that it was a shame that Cactus were never that "big", playing slots and clubs and then changing the line up pretty much completely and still calling the band Cactus. OK, eventually "The New Cactus Band" or something like that but it was not s very good album to say the least. I think I shoplifted an 8-track cartridge of it when I was a preteen from Korvettes but then hated it so much I tossed it.

My LP copy of this album, the first Cactus album, self-titled, is the Japanese pressing - which I have found to be the best sounding LP version ever. The newer reissues sound like the CD version - which is perfectly fine - but for the purist geeks among us, only an all-analog version will do. Rumor has it that the Japanese pressing was made with the same plates as the original US pressing coz Atlantic owned the plant in Japan, the only difference is that it is meticulously done, cover, amazing sounding LP, extra insert, and if you're lucky as I am, an Obi (sash).

To me there was only ONE Cactus, which consists of Day/Bogart/Appice/McCarty the line up of three studio albums and posthumous live in a club in upstate New York (Buffalo). Oh, those were the days. No internet, us kids had nothing to do but smoke dope and listen to records. I proved my guidance counselor wrong by turning out better than him.

By chance does anyone know when Cactus “Self Titled” was recorded in recording studio?

Ultra-Sonic Recording Studios, Hempstead, Long Island, New York

October - December 1969

or

December 1969 - February 1970?

or different time frame?

Released June 1st, 1970, Atco Records?

Any help is greatly appreciated thank you!!

just found a random copy this morning at one of my local second-hand shops, and its a variant that i cant find here.
its obviously an original 1970 pressing as the jacket is identical to my white label pressing from the Monarch plant; even has the same cut-out hole on the upper left corner. its the label area and matrix etchings is where it gets strange.
both labels have the same printed catalog numbers of SD 33-340 and ST-C-70195/6 on them, but the matrix numbers are machine stamped and are as follows-
side A- STC-70195-1S 1
side B- STC-70196-1S 1
the "1" is 180-degrees across from the other matrix number.
another odd thing is the labels do Not have a 2-letter pressing plant ID after the matrix number that would indicate where it was pressed at. and, no, that machine stamped number 1 is Not an upsidedown "T", which would indicate a Terra Haute pressing (its not). and the pressing ring on the label area is tiny, maybe less than a 1" radius. i only ever recall seeing pressing rings this small on Columbia Santa Maria (CSM) and RCA Music Club pressings. but theres no indication of either on this.

any help/clues anyone can provide on this particular copy?

I have this version but with matrix :
ST.C. 701915-C LW (in cursive like initials and rotated 90 degrees) AT gb w
ST.C. 701916-B LW (in cursive like initials and rotated 90 degrees) AT gb w

Edit: LW in cursive stands for Longwear Plating ( https://www.discogs.sitioby.com/fr/label/438055-Longwear-Plating )
AT: Lacquer cut at Atlantic Studios ( https://www.discogs.sitioby.com/fr/label/264584-Atlantic-Studios )