Byambadorj Batbayar, joining us from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, is a passionate record and guitar collector, a guitarist, and one of the most knowledgeable people you'll ever meet in the golden age of British rock. From the Beatles to Suzi Quatro and beyond, he has spent years building a collection, and a deep understanding of this music, from the other side of the world. Oyuna Tserendorj sat down with her childhood school friend to talk about his passion.
Images by Uriana Bekhbat @deci_dela
How did you first discover British music from Ulaanbaatar? Was there a specific record, radio broadcast or person who introduced you to it, and do you remember the first song that hooked you?
If you look at the records displayed in this room, you'll notice several copies of the same album: With the Beatles. That's where it all started. It was a wedding present to my parents in 1966 from their friend, Uncle Urtnasan, and I tend to believe it was the very first Beatles record ever to appear in Mongolia. As far back as I can remember, Beatles music was always playing in our house. So I've been with the Beatles for almost 50 years.
If you had to describe your record and guitar collection to someone who's never seen it, how would you describe the room it lives in?
I'd call it the "Memory Motel," after the famous Stones song. I feel like I'm stuck in my teenage years. I don't know why. Either way, most of the things gathered here are linked to childhood memories. My musical tastes were formed early, and they haven't changed much since. To be honest, I still can't get into jazz or classical music, as crazy as that sounds to most people. My kids give me their music to listen to. I like some of it, and some of it I don't. I believe there's good and bad music everywhere.
Which is harder to find in Mongolia: a rare Beatles pressing, a Suzi Quatro pressing, or something else entirely? And what's the most unusual place you've ever found a great record or guitar?
The world is flat now. It's not like before. I still remember the day in 1983 when I borrowed Pink Floyd's The Wall for one night from a guy called Enkhjargal. It's hard to describe how happy I felt at that moment. Now you can pick out and order any album you love online. It all depends on what you want and how deep your pockets are. I started collecting different versions of With the Beatles fairly recently, mostly British and Japanese pressings, and it's not a cheap pleasure. But when you find something really rare you've been looking for, for pennies, that's pure joy. That happened to me in San Francisco in 2010, when I came across an original American pressing of Sticky Fingers in perfect condition on the shelf of a second-hand store on Castro Street. It cost five bucks.
Byambadorj in his Music den, wearing AXA sweater in Ivory.
Do you have a "holy grail" record or guitar you're still hunting for?
As I said, I collect different pressings of With the Beatles, so my main ambition is to get a first pressing: the original 1963 Parlophone issue. As for my dream guitar, it's a 1951 Fender Telecaster, made in the USA.
Which Beatle would you most want to have tea with, and what would you ask them?
I've had so many dreams where I meet them! John Lennon comes to me in dreams most often. I see him and I just cry. I can't say a word… As for tea with one of them, I'd love to catch up with George Harrison. He was such a private person. But I'm not sure I could, because I think I'd start crying again! There's nothing I'd need to ask him. I already know so much about the Beatles, and I just love them. I only wish I could play "My Sweet Lord" with him, if that were at all possible.
What's your go-to guitar for a lazy Sunday, versus the one you'd grab if the house were on fire?
When I want to goof around, I usually pick up my Yamaha AC3M acoustic. If anything happened, that's probably the one I'd carry out with me too.
If you could only keep five records from your entire collection, which five make the cut?
Well, you may laugh at my choice, but it would be five different copies of With the Beatles!
Byambadorj’s guitar collection
Suzi Quatro was a pioneer as a female bassist and frontwoman of a rock band. What drew you to her specifically, out of all the acts on the British scene of that era?
Suzi Quatro was my teenage crush. As I said, I can't let go of my childhood, and for me Suzi is still that cute young lady with a huge bass guitar on a poster from an East German magazine. In my opinion she's a very underrated musician, especially in her native America. And yes, she was a pioneer on the rock and roll scene as a female bassist, and she certainly had great charm.
Vinyl or cassette: does Ulaanbaatar have a particular format loyalty from back in the day?
In recent years interest in vinyl has grown here in Mongolia, just as it has around the world. Aesthetically it's the best music format, though the sound quality is far from ideal. I like cassettes too. They remind me of my early years, when even the most basic things were hard to find. Cassettes are coming back as well, but in small numbers.
The scene had so many different lanes: the Stones' blues-rock swagger, Led Zeppelin's heavier sound, Bowie's glam theatrics, Pink Floyd's experimentation. Which of these speaks to you the most, and why?
Of those groups, the one closest to me is the Stones. Paul McCartney once called them "a blues cover band." That's pretty harsh, but I love exactly that bluesy sound, their recklessness and rebelliousness. They're the truest rock band, because rock and roll is essentially about rebellion and defiance. They stayed true to the blues throughout their whole career, and that kind of consistency is worth a lot.
Which guitarist from that generation (Clapton, Page, Hendrix, Beck, Harrison) had the most distinctive style, and what makes it recognisable in three seconds?
For me, without a doubt, it's George Harrison. I recognise his guitar sound from the very first note. His playing is truly distinctive. He was heavily influenced by Carl Perkins, by his rockabilly style and string-bending technique. Later he fell in love with Indian music, thanks to Ravi Shankar, and that made his playing even more versatile. When it comes to favourite guitarists, I usually leave the big names aside. It's not that I have anything against them. I just like Harrison.
If you had to put together a "supergroup" using one member each from your favourite British bands of that era, who would you pick?
I'll leave the Beatles out of it, as they're already a supergroup. Let me give you the names of musicians still alive today whom I consider the greatest. So please welcome my dream squad! On lead vocals, Roger Daltrey of The Who. After seeing him in the lead role in Lisztomania, there's only one singer on earth for me, and that's Roger Daltrey. On lead guitar, Brian May of Queen. I don't know anyone else who can make a guitar sound like a whole orchestra. On bass, Sting of The Police, a refined musician who long ago crossed over into classical music. And finally, on drums, Ian Paice of Deep Purple, whose precision lifts him above the rest. That's my dream band.
Punk arrived in Britain not long after this golden era, partly as a reaction against it. How do you feel about that shift, and do you collect any of that material too?
Above all, I think punk isn't really about the music. Punk rock is freedom of expression first, and everything else comes after. The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Stooges: they're not for me, though I do have some of their albums. I've always been drawn to the musical side of any genre.
Byambadorj’s rare vinyls’ collection
What makes a record or guitar "special" to you: rarity, sound, sentimental value, or something else?
You'd be surprised, but for me the aesthetics of a thing matter more than its content. My friends often joke that I've moved on to another level of collecting, because I'm more interested in the album cover: its art, its design and form. I care about the look of old things, whether it's vinyl records or guitars. It doesn't matter how much you paid. What matters is an item's aesthetic value. If a thing is easy on the eyes, that's enough. That's my credo. Maybe it sounds a bit simple, but I really believe it. For example, I'm crazy about Fender Telecasters, not for their sound but for their shape and design. That's it.
Is there a piece in your collection you'll never sell, no matter the offer?
I don't keep anything that can't be sold. Everything here is for sale, and nothing is sacred.
What do you think it is about British music from this era that still resonates so strongly in a completely different culture and era, like Mongolia today? Is great music truly universal, or do we always bring our own lens to it?
In my opinion, it all started with the Beatles. They were the ones who turned British popular music into a universal culture. In the '60s this music leaked through the Iron Curtain, even into godforsaken Mongolia. I often wonder how so much talent could be concentrated on one tiny island. So for me, there's only British rock, nothing else on Earth.
Guitars and records are physical, tangible things in an increasingly digital, streaming world. What do you think we lose, or gain, by holding onto physical collections?
In today's internet age, popular music has become common property, and it might seem there's no point in collecting it anymore. Streaming services offer any kind of music in any amount, but aesthetically they're incomplete products. I read that CD sales in the USA rose 45% this year, thanks to young listeners who are tired of bodiless music and aggressive market pressure. Human nature wants to own and keep things, so it's no surprise that people are starting to turn away from streaming. After all, it's still just renting.
If you could send one record to a young Mongolian nomad, for example, who's never heard Western rock, to explain why it matters, what would you send, and what would you want them to feel?
Interesting question, but I don't think anything can surprise anyone these days, not even a young Mongolian nomad. To discover Western music, I'd have them listen to ELO's Time.
Years from now, when someone finds your collection, what do you hope they understand about you just from what's on the shelves?
There's no need to collect lots of stuff. Always think carefully about who will get it all and what will happen to your things. No one will be interested in who I was or how I lived. My records and guitars are just for this life and the feelings of the moment.
To finish off, a few simple questions. You can answer with a word or two…
Blue?
Levi's jeans
Softness?
Mark Knopfler's playing.
Timeless?
The Beatles.
Warmth?
A call from an old friend.
Beauty?
The Fender Telecaster.
Byambadorj outside how house, in Ulaanbaatar, wearing KOTTO sweater in Black
