First batch of TJB CD titles due out Feb. 8, 2005

[Harry]

According to my sources, Univer$sal still owns the rights to the TJB compilations. So I wouldn't expect a new one from Shout Factory.

There was a comment in an earlier post from someone regarding Universal's ownership of the Alpert catalog.

That's not what the post said. First of all, Herb Alpert owns the masters to his own music as part of a lawsuit that was settled a couple of years ago. The post you refer to is that Uni owns the compilations of the Alpert/TJB stuff, which is basically irrelevant anyway, since Herb owns his own masters.

Which brings up the questions - Who DOES own the rights to the compilations? Did Herb get all exclusive rights with the lone exception being the DEFINITIVE HITS compilation on A&M/Universal in the States?

All of the other compilations here were withdrawn from the market. Was that forced by the settlement? Is it a moritorium on the titles for "X" number of years until Herb has had his shot at releasing the actual albums elsewhere?

Or are the original-concept compilations part of the deal? That is, will we be seeing SOLID BRASS, GREATEST HITS, GH 2, etc. on Shout! Factory farther out in time after the re-issues are through? Or will those rights revert to A&M/Universal after a period of time?

Are there international loopholes in this settlement which keeps around two 'foreign' compilations alive in the A&M/Universal fold (THE VERY BEST OF HERB ALPERT and A&M GOLD SERIES)?

I wish we had some more substantial information, but all we have is that many original albums will be released this year starting in February, along with the LOST TREASURES.

Harry
...asking the tough questions, online...

 

[thetijuanataxi]

According to Shout Factory, there are no plans to release any of the existing TJB compilations. Apparently, UNI still owns the rights to those compilations or perhaps would consider re-releasing them as competition for Definitive Hits. Personally, I don't really care all that much if they get re-released unless they would be remastered to the same standards as they are using for the Shout Factory releases. Instead, I hope Herb discovers enough "Lost" tracks for a LT Vol. 2.

David,
hoping this helps

 

[Harry]

It doesn't really matter to me - I've got just about all of the compilations anyway. But people do ask these kinds of questions. It would be nice if we had answers.

Harry

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Here is the ICE magazine article. (www.icemagazine.com)

ALPERT'S TIJUANA BRASS SHINE ON CD

The only artists to outsell him in the 1960s were the Beatles, Sinatra and Presley. He notched 10 Number One albums and 15 Top 40 hits and was one of the world's biggest concert draws. So why hasn't Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass' catalog ever been reissued on CD?

"When Universal bought [A&M's] publishing company, it included a contingency deal to get the catalog back," Alpert tells ICE. "Universal was allowed to sell off whatever A&M product they had in inventory before we [Alpert and partner Jerry Moss] could take back control of my catalog."

When the rights recently reverted to him, Alpert entered into an agreement with Shout! Factory, which on February 8 inaugurates a massive Herb Alpert Signature Series reissue program. A rarities collection, LOST TREASURES, plus the Brass' 1962 debut (THE LONELY BULL) and its 1963 breakthrough, SOUTH OF THE BORDER, kick off a schedule that will issue three albums bi-monthly throughout 2005. On the drawing board: a special edition of the band's infamous 1965 LP Whipped Cream & Other Delights and, possibly, a set of Tijuana Brass remixes.

Shout! Factory A&R VP and project manager Shawn Amos tells ICE of the series' intent: "Part of Herb's thinking, and mine too, was that you can always preach to the converted, but we also want to be able to introduce the music to a younger generation. Things like the remix project and Lost Treasures are a way to do that."

From today's vantage point, it might be hard to understand the degree of attention the suave trumpeter and his ensemble once commanded. Among the best-selling instrumental groups of all time, they prospered with a well-arranged marriage of mariachi, Dixieland and breezy pop that drew teenaged Top 40 fans and their easy-listening parents alike.

Despite the music's scarcity on CD, it has managed to capture the ears of such diverse contemporary subcultures as the bachelor-pad posse and the hip-hop community (one remix mashed two Public Enemy songs with "Whipped Cream").

Lost Treasures gathers unreleased cuts from 1963 to 1974, including a lightly Latin-funked "Fire and Rain," the country pop standard "Tennessee Waltz" ("It was written as a waltz," says Alpert, "but I did it as a Louis Prima shuffle") and the biggest
song Alpert gave away. "Herb cut Burt Bacharach's `Close to You' as a vocal [to follow his Bacharach chart-topper "This Guy's in Love with You"]," says Amos, "but he decided to sit on the track. Eventually he gave it to the Carpenters, who made a little money for A&M with it anyway."

While THE LONELY BULL features the Brass' first hit (the title track), it was SOUTH OF THE BORDER that Alpert says "absolutely established our sound, especially the cut `Mexican Shuffle."' A swinging "All My Loving" and the Spectorian "Border" are also key cuts.

In April, the series brings forth a 40th-anniversary version of WHIPPED CREAM & OTHER DELIGHTS. The gastronomically themed album (the only one to get expanded-edition treatment) contains Allen Toussaint's title song and the Top 10 hit "A Taste of Honey."

June delivers 1965's GOING PLACES ("Zorba the Greek," "Tijuana Taxi" and "Spanish Flea," best known as the Dating Game theme) and 1966's WHAT NOW MY LOVE and S.R.O. ("The Work Song," "Mame," "Flamingo").

The remix project is tentatively slated for July, and SOUNDS LIKE, HERB ALPERT'S NINTH, THE BEAT OF THE BRASs and the CHRISTMAS ALBUM will arrive later in the year.

All packaging will retain the original LPs' design, even LOST TREASURES. "We're making it look like something that came out in the '60s," says Amos. "To make it look like 2005 just didn't seem right." -- Gene Sculatti

 

[RichardWarner]

One thing that I take from the ICE article is that he always wanted this material to be released on disc but the rights issues prevented it. So much for dime store psychology about not wanting to relive the past!

 

[Mike Blakesley]

It also explains why WHIPPED CREAM and LONELY BULL and CHRISTMAS ALBUM remained in print so long...they were just selling out the remaining stock, and those were probably the albums that were the best sellers, hence the largest stock-pile.

 

[Rudy]

Which brings up the questions - Who DOES own the rights to the compilations? Did Herb get all exclusive rights with the lone exception being the DEFINITIVE HITS compilation on A&M/Universal in the States?

That would be my guess...it would not make sense for him to give partial rights to his catalog back to Universal. I would think that worldwide, the situation is such that remaining stocks of titles be sold off, permanently closing the book on any future Alpert or TJB titles. I see that it would be counterproductive to have Universal putting out a few different compilations in competition with the geniune albums at Shout!Factory. There was really no need for "Definitive Hits", too, if they had left the hits packages or the two "A&M Classics" titles in print.

Shout!Factory is not solely a reissue company either--wasn't Shatner's recent "Has Been" CD released on the label?

There will always be a market for compilations, so I would expect that at some point down the road, "Definitive Hits" will go out of print and leave a void for reissues of the old hits packages, or a couple of good new ones.

 

[BBrownlie]

In my years of licensing, I have never heard of "master" rights being divvied up in the manner suggested (albums versus compilations).

What usually happens is the "master" rights are sold to this or that party, who then needs to review all existing licenses and contracts to see what can be done to terminate them or have them continue; depending on what the new owner would like to do.

In Alpert's case, I assume he acquired ALL masters (what's the point anyway?). Universal may have inventory still as well as arrangements (contracts?) to manufacture and sell this or that item (probably the compilations) til "such time" (known as the "term").

As they are both businesses, it probably wasn't worth the trouble of ruffling each other's feathers, so they may have compromised on some of these outstanding issues.

Also, Universal foreign entities can make their own contracts, so there may be further product out there throughout the world for awhile under the Universal banner.

This is my take. I hope I expressed it well enough. I don't know the catalog well enough to know the details.

Barry

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I'd bet that Alpert still has a fragment of the same deal with Universal: They will be allowed to sell out the remaining DEF HITS, and then it will go out of print -- or else they're allowed to keep it in print for X number of years or months. These days, so much music is cross-licensed between various labels, almost anything is possible.

The AEC warehouse where we buy our CDs automatically lists disks from an artist in order of sales. Today, DEF HITS is still at the top of Alpert's list, but LONELY BULL, LOST TREASURES and SOUTH OF THE BORDER have moved up to the #2 - 3 - 4 spots underneath it in that order. Steam is building!

 

[Rudy]

I have the feeling DEF HITS is the end of the line for Universal having Alpert/TJB product, other than his remaining solo recordings on Almo Sounds.

 

[Harry]

I frequent the local Borders stores, just because they're usually the brick and mortar store with the deepest inventory around. I noticed in the last two weeks that DEF HITS is finally an 'on sale' item. That disc has, when in inventory, always been $18.99. The other week I saw it in a sale rack of other Greatest Hits type discs in the Universal stable for $9.99.

Could be that Universal knows of the upcoming Shout releases and wanted to steal a little thunder.

Harry

 

[mikeargo]

You may be right. I'd been holding off buying Def Hits at the list price for a long time, but while Christmas shopping at Best Buy last month I saw it reduced to $13.99, so gave into the impulse-buy urge and finally got it. Mainly just to have something to listen to while awaiting the reissues.

Mike A.

 

[Rudy]

I frequent the local Borders stores, just because they're usually the brick and mortar store with the deepest inventory around. I noticed in the last two weeks that DEF HITS is finally an 'on sale' item. That disc has, when in inventory, always been $18.99. The other week I saw it in a sale rack of other Greatest Hits type discs in the Universal stable for $9.99.

Could be that Universal knows of the upcoming Shout releases and wanted to steal a little thunder.

Harry

Or...they may realize that their sales of DEF HITS won't be as good if they keep it at such a high list price. Although, looking over sales of DEF HITS through my Amazon affiliate links, it usually sold at less than list price all along. This package may not be perfect, but it is still the only way most folks can get a sampling of TJB and Alpert hits in one place at their local record shops.

 

[jimac51]

Amazon shows DEF HITS currently with a $13.99 list price(it was originally 18.99, and list price is usually Borders' non-sale price)-the current high priced "midline" that the majors use(midline used to be 11.98-Warner's Super Saver,Sony's Nice Price,etc.). Box lot cost(30 pieces of the same title) probably hovers around 10.50 (I'm guessing),but with extended dating and possible deals,Borders can run that at $9.99 and still make money. Amazon currently discounts DEF HITS at $12.99. So it looks like all of the available Alpert material on CD will carry the same list.No, there's no price collusion in the music business. Mac

 

[Chinese Sausage]

I can't wait for Warm and The Brass Are Comin' to get released. Really great albums. I remastered them myself from vinyl sources and sound great, but I know there is no comparison to the new upcoming releases.

 

[Rudy]

I just remembered something...Wendell Johnson would have loved this news.

 

[thetijuanataxi]

Yep. If Amazon ships to the afterworld, I can guarantee that Ol' Wendell will preorder each title. It's too bad that this reissue project had to take so long in coming. Wendell would have gone ga ga over LOST TREASURES. And he would have felt some satisfaction and joy in knowing that all of our efforts in convincing the powers that that be to release them have paid off. And I know that he would, like Neil, have done everything in his power to spread the word. Oh well, that's one example of life not being fair. If he can see us from heaven though, I know he'll smile when he sees our faces on Tuesday. Some of us might rejoice loud enough for him to hear!!!!

David,
asking everyone to take a minute and remember our dear fallen friend, Wendell Johnson

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Well if he's in heaven, I assume all the music he'd ever want to hear is available for the asking!

I just hope I don't have to die to hear "Sea Is My Soil" in digital clarity!

 

[Greg Shannon]

I just surfed over to Amazon.com on a whim to see how the upcoming releases are currently ranked. Lost Treasures is at 424. SOTB is at 332. Not bad!

Greg Shannon

 

[norderney]

Just received an e-mail from amazon.com saying "Your Amazon.com order has shipped". The Lonely Bull, South Of The Border and Lost Treasures are in the mail!!!!

Unfortunately as I live in England they estimate that International Shipping averages 11-18 days!!!!!

I look forward to hearing them. It will be interesting to compare the new remastered version of The Lonely Bull with my original copy of The Lonely Bull CD which I bought about 5 years ago.

 

[Rudy]

Well if he's in heaven, I assume all the music he'd ever want to hear is available for the asking!

I just hope I don't have to die to hear "Sea Is My Soil" in digital clarity!

Dunno, Mike...he may be hearing it played on a harp!

 

[DAN BOLTON]

Well if he's in heaven, I assume all the music he'd ever want to hear is available for the asking!

I just hope I don't have to die to hear "Sea Is My Soil" in digital clarity!

Dunno, Mike...he may be hearing it played on a harp!

I tried it on my keyboard, and it works...



Dan

 

[Steven J. Gross]

As I type, Lost Treasures is unreleased and is at # 407 on the Amazon charts. At that place, that is significant. If it moves into the top 100- look out!!!

 

[TonyCurrie]

I noticed this line on allaboutjazz.com:

The remainder of the The Tijuana Brass catalog, as well as Alpert?s acclaimed solo albums, will roll out later in 2005.
Interesting. Wonder where they got that from?

 

[Rudy]

I noticed this line on allaboutjazz.com:

The remainder of the The Tijuana Brass catalog, as well as Alpert?s acclaimed solo albums, will roll out later in 2005.
Interesting. Wonder where they got that from?

Sounds like they mis-read a press release or lurked here and reached the wrong conclusions. The solo albums, I don't think, have even been worked on yet!

I do remember someone saying the TJB reissue program would stretch into 2006.