20 Years of A&M Corner

Harry

Charter A&M Corner Member
Staff member
Site Admin
In just about a month, I will be reaching the 20 year mark on this A&M Corner site. It was August 25th, 1997 when I finally reached the old Guestbook page and signed in.

My recollection is that I'd had AOL for a year or so at that point, but really didn't know much about the World Wide Web. Once in awhile I'd go online with AOL and poke around, but it largely didn't seem to be of much use other than for email. One day in late March of 1997, when I figured out that "Alta Vista" was a search engine, I keyed in "Herb Alpert" and looked through the listings and saw something called A&M Corner. I remember trying to click on it a few times, but I got no results - time-outs or something like that.

It was months later, in late August, that I tried again and this time got to a Discography of Herb Alpert's albums, singles, and guest appearances. It was an eye-opener for sure to see that there was someone else in the world who shared my passions. I found the Fan Contact page and added my name and comment.

Later on, I found the Forum discussion section and a world of other posters discussing all sorts of interesting things about Herb, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66, the Baja Marimba Band, and even some of the more obscure artists. I learned right there that something I'd seen in an old Herb Alpert songbook really existed - "Mexican Drummer Man", and I rushed over to Val Shively's place and bought a white label promo of the track.

I took it home and listened to my first new Tijuana Brass track in decades and was so excited that I transcribed the lyrics and posted them on this new Forum I'd found.

It's been a fun 20 years. Here's to 20 more! :cheers:

On a prior anniversary, Rudy reposted some of those old Fan Contact entries:

OK, some of the dates I looked up for "first visits" from a mothballed copy of the old A&M Fan Contact page (which I can't repost since it contains e-mail addresses):

Martin Alfsen: 1/1/1998...

"I have been a fan of Herb Alpert since the late sixties and also of other A & M acts like Sergio Mendes and the Carpenters. I enjoy this site a lot!"

David Winer: 12/10/1997...

"I Own A Lot Of Rare A&M Albums including a copy of "Happy Heart", LP by Nick De Caro. I also have newer A&M Stuff, like Peter Frampton, Burt Bacharach, Steve Marriott, David Batteau, David Spinozza, Jim Carroll, to name a few. I am also into the A&M/CTi LP's ie. Richard Barbary, Tamiko Jones, Artie Butler, Jobim, Adderly, Benson, etc. "

Andrew Lukstin: 11/21/1997 (anyone know where he's at?)

Jean Carlo Marchio: 11/2/1997

Dave Eden: 10/24/1997

Tim Yee: 8/29/1997...

"An avid Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 fan since 1966! I'd very much like to know why the group was 'overhauled' after "Look Around"? I've been wondering for all these years!"

Harry Neyhart: 8/25/1997...

"Who would have thought that there were so many A&M Records fans like me? I am amazed. I have collected Herb Alpert, Sergio Mendes, Carpenters, & Lani Hall records for years. I bought the Carpenters single "Close To You" BECAUSE it was on A&M (and it was a great record besides.) I keep buying import Carpenters packages as I see them. Almost every one has a different mix of an old Carpenters song that I've not heard before."

Bob Papp: 8/22/1997

Trent Sprenkle: 7/16/1997...

"I love this site!!! Finally, people who love Sergio Mendes& Brasil'66 as much as I! I can't get enough of that stuff, but I can't find ANYTHING after Fool on the hill! If anyone has any video of them PLEASE contact me! I'd love to see them in action. "

Richard Derrick: 6/13/1997

Dennis Daniels: 5/11/1997

"Mr Bill" Gowdy: 5/11/1997...

"TJB fan since 1970 when I used their music to play along with my films. A year later, age 11, dicovered BMB and took marimba lessons. Interest spread to other A&M artists: C. Montez, C. Longet, Brasil '66, P Ochs, CTI artists and, later, IRS Records. Love to correspond with others on any or all the above..."

Mike Blakesley: 3/28/1997...

"Used to buy A&M albums solely because they were on A&M...a lifelong fan of the TJB, Brasil '66-'77-'88-'86-'99, Bacharach, Carpenters, etc. Avid campaigner to get Alpert's "Warm" released on CD."

Richard Warner: 3/23/1997 (the day the list debuted...it was a manual entry by me, as were all of them that day, from others I had corresponded with via e-mail)

Stefan Daystrom and Steve Sidoruk also signed in on 3/23/1997, but these two A&M friends of mine I had known for a few years already, from our days at Compuserve. There are plenty of other names on there as well, some I'd known as lurkers, others who I'd been in e-mail contact with.

At the time, I also had a separate guestbook on the site, so it looks like a couple of visitors who posted in the old A&M Fan Contact page also left a note in the guestbook. Here's one entry, which shows Mr Bill finding this guestbook a month earlier:

Mr Bill: 4/16/1997...

"Great site. Glad to know there are othe TJB, BMB, Mendes, Jolly, etc fans out there. How about Sandpipers, Montez, Longet, Ochs fans?"




When I redid the A&M Fan Contact page, I ended up with a new list of messages. This lasted until the site got its own domain name, where I dumped it along with putting in a new site design. Here are a couple more notable entries:

Jeff Fiedler: 1/28/1999...

"Wow! I'm an immensely avid 19-year-old record collector (a couple closet's worth of stuff), and it's so great to find so many people equally as obsessed with all the old A&M goodies as I am. Love the old '60s and '70s A&M albums, especially Longet, TJB, Bacharach, Mendes ("Look of Love" is STILL the best 45 I've ever bought), Carpenters, Pablo Cruise, Peter Allen, Frampton, early Styx ... where do I end? I've worn out so many classic and more-obscure A&M albums I'd swear the center of my turntable was turning tan!"

Dave Twogood: 11/20/1998...

"Thanks to Bill Gowdy, I've discovered another musical venue on the web dear to my heart. Herb Alpert (TjB), BMB, and The Ventures were 3 major musical influences in my life, and I hope to share and especially learn more during my visits here. I hope to hear from others a lot!"

Carol Kaye: 8/31/1998...

"Very nice site, it's very well-laid out and informative. I've known Herb Alpert since our days together with Bumps Blackwell at keen Records (1958) and he's always been great to work for, always cordial, really brilliant in producing, and respectful to studio musicians. Julius Wechter also is a wonderful person, excellent in his musicianship (was on most of not all of Phil Spector's first record dates in the 60s) and good to work with. John Pisano is still fun to play with and work for at Papashons in Encino, such a fine guitarist and good friend. And I had the pleasure of teaching Pat Senatore on the elec. bass in the early 70s, another wonderful guy. Best wishes, Carol Kaye The Official Carol Kaye Web Site "

Jim McCollum 8/19/1998...

"wow! "mexican dummer man". you guys are great.this was the first music to get me hooked in vinyl.a&m has always been my favorite.someday,i will have a fold satin jacet with the a&m logo on the back.until then,viva rudy and herb!"

Paul Jeromack: 7/29/1998...

"I think I posted here before, but during one night of insomnia, I discovered your archieves. I knew you guys were devoted, but I'm thrilled to see you are totally OBSESSED as I am with this quality music! I've been a solid Sergio fan for almost thirty years and it's wonderful to connect with other fans here and get solid information about b66-77 (and onwards). I thought my Sergio collection was pretty cpmplete - how exciting to know there are other things out there I've never heard of before!!"

Rim Kasputis: 7/13/1998...

"I have been a fan of Herbs since day one.Besides records,concerts and other activites I was inspired to learn to play trumpet and keyboards. As it came about I am still actively involved to this day.I chose a career as a band director at the middle school level however my passion is recording light jazz in my basement studio . I would like to share my music with anyone who is interested. I released 2 songs on vinyl in 1982 Late Blossom and Slapshot with my band RISE and continue to update my home studio in order to improve my sound. As mentioned Herb is my heaviest influence but one may hear a nuance of other artists in my music also."

James Brent (aka LPJim): 6/12/1998...

"Raised on Alpert, BMB, Mendes, Sandpipers, Rodgers, Jolly, Jobim and Montgomery. Started collecting early A&M LPs and 45s in sixth grade and never stopped! My musical tastes were formed and expanded by the growth of the label. No artist or record from the 'tan label' era is too obscure for me to care about. Really love this website too."

Wendell Johnson: 6/11/1998...

"I've been a Herb Alpert fan since I first heard "A Taste Of Honey" on the radio back in the 60's.And I was a member of the original fan club.I was so impressed by Herb that I learned how to play the trumpet also.I also came to like the rest of the A&M recording artists too.And I admired Herb not only for being a great musician,but for being a smart businessman in owning half of A&M records then."
 
I had something TJB-ish on my old "Ourworld" site via Compuserve back in late 1995 or early 1996, along with a collection of the Latin jazz reviews I had published on Compuserve. (So technically, I can stretch it that I've been around 22 years. :wink: ) But other than email there really was no way to let visitors interact. The guestbook and "fan contact" guestbook both sort of enabled that, but I probably launched an actual forum late in 1997 or early 1998 once I found the software to run it. I got a proper web hosting account in 1997 which enabled me to do most of this, including register domain names, including amcorner.com.

I remember coming home from a trip in 1997 and finding Harry's post (and Tim's) in the fan contact page. I remember because we'd just purchased a new-to-the-US Honda CR-V (August 18--local dealers had a 12 week waiting list, and I found four in stock in Cleveland) and headed for a week to Minnesota shortly thereafter, coming home on Labor Day. I don't know if anyone recalls it, but the huge news that day was Princess Diana's death in the UK.

And yet 20 years later, both the CR-V and A&M Corner are still around. :laugh:
 
I probably launched an actual forum late in 1997 or early 1998 once I found the software to run it.

For sure it was in place for that fall of 1997 as I remember posting that "Mexican Drummer Man" lyrics post. Topics on-hand in that early era were about the still-missing Tijuana Brass CDs, the fact that next-to-no Baja Marimba Band material had shown up on CD (there were a couple of Latin-type, Lounge-type comps that had a track or two). And the big discussion was about Thoughtscape Sounds having some imported Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 discs.
 
I still have the original forum mothballed, but have no way to import it here easily. (And for privacy reasons, I can't post it as-is since it is full of email addresses and/or real names). The only thing I seem to be missing are the first 181 posts (which back then, could have been a few months worth). I might have them backed up somewhere on a floppy disk but out of hundreds, I have no clue as to where I might look for them. There is no guarantee those old floppies are still readable. I think I looked on some old Zip disks at one point, but those were also a bit flaky.

Interesting you survived a visit to Shively's place, @Harry. He has quite a reputation around the country. :D
 
It was my first visit there. I like to compare him to the Soup Nazi on SEINFELD, calling him the Record Nazi. After that encounter, I was successfully able to get what I wanted on three or so more occasions. He ALWAYS had exactly what I was looking for, and would steer me to an album if it was cheaper than the 45s he had in stock.
 
Val is the expert on northern soul 45s. If he doesn't have it, it likely was never recorded. :wink: He has an incredible stash of rarities, and most likely knows where to find it among his four million plus 45s.

I believe in recent years he has mellowed considerably (been "converted" or so I've read). But in the past, I know he had no patience for time wasters or tire kickers.
 
Wow, I didn't realize I passed my A&M Corner 20th anniversary back in March. It's pretty amazing that back then, we had only the first few Sergio Mendes albums on CD, just a scattering of Herb Alpert catalog, and virtually no Bacharach. Now we've got it (almost) all available any way you want it, plus all the videos from back in the day, PLUS they're all still releasing new music to this day.... music life is good!

Now if only we could get the Baja catalog out there....!
 
Congrats to all the A&M Corner pioneers who are still active here. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us over the years!

I can hardly believe that I've been here 15 years myself! Time flies...
 
Have only been in the forum for a short while, but I love it! Love all the input from fellow fanatics that share my passion (The Carpenters). Unique and knowledgeable perspectives. 20 yrs is a significant anniversary. Congrats!
 
I think I was here just a little before Harry, and one of my first contributions was to argue with Rudy over his review of Stillness by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66. His response was, "Go ahead and write a review and I'll post it," which I did, and then he did. So I knew I was going to like it here from the get-go.
 
Somewhere along the line, I ended up creating a new account to replace the original, but I've been here for at least 19 of the 20. I was fortunate in working for some forward-thinking guys in the 90s, who got us online with e-mail and internet accounts through the local college, in '93.

I've learned so much since '97 or '98 here---hopefully have added to the discussion---and am looking forward to the next couple of decades.
 
Before stumbling into the Corner and finding some familiar and unfamiliar like minded individuals, I spent years collecting all the early A&M albums and singles I could find. Until an ad for the snail mail A&M Fan Network appeared in one of the collector publications, I thought of myself as a lone wolf in terms of music taste, far removed from the mainstream.

Finding the Corner
helped familiarize me with other fans' interests in a way regular mail never could. It also saved time, postage and printing.

In '97 my kids were small and opportunities to get out for concerts rare. That's certainly changed since then. The number of A&M artists I've heard live, talked to online and met in person is more than I ever could have imagined. If I could travel back in time I would have taken more photos and picked up computer skills at a faster pace. No other regrets otherwise.

Occasionally I think about fellow fans and favorite artists who've either drifted from contact or left the planet. There were lots of passionate discussions here in the early years. Some were about music and others drifted to other topics. I've never checked in without learning something.

One pleasant surprise is the number of obscure A&M titles that have been reissued. That's something I never believed would happen. Even so there are still items in a vault somewhere that need to find the light of day. It's still a thrill every time I find an old favorite has received an archival specialist's devoted attention.

Trying to name everyone who's been helpful and supportive here would be nearly impossible but I'm grateful to all and wish this dedicated site many more years of fun and success.

JB
 
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I wanted to add to my previous post as I stumbled upon this site in 2012 not quite as long as everybody else but when I bought my first tablet and I was new to the net I was just looking for info that interested me and a Google search led me to this forum and I was so impressed by the info and knowledge I saw I decided register it was so easy and I have no regret except I had a very cruddy tablet for 6 years which got replaced earlier this year and i find my time online much more easier and enjoyable and I always appreciate getting official new release info on Herb and other Artists as well as other fun things I just want to thank Rudy and All the Staff who started this and were able to keep it Going I check here more often now than before with everything that Herb and Lani have been doing lately as well as other musical developments I still enjoy being here and again I say "Thank you All".
 
I had something TJB-ish on my old "Ourworld" site via Compuserve back in late 1995 or early 1996, along with a collection of the Latin jazz reviews I had published on Compuserve. (So technically, I can stretch it that I've been around 22 years. :wink: ) But other than email there really was no way to let visitors interact. The guestbook and "fan contact" guestbook both sort of enabled that, but I probably launched an actual forum late in 1997 or early 1998 once I found the software to run it. I got a proper web hosting account in 1997 which enabled me to do most of this, including register domain names, including amcorner.com.

I remember coming home from a trip in 1997 and finding Harry's post (and Tim's) in the fan contact page. I remember because we'd just purchased a new-to-the-US Honda CR-V (August 18--local dealers had a 12 week waiting list, and I found four in stock in Cleveland) and headed for a week to Minnesota shortly thereafter, coming home on Labor Day. I don't know if anyone recalls it, but the huge news that day was Princess Diana's death in the UK.

And yet 20 years later, both the CR-V and A&M Corner are still around. :laugh:

A mutual act of longevity! Good things are enduring. Your Honda CR-V and the A&M Corner are classic and enduring good things in life!
 
20 years...since Harry found us. :wink:

In just about a month, I will be reaching the 20 year mark on this A&M Corner site. It was August 25th, 1997 when I finally reached the old Guestbook page and signed in.
 
I keyed in "Herb Alpert" and looked through the listings and saw something called A&M Corner. I remember trying to click on it a few times, but I got no results - time-outs or something like that.
I just thought of a reason why that might have happened--I got a "real" web host in January 1997, and prior to that, had all of the A&M and Herb stuff on one of those limited web spaces which Internet providers used to offer. I was probably with rust.net at the time, as I had moved the content from the Compuserve Ourworld servers (where I first hosted the A&M stuff, albeit limited, in 1995) to rust.net at some point in 1996.
 
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Interesting Rudy. Yeah, I remember seeing it in a webcrawler search but couldn't get to the page when I tried to click on it. Remember, I was still probably locked inside the AOL system somehow, which could have been the problem on my end. In 1997, I was barely above playing with screen savers - you know, the flying toasters and such and messing around with Lotus 1-2-3.
 
It was quite a change for me, going from the confines of Compuserve's limited Internet access (which billed by the minute!) vs. going to rust.net which was unlimited access for about $15/month. The hosting part of the rust.net deal was a typical add-on back then. We also had a local node of the Freenet, but it was a bit cranky to try and connect to. I also remember doing an AOL free trial for 30 days just to get the Internet access.

I do remember that rust.net was where I first had our "A&M Contact" page, as we were limited to using only a small number of preinstalled scripts, and one was the guestbook I ran the Contact page with.

I should have clarified--the search engine probably had not yet purged my old rust.net entry when you found it. So it could have been leading you to a dead link by then.
 
I should have clarified--the search engine probably had not yet purged my old rust.net entry when you found it. So it could have been leading you to a dead link by then.

Could very well be. But it hardly mattered. Back then it was possible to go back to all of the older discussions and read through them, which I surely did. I just couldn't believe that there were others out there who shared my same passions in music as I'd never met any in "real life".
 
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