Defining the 60s at A&M

[Bobberman]

Back to the main topic of how the label defined the 60s. Here's a series of just three albums that could help a newbie appreciate what A&M Records was like in the 60s:

Various - Million Dollar Sound Sampler

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Million Dollar Sound Sampler by Various. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Various - Family Portrait - 16 Outstanding Selections From A&M Records

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Family Portrait - 16 Outstanding Selections From A&M Records by Various. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Various - Music Box

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1969 Vinyl release of "Music Box" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Those three samplers were originally sold at unlikely special locations, like sewing stores, banks, etc., in order to tie-in with commercial sponsors of the TV shows, as well as standard record stores. They were cheap, usually less than $2, and provided an invaluable sampling of the artists of the label and the times. And they were made in such quantities that they are still plentiful today.

And those samplers even still work today to promote artists that one is unfamiliar with. As late as the 2000s, it was FAMILY PORTRAIT that got me interested in Phil Ochs' albums. Same with Wes Montgomery and Tamba 4. I would never have expanded my collection to those artists without the inclusions on these samplers.

Today, it's a little different. One can usually go out to YouTube and find not only these recordings, but many others as well.

I call this A true A&M Trilogy of sorts "A Three of a Kind" and like you Harry these samplers also opened my ears to other Artists on A&M I will say as a 17 year old in 1984 living in a town with a Vintage Record shop that was only open for 2 years I bought a ton of vinyl during that period and I got many discounts because most if their A&M LPS had multiple copies so I was a lucky kid

 

[rockdoctor]

Back to the main topic of how the label defined the 60s. Here's a series of just three albums that could help a newbie appreciate what A&M Records was like in the 60s:

Various - Million Dollar Sound Sampler

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Million Dollar Sound Sampler by Various. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Various - Family Portrait - 16 Outstanding Selections From A&M Records

Explore songs, recommendations, and other album details for Family Portrait - 16 Outstanding Selections From A&M Records by Various. Compare different versions and buy them all on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Various - Music Box

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1969 Vinyl release of "Music Box" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Those three samplers were originally sold at unlikely special locations, like sewing stores, banks, etc., in order to tie-in with commercial sponsors of the TV shows, as well as standard record stores. They were cheap, usually less than $2, and provided an invaluable sampling of the artists of the label and the times. And they were made in such quantities that they are still plentiful today.

And those samplers even still work today to promote artists that one is unfamiliar with. As late as the 2000s, it was FAMILY PORTRAIT that got me interested in Phil Ochs' albums. Same with Wes Montgomery and Tamba 4. I would never have expanded my collection to those artists without the inclusions on these samplers.

Today, it's a little different. One can usually go out to YouTube and find not only these recordings, but many others as well.

The only one of these albums that I have ever seen was Music Box. The only other samplers I have seen are Something Festive and Burt Bacharach and Friends. The latter was in a thrift store but I did not buy it as it did not look too good. I did find the former at the same thrift store a couple months earlier and it was in much better condition. Now I will have to start watching for the other samplers!!! Thanks for posting this Harry!!!

 

[rockdoctor]

Family Portrait and Million Dollar Sampler are both listed on Amazon. Each has a listing for "New" but I wonder if they are actually sealed.
Both have used with prices starting at just under $3.00 plus $3.99 shipping.

 

[Harry]

As I said, they are very common and can be had for really cheap prices, even sealed. Check Discogs.com where you can filter the listings to "Mint", which should be sealed.

 

[JOv2]

...Although I had seen these promo-sampler LPs from time-to-time, it wasn't until the Corner that I learned of the lot of three. (I even think somewhere out here was another photo from the picnic session... Well, if you're going to get that many recording artists together for a shoot like that, you best snap off about 100 or so shots. The outtakes alone would be something else to view!)

Question: Were there any promo-samplers LPs that focused beyond SP 4150 -- on all the new artists Jerry was signing in '68-'69?

 

[Harry]

Were there any promo-samplers LPs that focused beyond SP 4150 -- on all the new artists Jerry was signing in '68-'69?

There were a few. There was one that was sponsored by Altec Lansing speakers:



Another featured some 70s acts:



And there seems to be a bunch that came out in the UK and Europe, some were big multi-LP boxes, like HERB ALPERT & FRIENDS, while in the US the company went the route of issuing "Foreplay" albums to radio stations.

 

[Rudy]

¡Something Festive! was a sampler of sorts also. And it's also readily available--I grabbed another cheap sealed copy that I added onto a larger Discogs order. (They're usually $6 or less, sealed.) Amazing that there are so many older records available that are still brand new. It's a thrill to not only open up records like the old days in their shrink wrap, but to also know that these records are 50 or more years old and haven't seen daylight since they left the pressing plant.

 

[Moritat]

When I think of "defining the label", I think... what ten excellent A&M lps would I present to someone to exhibit the 60s A&M sound and show the label's diversification? In no particular order I'll go with...

BAJA MARIMBA BAND - (first lp)
DOWN HERE ON THE GROUND - Wes Montgomery
SRO - Herb & TJB
FOOL ON THE HILL - Brasil 66
ROGER NICHOLS & SMALL CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
THE MORE I SEE YOU - Chris Montez
GLORY OF LOVE - Herbie Mann
WE & THE SEA - Tamba 4
CLAUDINE - C. Longet
PLEASURES OF THE HARBOR - Phil Ochs

 

[rockdoctor]

When I think of "defining the label", I think... what ten excellent A&M lps would I present to someone to exhibit the 60s A&M sound and show the label's diversification? In no particular order I'll go with...

BAJA MARIMBA BAND - (first lp)
DOWN HERE ON THE GROUND - Wes Montgomery
SRO - Herb & TJB
FOOL ON THE HILL - Brasil 66
ROGER NICHOLS & SMALL CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
THE MORE I SEE YOU - Chris Montez
GLORY OF LOVE - Herbie Mann
WE & THE SEA - Tamba 4
CLAUDINE - C. Longet
PLEASURES OF THE HARBOR - Phil Ochs

I was at a thrift store on Saturday. I saw a copy of Pleasures Of The Harbor. Unfortunately it was just the cover. The record was no where to be found.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

There was one that was sponsored by Altec Lansing speakers:

I had that one....but what was on it? I have no idea what happened to my copy.

 

[Mr Bill]

Foreplays were not for radio stations; they were designed and intended for in-store play. Most also came with a small catalog and order form for the record store to order product.

--Mr Bill

 

[Harry]

We got Foreplays at the radio station.

 

[lj]

Michael mentioned that RCA was treading water until 1969 and the debut of the Guess Who. Let's not forget the main person on that label whose record sales soared between 1969 and 1973--and that name is Elvis Presley. First came his "comeback" NBC TV special in 1968. And then in quick succession on RCA in 1969-70 he had million sellers with "In the Ghetto", "Suspicious Minds" and "The Wonder of You". Then in 1972 Elvis found gold with "Burning Love" and in 1973 he had his Satellite album from Hawaii. So RCA was doing quite well back then. In addition, RCA always had-- more than any other label-- a large group of country singers that always sold well.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

Michael mentioned that RCA was treading water until 1969 and the debut of the Guess Who. Let's not forget the main person on that label whose record sales soared between 1969 and 1973--and that name is Elvis Presley. First came his "comeback" NBC TV special in 1968. And then in quick succession on RCA in 1969-70 he had million sellers with "In the Ghetto", "Suspicious Minds" and "The Wonder of You". Then in 1972 Elvis found gold with "Burning Love" and in 1973 he had his Satellite album from Hawaii. So RCA was doing quite well back then. In addition, RCA always had-- more than any other label-- a large group of country singers that always sold well.

lj:

That's true---but we were talking about the new phenomenon in music that Monterey represented and that Jerry Moss tapped into to build A&M into a powerhouse. Elvis was not part of that.

While Elvis' revival also resulted in five top ten hit singles in four calendar years ("Kentucky Rain", incredibly, peaked at #16), only two of the comeback-era albums, ("Elvis", the soundtrack from the NBC special, and "Live Via Satellite From Hawaii") went top ten (prior to his death, after which two more LPs did).

You're absolutely right about RCA's status as a country label.

 

[JOv2]

Agreed with Michael. Until '69, aside from Airplane as Michael mentioned, the only "new music" RCA had was from Harry Nilsson, John Hartford, and to lesser degree, Jerry Reed. There's also that one-and-done LP by Autosalvage (that I've trying to find...but it's too $$$). Finally, in '69/'70 RCA started signing some good groups: Cat, Sky, Lighthouse, Forever More, Noah, et al. RCA-Nashville had substantial influence with overall label direction as a result of Chet's (Atkins) countrypolitian LPs that defined and directed the '65-'72 period. When Waylon broke from Chet's formula round about '71, others followed suite in Nashville.

Meanwhile, Columbia was three years ahead of the RCA on the new music front -- thanks principally to Goddard Lieberson and Mitch Miller passing "label leadership" over to Clive Davis in 1966.

 

[Michael Hagerty]

Agreed with Michael. Until '69, aside from Airplane as Michael mentioned, the only "new music" RCA had was from Harry Nilsson, John Hartford, and to lesser degree, Jerry Reed. There's also that one-and-done LP by Autosalvage (that I've trying to find...but it's too $$$). Finally, in '69/'70 RCA started signing some good groups: Cat, Sky, Lighthouse, Forever More, Noah, et al. RCA-Nashville had substantial influence with overall label direction as a result of Chet's (Atkins) countrypolitian LPs that defined and directed the '65-'72 period. When Waylon broke from Chet's formula round about '71, others followed suite in Nashville.

Meanwhile, Columbia was three years ahead of the RCA on the new music front -- thanks principally to Goddard Lieberson and Mitch Miller passing "label leadership" over to Clive Davis in 1966.

The more I think about it, if you're talking about truly big rock acts with lengthy careers, RCA pretty much just had David Bowie and Jefferson Airplane/Starship, though in the Jefferson Airplane phase they were wildly inconsistent compared to other high-profile acts of the era.

The Guess Who was really a singles band that sold some albums---a slightly heavier Three Dog Night that wrote their own songs. Jerry Reed was Country that crossed over to pop airplay on the strength of a couple of novelty records. John Hartford never really made it.

Nilsson (God bless Harry) started out slow, hit big and then, like Mike Nesmith before him, did pretty much everything he could to be un- (or maybe even anti-)commercial. They let Styx bolt from a label they distributed (Wooden Nickel) to A&M.

RCA really pretty much missed the whole 70s rock album money machine that Columbia, Warner/Elektra/Atlantic, A&M and others printed money with.

 

[Harry]

I had that one....but what was on it? I have no idea what happened to my copy.

-Rick Wakeman - Catherine Howard (6:36)
–Rita Coolidge - Journey Through The Past (3:27)
–Strawbs - Part Of The Union (2:55)
–Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - Sail Away (3:50)
–Sandy Denny - Listen, Listen (3:36)
–Joan Armatrading - It Could Have Been Better (4:19)
–Cheryl Dilcher - High (2:44)
–Lani Hall - Sundown (3:30)
–Paul Williams -That's Enough For Me (5:14)
–Quincy Jones - Summer In The City (4:05)

 

[Bernoullis]

-Rick Wakeman - Catherine Howard (6:36)
–Rita Coolidge - Journey Through The Past (3:27)
–Strawbs - Part Of The Union (2:55)
–Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - Sail Away (3:50)
–Sandy Denny - Listen, Listen (3:36)
–Joan Armatrading - It Could Have Been Better (4:19)
–Cheryl Dilcher - High (2:44)
–Lani Hall - Sundown (3:30)
–Paul Williams -That's Enough For Me (5:14)
–Quincy Jones - Summer In The City (4:05)

A few days ago, whilst exploring the web for some music-related information (regarding Bruce Springsteen and a connection to Manfred Mann ...) I ended up downloading a PDF of an archived edition of 'Record World' magazine, a publication "Dedicated to the needs of the Music/Record industry". The magazine edition is dated 10th March 1973 and, quite by accident, within the magazine I found the full page ad you see here.

I find it quite nostalgic to see an ad like this, as it is seems so evocative of another time ...... which, I suppose, it is. I post the image here merely for the interest of A&M and Strawbs fans.



If you are interested in more information about where I uncovered the remarkable online archive of 'Record World' and other music industry magazines, please see my posting elsewhere on these forums:

World Radio History website, with many archived music industry magazines ...

Hello all! Whilst looking for some music-related information on the web this last week I followed a link to a downloadable PDF of an archived edition of a music industry magazine, dated from the early 1970s. That might sound like an average internet experience but, as I'm sure many of you...

forum.amcorner.com

 

[Mark-T]

I'm rereading these posts and thinking, "WOW! What an amazing and diverse label A&M was!"

 

[Rudy]

I'm rereading these posts and thinking, "WOW! What an amazing and diverse label A&M was!"

It was interesting to watch a core group of artists release basically the same album every year vs. how the label grew once they got later into the 60s and diversified. Jerry Moss had the vision to see that the music that founded the label was going out of fashion, and that they needed to stay with current trends in order to stay in business.

It also helped, especially when groups like The Police and Joe Jackson came along, that A&M had the guts to go into uncharted territory and take a chance on bands that might otherwise not have had a chance to get a deal with a well-known label. That was the point where everyone got tired of "arena rock" and music moved on to new wave, punk, and "new rock." Groups like The Police, Squeeze, etc., and even a few poached from I.R.S. Records defined the trend vs. following trends as they did in the 60s. Even so, in the 60s, A&M could take on the outliers and often turn the records in to hits even if they were like other records on the airwaves.

It just goes along with A&M being an artist-friendly label. Having a musician with a sympathetic open ear as a co-owner was one of A&M's most unique strengths.

 

[Mark-T]

I don't thing I would have found Sting otherwise. Or Breathe or Brenda Russell, or many others. I'm thankful they branched out!

 

[Rudy]

I don't thing I would have found Sting otherwise. Or Breathe or Brenda Russell, or many others. I'm thankful they branched out!

The Police were a big part of our high school years, especially when MTV went on the air. Zenyatta and Ghost, especially. I was also listening to a little Supertramp then also, like Breakfast in America. And my buddy and I had a few Styx albums in the collection--Paradise Theater was another from that era.

I picked up on the I.R.S. Records label later in high school as I kind of followed the Police link to I.R.S. Greatest Hits Vol 2 & 3, and Urgh! A Music War. Oingo Boingo was one of those groups poached from I.R.S. by A&M.