🥂 50th Favorite Liner Notes On An Album

[Captain Bacardi]

I loved it when an album had liner notes. Being an LP geek I would read any- and everything that was printed on an album cover. Some were informative while others were more humorous. So let's hear about which A&M (and various custom labels) album had your favorite liner notes!

One of my favorites that sticks out immediately is the Herb Alpert/TJB's Greatest Hits LP (SP-4245). I say this because it was the first time I saw the word "ecdysiast" (in the "Love Potion #9" notes). Being 12 years old at the time, I remember asking myself "what's an ecdysiast, and why would I want to watch one?" After looking it up in the dictionary I clearly understood.

You just don't hear people using that word at all.....



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Dave]

So far, it's:

1. Derek Taylor's commentary on The Sandpipers Guanatanmera... --The first set of liner notes on ANY album that I've ever thoroughly read (& belongs in the 'humorous' category!)...

2. The "Two Commentaries" in Antonio Carlos Jobim's Wave... --By Norman Gimbel and George Frazier IV

3. The annotations by Ira Gitler on Wes Montgomery's Road Song, his final LP... --Ending with: "This is the last, be glad we have it!"...

4. Ira Gitler citing JJ & K's remake of "Never My Love" on their Israel album was "a Don & Dick Addrisi song, most commonly associated with the group, The Association"...

5. The Alessi Brothers' debut album... -- And at a time when album liner notes were long currently out of vogue & no longer used...!

6. The Captain & Tennille's Greatest Hits, by C&T, themselves... --Though hugely bordering on "cheesy"...!

7. Carpenters Passage album... -- By Tom Nolan (nice of him to go into thorough detail of 'what this is about', as at this point, once you heard it, you really needed to know!) and Digby Diehl, on Karen & Richard's version of 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' (& 'On The Balcony Of The Casa Rosada')...

8. Carpenters The Singles: 1969-1973... -- by Digby Diehl (weird name, I should say!)

9. Carpenters Offering/Ticket To Ride... -- by Herb Alpert & from what I understand, despite the titles & front cover being different for the Carpenters' debut, the back & liner notes by Alpert are all the same!

10. Lani Hall Sundown Lady... -- Herb again! --About his beautiful new wife!

11. Wes Montgomery Greatest Hits... -- By Leonard Feather... A thorough job about this great jazz guitarist & the first Montgomery record that I ever bought! Must be what got A&M to agree to put out a G/H set on him, along w/ the Herb Alpert & TjB, Baja Marimba Band, Sandpipers and Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 sets that ere offered at that time... Ending with another profound statement: "We may never see the likes of him again!"...

12. Chris Montez The More I See You / Call Me... -- Derek Taylor on Herb & Jerry's discovery of this "prodigy" on their "family" record label, written to his Aunt Myrtle!

13. Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 Equinox... -- On their debut, Herb Alpert Presents..., both Alpert & Derek Taylor both write about yet another Herb discovery on his label, that while good, run a bit to the point of predictability... On the second offering, done by Charles Champlin, of the Los Angeles Times, the annotations are a bit more relaxed & fresh...

14. Jimmie Rodgers Child Of Clay... -- By Derek Taylor... And on citing Rodgers' popularity of doing shows in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City "more than you can say of gamblers and Mormons" and while meaning no offense to either group, begging them not to sue...! And hard to believe the next two records Jimmie made on A&M, had no liner notes!

15. Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends... -- By Johnny Magnus

16. Burt Bacharach Reach Out... -- By Derek Taylor... Impressive write-up, capitalizing on Burt's enormous (even at this time) musical résumé, while offering a good insight on the 'Promises, Promises' of a good tenure at A&M...

17. Walter Wanderley Set When It Was Done... --By Mort Goode... Citing how both music & coffee are Brazil's leading exports & wondering if that is also what's meant by "a two-crop economy"...

18. Herbie Mann Glory Of Love... --by Al Bennett... Over-emphasizing & over-using the word, "outreach", but tremendously funny every time...!

19. George Benson The Shape Of Things To Come... --By Ira Gitler... Fortunately able to write this new talent on A&M w/o being too much of a "new Wes Montgomery", while at least doing a fairly appropriate comparison, of each guitar player...

20. Nat Adderley Calling Out Loud... --The Arranger's Point Of View (by Jon Borgzinner) and The Composer's Point Of View (by Bill Fischer)...



-- Dave