🥂 50th Tell Us About Your First A&M Records!

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My first a&m recordings were mainly birthday and christmas gifts until i started saving my allowance money my parents had two tjb albums whipped cream and what now my love my first purchase was bmb greatest hits lp a&m sp4248 with money i recieved from my late grandmother for my 12th birthday in1979 later i recieved herb alpert's rise and i went on from there between vinyl and later cds i have all things alpert. Bmb and most of mendes. In all incarnations and some of lani hall (they need to be reissued on cd so ican have her collection complete just like i have all of her hubby's) thank you for allowing me to share some of my a&m memories. Good day everybody.
 
I thought I had posted early in this thread talking about my first A&M purchases but somehow that didn't make it to the board. I guess I didn't click the button or something.

Anyway my very first A&M item was the Going Places album by the TJB, which I bought for my mom for Mother's Day. The first one I bought just for me was What Now My Love.

I first heard Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 on the "Look Around" track from the Music Box album, but the first full album of theirs I heard was Stillness, as noted above.

Your earlier post IS there in #11: http://www.amcorner.com/forum/threads/tell-us-about-your-first-a-m-records.12351/#post-110298

Harry
 
It looks like a post-1970 album - and very possibly the 1972 release Solid Brass (SP-4341).
I was going to mention it looked like one of the later tan label albums, and Solid Brass would definitely be a possibility. I have it buried in the basement somewhere, otherwise I'd check it. That does look familiar though.
I am going to agree with W.B. that it's Solid Brass due to the look of the words on the label (the title is at the top, and the two words are about the same length) and the record appears to have seven "bands" (songs) which Solid Brass had.

Right you all are! It's Side Two of SOLID BRASS. It's funny, when I was searching before, I thought about SOLID BRASS, and when I went to look at it, I pulled out a white label promo and dismissed it, not looking at the other version, my original record.

So that picture has to be from '72 or later - a decade into A&M's existence.

Harry
 
Pornography? But I don't even OWN a pornograph!

I assume you mean the record, Rudy...and yes.

:D

Whipped Cream is one of those records that everyone's dad had. Never fails--if someone sees my copy of it, they almost always say "Oh yeah, my dad had that one!" If that doesn't make an album iconic, I don't know what does! The cover as a gutsy move at the time, but was also quite a clever marketing move that left an indelible (did I say "edible"?) image in one's mind. :) Even if they didn't remember the music or the TJB, that cover certainly made its mark.
 
:D

Whipped Cream is one of those records that everyone's dad had. Never fails--if someone sees my copy of it, they almost always say "Oh yeah, my dad had that one!" If that doesn't make an album iconic, I don't know what does! The cover as a gutsy move at the time, but was also quite a clever marketing move that left an indelible (did I say "edible"?) image in one's mind. :) Even if they didn't remember the music or the TJB, that cover certainly made its mark.


My dad died of a heart attack just weeks before Whipped Cream's release. He might have had a heart attack had he lived to see it...
 
My dad died of a heart attack just weeks before Whipped Cream's release. He might have had a heart attack had he lived to see it...

Compared to what is on the covers of some albums today, that was relatively tame! :wink: Even Fool On The Hill took a bit of a bare risk.

There were actually quite a few album covers in the 60s that flashed a bit. There was a site out there somewhere that showed a lot of those covers, but I haven't seen it in over a year.
 
My first A&M album was Herb Alpert & the TJB's "South of the Border"! I was probably 6 or 7 at the time & requested that album for my birthday. We had a family stereo at that time which consisted of an Empire turntable, an amplifier that my father built, a 70 watt Eico, a separate Fisher FM tuner, a Sony 4 track reel-to-reel tape recorder, and a pair of Bozak speakers. WoW! Am I dating my self or what. Then, I was hooked and look for every TJB album in succession after that. I also purchased Sergio Mendes A&M albums and my father had a few Burt Bacharach albums as well.

I also remember seeing the TJB as a kid at the Allentown Fair in Allentown, PA. That must of been around 1967. It was hot the day they played & I was so glued to the stage, that I forgot that I was roasting in the sun & had a bad case of sunburn the next day, but the concert was worth it!

Also saw Herb & the reincarnated version of the TJB in 74 & 75 at the Garden State Arts Center in Homdel, NJ. Of course, the music was great, but I missed the comedy routines Bob Edmondson did. They had some comedy in their shows, but not as much as the first time around.
 
I don't remember what made me start buying Burt Bacharach albums -- it was probably just that fact that he was on A&M made me curious. As with most of my A&M faves, I started in the middle...my first BB album was the self-titled one, and then I went forward/backward from there.
 
My first A&M album would most likely be Humble Pie – Performance Rockin’ The Fillmore. One of my friends in high school played it for me and I was hooked. As soon as I had the money I bought a copy and then shortly after I picked up Smokin’ too. Frankly, at the time I didn’t know or care that these albums were on A&M records; I just liked the music; the label was inconsequential to me.

Mike
 
I remember it was the inner sleeves that showed the other A&M albums that made me want to buy albums by artists other than Herb.


Capt. Bacardi
 
My first A&M album was Herb Alpert & the TJB's "South of the Border"! I was probably 6 or 7 at the time & requested that album for my birthday. We had a family stereo at that time which consisted of an Empire turntable, an amplifier that my father built, a 70 watt Eico, a separate Fisher FM tuner, a Sony 4 track reel-to-reel tape recorder, and a pair of Bozak speakers.

That was quite a setup! My grandfather had built his Heathkit setup back in the early 60s, and the sad thing is, it went into the basement when he "retired" that system for newer equipment, and a few decades later, got dumped out at the curb. And now those tubed components are quite sought-after: Dynaco, Eico, Fisher, Marantz, Heathkit and others.

We had tubed gear at our house, but it was your typical "hi-fi" equipment. The Admiral hi-fi in the basement was mono. My mom's aunt gave me a VM Triomatic mini console, and that was tubed also. The Admiral is what took all the abuse when I was a kid, and we eventually wore out the original record changer and put in a Heathkit hand-me-down (since Grandpa got a Garrard with a Shure M44-7 cartridge). My own record player was one of those GE portable "suitcase" models, and I would buy my own GE stereo when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old (Solid Brass was the new TJB album at the time).

I guess when you play so many records, you remember what you played them on. :)
 
I remember it was the inner sleeves that showed the other A&M albums that made me want to buy albums by artists other than Herb.

That certainly is the truth...there were quite a few titles on there I wanted but my folks would never buy. I was fascinated with a couple of them particularly. Chris Montez got all the hot chicks. :laugh: But the covers of Jobim's Wave and the Tamba 4 We And The Sea were for some reason very captivating, and it took me many years before I'd hear what they sounded like. I've also come across very nice copies of the Lee Michaels and Merry-Go-Round albums, and the We Five, so I finally discovered those also.

But for some reason, the Chris Montez albums never got me any chicks! :D
 
The first A & M Record that I purchased was Herb Alpert's "What Now My Love." We had just gotten a new stereo console, and I had the privilege of choosing our first "LP" album. When I brought it home and palyed it, I was instantly mesmerized. The arrangements were, to me, nothing short of genius, filled with the most captivating and dramatic melodies. I eventually got all of Herb Alpert's albums, but this was and is my favorite. To give you an idea of how often it was played, if you hold the record, and put your fingers on the edge, it almost feels like the edge of a knife, it was played so much---but it is still operable! This album gave me many memorable moments, and I still cherish it.
 
I don't remember what made me start buying Burt Bacharach albums -- it was probably just that fact that he was on A&M made me curious. As with most of my A&M faves, I started in the middle...my first BB album was the self-titled one, and then I went forward/backward from there.

I am pretty sure we had either Butch Cassidy or Reach Out first, and maybe even the self-titled LP. One memory I have is that Mom and I drove around to a handful of stores that sold records trying to find Make It Easy On Yourself; yet the Jimmie Rodgers LP looked similar enough that I kept giving her a false alarm. :laugh:

I think she had a crush on him though... :wink:
 
The family acquired 'WHIPPED CREAM' in stereo, which was suitable for play on the "good" living room record player. I picked up the remaining 5 of the initial TJB releases in mono (at $2.97 per album -- & still have the price sticker on the shrink wrap on many) and collected 'SRO' forward as they were released. With 'other A&M records you may enjoy' on inner sleeves as inducement, I started collecting as many as I could find, joining a record club or special ordering from local stores for the obscurities.

A local furniture store had a record department, primarily as entertainment for kids while parents shopped for sofas and appliances. This was the only place you could play a record before deciding whether to purchase. There were tons of obscure A&M 45s by Procol Harum, the Move, the Parade and others. Anything that was not on an LP already I scooped up.

My teen years (1966-73) were during the era when every department store had a record section. The cheapest was W.T. Grant ($2.89 for mono LPs or a buck more for stereo). Woolworth's was great for special orders, along with a local outlet that could order anything in the Schwann catalog. J.C. Penney and Miller's had a good selection.

Obscurities were not kept in stock anywhere, with the exception of Chancellor's Drug Store in Charlottesville VA near the U.Va. campus. The basement was full of LPs, which was were I found many of the lesser known A&M-CTI titles. Tamba 4's 'SAMBA BLIM' was in the racks; 'WE & THE SEA' I had to order from the club I joined. That was "Records Unlimited," based somewhere in Indiana.

JB
 
We used to have a store here called the "Trading Post," locally known as the "Dime Store" which carried LPs and 45s. That's where I got my first couple of TJB albums. Then in around 1970 my dad and his partner decided to expand the auto parts store with a small stereo department, with the idea of carrying the then-new 8 track tape players and a few tapes. I was tapped to help keep the tapes stocked, the stereos dusted, etc.

Eventually I graduated into being the salesperson for that department, and in around 1973 we started experiencing a couple of decades of "boom" years when some power plants were built in our neighboring town of Colstrip. So, we expanded the music department and started selling TVs and then hi-fi audio equipment, adding LPs to the musical mix. From then until now I have gotten the vast majority of my music through the store....but I would still occasionally get "surprised" by finding an A&M item somewhere else, like the time I found Sergio's Primal Roots in a Woolworth's in Sheridan, Wyoming.

The boom years are over and now we're back to just selling auto parts and car stereo systems. And we now stock most of the TJB albums on CD.
 
...going out on a limb mail-ordering, a "new" copy of Nick Decaro's HAPPY HEART...!



-- Dave

Actually the mail-ordered HAPPY HEART was a used one... I'd looked in a different section of the same store which I'd bought the before-mentioned titles at, where the new one was found at a few years later; minor correction needed...

The '45' bin at Harmony House also yielded singles by The Police which I was into as well, so stuff like "Roxanne", "Don't Stand So Close To Me" and "Da-Do-Do-Do, Da-Da-Da-Da" made it into my early A&M collecting phase, too!


-- Dave
 
I am a second-generation Herb Alpert/Tijuana Brass fan. My father had almost all the TJB and solo material on vinyl, cassette and CD (with the exception of the following titles: Whipped Cream, Herb Alpert/Hugh Masekela, The Main Event Life, Just You And Me, Going Places and Passion Dance). On Sunday afternoons and at times during the week, from the time I was probably 3 years old to the time of dad's passing 8 years ago, this music would be blasting from the stereo. That was about the only A&M material we owned. (I'm sure my father may have had other titles by other artists at one time, but who knows what may have become of it).

So that is how I was exposed to the music of A&M Records. I have memories of when Dad bought the Bullish LP, Second Wind on audio cassette and others. He always looked forward to each new title.
 
My first A&M record was the LP "Going Places" by founder Herb Alpert. I still have my original copy plus I've added the Compact 33 version and the R-2-R tape version. I've got tons of other A&M releases also.
 
Actually I go all the way back to buying the original single (and still have it) of The Lonely Bull, but did not buy the album. I honestly do not recall seeing it for sale...instead I bought The Ventures album, a favorite of mine to today...The Ventures Play Telstar, The Lonely Bull etc. This album was released in January 1963 and reached #8 in Cashbox and #13 in Billboard. I read The Ventures album of Telstar out sold the original Tornadoes album and to this day many people think the Ventures was the original artist on Telstar. Same thing pretty happened to the Lonely Bull, with the Ventures outselling the TJB, at least in albums. The TJB album debuted on the Billboard chart on Dec 29th 1962 at 119. January 5th 1963 The Ventures album debuted at 93 while the TJB was hanging on at 100. Jan 19th the Ventures were at 37 with a star and the TJB back at 89. By March 9th it was pretty much over and the Ventures were at 14 (on Billboard) while the TJB was at 114. I blame this on better distribution for the Ventures album, like I said I never saw the Herb Alpert album for sale in my area... at least not until he reissued it on the new A&M label (with a trumpet logo) when South Of The Border got popular. Stores stocked SOB along with Lonely Bull and Volume 2. According to the actual Billboard magazines the stereo version of Lonely Bull did better and on March 9th was at number 35 for the TJB whereas the Ventures were at number 8. But the majority of LP sales in those days was still mono albums. When you read Whitburn's books he uses a formula to blend the stereo and mono figures so what you read is a average peak position. Basically he rewrites the charts and most folks don't realize that.​
I liked Lonely Bull so much I bought even a copy of the Nashville recorded Hit Records single (sold for 39 cents in their own racks, at discount, drug stores etc) by the Dan Ruben Orchestra. This single also backed The Lonely Bull with Telstar.​
So I was very aware of the Lonely Bull owning three versions, when the song first came out.​
 
.... 'WE & THE SEA' I had to order from the club I joined. That was "Records Unlimited," based somewhere in Indiana.

The club I joined in the early 80s was the Discount Music Club. I don't even think they had a fee to join, but their "catalog" was the Schwann's catalog with a custom printed cover that showed the discount price schedule from each label. I really wish my high school budget had the money to get all the titles I wanted, as I'd have bought quite a bit. It was neat, though, to see something I really wanted, and be able to order it in.

What was the big catalog that the music stores had? Phonolog?
 
The '45' bin at Harmony House also yielded singles by The Police which I was into as well, so stuff like "Roxanne", "Don't Stand So Close To Me" and "Da-Do-Do-Do, Da-Da-Da-Da" made it into my early A&M collecting phase, too!

They always had great 45 bins at Harmony House! :thumbsup: Always more than I could afford to buy. I was not much of a 45 buyer but their selection never really let me down--if it was current or a couple of years old, they would usually have it. They would put current hits on wire bins on the wall, where the back catalog 45s were in the wooden bins. Ours (Hoover/11) also had a record player where you could sample the 45s.
Because of that, I would grab 45s from the back of the pile rather than the first one showing. When I bought a few oldies 45s, I got those from Sam's Jams in Ferndale, as their selection was really good. They tended to have more of the A&M reissue 45s there (Forget-Me-Nots series, etc.).
 
The boom years are over and now we're back to just selling auto parts and car stereo systems. And we now stock most of the TJB albums on CD.

You don't carry JVC, do you? Trying to find an affordable HD Radio adapter for my head unit...
 
The family acquired 'WHIPPED CREAM' in stereo, which was suitable for play on the "good" living room record player. I picked up the remaining 5 of the initial TJB releases in mono (at $2.97 per album -- & still have the price sticker on the shrink wrap on many) and collected 'SRO' forward as they were released. With 'other A&M records you may enjoy' on inner sleeves as inducement, I started collecting as many as I could find, joining a record club or special ordering from local stores for the obscurities.

A local furniture store had a record department, primarily as entertainment for kids while parents shopped for sofas and appliances. This was the only place you could play a record before deciding whether to purchase. There were tons of obscure A&M 45s by Procol Harum, the Move, the Parade and others. Anything that was not on an LP already I scooped up.

My teen years (1966-73) were during the era when every department store had a record section. The cheapest was W.T. Grant ($2.89 for mono LPs or a buck more for stereo). Woolworth's was great for special orders, along with a local outlet that could order anything in the Schwann catalog. J.C. Penney and Miller's had a good selection.

Obscurities were not kept in stock anywhere, with the exception of Chancellor's Drug Store in Charlottesville VA near the U.Va. campus. The basement was full of LPs, which was were I found many of the lesser known A&M-CTI titles. Tamba 4's 'SAMBA BLIM' was in the racks; 'WE & THE SEA' I had to order from the club I joined. That was "Records Unlimited," based somewhere in Indiana.

JB

Even in L.A., even with a place like Crane's, not everything was in stock when new. I never saw a lot of A&M LPs until about 12 months after their release when they'd show up in the cut-out bins at White Front (a Southern California discount chain...think very low budget Target). George Benson's 'TELL IT LIKE IT IS', Walter Wanderley's 'WHEN IT WAS DONE'...my first exposure to those were there (and at $1.99, I snapped them right up).
 
"Lonely Bull" was my introduction courtesy my parents, but "We've Only Just Begun" was the first and most significant recording of A&M's that I bought on my own.
 
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