Why didn't A&M release SRO, Sounds LIke & the 9th?

[ormandy]

I’ve often wondered why A&M didn’t release SRO, Sounds Like & The 9th back in the 80's?

Was it that Herb and Co. thought the album “What Now My Love” which peaked at #1
for 9 weeks was a good cut off point, until the big comeback album "Beat of the Brass"
and the Xmas album of course.

Or was it that the sound wasn’t as good. I’ve noticed SRO is a drop off in sound quality.

Or maybe the A&M discs that were released didn’t sell as well as excepted.

Any theories?

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I have a feeling that they went on sales expectations. Those 3 albums were definitely not the sales blockbusters of the previous albums ... and if BEAT hadn't had a number 1 hit on it, Herb's career would have stalled after WHAT NOW MY LOVE.

I was always surprised that they released VOLUME 2 instead of those albums, since it sold even less than they did...(or maybe its "bandwagon" sales after the TJB took off made up the deficit.)

I always wondered too, if they planned to do the rest of the catalog, but sales weren't all that great so they just stopped. Who knows?

I doubt sound quality was an issue. That's about the last thing they worry about when deciding what to release. The main driver is sales potential.

 

[Harry]

I wonder about the sound quality issue. Remember, we're talking about the 1980's, when CDs were being touted as "perfect sound forever." Even the booklets issued disclaimers about the CD's remarkable sound quality being able to reveal problems with the source tapes.

S.R.O. was indeed a drop in quality, sound-wise from the prior albums - and it WAS issued in Japan. I've got one, and it sounds horrible. It's not inconceivable that Herb or someone in his inner circle got hold of that S.R.O. Japan disc and warned of its poor quality. Once the series was halted there, it's possible that it was just never revisited. Remember, it was only a couple of years later that Herb and Jerry packed it all in, selling the company.

Sales of the earlier volumes was likely also a factor. In those early days of CDs, there were probably not a lot of old TjB fans looking to upgrade to the new-fangled format, and those that were, were likely happy with a compilation or two, like GREATEST HITS 1, GREATEST HITS 2, SOLID BRASS, and FOURSIDER, which were all plentiful in the CD racks. We know that even today, compilations like DEFINITIVE HITS continue to outsell the individual albums.

Harry

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

Maybe the Japanese S.R.O. CD didn't sound the greatest, but I was tickled to death to find it in 1987 along with the Diamonds Remix CD at a large record store in New Haven!

There was a time when Herb's manager didn't want them to revisit the bullring - meaning things TJB. I was always baffled about the missing TJB albums for CD re-issue. However, I was always searching for imports and got a partial "fix" via Japan.

It would be interesting to know the how & why of what made it to CD here (and in Japan). I do recall that Herb's Fandango was almost overlooked as a U.S. CD release because of its vinyl & tape release date. Someone finally figured out that one of the boss' recent albums wasn't in CD form and it then got done.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I guess the real mystery to me is why Japan got a BRASS ARE COMIN' release. SRO I could understand, since it was a hit album.

FANDANGO is the one I really wish I'd picked up when it was out. But, I'm sure its time is coming again!

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

For the A&M 25th Anniversary in 1987, Pony Canyon released 100 A&M CDs. There were most of the U.S. 25th series and the balance were titles that hadn't been issued before. The Lonely Bull, The Brass Are Comin' and The Baja Marimba Band were some of those.

 

[Harry]

Maybe the Japanese S.R.O. CD didn't sound the greatest, but I was tickled to death to find it in 1987 along with the Diamonds Remix CD at a large record store in New Haven!

Hey, I was thrilled to find SRO, too. I saw it in a CD-only store that carried import titles and bought both SRO and WHIPPED CREAM AND OTHER DELIGHTS on the spot. This was before any of the regular TJB albums were released domestically (I think CHRISTMAS ALBUM was out first). This might have been in 1985-86 - I'm not really sure.

And I didn't really notice how bad it sounded for a lot of years. It seems that listening with headphones really brings out the flaws in it, yet regular speaker-listening seems to be more forgiving on this title.

Harry

 

[Rudy]

(I think CHRISTMAS ALBUM was out first). This might have been in 1985-86 - I'm not really sure.

That was my first TJB CD--it's on a W. German pressed A&M (one of the discs where the silver goes all the way to the spindle hole). The CD's printing is different than the version we'd see in the U.S., and the front cover is even printed differently--the wording is larger. I got that the same day that I found the Brasil '66 Greatest Hits CD, similar pressing. I'm not sure if these were intended for US release or not, but they were my earliest in the "classic" A&M catalog.

And I didn't really notice how bad it sounded for a lot of years. It seems that listening with headphones really brings out the flaws in it, yet regular speaker-listening seems to be more forgiving on this title.

Ny main complaint about these Japanese CDs is that, unless they are using a digital version of a transfer done here, they are using a tape that is a generation away from what we have here in the U.S. I don't think the original master tapes get flown across the ocean all that often--too risky. A lot of countries in Europe also got copies of U.S. tapes. I've run into this during my phase of collecting some 50s and 60s RCA titles. Sometimes you get a great transfer, and at other times, it's a washed-out mess, often in mono (as that's the only tape they had on hand).

S.R.O. was indeed nasty. I noticed how rough "Our Day Will Come" sounded the first time I spun it. But again, that's probably the only stereo copy of the tape they had in Japan, so they used it.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I guess the real mystery to me is why Japan got a BRASS ARE COMIN' release.

I remember that in Japan "Maltese Melody" was a big hit, which is probably the reason The Brass Are Comin' got a Japanese reissue.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Andrew T.]

My understanding has been that the Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass CDs that were released in the '80s simply duplicated the titles that were still in print on LP and tape at the time. S.R.O., Sounds Like and Ninth had presumably been deleted long before that.

 

[Mr Bill]

My understanding has been that the Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass CDs that were released in the '80s simply duplicated the titles that were still in print on LP and tape at the time. S.R.O., Sounds Like and Ninth had presumably been deleted long before that.

That was always my assumption. When I started buying TJB Lps in 1972, SRO, Sounds Like, Ninth, Christmas Album and Warm were already out of print. Brass Are Comin' and Summertime soon joined them...

Of course, I was hopeful that with the CD revolution that was happening the rest of the catalog would surface in the new format. What always had me curious was the fact these LPs were out of print quite soon afgter they went gold and (in some cases) platinum. Most other artists with gold or platinum LPs have had those LPs in print continuously since achieving that status.

I always wondered if Herb didn't particularly care for those he took out of print for some "other" reason -- ie: memoires they brought up of his first marriage, perhaps friction in the band or his loss of lip as a result of all the things going on at the time compounded with running the label.

--Mr Bill

 

[ormandy]

Does the mono version of SRO sound better?
I wonder if mono would hide the flaws.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I always wondered if Herb didn't particularly care for those he took out of print for some "other" reason -- ie: memoires they brought up of his first marriage, perhaps friction in the band or his loss of lip as a result of all the things going on at the time compounded with running the label.

I have wondered that, as well. After all, many bad-selling albums get reissued all the time, so the "sales potential" argument might not be the whole story.

The SUMMERTIME album in particular has a real melancholy feel, even on the upbeat songs, and Herb's picture on the back extends that mood. BUT, that's one of the things that makes the album such a fine listen.

That's one of the best things about the TJB....if you're in a party mood, you can put on GOING PLACES or WHIPPED CREAM, if you want to think Spanish thoughts you can play VOLUME 2 or SOUTH OF THE BORDER, and if you're feeling a bit pensive or just want to relax, you can drop NINTH or SUMMERTIME in the player.

 

[Brasil_Nut]

FANDANGO is the one I really wish I'd picked up when it was out. But, I'm sure its time is coming again!

When they first came out on disc, I'd taken a part time job in a Wherehouse music store, when a bunch of us flight attendants had been furloughed by Eastern. CD's were new at the time, and although I had a CD player, I didn't think a thing about the TJB CD's. I remember thinking: "Oh, I'll pick 'em up later." The airline called us back, I quit The Wherehouse and went back to flying. Unfortunately, when I finally got around to looking for the CD's, they were out of print and long gone. I wasn't a happy camper, let me tell you.

In other words: The reissues make for happy camping!

Jon