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JOv2

Well-Known Member
That, of course, was A&M’s circa 1965 telephone number — as published on their first inner sleeve.

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I guess the thinking back in ’65 was that John Q. Recordbuyer may want to call a record company to get more albums…

A&M: Hello! A&M Records —
JQR: Hi there! I just wanted to say that I’m really enjoying your Lonely Bull LP!
A&M: —Well, thank you. That’s very nice to hear.
JQR: —So, put me down for 5 more Lonely Bulls. While you’re at it, throw in 3 Baja Marimba Bands and a couple MexiCali Sallys…
A&M: —Well, thank you very much! May I interest you in a special we’re running this month? Buy 1 George McCurn and we’ll throw in 2 more at half price…

(Once in the '90s I called that old number out of curiosity — which resulted in that all-familiar DOO—DEE—DAH The number you have called is no longer in service recording.)

Ironically, I did call A&M Records once…in 1979 — to actually get an album (Warm, of course). The receptionist told me that they did not sell LPs from their offices. I told her it was an out-of-print LP and that maybe Herb had a few extras since it was his album — and then asked if she’d put me through to Herb. (!) By this time, she was probably thinking this was all a high school prank…nevertheless, she laughed and, being very cordial, said that she could not do that.
 
This amusing story makes me wonder how many people have tried to send messages to "P. O. Box 9847," after hearing the song by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart.

Charles
 
I've heard that in the past, when a song title featured a telephone number, there was a run on people having to change their phone numbers due to all the calls they would receive. 😁
 
I've heard that in the past, when a song title featured a telephone number, there was a run on people having to change their phone numbers due to all the calls they would receive. 😁
In 1982 it also happened with the infamous Tommy Tutone with 867-5309-Jenny i heard It even went farther when a Radio station as a stunt would call the number live on the air hoping to talk to Jenny I don't know how or if that worked out or not but after that the practice of putting phone numbers in songs radically decreased thankfully those were crazy times in my opinions
 
Squeeze's 1987 A&M album BAYLON AND ON contains the track "853-5937."

JB
 
Don't forget BEechwood 4-5789.

For you young 'uns, that's the way we used to give phone numbers. The first two letters of a word and that separate number were dialed just like they are today, in this case, BE 4 - or 234. The letters were mnemonic devices letting the caller know roughly what area they were dialing. Certain subsections of a bigger city were given these exchanges, and your particular calling area (for free) only included certain exchanges.

So if you met a girl or guy from the other side of town, their telephone exchange would get billed and noticed on your parents' phone bill! These days most people have free calling in the continental US with their cell plans. Some land lines are still doing the exchange billing depending on your service level.
 
"777-9311" by The Time had some phones ringing around the country too. 😁
Certain subsections of a bigger city were given these exchanges, and your particular calling area (for free) only included certain exchanges.
My grandparents were in the TUxedo exchange, whereas my mom's aunt and my paternal grandmother were in LAkeview. One of my uncles was in PRescott, and ours at home, as well as another uncle, was SLocum.

I remember the phones all had printed paper labels with either the exchange or at least the two letters followed by the telephone number.
 
Years ago on a television program I believe, a phone number was given and tons of people called it. That is why on TV today, when they talk about phone numbers, it always starts with 555.
In Norfolk VA,, we had three exchanges. Mine was MAdison and the others started with JU and Ul but I do not remember their actual words.
I still have an old rotary dial phone but it is not hooked up. It dates from 1969.
 
Ah what memories, what memories.... we were EMpire 366 grandparents FAirview 324,East Side of town was TRinity 871 The north side was AIrport 399 which included the airport... rotary dials were fun.
 
The rock group City Boy did "5705" (from 1978 "Book Early") that was their only Top 40 song peaking at # 27 in November of 1978. Producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange produced AC/DC, Def Leppard & married former Canadian singer Shania Twain.
 
Forgot to mention DJ Dick Bartley "Solid Gold Saturday Night" in the late 80's toll free hotline number: 1 - 800 - 634 - 5789 (which was a song done by the late Wilson Pickett in 1966).
 
And just 0 for Operator by Manhattan Transfer or Jim Croce, though they never said it, just assumed.
 
I remember a long time ago PC Magazine had an "ad" in their April issue for an impossibly low-priced, impossibly high-end computer system available by phone. When you called, you were greeted by a recording featuring Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller) calling you an idiot and informing you that you'd been had. It was hilarious, I wish I had made a recording of it.
 
We were in the MYrtle exchange. Since there were only two exchanges in our area we could dial five numbers to call someone. My grandparents were on a party line - that was a pain when some long winded person got on there. Good times! :laugh:
 
I remember the phones all had printed paper labels with either the exchange or at least the two letters followed by the telephone number.
Yes! Back in the '60s we were REgent while Santa Barbara had OLive and Santa Maria had WAlnut.

A&M's old number was the same exchange as one of Santa Barbara's (we were area code 805, which at that time ran all the way from Thousand Oaks up to Monterey) -- So, A&M could've been an OLive, too!
 
SUnset was our old exchange back in the near-Philly suburbs. We always had to be careful not to dial a phone that might only be a few blocks away, but over the city line into Philadelphia. Those were toll calls. And yes, back in the 50s we were on a party line with a few of our neighbors. Eventually they all left, and our line became a de facto private number.

It's very different today, isn't it? Excuse me while I go answer a call where they want to extend my car warranty...
 
I remember a long time ago PC Magazine had an "ad" in their April issue for an impossibly low-priced, impossibly high-end computer system available by phone. When you called, you were greeted by a recording featuring Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller) calling you an idiot and informing you that you'd been had. It was hilarious, I wish I had made a recording of it.
Penn Jillette wrote for one of the computer magazines back in the day. It wasn't PC Mag but PC/Computing, which was another Ziff-Davis publication. He got the coveted spot on the back page of the magazine, and never spoke of his day job. Note that this was on the cusp of the PC becoming mainstream, so this goes back a long way, years before the Internet became widely used. This was the lead-off of his first article for the magazine, which led to him becoming a full-time columnist:

“Why am I the one who should review the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles computer game? I’m 35 years old, I don’t have kids, I’m not a comic book collector and I have a favorite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle—that’s why.”

Jerry Pournelle, noted science fiction author, also wrote for one of the computing magazines.

Jillette's $20,000 computer stunt was noted in Newsweek:

 
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