One&Done @ A&M: George McCurn / Country Boy Goes to Town!!!!! SP/LP 102

JOv2

Well-Known Member
Following up on Rudy’s comment and some offerings from Mr. Bill, let’s review those artists who released only one album at A&M. Any comments, questions, conjectures and stories are welcomed.

(We’ll head out in album ID order and take this as far as the interest holds out. There are quite a few…as determined by the Both Sides Now and Discogs websites.)

mc.jpg


mc2.jpg
 
I've heard that this album is somewhat hard to find, but back in the days when I first heard of it here on A&M Corner, I found it in a used record store with very little difficulty. It was a nice stereo copy as well, and it made a nice needledrop once I finally got a CD Recorder. Here are the inserts I made for my CD version.


McCurnFront2.JPGMcCurnRearPhotoCropped.jpg
McCurnRearCD.jpg

To date, I've only run into one track from this album that was digitized for CD; it's on the A&M PRIME CUTS VOLUME 1 CD from Japan ("I'm Just A Country Boy" in mono), and harder than heck to find.

George McCurn also had a number of A&M non-album singles, almost enough for another album. I suppose they were either leftovers from this project, or work for a future album that never was. The one's I have copies of - but not original 45s - are:

In My Little Corner Of The World (A&M 705)
Please Send Me Someone To Love (A&M 715)
When The Wind Blows In Chicago (A&M 726)
Clap Your Hand (A&M 741)
Well (A&M 741)
While The Bloom Is On The Rose (A&M 748)
Your Friend (A&M 748)
As Tears Go By (A&M 759)
 
Thanks, Harry, for the 45 info.

This LP was a childhood mystery. Being a "numbers person", as a kid I was always puzzled by the rear cover of Herb's SOTB: The rear cover advert showed all the A&M LPs available through to SP/LP 108 (SOTB) -- but SP/LP 102 was missing. For years I wondered why was there no number 102? Finally, in 5th grade, I talked my uncle into "borrowing" his A&M LPs, which included the BMB's debut (SP/LP 104)...and there on the rear cover was the advert with SP/LP 102.

As for the LP, this is probably the most honest A&M LP ever produced from a salt-of-the-earth perspective: it's clear Herb and Jerry loved McCurn's singing. Jerry wrote the liner notes, Herb co-arranged (with the always interesting Shorty Rogers) and A&M issued no less than six 45s -- indicating they just didn't want to give up on their first major signing. Unfortunately, this was the first A&M LP to go OOP -- and fairly early on by all accounts given it was issued in 1962 and it is neither present on SOTB (1964) nor on the first A&M advert sleeve.

No one can doubt McCurn's ability: the LP as a collection of songs is far and away more cohesive with its definitive, strong lead -- relative to Herb's TLB. (A&M would have another strong vocalist in Waylon Jennings soon enough; yet, that partnership failed to produce an LP at that time.) In my opinion, one reason the LP may have not been more popular might regard the musical style -- which seems to embrace the 1950s more so than where the likes of Jack Jones, Nancy Wilson, Sammy Davis and Tony were taking things at that time. Additionally, the LP title, in my choice, was quite poor -- even in 1962.

It's unfortunate this was never reissued with all the non-LP singles. It was a solid LP from a strong singer that just didn't sell in the quantities expected.

Question: Any guess as to the significance of target symbol adjacent to the A&M logo on the rear cover? Was this briefly part of the A&M "badge" but soon enough deleted?
 
I would guess that the "target" is really a record, probably a 45 being pulled from the A&M "jacket" or "sleeve".
Yes, their early logo(s) were evolving and it was a 45. Early company letterhead also used it and the hole was actually punched through the paper.
 
POINT to DAN!

Well, of course that's what it is 🥴. That would've made a nice graphic for the generic 45 sleeves...
 
It's unfortunate this was never reissued with all the non-LP singles. It was a solid LP from a strong singer that just didn't sell in the quantities expected.
It's a good album but unfortunately there wasn't much here that would have appealed to the Top 40, unlike the "Lonely Bull" single that launched the label. I think the only place he really had name recognition was in gospel, based on his work with Sam Cooke and Lou Rawls in the Pilgrim Travelers, and that would more easily cross over to R&B than it would to pop.

Even with those common threads, I'm surprised it hasn't resurfaced in some form or other. That LP with the singles would have made an ideal CD reissue. But with the Universal spit-roasting of their masters, who's to say these tapes even exist anymore?
 
I keep seeing this forum in the sidebar and I keep reading it as "Country Boy George Goes to Town."
 
The unthinkable has just happened:

I heard George McCurn on the radio! And it wasn't "I'm Just A Country Boy", either. No, it was "Snap Your Fingers".



The radio station is WLBE in Leesburg, Florida. They seem to be a "new kid on the block" on the 790 AM frequency. I stumbled onto them about a month or so ago, and every now and then, I'll put them on the car radio and marvel at some of the stuff they're playing. It could be anything from the 50's up through probably the 80s, with maybe a touch of 90s thrown in. And it's pop, rock, soul, r&b, instrumentals, you name it - and I know "most" of this stuff. Sometimes I know the song but can't identify the artist. And sometimes it's the other way around.

As an AM station, I don't expect them to do any kind of huge numbers, and they're not seemingly playing any commercials either, so I don't know how long it will last. There are no DJs, only a recorded lady who identifies the station and gives out the phone number for feedback.
 
At least with call letters, you know it's a legit station, and not pirated. 😁
 
It's legit, but with the wildest, all over the place, format I've ever heard. I can't find a stream online, and our daily thunderstorms play havoc with the AM signal. Still, I'm compelled, when in the car to tune in and see what the heck they've dug up. Never expected Mr. McCurn.
 
Well, somewhere out there in Idaho, I'm sure that our Bobberman may have played a McCurn track or two, but it's a rare occurrence in these parts.
 
Well, somewhere out there in Idaho, I'm sure that our Bobberman may have played a McCurn track or two, but it's a rare occurrence in these parts.
Yes Harry I have played several a McCurn Track over the years And Many other A&M artists of the Classic Era Even Lucille Starr BMB etc. Etc Some of my listeners were pretty intrigued about my knowledge and experience Consider this A Confirmation
 
Yeah, that link refers to the station as a country format, and as far as listening goes, all I get are spinning circles.
 
Same here. I guess you need to be there with an antenna... The logo also says "America's Country" but the playlists describe it exactly as you did above. I guess I know where I'll park my dial on my next DW visit!

--Mr Bill
 
Here is "I'm just a Country Boy". McCurn sounds a bit like Brook Benton. This is a nice and pleasant easy listening/country song. I remember hearing it back in 1963. Interestingly the 45 label shows Herb Alpert as the arranger and conductor.

 
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