Million Dollar Sound Sampler

[jabirenbaum]

Hello Everyone. I was just on eBay and saw a couple of listings for this album. Does anyone out there own it and if so, is it worth bidding on. I am quite curious and intrigued. From the description, it sounds as if it were released around 1966. The catalog number is out of the ordinary--10000 series?

 

[Rudy]

The 19000-series is rather short, but is comprised of mostly samplers...some were "promo" samplers (like the SOMETHING FESTIVE holiday LP, sold in conjunction with B.F. Goodrich), while a couple others if I recall were promotional only. (May be mistaken--I don't keep a list of this series, but I know Mr Bill and LP Jim would.)

It's a fairly common item, a good cross-section of A&M artists. Look also for FAMILY PORTRAIT and MUSIC BOX--they're both similarly-packaged samplers. (And SOMETHING FESTIVE is the same, but is holiday-themed.) There's also a BURT BACHARACH & FRIENDS sampler in the same series, which features all A&M artists doing Bacharach songs, released in conjunction with a Bacharach TV special.

Just watch the eBay listings--they may say these albums are rare, but they seem to be rather common. The Bacharach seems to be a little more scarce, but the others seem to come up regularly. In fact, I own either four or five copies of SOMETHING FESTIVE, just to get enough clean tracks to put on a CD.

Good listening, though--a great way to hear the early A&M sound!

-= N =-

 

[LPJim]

I have fond memories of MILLION DOLLAR SAMPLER, which I own both mono and stereo copies. It was sold in Singer sewing stores in 1967 when they sponsored the Herb/TJB TV special. In fact, several stores had window displays featuring SAMPLER along with many early A&M Lps.
One of the kids in my neighborhood was the son of the local Singer store manager, so we hung out there once in a while. It was there that I purchased the first We Five album, Lucille Starr FRENCH SONG and the Canadian Sweethearts Lps.
Yes, most of the samplers are not particularly rare, except the Herb/TJB sampler (19004). Mr. Bill posted cover scans of the entire 19000 series recently and suggested this as a future AOTW thread. That would be interesting.
Interestingly, the Bill Wyman solo album was assigned # 19005, but I've never seen this. My own copy is a UK A&M import.
SAMPLER was a great cross section of the early A&M album artists, of which there were relatively few, considering how many other artists were doing singles on the label at the time.
JB

 

[Mr Bill]

Here are the 9 LPs that comprise the SP/LP 19000 series:

This was the first. Featured one cut from just about every A&M artist up to around SP4121, except McCurn (102) and Lewis (105). A great sampling of what A&M was in its first few years.

Probably my favorite of the series because it exceeded the standard "six songs per side" rule. Also gave me my first exposure to sounds beyond the pop/MOR fold A&M was so identified with. Led me to become an Ochs fan (musically, not politically) and Emitt Rhodes/Merry-Go-Round fan. Also exposed me to the wonders of jazz since it carried tracks from the first four A&M/CTi releases.

A great Christmas LP. Has one BMB non-LP track and the "Jingle Bell Rock" cut by TJB is different than the one on the TJB Christmas LP. Seems to be very common in some parts of the country. Persoanlly I've only seen it a couple times here in California.

Issued by A&M to give radio statons a single disc of TJB hits (instead of forcing interns to run around pulling 45s for the DJ to spin). Mono and Stereo versions are different. This one took me 25 years to find...

Long gapped in the list, it reportedly was finally used for a US promo version of a Bill Wyman LP from A&M UK in the 80s...

This one is VERY common out here in California. I believe every used record store has at least 10 of these in stock... Great sleeve. Issued in conjunction with Bank Of America (as SP 19003 was issued in conjunction with BFGoodrich).

I found this one by accident back in the late 70s. A good album with a cross section of Bacharach tunes as performeed by various pop/MOR/jazz A&M artists (and Bacharach himself).

Weirdest for the bunch. Technically not an A&M album, it's from "Omen Records" (mfg & dist by A&M). A spoken/sung record it is sort of a cross between a Rod McKuen record and an EST seminar...

Used in high end audio stores and given out either for listening to or purchasing ALTEC speakers. Good cross of early 70s A&M acts, many one shots...

--Mr Bill

 

[Dave]

Here are the 9 LPs that comprise the SP/LP 19000 series:

A pretty good, basic collection. Those unused grooves should'a been used for a track each from Lewis & McCurn. Found this STILL SEALED!

The "Desert Island" of the 19000-Series. Introduced me to The Merry-Go-Round, Ochs and Rodgers. Good if you only like "Wandrelove" from the first Claudine Longet album. And luckily "The Debutante's Ball" is all I like from Liza Minelli, too. Bought my first copy for 99c, which held me 'til a bettre one, though at $5, came along.

A Christmas LP I can listen to 'Year Round! And there are PLENTY of 'em here!

Don't have. Might have seen, however.

Also don't have. At least got to listen to a little of.

This I don't often see. Found my copy in the HERB ALPERT Section at the record store I bought it at. And has QUITE a lot of unused grooves in it. Rather Short, but with FOUR cuts from The TJB, Very Sweet!

I saw this in the JAZZ ROOM at one Record Store I shopped at, before it closed down. Usually filed with BACHARACH or Various Artists, which in the latter, was where I found mine. Could'a used the Bacharach medley from The Carpenters CARPENTERS album, instead of just "I'll Never Fall In Love Again". Maybe there should have been a VOL. II, too.

Ahhh, another I ain't got!! I have some "Contemporary Christian" albums, so this looks like one I might enjoy.

A little incomplete, but I guess by now (A&M's Catalogue-wise) it's purpose is to make you want to go out and buy the Joan Armatrading, Sandy Denny, Rick Wakeman, Rita Coolidge, Quincy Jones, Paul Williams, Strawbs, Lani Hall, Cheryl Dilcher and Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee LP's that are sampled on it, among others. Which I did, for the most part.


Dave

...enjoying a weekend with the 19000-Series, online...Thanks, Mr. Bill for the Covers...

 

[jimac51]

Hey,I'm doing pretty good with 7 out of 9- no Wyman(do not need) and,hopefully,I'll never run up to that pseudo-est record(now,that is redundancy again). "Something Festive" is so common around here that when someone once asked for a copy on the old board,I sent her one gratis rather than seeing her spend any more than two bucks anywhere. I still have four copies here(and the later re-configured Christmas sampler,too)and could probably pick up about six copies just a few blocks from here at a second hand vinyl thief...er,store who prices everything "mint" no matter what the condition. My TJBDJ is in stereo,but its discussion here a while back made me feel that I had found a home on the net. Mac

 

[Harry]

I've got the same 7 of 9 (now it's sounding like Star Trek: Voyager).

I suppose someone here should at least give a track listing for the Million Dollar Sound Sampler, since that's what the original question was about. So here goes:

MILLION DOLLAR SOUND SAMPLER
A&M SP 19001

Track Listing:

Side One:
Tijuana Taxi - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
Fly Me To The Moon - Chris Montez
Strangers In The Night - Sandpipers
Dominique - Lucille Starr
Daytripper - Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66

Side Two:
Comin' In The Back Door - Baja Marimba Band
Somewhere Beyond The Sea - We Five
Meditation - Claudine Longet
We're Gonna Stand Up On The Mountain - Canadian Sweethearts
Our Day Will Come - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

I'd never heard of this album until signing on to this site, and have never seen one in the used record racks. The Christmas one, as Mac mentioned is more common around here. I guess we had more BF Goodrich dealers!

Harry
...who didn't quite have to spend a million dollars for this sound sampler, online...

 

[Rudy]

...who didn't quite have to spend a million dollars for this sound sampler, online...

That explains why nobody ever bought it.

I have a few of these samplers but, other than the Bacharach and !Something Festive!, hardly play them.

-= N =-