📷 Gallery A&M Greatest Hits Series (1970)

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Harry

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Images of the five gatefold releases in the US in the Greatest Hits Series from A&M.

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - SP-4245

 
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Julius Wechter & The Baja Marimba Band - SP-4248

 
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This is the more common green-colored Sergio Mendes entry in the series:

GreatestHitsGreen.jpg
 
And here is a UK version of the Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass title with expanded track list:

GHUK1.jpgGHUK2.jpg
 
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Thanks Harry, I'd never read the Baja or Sandpipers liner notes before.

It's interesting to me that even the "expanded" version of the TJB album doesn't include "What Now My Love," which was not only a single, but a Grammy winning record. Or "Casino Royale," which was also a hit single AND an award-winner.

I also enjoyed the way the Baja liner notes sort of turned the whole notion that "they didn't REALLY have a whole album full of chart hits, but somebody likes them, by gum!" into a good joke.
 
I remember all of these and they are fun to read even today I only wish I was able to get the gatefold when I first had access to these lps which were all very much available in the late 70s when I started getting vinyl Thanks for the wonderful memories Harry
 
It's interesting to me that even the "expanded" version of the TJB album doesn't include "What Now My Love," which was not only a single, but a Grammy winning record.
It seemed clear to me at the time of release that the TJB's GREATEST HITS had to be essentially a volume 1. All twelve songs hailed from the first five albums with nothing from WHAT NOW MY LOVE and beyond. That was largely born out when GHV2 finally did come out, as all of the tracks on that comp came from the later albums. SOLID BRASS almost performed that V2 function, except it did include "Acapulco 1922" from THE LONELY BULL.
 
Phil Ochs' GREATEST HITS came out around the same time. It was newly released songs but given that title as a satire inspired by the other label artists' compilations.

JB
 
I remember these coming out back in 1970. The only one I bought at the time was the Green cover Brasil'66. Later on I found the darker color Brasil'66 and TJB Greatest Hits and bought both of them. I had picked both of those at thrift stores.
 
I bought the TJB at the time. It was actually my first time hearing "The Lonely Bull", "Never On Sunday" and "America" in stereo. At that time, my copies of the first two albums were mono. Thus I rationalized a reason for buying the TJB GH.
 
TJB's GH album was one of the first 8-tracks I bought for myself. I had purchased LPs of Going Places and What Now My Love (all my music listening was on the living room record player at that point), but then I got a portable 8-track for Christmas and that TJB tape was a necessity. I had almost all of their albums on tape at one point -- everything besides The Lonely Bull, as I remember -- including some that never played all the way through without tangling.
 
Here is a crazy story at least I think it is for me my very first greatest hits entry was in 1978 when shortly after I got my first tape recorder player my 5th grade teacher who knew I was a huge Herb Alpert fan gave me a cassette of Herbs GR Hits volume 1 which at the time was 8 years old and in very pristine playable condition I wore that tape out playing it constantly it wasn't until 1984 when I was able to get a vinyl version to replace that tape ( my parents were so conservative they didn't believe in having more than one version or form of any album) so they pretty much had me on a leash so to speak until I left home and once I got out on my own I began planning my want lists.today it's long past complete
 
I think the TJB's Greatest Hits was the 8-track that was in a car that my dad used to bring home from work--he drove the company station wagon (a 1970-ish Plymouth Suburban) and when someone else wanted to borrow it, they'd swap cars for the weekend. I don't think we ever played the tape, but I do remember it being in the armrest caddy (if that was a thing--it would have been at the newest a mid-70s full sized Ford).

The most fun car he brought home was the owner's son's 1972-ish Corvette. 😁
 
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