Had A&M Continued its Foursider Series until the 80s ( A Fantasy for All to Partake just for fun)

Bobberman

Well-Known Member
Here is an idea I've been pondering over the years A&M's various compilation series weren't always extensive the Foursider 2 Lp sets were a pretty short group compared to the 1986 to 88 The 25th anniversary Classics CDs which was the Biggest Compilation series up to that point ( the length of those CD s equaled 2 Lps Easily) but let's imagine just for Fun Had the Foursider Been a regular series what artists other than TJB BMB the Sandpipers Liza minnelli and Sergio (who each had one) which of the many A&M artists from the beginning until the sale to Polygram do you think would have deserved a high quality Foursider release I'll start by suggesting Chris Montez. Claudine Longet. To cover the remainder of the 60s for the Seventies and eighties I would suggest Styx .Chuck Mangione ( his songs are pretty lengthy it would be almost easy to compile) I'll leave it at that for now and I officially open the thread to the rest of you Remember this is all for fun so let your creative imagination flow free here.
 
I had fun a few years ago making FOURSIDER CD-Rs for the two that didn't get a CD release. Transferring the music was easy mostly easy, it was the artwork that took a bunch of time.

Here's my Julius Wechter & The Baja Marimba Band FOURSIDER artwork:

FoursiderBajaMarimba.jpgFoursiderWechterRear.jpg
The challenge in the tracklist was whether or not to follow the exact musicality of the LPs, or to include a song listed but not present. Though the record label and LP jacket list the song "Brasilia", the record actually plays "Summer Samba". So my option was to include both.

The Sandpipers FOURSIDER was at least easier in that department, and all of the tracks had been digitally compiled before.

FoursiderSandpipersFront.JPGFoursiderSandpipersRearCD.png

In the seventies and beyond, A&M internationally came up with the GOLD SERIES and the NEW GOLD SERIES, first on LP and in the 80s on CD. Any of those for most artists could easily serve as a latter-day FOURSIDER.

Here's a Chris Montez GOLD SERIES.

1662300239132.png1662300336189.png
 
I had fun a few years ago making FOURSIDER CD-Rs for the two that didn't get a CD release. Transferring the music was easy mostly easy, it was the artwork that took a bunch of time.

Here's my Julius Wechter & The Baja Marimba Band FOURSIDER artwork:

FoursiderBajaMarimba.jpgFoursiderWechterRear.jpg
The challenge in the tracklist was whether or not to follow the exact musicality of the LPs, or to include a song listed but not present. Though the record label and LP jacket list the song "Brasilia", the record actually plays "Summer Samba". So my option was to include both.

The Sandpipers FOURSIDER was at least easier in that department, and all of the tracks had been digitally compiled before.

FoursiderSandpipersFront.JPGFoursiderSandpipersRearCD.png

In the seventies and beyond, A&M internationally came up with the GOLD SERIES and the NEW GOLD SERIES, first on LP and in the 80s on CD. Any of those for most artists could easily serve as a latter-day FOURSIDER.

Here's a Chris Montez GOLD SERIES.

1662300239132.png1662300336189.png
These are VERY cool, Harry! What program and template did you use?
 
Photoshop. I had to find appopriate fonts and figure spacing, track numbering that looked authentic. It took a lot of determination - and I learned a lot about the workings of Photoshop in the process.
 
Wow Excellent job Harry I thought the Gold series was just a CD series from Europe and Japan in the 80s I wasn't aware of it existing earlier
 
Carpenters have A&M Gold Series Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 on vinyl and CD in Japan. Plus A&M New Gold Series Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, vinyl and cd. Released in the Pony Canyon era of A&M there. The CDs have 14 cuts each on Gold and 18 cuts each on New Gold. The New Gold series is less hit oriented, and has a rare appearance of Goofus on Vol. 2
 
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I should have written that one set is called Time Capsule Vol. 1. & 2. on vinyl. The other is A&M Gold Series Vol. 1 & Vol. 2. vinyl.
 
Many of the Classics series (some of which were later reissued as Greatest Hits packages in the A&M Backlot series) would have made good Foursiders back in the day.
 
Here are a few other artists that could have had fantasy Foursiders going into the 80s Cat Stevens. The Police . Wes Montgomery. Shawn Phillips .Boyce and Hart. Supertramp..Even Lani Hall the possibilities are endless of course a portion the A&M classics Entry of Herb's solo hits Volume 20 with some tracks substituted with earlier tracks from JYAM Some of the Hugh Masekela material and maybe a few lesser known album tracks between Rise and Blow Your own Horn ( with some very careful editing) could easily create a Herb solo Foursider as the series began with the TJB Foursider I think the series would end with a Herb solo version Again just my thoughts but perhaps maybe someone might have a better idea.
 
Joe Cocker, L.T.D., Rita Coolidge, Joe Jackson, Gino Vannelli, Squeeze, etc., would also fit the theme.

Interesting that the album jackets say "Foursider" where some (or maybe all?) of the record labels are printed "Four Sider."

I remember my label looked something like this (a Terre Haute pressing perhaps--the copy is buried in storage at the moment):

1662559784795.png
 
I believe that was common for all of the FOURSIDER releases, even to the CD age. The front cover jacket title ran the two words together as FOURSIDER, while the labels all separated the words as FOUR SIDER.
 
I'm not sure how Ethel Merman (after only ONE LP) could even garner a "4-sider" LoL... But I've always considered Phil Ochs's Chords of Fame double LP to be THE official A&M Foursider. Especially sine it contained his magnificent Elektra albums that proceeded his A&M era recordings...

--Mr Bill
 
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