A&M Records Documentary Coming in December

There have been various stories about how the Carpenters tape got to Herb. On one interview he says that somebody handed it to him saying “Psst….wanna hear a tape?”
 
There have been various stories about how the Carpenters tape got to Herb. On one interview he says that somebody handed it to him saying “Psst….wanna hear a tape?”
True. I just recently read one that had Jack Daugherty and John Pisano as associates/friends, and Daugherty handed the tape to Pisano who handed it to Herb.
 
Had no problem finding Epix and scrolling to 'play it now,' so I didn't have to wait until 10 p.m. Nice to hear "Tell it to the Birds" early on. For the allotted time they did a pretty good job hitting the highlights. It was primarily TJB to Burt, Brasil '66, Joe Cocker, Cat Stevens, Carpenters and Carole King (Ode segment) for the most part. Good interviews with staff alum and nice interchange between Herb and Jerry talking about old times.

It would take hours to delve into the singles artists, one or two album acts, offshoot labels (CTI & Horizon, etc.) but it's certainly doable. How much attention span the average viewer would devote is anyone's guess. If everyone had my level of interest it would be a ratings smash.


JB
 
After seeing Part I, I would give it a B-. John Scheinfeld's "HERB ALPERT IS" documentary is exponentially superior - the clips, the graphics, the soundtrack and the general flow are all exceptional. Part I displayed a pretty shabby looking WHIPPED CREAM album cover and dwelled on a LONELY BULL album THAT WASN'T EVEN AN AUTHORIZED A&M RELEASE!!! :sad:
 
After seeing Part I, I would give it a B-. John Scheinfeld's "HERB ALPERT IS" documentary is exponentially superior - the clips, the graphics, the soundtrack and the general flow are all exceptional. Part I displayed a pretty shabby looking WHIPPED CREAM album cover and dwelled on a LONELY BULL album THAT WASN'T EVEN AN AUTHORIZED A&M RELEASE!!! :sad:
Agreed.
 
........ and dwelled on a LONELY BULL album THAT WASN'T EVEN AN AUTHORIZED A&M RELEASE!!! :sad:
That's almost inexcusable. Someone doing a documentary, or a biography for that matter, should be familiar enough with the subject to not make such a rookie mistake. Walk into any record store or heck, look on Amazon or Discogs, and the correct cover is easy to find. It's not like it would harm the documentary, but it's an overlooked detail that could have been avoided with the bare minimum amount of effort.
 
I believe the picture they used was this one, a knock-off from Spain:

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Phonier than a 4 dollar bill
As long as you're not in Canada. Silly Canadians! 😁

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My useless factoid for the day...
 
From what I read, the Canadian $4 bill was equal to £1 from England, so it made the conversion easier. The US may have done it for similar reasons perhaps?
 
The US once had a four-dollar coin, known as the "Stella".


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Was it used to buy this?
:D🍺
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One of my favorite beers! Discovered it over seas and was thrilled when it landed on US shores (though the US version is slightly lacking in both flavor and alcohol from the overseas version).

--Mr Bill
 
Part 2 is streaming today. Covers Frampton, Styx, Supertramp, Police, Sting, Carpenters, Go-gos, Janet Jackson, Suzanne Vega, and the sale to Polygram.
 
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Since the Go-Go's were not "technically" A&M, but rather I.R.S., I am wondering if they delved much into the whole Miles Copeland-Police-I.R.S. deal. I hope at least a passing sentence or two!

--Mr Bill
 
Yeah, Copeland did a good bit of the narration around that era. Tied the Go-Go's to the Police with them being the opening act and the members of both groups becoming friends. One member of the Police brought the news to the Go-Go's that their album had leapfrogged The Police up to the #1 spot on the chart.
 
Watching Part II was pretty much a waste of an hour and not sure that my B- grade holds for the entire program. As I stated previously, Herb's DOC (and even the years earlier BBC4 Doc) outshine this by miles!
 
Watching Part II was pretty much a waste of an hour and not sure that my B- grade holds for the entire program. As I stated previously, Herb's DOC (and even the years earlier BBC4 Doc) outshine this by miles!
I agree. If this were available in my own library, it would be the last documentary I'd choose. The good parts were really few and far between.

It was easy enough to unsubscribe from Epix Now. As it was an Amazon add-on subscription, it was a breeze to opt out of.
 
Maybe it's time for a "shoot-out" (or at least, a definitive listing) of the various A&M-related documentaries, books, radio shows, etc. Off the top of my head, we've got:

Herb Alpert Is...
Mr. A. & Mr. M.
Sergio Mendes: In the Key of Joy
This Guy's In Love With You: The Herb Alpert Story (BBC audio)
The various Carpenters docs
Carpenters: The Musical Legacy (book)

... what else is out there?
 
I agree--we could use a good listing of A&M-related bios, features, and books. Sorted by media (book, audio interview, video documentary, etc.).

I always thought Ray Coleman's bio of the Carpenters was a good one, as I'd read other bios Coleman had written and found them fairly even-handed.

There was also a Herbie radio documentary aired on XM Radio back in the day that I got through a connection--I don't think it was aired anywhere else.

Styx had a Behind The Music episode on VH1. As did a few other A&M artists from the 70s, I'd imagine.
 
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