The Rare A&M Singles Thread

Thanks to the Captain posting a rare Dore Alpert single, I came across a few other rare A&M singles on YouTube. Just listening to this handful makes me have visions of a limited edition box set of these non-album rarities, a la Rhino of the old days. Very interesting!

Here is "I'll Be Satisfied" by The Sequins (A&M 761):



Next up is Gloria Melbourne, "Don't Let Him" (A&M 740):



The Westwoods (with vocals by Gloria Nitzsche and Marilyn Wilson), "Will You Love Me (Like You Did Last Summer"), A&M 763:

Two on A&M 766 by Chester St. Thompson--"Together" and "Without You":





This single below is on Hanna Barbera Records out of Hollywood. It features Jean King of The Blossoms (the vocal group that sang on the Tijuana Brass track "Mexican Drummer Man") singing a familiar song penned by another A&Mer: "The Nicest Things Happen."

For the George McCurn fans among us... These are three non-album tracks. Not sure if there are more.

"Georgia Town"


"When The Wind Blows (In Chicago)"


"In My Little Corner Of The World"

There are more George McCurn singles which did not appear on LP/SP 102:

741 - Clap Your Hand/ Well; and
759- As Tears Go By/ Georgia Town (also on 726 with "When the Wind Blows ..."

JB

A&M 753 contains "The Race is On" from SP 4238, plus a non-LP single:

Also, #722 by Waylon Jennings has 2 non-LP tracks, "Rave On," the original version of which is not on YouTube yet, and "Love Denied:"

Now wait a minute. "Georgia Town" may have been on a 45, but it's also in the main track listing of SP-102 - second side, fifth track. I guess it qualifies as rare, but then again the whole album does too.

The non-album tracks for George McCurn that I know about:

A&M 705 - In My Little Corner Of The World
A&M 715 - Please Send Me Someone To Love
A&M 726 - When The Wind Blows (In Chicago)
A&M 748 - Your Friend
A&M 748 - When The Bloom Is On The Rose
A&M 759 - As Tears Go By

and LPJim mentions A&M 741 - Clap Your Hands

Harry

Wow, shows you how often I listen to the album. Mine is packed away in a box, so I didn't get a chance to see if it was on the album.

"Ain't That Right" by Brice Coefield is A&M single # 774. The video shows an Omen label (division of A&M) with the song published by Irving (BMI). The b-side was "Work For My Baby."

Welcome aboard! I'm impressed by the number of rarities you have posted. Thanks much for sharing, and keep up the great work!

Sure, post that McCurn 45 if you get a chance, if one of us does not get to it first. He's pretty much overlooked and flies under the radar of most music fans.

I have always felt that these types of singles would make for a great box set (Hip-O Select comes to mind). But unless it were marketed properly, it probably would not sell much.

Nice! These really are rarities. I don't think I could easily locate these here in our area (as far as visiting a brick and mortar store)--I know a few A&M fans have always had better luck out in California.

I found this one yesterday. I'm not sure how rare it is, but it wasn't connected to any albums that I know of. It's Larry Marks doing his original of "L.A. Break Down (And Let Me In):



I've always been partial to the Jack Jones version, but this one's real catchy.

Harry

Aside from what Harry listed above, these two tracks make a total of eight non-album tracks. If there are more of these singles out there that we might not know about yet, it's almost enough to make another complete album.

It amazes me how much of a push McCurn got from A&M, for being a second album on the label. It's not like it was a budget project either: Shorty Rogers did the arrangements, and there is full accompaniment on all of the tracks. There were also a lot of single releases, including these (all listed above) which were not even on the album. It reminds me of the phrase: "If you throw enough at the wall, something is bound to stick." Unfortunately nothing did stick, and McCurn (and these recordings) faded into obscurity.

This is the first time I knew that Sam Cooke had done anything for A&M. I love those McCurn tracks!

I can't quite make out the numbering on those singles--I wonder if they predated McCurn's album or not. If they were recorded after the album, it's possible they were trying a different approach to see if they could get McCurn some attention.

With the same catalog number, I'd be more inclined to trust what you have in front of you. Online, you may sometimes see one source get quoted as fact even if it's incorrect, and it spreads like wildfire.

I could only think of two situations: either the single had a wrong label on it (which got corrected down the road), or maybe there were two releases of it. I don't know of anyone else who has many of the McCurn singles that they could check their copy. (Maybe LPJim?)