A&M Records At The Movies

[Harry]

Many movies over the years have featured a selection or two, or even a whole soundtrack, from A&M Records. I'd like this thread to be a valuable source of information on just which movies featured what recordings. The ground rules are that the song must be used in the movie, and that the artist recorded the song on and for A&M Records.

Examples:

Valid:
MATCHSTICK MEN featured both "The Lonely Bull" and "Tijuana Taxi" by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

Invalid:
PELE featured music by Sergio Mendes. While true, the songs in the movie were not recorded on or for A&M Records, as Sergio had left the company.

The song or music cues can be used anywhere in the movie including over the closing credits. Entire soundtracks are certainly OK, for example:

2010 THE YEAR WE MAKE CONTACT's soundtrack was on A&M Records as was Jerry Goldsmith's score to THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL.

There may be instances where a portion of a known song is used but is not included in the credits. Those are OK too.

Here are a few obvious ones to get started.

CASINO ROYALE - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - title song
NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN - Lani Hall - title song
BUTCH CASSIDY & THE SUNDANCE KID - Burt Bacharach - entire soundtrack

List away folks!

Harry
...starting what he hopes will be a valuable resource in the future, online...

 

[Dave]

How 'bout...

BLESS THE BEASTS AND THE CHILDREN -- The Carpenters sing the title song; Barry De Vorzon sings "Down The Line", which should have made it onto a '45'--instead, I think there's an instrumental of it; Renee Armand, who recorded A&M SP 4369, The Rain Book, sings as well.

THE WARRIORS -- Don't have this one, anymore; but the music was created by DeVorzon; Joe Walsh sings "In The City", but that's not really A&M-related.

Dave

...hoping there are "some left"...

 

[Captain Bacardi]

A movie I saw the other night - Mother, Jugs and Speed. I remember it had "Mexican Shuffle" in the movie, but I don't think it made the soundtrack.


Capt. Bacardi
...Raquel Welch fan online... neeye:

 

[jfiedler17]

Wow ... where do I end???? OK, restricting myself for the moment to soundtrack cuts released on A&M that were Top 40 hits, I can think of:

O.M.D. (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) "If You Leave" from PRETTY IN PINK
Simple Minds "Don't You (Forget About Me)" from THE BREAKFAST CLUB
Bryan Adams "Heaven" from A NIGHT IN HEAVEN
Bryan Adams "Everything I Do (I Do It for You)" from ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES
Bryan Adams, Sting, and Rod Stewart "All for Love" from THREE MUSKETEERS
Bryan Adams "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" from DON JUAN de MARCO
Al Green and Annie Lennox "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" from SCROOGED
Gin Blossoms "'Til I Hear It from You" from EMPIRE RECORDS

 

[Captain Bacardi]

How about really bad movies?

THE CHILDREN OF SANCHEZ - All Mangione, all the time.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[Steven J. Gross]

"Inside Moves" from the early 80's: Lonely Bull

 

[Mr Bill]

How about really bad movies?

Besides Children of Sanchez, the aforementioned Mother Jugs & Speed would qualify, as would the Quincy Jones scored Hoffman/Farrow film John & Mary.

I vote we include stage soundtracks as well, like Boys In The Band and Cyrano which also were on A&M. Heck, I've even heard some diehard fans call Cocker's double Mad Dogs & Englishmen a soundtrack recording.

Given Harry's rules for qualification or disqualification, people need not be as restrictive as they seem to be. Since Warriors was an A&M soundtrack, all the songs on that LP -- regardless of whether the artist was "an A&M artist" (as well as in the film, even if not on the ST LP like "Mexican Shuffle" in MJ&S) are valid to post here. Right Harry?

--Mr Bill

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Jerry Maguire also featured "The Lonely Bull".


Capt. Bacardi
NW: Cubs vs Astros

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Austin Powers -- "Mas Que Nada" by Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66

The Party -- "Nothing To Lose" by Claudine Longet -- an A&M single

Jon

 

[Harry]

I vote we include stage soundtracks as well, like Boys In The Band and Cyrano which also were on A&M.

Well, I was really just looking for movies.

Given Harry's rules for qualification or disqualification, people need not be as restrictive as they seem to be. Since Warriors was an A&M soundtrack, all the songs on that LP -- regardless of whether the artist was "an A&M artist" (as well as in the film, even if not on the ST LP like "Mexican Shuffle" in MJ&S) are valid to post here. Right Harry?

Yes, in the case of an A&M soundtrack all of the cuts would qulaify, but more than just tracks, I'm looking for the movie titles.

SHREK - with its "Whipped Cream' use counts

as does

SHREK 2 - with its use of "Changes" by newer A&M artist Butterfly Boucher

KATE & LEOPOLD has a trcak by Sting

Harry
...adding a few more to the list, online...

 

[Rudy]

CASINO ROYALE - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - title song

An interesting situation with this song, since the full soundtrack was actually released on Colgems.

A few rule clarifications so we're on the same page:

1) Re-recordings of movie tunes by A&M artists don't qualify. Otherwise, just about every early A&M album would qualify.

2) What about songs written for or about a movie, but not specifically used in them? I can't think of any A&M examples right now, but the Gene Pitney song "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" was written about the movie, and was a hit, but was not used in the soundtrack at all. To me, that should not qualify either.

 

[Harry]

CASINO ROYALE - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - title song

An interesting situation with this song, since the full soundtrack was actually released on Colgems.

Yes, but the title song did headline an A&M album and single, so it surely counts.

What about songs written for or about a movie, but not specifically used in them? I can't think of any A&M examples right now, but the Gene Pitney song "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" was written about the movie, and was a hit, but was not used in the soundtrack at all. To me, that should not qualify either.

Would "Come Saturday Morning" by Sandpipers fall into that category? I don't know if the A&M recording was used in the film.

Harry
NP: radio at work

 

[Mr Bill]

What about songs written for or about a movie, but not specifically used in them? I can't think of any A&M examples right now, but the Gene Pitney song "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" was written about the movie, and was a hit, but was not used in the soundtrack at all. To me, that should not qualify either.

Would "Come Saturday Morning" by Sandpipers fall into that category? I don't know if the A&M recording was used in the film.

So then Phil Ochs "Kansas City Bomber" would count as it was written for the movie, even though it was dropped in favor of a different recording (and likely contributing to Ochs' downfall to his own demons)... But I think The Sandpipers "CSM" was used in The Sterile Cuckoo...

--Mr Bill
who saw The Sterile Cuckoo at a drive in with his parents as it was the accompanying feature to True Grit... All I remember is becoming infatuated with Liza (and -- surprise -- I didn't turn out gay) and my parents covering my eyes at key "plot points"

 

[Rudy]

Yes, but the title song did headline an A&M album and single, so it surely counts.

I'd count it also.

Would "Come Saturday Morning" by Sandpipers fall into that category? I don't know if the A&M recording was used in the film.

I'm not familiar with where this song is used in relation to films. But in the case of my Gene Pitney example, I would not count that. Yes, it was written about the film, but not actually used in it. (I don't recall if it was written for the film and rejected, or if it was just one of the typical hit singles of the day that used the film as a subject for a hit record.)

I guess what I'm getting at: if the actaul A&M song was in the movie, I'd consider it qualifying. Otherwise, no, or we'd get bound up in too many exceptions and "gimmes".

Another example that is a grey area: Henry Mancini wrote the theme song for the Hitchcock movie "Frenzy", but Hitch shot it down because it was too "spooky". (Imagine that!) So the song goes by "Frenzy (Rejected)" on Mancini's recording of it. In this case, I would also not consider it for inclusion in an "at the movies with" topic.

 

[Mr Bill]

Here are some A&M Soundtracks -- some famous and some not so famous. Among the missing are Party Party (A&M SP3212), A Night In Heaven (A&M SP not available to me at the moment) and both versions of Rocky Horror (both on Ode) and Alister Crowley's gayfest Boys In The Band (A&M SP6002)... Enjoy!

--Mr Bill

 

[Dave]

Oh, Yes!!! Paul Williams' PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE!! I rented that! Paul Williams and Jeffrey Comanor are featured. The Soundtrack goes right along with it.

Forgot about Quincy Jones' ROOTS and JOHN & MARY, as I've had them in my 'Q' Collection, once upon a time.

Now that BIG BLUE MARBLE is pretty rare! Is it from the TV series? I didn't know there was anything "soundtrack" about the show.

Dave

...pretty sure I looked for THE BIG BLUE MARBLE at one time, though thought it was an ARTIST or GROUP, as opposed to a SOUNDTRACK...

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Wow, I forgot all about BRIMSTONE & TREACLE. Some interesting music. I'll have to dust that one off and give it a spin!


Capt. Bacardi