🥂 50th A&M 50th Anniversary 3-CD Set

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Gee, they're actually acknowledging the anniversary we've been celebrating! Can't wait for the details.

Harry
 
It has to include "The Lonely Bull." That's the song that started the whole she-bang! :D

I'm hoping for variety in this set, and something that covers all decades.
 
Knowing Uni it will probably be more about the Black-Eyed Peas, Sting, Janet Jackson, maybe a Carpenters tune. I guess Uni would have to get permission from Herb to use any of his songs since he controls his own catalog. The cynic in me is thinking that this won't be all that great a collection.


Capt. Bacardi
 
They would do well if they would stick to one signature tune per artist and cover all decades, covering their most popular artists.
 
3 CDs? Bet on 50 tracks, but not one from every year.

Top of my head? They license "Lonely Bull", just so they can have the first single. Maybe they do "You Were On My Mind", "Guantanamera", probably Sergio's "The Look of Love" and "Close To You". After that it's all rock and roll (except Chuck Mangione), and the 60s and 70s are dispensed with on the first disc.

Just for grins, here's what I'm thinking disc one might look like (not at all what I'd do, but what I'd bet on from Uni):

1. Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass: The Lonely Bull
2. We Five: You Were On My Mind
3. Sandpipers: Guantanamera
4. Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66: The Look Of Love
5. Carpenters: (They Long To Be) Close To You
6. Free: All Right Now
7. Lee Michaels: Do You Know What I Mean
8. Procol Harum: Conquistador
9. Stealer's Wheel: Stuck In The Middle With You
10.Billy Preston: Nothing From Nothing
11.Joe Cocker: You Are So Beautiful
12.Peter Frampton: Do You Feel Like We Do
13.Chuck Mangione: Feels So Good
14.Supertramp: The Logical Song


...and yes, I think they'll ignore Captain & Tenille. None of their stuff is currently available as an A&M/Uni product, so there's no upside for the label.


36 tracks left. Figure 13 tracks from the 80s on disc two and 13 from the 90s and '00s for disc three. Though they could flip that equation, do 13 tracks from the 80s and 90s on disc two and go all this century with disc three.

Short version: This is likely to be the label's equivalent of "DEFINITIVE HITS".
 
Zoned Cat Stevens. Shoehorn "Another Saturday Night" in between "Nothing From Nothing" and "You Are So Beautiful" and swap "Show Me The Way" for "Do You Feel Like We Do".

Ideally, they should have gone for 5 CDs, one for every decade, with up to 20 tracks per disc. That would allow for a little more texture and some recognition of important A&M artists who weren't necessarily chart-toppers.
 
Zoned Cat Stevens. Shoehorn "Another Saturday Night" in between "Nothing From Nothing" and "You Are So Beautiful" and swap "Show Me The Way" for "Do You Feel Like We Do".

Good list there, and I agree on the swap to "Show Me The Way." I am 99.9% sure they will include the Captain & Tennille smash "Love Will Keep Us Together" just because it was such a monster hit. It really defined that summer for us back in those days. As long as it's not "Muskrat Love," I'm OK with it. :D

I doubt Brasil '66 will be on the set; if they were, I'd bet on "Scarborough Fair" although my favorite pick would be "Mas Que Nada."

Don't forget another smash hit: Bacharach/B.J. Thomas. "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head." That one shows up on many compilations, so I'd bet a few bucks on it showing up on this set. It's not like they're going to include Burt's "Hasbrook Heights". :laugh:

For Procol Harum, I would bet more on "Whiter Shade of Pale" than "Conquistador." (IIRC, that first album was a licensing deal...but it still had the A&M imprint.)

Will Styx be represented? They were an A&M mainstay and popular AOR group for the label. I just hope they would pick more of a rocker like "Renegade" or "Come Sail Away" which are more representative of their sound; I'd bet they go instead with "Babe" since it was a #1 hit. :sigh:

The Police--you can bet it would be either "Roxanne" or "Every Breath You Take," the latter being A&M's biggest hit single (8 weeks on top, IIRC). Spanning the 70s and 80s like they did, it's a tough call.

Some other bets, although less of a chance they'd be on this set. Nazareth's "Hair Of The Dog" or "Love Hurts"; both are staples of classic rock radio. Gino Vannelli's two songs "People Gotta Move" or "I Just Wanna Stop"--likely the latter due to it being his best appearance on the singles charts.

As a hidden bonus track, I'd include the A-side of the Sex Pistols single that A&M had destroyed. :D It is one of the most collectible singles in history.

We really should spin off our own thread where we build our own box sets of A&M hits. :)
 
In my opinion trying to compile a fifty year best of for a&m has to be very difficult. And probably for me impossible to do i would focus more on the artists and songs that i think everyone here would agree to be most definitive. However being the realist that i am i agree with a previous comment. Made here it will most likely be umg's version of definitive hits or maybe worse i don't know im just guessing. But more than likely i may pass on it when its released because my a&m collection (again in my opinion ) is the more definitive. Given the circumstances.
 
Rudy: Sergio's "Look of Love" was top 10, and Uni has done re-releases through Ye-Me-Le.

"Whiter Shade of Pale" was on Deram. The first A&M Procol Harum was "Homburg".

I always think of "Raindrops" as being Scepter's record, not A&M's. But because of the soundtrack, it's really both. It'll probably be in the compilation.

It looks like Daryl and Toni may own their masters. The only way to get new CDs of their albums is to buy direct from the Captain & Tenille website. It wouldn't surprise me to see Uni just blow them off.
 
Will Styx be represented? They were an A&M mainstay and popular AOR group for the label. I just hope they would pick more of a rocker like "Renegade" or "Come Sail Away" which are more representative of their sound; I'd bet they go instead with "Babe" since it was a #1 hit. :sigh:

The Police--you can bet it would be either "Roxanne" or "Every Breath You Take," the latter being A&M's biggest hit single (8 weeks on top, IIRC). Spanning the 70s and 80s like they did, it's a tough call.

Some other bets, although less of a chance they'd be on this set. Nazareth's "Hair Of The Dog" or "Love Hurts"; both are staples of classic rock radio. Gino Vannelli's two songs "People Gotta Move" or "I Just Wanna Stop"--likely the latter due to it being his best appearance on the singles charts.

As a hidden bonus track, I'd include the A-side of the Sex Pistols single that A&M had destroyed. :D It is one of the most collectible singles in history.

We really should spin off our own thread where we build our own box sets of A&M hits. :)

Styx will almost certainly be "Babe"(better add that to disc one), and The Police "Every Breath You Take".

If Quincy Jones makes it, it'll probably be "One Hundred Ways". I'll be surprised if Gino Vanelli makes the cut. Ditto Nazareth (though I think they have a better chance than Gino) or Pablo Cruise. All artists that had big records and should be part of any serious A&M retrospective, but a 3-disc set to cover 50 years means that this is going to be a greatest hits package.

I love your idea of a new "build-your-own" thread.
 
Is there a list of the most successful chart A&M songs in order.....?
Fred Bronson of Billboard had a book 20 or so years ago "Billboard's Hottest Hits" or something like that...it did year-by-year, artist-by-artist and then label-by-label...and I think there was a Top 50 songs on A&M. But that's at least 20 years out of date now.
 
I don't have that book by Bronson, but I'm sure someone here does. Of the two Billboard books I have (one of all the #1 hits, the other covers Top 40 hits), they are updated every so often, so a more current book might bring those lists up to date. Someone like Joel Whitburn could probably turn out a list in a matter of minutes, straight from his database...
 
If Quincy Jones makes it, it'll probably be "One Hundred Ways". I'll be surprised if Gino Vanelli makes the cut. Ditto Nazareth (though I think they have a better chance than Gino) or Pablo Cruise. All artists that had big records and should be part of any serious A&M retrospective, but a 3-disc set to cover 50 years means that this is going to be a greatest hits package.

That's a good argument to stretch a set to four discs. :agree: Songs like "Whatcha Gonna Do," "I Just Wanna Stop" and "Hair Of The Dog" are instantly recognizable by just about everyone who's listened to pop and rock, although I agree that it is probably a longshot that any of the get included on this set.

I would be interested in knowing who compiles the track list. I have a feeling if a long-time A&M associate did it, the results would be far different from Universal's corporate "suits" throwing on only hits that will guarantee the set sells.

I love your idea of a new "build-your-own" thread.

I may fire one up later this evening. :thumbsup:
 
Like the rest of you, I'm skeptical of what songs would qualify as "definitive" and cynical of "whatever powers that be" being in charge of what goes on this set...

So, maybe just by merely going to our own "Songs that Defined A&M Records" thread might give us some clues as to what in logical terms, we might actually see...!

I agree that maybe, individual Volumes might also be a practical idea, too--and wouldn't it be something to see how well, say, the Earliest vs. the Latest installments do merely in terms of sales...!


-- Dave

(We'll have to wait & see!) :whisper:
 
Rudy:
I'd go 5 discs: 1962-1971, 1972-1981, 1982-1991, 1992-2001 and 2002-2011. When the boxed set sales cooled, you could sell the individual volumes separately.

I was thinking on those lines also--one disc per decade, and I'd make sure each one clocked in near 75 minutes each.

The only thing I'd stall on is anything newer than the early 90s. Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation is probably one of the few I have from that era. 2002 and onward? I'd have to leave that disc blank as I probably know nothing about any of the music made during that era.
 
I just saw an announcement on MusicTAP for A&M 50: The Anniversary Collection with a release date of August 28. There was no track listing or other information.

Dusty Groove shows it as a 3 CD set with a "late August, 2012" release date.

Amazon has a pre-order up with a price of $22.74. It says it's only one disc, but I can't believe that could be correct especially at that price point. The listed release date matches MusicTAP. (Also, the title is misspelled on Amazon as "A&M 50: the Anniversy" if you are trying to search it.)

Surprised there is not more information on this since the release date is just a little over a month away. Hopefully it will be a nice set.
 
press release​
July 18, 2012, 8:01 a.m. EDT​
A&M Records Celebrates 50th Birthday With Release of 3-CD Set -- THE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION Due Out August 28

PR-Logo-Marketwire.gif


SANTA MONICA, CA, Jul 18, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- It's an archetypal story of the modern record business -- two guys with a dream running their nascent label out of a West Hollywood garage in the summer of 1962. The label quickly gains momentum and eventually becomes one of the most important record companies the world has ever seen.
The two guys were Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the "A" and the "M" in A&M Records. By the way, it was Alpert's garage and that first hit was "The Lonely Bull," performed by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. And this year the two record men and UMe are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of their label.
As part of the celebration, on August 28, UMe is releasing A&M 50: THE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION. A 60-track, 3-CD set curated by Alpert & Moss, THE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION perfectly illustrates what a potent effect the legendary label is still having on contemporary popular music.
Perhaps because one of its founders was an artist himself -- and a hugely successful one at that -- A&M Records distinguished itself as an artist-friendly label, one that would stand behind artists they believed in, album after album, until they found their voice and an audience.
"We wanted to make good records," says Herb Alpert, reflecting on the label's genesis. "That was our goal. We felt if we made good records there would be an audience."
Herb and Jerry's dedication to development resulted in some of the biggest superstars in music ever: Joe Cocker, Procol Harum, Quincy Jones, Billy Preston, Cat Stevens, Carpenters, Peter Frampton, Supertramp, Jeffrey Osborne, Styx, Bryan Adams, Joe Jackson, the Police, Sting, Janet Jackson, Suzanne Vega, Sheryl Crow, Soundgarden, and so many, many more.
As iconic as the music released over the last 50 years by A&M Records was, so was the space that was home to the label for so many years: 1416 North La Brea, the former Charlie Chaplin Studios in Hollywood, and now home to Henson Studios. It's interesting to note that the state-of-the-art recording studio that Herb and Jerry built on that lot decades ago is still drawing top artists from all over the world to record there.
"People hung out there," says Moss. "You took a walk on that lot and you wouldn't believe who you would run into. It was interesting to everyone who worked there and it was a lot of fun."
At A&M Records, Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss were able to build a haven for artistic development that rivals any record label in history. Maybe it's due, in part, to the fact that A&M was privately owned and run by its founders for the first 27 years of its existence. The environment they created helped spawn some of the most important artists in contemporary music, selling millions of albums worldwide in the process and creating a legacy that is virtually unmatched in the United States. As Sting so succinctly puts it, "We definitely felt nourished and sustained by a creative team."
And now, with the release of THE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION, music fans everywhere can sample the music of one of the greatest record labels of all time, all in one convenient place.



THE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION

ARTIST TRACK

Disc 1: From AM to FM
1 Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - The Lonely Bull
2 Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - Mas Que Nada
3 We Five - You Were On My Mind
4 Chris Montez - The More I See You
5 Rita Coolidge - (Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher
6 Burt Bacharach - A House Is Not A Home
7 Carpenters - (They Long to Be) Close To You
8 Cat Stevens - Wild World
9 The Human League - Don't You Want Me
10 Captain & Tennille - Love Will Keep Us Together
11 Pablo Cruise - Whatcha Gonna Do
12 Lani Hall - Sun Down
13 Amy Grant - Baby Baby
14 Gino Vannelli - I Just Wanna Stop
15 Suzanne Vega - Luka
16 Chris de Burgh - The Lady in Red
17 Joan Armatrading - Love and Affection
18 UB40 - Red Red Wine
19 Joan Baez - Diamonds and Rust
20 Herb Alpert - Rise
21 Sheryl Crow - All I Wanna Do

Disc 2: A Mission to Rock
1 The Police - Roxanne
2 Joe Cocker - The Letter
3 Free - All Right Now
4 The Ozark Mountain Daredevils - Jackie Blue
5 Humble Pie - 30 Days In the Hole
6 Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out
7 The Flying Burrito Brothers - Hot Burrito #1
8 Procol Harum - Conquistador (live)
9 Styx - Come Sail Away
10 Split Enz - I Got You
11 Squeeze - Tempted
12 Peter Frampton - Show Me The Way
13 Bryan Adams - Run To You
14 Nazareth - Love Hurts
15 Supertramp - The Logical Song
16 38 Special - Caught Up in You
17 Simple Minds - Don't You (Forget About Me)
18 Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun
19 Sting - If You Love Somebody Set Them Free

DISC 3: Soul Jazz And More
1 L.T.D. - (Everytime I...) Back in Love Again
2 Sonny Charles & The Checkmates Ltd. - Black Pearl
3 Gato Barbieri - Europa
4 The Brothers Johnson - I'll Be Good to You
5 Aaron Neville - Everybody Plays The Fool
6 Billy Preston - Will It Go Round in Circles
7 Milton Nascimento - Bridges
8 Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good
9 Bell & James - Livin' It Up (Friday Night)
10 Antonio Carlos Jobim - Wave
11 Jeffrey Osborne - On The Wings of Love
12 Paul Desmond - Summertime
13 Quincy Jones feat. Ashford, Simpson & Khan - Stuff Like That
14 Atlantic Starr - Secret Lovers
15 Jesse Johnson feat. Sly Stone - Crazay
16 Stan Getz - Amorous Cat
17 CeCe Peniston - Finally
18 Barry White - Practice What You Preach
19 Herb Alpert & Hugh Masekela - Skokiaan
20 Janet Jackson - When I Think of You






SOURCE: Universal Music Enterprises
 
I find the track selection to be rather decent. I would've gone with a different track for the Bacharach cut, the Bryan Adams cut, the Brothers Johnson cut and the Gato cut though...

I'm glad there was some sort of reconcilaition between A&M (the men) and Uni to see "Lonely Bull" and "Rise" included, as they rightfully should!
Hope the inclusion of the Lani track and the Alpert/Masekela track are harbingers of goodies to come from Shout!Factory...
 
My thoughts so far...

I'm surprised they chose "Roxanne" instead of "Every Breath You Take" for The Police track considering it was a milestone track for not just the band, but for the label as well. On the other hand, I'm glad they went with "Come Sail Away" instead of "Babe" and "Run to You" instead of "Heaven" or (ugh!) "Everything I Do (I Do For You)".

I would have preferred "(I Can't Help) Falling In Love With You" over "Red, Red Wine," but that's just a personal bias because I hate that song with a passion. LOL

I'm assuming it will be the single versions of "Rise" and "Feels So Good." Do you think "Show Me The Way" will be the original single from Frampton or the live version from Frampton Comes Alive? I'm guessing the live version, but that's not indicated on the track listing.

They obviously couldn't include everything and I'm sure each of us has a song or five that we wish had been included, but I think they did a really nice job with the track selection. I'm very pleased that for the most part they stuck with the period prior to Herb and Jerry selling the label in 1988. The only tracks on here after that time frame (unless I missed one) are "Baby Baby" and "Finally" (both 1991), "All I Wanna Do" (1993), "Black Hole Sun" and "Practice What You Preach" (both 1994). So, only 5 out of 60. Padding it out with more recent tracks (Fergie, Black Eyed Peas, Pussycat Dolls, Maroon 5, Vanessa Carlton, etc.) just to make it span the whole 50 year period at the expense of dropping others would have been a mistake, IMO.

Grouping everything by theme as opposed to presenting chronologically was a wise decision as well. It really helps emphasize the diversity of the acts on the label. I do hope it includes a nice booklet with lots of photos, discographical information and commentary.

I'm really looking forward to this release.
 
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