From Shout! Factory: no more at this time

[manifan]

A few days ago I dropped an email to Shout! Factory thanking them for the Herb re-releases and asked them if they are planning more. Yesterday I received a nice note back from them saying that no more releases are planned at this time. So it looks like what we have may be all we're going to get.

 

[john taulton jr]

to capt.,i know i have ask this you before about when herb alpert is going to release the rest of the tijuana brass albums on cd.and you had said,that more are going to be released.and know shout factory is saying that there are no more being released at this time.what does this mean.john

 

[seashorepiano]

It means

a) no more are being released at this time
b) more may be released in the future
c) be patient. Getting so many reissues we did this past year was incredible as it is.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

It also means:

a. Protect that vinyl, folks
b. The Japanese version of THE BRASS ARE COMIN' has gone back to being worth $250-plus on eBay
c. Now more than ever, Herb should have a box set

 

[Mr Bill]

It may also mean Herb is less than satified with Shout!Factory's handling of his product. So when the five-year license (or however long it was for) is up, Herb can shop his catalog again to a label that will promote it properly. Then maybe we'll get the the other six TJB LPs.

Shout!Factory claimed the solo stuff would follow so it could just simply mean "nothing else is scheduled at this time. Given Shout!Factory's short lead time on announcing new releases that could mean "nothing till June or July."

--Mr Bill

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Once again, the doom-sayers are talking without thinking. The key phrase of all of this is "at this time". For all we know they may start working on other albums in May or the next month. We don't know for sure, so stop being so impatient! It will happen when it will happen, and all the e-mails to Shout! isn't going to change things or speed things up. There has never been an exact timetable for the releases. I remind everyone that Randy Alpert said all of the albums would be reissued eventually, and I believe that will be the case until someone from Herb's camp says otherwise (and remember it is Herb's decision, not Shout's!).



Capt. Bacardi

 

[LPJim]

Add me to the list of those grateful for what's been made available so far. There's a lot of Herb/TJB "product" out there now, so a temporary lull is reasonable.
Perhaps the success of REWHIPPED will inspire Herb to play some concerts dates (KSO please!) and by late summer/early fall we'll see a resumption of the reissue program.
That's soon enough for me.
JB

 

[alpertfan]

This is just a thought, but maybe he wants to finish his promotional efforts for REWHIPPED, which is logical, because that's what an artist does, and then goes on to the next project.

I just have a question out of curiosity, though: Is Randy Badazz involved in the reissues? If so, why hasn't he received a credit? Or is he just one of the few with inside information?

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Randy is not involved.

 

[Mike]

I feel like a cocaine crack addict… I gotta have a fix! I need more TJB, it’s more powerful than PCP. Herb, don’t cut off the supply… I need more TJB, Now!

Regards,
Mike

 

[seashorepiano]

Can one overdose on Herb Alpert?

 

[Mike]

Can one overdose on Herb Alpert?

I'm trying to.

 

[Dave]

Yes, I was going to ask, is anything else by Herb Alpert going to be reissued? He has four more albums, right? What about his solo albums? I think the Baja Marimaba band should also go on CD... And Robin Wilson and Punch! And what about Gayle Caldwell...!

Make the reissues a "Two-Fer", a "Three-Fer', or a "Whatever-Fer", but Git 'Em Out!


Dave

 

[Mr Bill]

There are six remaining TJB LPs: the much discussed Volume 2, Warm, Brass Are Comin', Summertime, You Smile -- The Song Begins and Coney Island. Make it seven if you consider Bullish a TJB LP (even though it was a solo Alpert effort in the studio with the TJB merely doing the tour). There's also probably enough leftover tracks for a Lost Treasures 2.

Then there are the two LPs with Hugh Masekela. The live one's sessions should garner some bonus tracks. Then the dozen or so solo LPs beginning with Just You & Me.

--Mr Bill

 

[Mike]

It just might be time for some people to buy a turntable and the rest of the stuff for transferring vinyl to CD-R. My needle drop CDs sound pretty good to me. My Warm/Summertime two-fer makes for some great listening out on the patio.

 

[manifan]

Once again, the doom-sayers are talking without thinking. The key phrase of all of this is "at this time". For all we know they may start working on other albums in May or the next month. We don't know for sure, so stop being so impatient! It will happen when it will happen, and all the e-mails to Shout! isn't going to change things or speed things up. There has never been an exact timetable for the releases. I remind everyone that Randy Alpert said all of the albums would be reissued eventually, and I believe that will be the case until someone from Herb's camp says otherwise (and remember it is Herb's decision, not Shout's!).

Capt. Bacardi

I'm not a doomsayer -- I'm a realist. And from the tone of the email it sounded pretty final. If Shout had anything else in mind to release I'm sure they would have told me that there might be releases in the future.

 

[seashorepiano]

If Shout had anything else in mind to release I'm sure they would have told me that there might be releases in the future.

Shout! has no obligation to inform any of the interested public of any business developments, though many of us would certainly want it otherwise. Many surprises have come down the pipeline that any one of us would never have expected. "At this time" is very different from "never." As has been suggested, this may be a sign that Herb is considering shopping the remainder of his unreleased albums to another company. I'd like to see it handled by a bigger company, because the huge publicity would be automatically forthcoming.

 

[Steven J. Gross]

We could riot!!!

 

[RichardWarner]

Speculation runs rampant! Here's mine.

That's it. "At this time" means never. Herb released the core TJB catalog (except for "Rise," which I suspect will be re-released at some point.) The other TJB albums were not commercial successes in the way the core albums were, and on a personal level, I figure they represented a part of his life that he may not feel a need to revisit.

In interviews, Herb has always been very big on looking forward, which is a healthy thing for everybody to strive for. In fact, somebody sent me an older New York Times article about him entitled, "Tijuana Brass? Don't ask."

One of the articles that came out last month even had a quote that required reading between the lines: he had digitized "some" of his library.

It seems reasonable to make the remaining cuts available, at least for digital download, avoiding the merchandising costs. Clearly there is enough of a market to justify that effort. Look at the cr-p that's coming out on other collector's labels.

I could be wrong, of course. Happens all the time! But it sure would be nice to hear "The Sea is My Soil" without turntable rumble...

 

[lswilson99]

I am of the opinion that this is merely the end of the "Signature Series" of reissues (although surprised that we don't also have "Rise" under this heading). I never expected to see the entire catalog released under that name.

I will remain optimistic that the outstanding titles will come out in the near future and remain grateful for what we already have.

Len

 

[thetijuanataxi]

I'm with the Captain. I'll take Randy Alpert's word over any press or article I might read, especially since I've noticed flaws, generalizations and inaccuracies in many of those articles. Also, I guarantee that Herb is "digitizing" his entire catalog. I don't believe he would let any of it deteriorate beyond usefulness. 2005 saw the release of what Herb refers to as "the evergreens". This project isn't the only thing he's got going on in his life. It takes time and effort to go through all of those masters and make sure they are remastered to the best standards possible. Be patient and let Herb take a breath. I'm sure that he will finish the job and I believe that there will be another "lost treasures" type of album. Also, where does anyone get the impression that Herb isn't satisfied with Shout Factory? I'm sure that Herb was smart enough to realize the limited promotional abilities of a small company like Shout before he partnered with them. I believe he chose such a label so that he wouldn't have to go through the BS he went through with Univer$al, where his CD's would go out of print the minute the sales dipped a bit.

David,
patience and faith in Herb.................

 

[PartyRico]

I too am very grateful for the Shout Factory re-issues. They are of impeccable quality, and Herb has kept his word, even though he "owes us nothing"!
I've waited this long for those great recent re-issues, a little more patience won't kill anyone! I am greatly enjoying the great vibes, and music Herb has created as his legacy on this Earth. I also want to thank all the people responsible for creating the A&M Corner which to us "hard-core" fans is a Godsend. Long Live Herb Alpert, his A&M Legacy, and the A&M Corner. Warm regards to all A&Mers World Wide, and at the speed of light...

 

[Stephen Vakil]

As I said under the Montreux thread, we've all been exceptionally fortunate to have the reissues, Rewhipped, the Montreux DVD all in the space of a few months. It wasn't that long ago that you would go years without hearing anything from HA. I've been listening to HA for over thirty years and (apart from the times I met him and saw him paly) this is the golden age.

Yes of course I'm after more reissues but I am also profoundly grateful for what we have got..............

Stephen

 

[NYCDguy]

I don't know the sales numbers, but I know that at my CD store (which recently became an online CD store, sadly), all the TJB reissues sold quite briskly, and to a large demographic range of customers. So I'd guess that the sales of the "evergreens" weren't the issue in the decision not to release the lesser-known albums. I'm assuming there never were plans to release any of the post-"Beat Of The Brass" albums simply because they're not as much in demand by people other than hardcore fans. Of course, the reissue project turned me into a hardcore fan, and now I want everything!

I vaguely remember, when the reissue project was first announced, that a box set was also in the works. Was I dreaming? I think a box would be a great place to put some of Herb's favorite tracks from some of his less favorite albums, not to mention the oft-discussed different mixes of tracks from the albums and other things that would appeal to newcomers and collectors alike.

Tony

 

[Mike Blakesley]

A box set has been in discussion but we don't know if anything is finalized or planned. Nothing has been announced, at least.

The trouble with a box set including "Herb's favorite tracks from his less favorite albums" is, they would inevitably leave out tracks that are favorites of the fans. Herb might not like some of the WARM tunes, but there's not one I don't like!

The best thing would be for all the full albums to come out, and THEN a box set. If I was Herb, I'd probably not be as anxious to revisit that "less successful" part of my past...so I'd probably just tell the company to go ahead and put them out, but maybe this time I wouldn't write a foreword in them. And then I'd hope for better sales than I expected!