A&M's 25th Annv. CLASSICS Series...What we wanted to see

[Mr Bill]

In a minor fit of creativity I decided to concoct my own covers for continued releases in the series. I may go ahead and create some of these on CDR for my own amusement.

I'll leave it up to the other A&M fans as to what tunes you'd like to see or think should be represented on these fictional releases. Feel free to post your inputs. I'll also take ideas for more artists in the series -- but be warned -- I'm already at work on volume 54!!!

And now the ones we WISHED they had put out:

CD2526 (vol28), CD2527 (vol29) and CD2528(vol30)

CD2529 (vol31), CD2530 (vol32) and CD2531 (vol33)

CD2532 (vol34), CD2533 (vol35) and CD2534 (vol36)

CD2535 (vol37), CD2536 (vol38) and CD2537 (vol39)

CD2538 (vol40), CD2539 (vol41) and CD2540 (vol42)

CD2541 (vol43), CD2542 (vol44) and CD2543 (vol45)

MORE TO COME

--Mr Bill

 

[Dave]

Wow! Where DID you get some of these pictures...?! I seem to be satisfied enough, that I only have ORIGINAL albums by each, if not, many of these artists, so I'm not sure what my "dream" compilation would consist of, yet... (other than maybe a combination of tracks from the THREE Sandpipers compilations that are already out)


Dave

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Does make you wonder why they stopped when the did. Disappointing sales, maybe? (Mr. Bill: I hope you have a Tijuana Brass Part II in there somewhere!)

 

[Rudy]

Does make you wonder why they stopped when the did.

No doubt based on projected sales...although a few of the titles that WERE released certainly were marginal sellers too! They would have made an excellent box set too, IMHO (at least the titles 1-20).

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Definitely right-on with Julius Wechter & The Baja Marimba Band, as well as Claudine...both would have been sensational.

As it is, the Claudine compilation would have been great, considering the fact that the only compilation available features a few predictable A&M Selections, with the rest being Barnaby material. IMHO, her Barnaby albums (in most cases) didn't come close to the quality of the A&M material.

Jon

 

[Mr Bill]

I suspect the original plan was for only 25 CDs for the 25 years. In fact, I believe the last couple of CDs in the series were not released until a few months later.

I also suspect in some cases these collections fulfilled contractual agreements for some artists who'd either moved on to other labels or simply retired... Nils Lofgren? Not exactly a hit mill at any time in his career (great guitarist, though) and A&M had already let Frampton go by this time as well. Lani Hall -- and I hate to say this -- probably got the nod because she was the boss's wife, not for being a chart sensation.

THere were plenty of other artists worthy of a Classics disc. Like I said I'm up to #54 and have gotten emails or PMs for another 6! I'll add 'em here as I go along!

--Mr Bill

 

[AM Matt]

I got Pablo Cruise (Classics: Volume 26) which is no longer made. What was Volume 27?? Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Of the entire set I have: (of course) Sergio Mendes, Lani Hall and Herb Alpert.

Jon

...with obvious news (as Harry would say), online...

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I have the two Alperts, Lani, and Sergio. I was going to buy the Styx one time but didn't for some reason...probably didn't like the tune-stack on it. I have Supertramp's two "best of" CDs plus CRIME OF THE CENTURY so no need for that one. I was going to get the Cat Stevens one, but I have both of his Hits comps, plus the key albums, so no great need there either.

I made my own BMB comp that has all the good stuff that would've been on a CLASSICS volume, plus all the other good stuff that they would have probably left out, like "Always Something There to Remind Me" and "Fresh Air." (That's the trouble with compilations....they always leave out that ONE great album track you always loved!)

 

[Harry]

I managed to get nine volumes in this series (10 discs with the two from Carpenters).

Mine are:
Vol 1 - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
Vol 2 - Carpenters (2 discs)
Vol 6 - Chuck Mangione
Vol 18 - Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66-'86
Vol 19 - Lani Hall
Vol 20 - Herb Alpert
Vol 22 - Wes Montgomery
Vol 23 - Burt Bacharach
Vol 24 - Cat Stevens

The Wes and Burt discs are more recent purchases through eBay or Gemm, where the others were all original purchases back when they first came out.

Two in this series that I really wanted to 'love' are ironically not all that good sonically. Vol 1, The TjB, has a muddy sound to it as does Sergio's Vol 18.

I also have two copies of that first one - the earlier one has that track programming error.

Harry
NL at his CLASSICS collection

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I don't know what I was thinking. I also have the Bacharach and the Carpenters. (Must be Monday, I guess...brain is still off on the weekend.)

 

[Brasil_Nut]

You know something Mike? You're not alone in the "out of it" department...I have the Carpenters too!!

Jon

...coming out of "it" whatever "it" may be...

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I always thought the Police should have had their own Classics CD as well.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[AM Matt]

It was L.T.D. (featuring Jeffrey Osborne) A&M Classics: Volume 27! Went to: www.alltheweb.com (All The Web) & wrote down A&M Classics: Volume 27. That was the last one in the series back in 1988! Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[AM Matt]

Maybe the next one is Spooky Tooth A&M Classics: Volume 37 or 38??? Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[Mr Bill]

Rather than posting new images throughout this thread as I go, I will simply be adding them to the first post in the thread so all "new" images can be seen "up front."

--Mr Bill

 

[LPJim]

Wow, that's some great artwork and concepts, Mr. B!

I'd speculate the Liza set tracks would be the same as FOURSIDER. Maybe the Claudine set would match the Japan import (and all-A&M) compilation that came out when her A&M albums were reissued.

Maybe the series should include:

Strawbs
Antonio Carlos Jobim
Pete Jolly
Herbie Mann/Soul Flutes
Hoyt Axton
Jimmie Rodgers
Canadian Sweethearts/ Lucille Starr
J&K (K & JJ)
Nat Adderley
Walter Wanderley
Marc Benno
Phil Spector Productions (inc. Ike & Tina, Checkmates & Ronettes)
Tamba 4
George Benson
Paul Desmond


JB

 

[Mr Bill]

Scroll to the top to see the latest.

One criterion for inclusion in my "made-up continuation" is that the artist have at least three A&M LPs. For that reason, sadly, J&K gets short-shrift. I may do a Lucille Starr, but I'd include Canadian Sweethearts as well (and why not -- A&M Canada did it with their Max20 of Ms Starr)...

--Mr Bill

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Head East! I remember seeing them in about 1976 opening a show for Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Heart was also on the bill -- it was when they were just starting out. What a great concert it was. All three acts were in fine form.

I remember John Schlitt (lead singer of HE) had a denim vest on with paisley-shaped mirrors that would reflect the spotlights everywhere. Cool stuff.

 

[TallPaulInKy]

I think some of the confusion in this series was in the naming. Imagine someone seeing a release titled, Sergio Mendes - Classics Vol 18 which is the way I have seen some listed. the record store would have had a hard time explaining to the customer that there was not 17 other volumes of Sergio Mendes.
I understood it, but I am sure many didn't, that may explain it's demise.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I suppose in large stores, these were probably set up in a display at least while they were new, similar to the way you see Universal's MILLENIUM series today. That'd help with the confusion.

 

[Harry]

You'd think that, and yet I can't recall ever seeing a display with only the CLASSICS series in it. Everytime I found one, it was in the racks with all of the others of that particular artists discs, not separated out like they do today with the Millennium series.

Harry

 

[Steven J. Gross]

I'd buy them all. That is wild, Bill!
WILD BILL!!!

 

[Captain Bacardi]

You'd think that, and yet I can't recall ever seeing a display with only the CLASSICS series in it.

I saw the display at a mall store, and it had something about celebrating the 25th anniversary of A&M. I remember thinking how cool it looked at the time, and wishing I had a CD player (I was still a year away from CDs).


Capt. Bacardi

 

[Rudy]

You'd think that, and yet I can't recall ever seeing a display with only the CLASSICS series in it. Everytime I found one, it was in the racks with all of the others of that particular artists discs, not separated out like they do today with the Millennium series.

Harry

Two local stores I went to used to stock the Classics in a separate rack, which I thought was a great idea. I just wish I'd had the money to buy them all when they first came out.