S.R.O. album jacket differences

[abstract_fan]

I found this on discogs.com. Fantastic site for album covers. First time I've seen this cover.

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass - S.R.O.

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1967 Vinyl release of "S.R.O." on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

 

[Harry]

My favorite for SRO was what they did in Germany:

 

[abstract_fan]

But isn't the alternate London cover a bit jarring?

 

[JOv2]

My favorite for SRO was what they did in Germany:

...after all, it is standing room only. (Looks like Pat will be in good company.)

 

[Murray]

My favorite for SRO was what they did in Germany:

What stood out to me, at first glance, was the large HÖR ZU (German for "listen"). I'm not sure if that was a request, or an order! I can imagine all the obedient Germans responding with an enthusiastic Ja Wohl!, clicking their heels, and then running to put the disc on der Schallplattenspieler.

On second glance...

 

[DAN BOLTON]

...after all, it is standing room only. (Looks like Pat will be in good company.)

John and Bob seem to be enjoying the view, too...

 

[abstract_fan]

OK. So, everyone sees Herb, among others, is posing differently. (tap on the album cover). Has anyone ever seen that version of the cover before?

 

[Harry]

It looks like a different shot from the same photo shoot. Interesting that London in the NL issued that different shot as the cover.

The German version is obviously an airbrush job in those pre photoshop days. The lighting/color tonalities don't match.

 

[Nemily]

OK. So, everyone sees Herb, among others, is posing differently. (tap on the album cover). Has anyone ever seen that version of the cover before?

This the first I've seen of it.

To Harry’s point it is the same photo shoot, different shot. Aside from John Pisano looking to his right instead of his left and Herb positioned differently, oddly enough, unless the cover is worn John Pisano’s right leg is also missing!

The presence of BIEM on the label suggests that Holland is the secondary market for Rondor Music (London) Inc (Rondor was A&M’s International Publishing Company). This is not indicative of being part of the London American Recordings label as that was more of a UK/Ireland thing. It is more of a sub-label or a series. It is however a licensed American recording.

 

[Harry]

OK, to make the comparisons easier, here they are on the same screen with a closer color match:

 

[abstract_fan]

Thank you for the better thread title. I bought the first version of S.R.O. in 1966. This is the first time I saw the London cover. Shout out to discogs! BTW I can't say I like it better, it's like having the Mona Lisa looking the other way.

PS on the back cover is a different Whipped Cream cover.

 

[abstract_fan]

Discogs lists 81 versions of the release, but only this seems to have the alternate photograph. A copy can be yours for as little as $1.74.

 

[Bobberman]

Interesting Covers I never saw the London version before but I remember the Hor Zu version many times thanks to this forum

 

[TjbBmb]

Has anyone here in the US come across these in the wild?

 

[Harry]

Not the London version, but I sought out the Hör Zu edition when I saw it on eBay. It's got a nice, clean version of "Our Day Will Come", that's better than any US stereo edition I've come across. All of the CDs and LPs I have all have that "damaged-tape" syndrome that affects the first minute or so of the song. But the German mastering is clean all the way through.

 

[abstract_fan]

Discogs is a great resource. For example, Going Places has 164 covers/versions, some with different color graphics, others using the "Ameriachi" title for Going Places.

 

[Rudy]

Discogs is a great resource. For example, Going Places has 164 covers/versions, some with different color graphics, others using the "Ameriachi" title for Going Places.

I haev one of those Ameriachi releases on the London label. The vinyl is in sad shape though.

 

[Rudy]

...after all, it is standing room only. (Looks like Pat will be in good company.)

Bigger question--who hired the pole dancer??

 

[JOv2]

It's got a nice, clean version of "Our Day Will Come", that's better than any US stereo edition I've come across.

To my ears, SRO (both the original LP I have and the Shout! CD) exhibits sonic issues throughout relative to any of the other TJB contemporary issues. Given TJB's popularity was favourable out-of-control in late '66, conjecture tell me that A&M may have rushed SRO resulting in some missteps in the overall post-recording chain-of-custody. This is further exasperated given A&M clearly planned this as a powerhouse Christmas release and surely needed to get this one in the shops no later than the last week of NOV to meet the impending Christmas market demands -- from which A&M was forecasting an immense financial return as the LP had advance orders of 1,700,000 units by NOV66.

 

[Bobberman]

To my ears, SRO (both the original LP I have and the Shout! CD) exhibits sonic issues throughout relative to any of the other TJB contemporary issues. Given TJB's popularity was favourable out-of-control in late '66, conjecture tell me that A&M may have rushed SRO resulting in some missteps in the overall post-recording chain-of-custody. This is further exasperated given A&M clearly planned this as a powerhouse Christmas release and surely needed to get this one in the shops no later than the last week of NOV to meet the impending Christmas market demands -- from which A&M was forecasting an immense financial return as the LP had advance orders of 1,700,000 units by NOV66.

I figure this explains why I saw so many used copies of SRO in many places over the years and was relatively easily obtainable during the years it was out of print.

 

[JOv2]

Oh, man -- A&M was savvy with getting Christmas sales out of the TjB. HA's Ninth hit it the following year ('67) and when the TjB started to dry up in '68, the "all-purpose" Christmas LP was readied to fill the gap.

(For comparison, WNML, released MAY66, had 1,300,000 advance orders, yet was a beautifully recorded LP: same studio and same engineer.)

 

[Rudy]

To my ears, SRO (both the original LP I have and the Shout! CD) exhibits sonic issues throughout relative to any of the other TJB contemporary issues.

I've wondered if it was an issue with the tape itself.

 

[JOv2]

To my ears, SRO exhibits a thin and patchy sound -- as if the master reel contained songs of varying quality. The mastering process itself was apparently unable to equate the 11 songs into a similar sound and feel (which is why WNML, SOTB and Ninth sound quite good). SRO also sounds more compressed relative to WNML, GP and SOTB; and there is arguably more ambient noise as well. SRO and SL -- both of which were cut and released at the overall TJB commercial peak -- exhibit the most variable sound quality from the SOTB--TBAC period. Ninth and BOTB both sound much better and more consistent with WNML. Again, it's the same studio (Gold Star) and Engineer (Larry Levine); so, I don't fault the recording process (from a cursory viewpoint anyway...). I think any compromises that occurred did so after the sessions were recorded... I would like to see the chain-of-custody that takes us from session edits, to master reel assembly, to mastering, and then to prep for LP manufacturing. It would be interesting to compare/contrast what occurred with WNML and SRO. HA is very much a studio guy: it seems odd that he would be satisfied with SRO's sound particularly so after the fine achievements on GP and WNML. It all has the aroma of added pressure, issues, deadlines, mistakes, 1.7 millon pre-orders, additional studio time, etc.

 

[Rudy]

One thing that always bothered me about Sounds Like is that the bass is very weak. Same with BMB's Watch Out!.

 

[TjbBmb]

Anyone notice Pat’s wrong bass note at the fade out of Blue Sunday?