The Day The Music Burned

Artists are starting to file lawsuits against Universal. I know the estates of Tom Petty, Tupac Shakur, the singer-songwriter Steve Earle, and the bands Hole and Soundgarden are filing, and are seeking class action so that others who lost masters in the fire can receive compensation.

I don't mind the artists getting paid something, but honestly lawsuits will not bring this stuff back.
 
It also makes you wonder if Richard Carpenter might use or might’ve used the 1976 Copyright Act Clause already to get hold of the Carpenters masters.

Richard carpenter has been regularly accessing his old masters and made digital copies of most everything except some of the session tapes, so he is in good shape. The artists like Claudine Longet, Baja Marimba Band, and others that have not had digital reissues of the albums, not to mention all the singles that are MIA and never had an album release..that's what is gone, gone , gone.

Even on the two Carpenters singles sets on CD, the japan and PBS set. they needed to do some dubs from the disks because the masters were gone then.
 
Richard carpenter has been regularly accessing his old masters and made digital copies of most everything except some of the session tapes, so he is in good shape. The artists like Claudine Longet, Baja Marimba Band, and others that have not had digital reissues of the albums, not to mention all the singles that are MIA and never had an album release..that's what is gone, gone , gone.

Even on the two Carpenters singles sets on CD, the japan and PBS set. they needed to do some dubs from the disks because the masters were gone then.
He has had access, but it’s the Copyright part. Sure he’s known about it for 10 years, but with the renewed interest in the story, could Richard be considering reclaiming the copyrights to the Carpenters works and we might see future reissues released on say Sony Legacy?

And as for disc transfers, it’s only been the mono Ticket/Parade on the PBS set that was from a 45. The Japanese set used all tape masters, albeit some were more analog Generations than others.
 
Virtually all of Claudine Longet's A&M output has been released digitally from Japan - and this was long before the fire. About half of the Baja Marimba Band's stuff has been digitized on various CD compilations throughout the world.
 
Just checking my old spreadsheet on the Baja Marimba Band, of the A&M output, I count 119 total songs including a few single-only tracks. 68 have been released on CDs of either full albums or compilations, mostly from Japan. That accounts for about 57% of the Baja recordings, leaving 43% that haven't gotten a digital treatment at all.

Hang on to those LPs folks!

Full Baja CDs from Japan:
THE BAJA MARIMBA BAND
THOSE WERE THE DAYS
FRESH AIR

Baja Compilations:
DIGITALLY REMASTERED BEST (Japan)
Collectors Choice BEST OF (US)
Timeless Music 3CD set (US)

General comps with a Baja track on it somewhere:
A&M COMPOSERS SERIES (NICHOLS-WILLIAMS) (Japan)
BACHELOR PAD PLEASURES
LATIN LOUNGE
A&M SONGS OF BURT BACHARACH (Japan)
A&M JOURNEY OF BURT BACHARACH (Japan)
 
Just checking my old spreadsheet on the Baja Marimba Band, of the A&M output...

What is sad about the BMB recordings is the non-LP singles, especially if the A&M single reels were archived the way we've heard -- a big reel with the singles strung together regardless of artist, i.e.: reel one would have AM701 to oh say, 755, reel 2 AM756 thru 820 and so on. If those reels were in the fire then we've lost a lot (possibly the entire catalogs) of many non-LP A&M acts -- Ken-Jo-Lairs, Terry Stafford, Toni Basil, and dozens if not hundreds of others.

For BMB that would be that "Wincle" thing, "Man That's Coffee," "Baja Ska," "The Wall Street Rag" (Frank DeVito's best vocal turn) and so many more.

And then there are those songs we KNOW they recorded but never released... While not likely on those single comp reels, they must have been in storage there as well. The one I would love to hear most would be BMB's take on "Lonely Bull" that was recorded with the rest of the For Animals Only sessions. One could hope Cissy or the Wechter boys have a personal home copy, but the quality could be less than ideal...

--Mr Bill
 
Just checking my old spreadsheet on the Baja Marimba Band, of the A&M output, I count 119 total songs including a few single-only tracks. 68 have been released on CDs of either full albums or compilations, mostly from Japan. That accounts for about 57% of the Baja recordings, leaving 43% that haven't gotten a digital treatment at all.

Hang on to those LPs folks!

Full Baja CDs from Japan:
THE BAJA MARIMBA BAND
THOSE WERE THE DAYS
FRESH AIR

Baja Compilations:
DIGITALLY REMASTERED BEST (Japan)
Collectors Choice BEST OF (US)
Timeless Music 3CD set (US)

General comps with a Baja track on it somewhere:
A&M COMPOSERS SERIES (NICHOLS-WILLIAMS) (Japan)
BACHELOR PAD PLEASURES
LATIN LOUNGE
A&M SONGS OF BURT BACHARACH (Japan)
A&M JOURNEY OF BURT BACHARACH (Japan)
I Sure will hang on to all of mine it took a lot of work getting BMB s discography complete as it is and more than ever now they are much more valuable and definitely Irreplaceable. And they are also digitized Via Neeedledrop Cds plus a couple proper Cds such as New deal and the collectors choice comp.
 
You know what. I guess I will have to get Punch (A&M 1971) on album as well as the Punch on Bell Records 45 singles (if I can find them on EBay) & Sonoma (Dunhill/ABC 1973 album). All of those are NOT on itunes though. I also guess that it was burned out. Matt Clark Sanford, MI
 
What is sad about the BMB recordings is the non-LP singles, especially if the A&M single reels were archived the way we've heard -- a big reel with the singles strung together regardless of artist, i.e.: reel one would have AM701 to oh say, 755, reel 2 AM756 thru 820 and so on. If those reels were in the fire then we've lost a lot (possibly the entire catalogs) of many non-LP A&M acts -- Ken-Jo-Lairs, Terry Stafford, Toni Basil, and dozens if not hundreds of others.

For BMB that would be that "Wincle" thing, "Man That's Coffee," "Baja Ska," "The Wall Street Rag" (Frank DeVito's best vocal turn) and so many more.

And then there are those songs we KNOW they recorded but never released... While not likely on those single comp reels, they must have been in storage there as well. The one I would love to hear most would be BMB's take on "Lonely Bull" that was recorded with the rest of the For Animals Only sessions. One could hope Cissy or the Wechter boys have a personal home copy, but the quality could be less than ideal...

--Mr Bill
Devito has a Facebook page, maybe he has some tapes.
 
That Universal building was primarily built to warehouse Theme Park Souvenirs. A Crime upon art, culture, and music. How careless can you get, the original master tapes for crying out loud. Yes, I hope there's lawsuits by artists and their estates. I hope Universal loses big.
 
I I I I cannot BELIEVE THIS!!! How in the world could Universal be so damn careless?!! Didn't they think of the history of this stuff? All these great recordings, all these great historical masters all ended in a snuff thanks to a stupid blowtorch?! Steely Dan ,Joe Sample, all of Gino Vannelli's A&M material, Billie Holiday for God's sakes, the great LOUIS ARMSTRONG, Metheny, Minnie Riperton...I I just can't go on;too sickening to even think about it. We will never hear these recordings again in their original form thanks to corporate stupidity. Prince and Motown had the right idea though; they kept their masters in VAULTS!!

These artists and or their estates SHOULD sue Universal for this!!

P.S.: I think Lani's whole catalog was bought out by Herb when he made that deal with Universal, so her recordings are safe from what I understand.
 
I think Lani's whole catalog was bought out by Herb when he made that deal with Universal, so her recordings are safe from what I understand.

I think her stuff is gone...
 
P.S.: I think Lani's whole catalog was bought out by Herb when he made that deal with Universal, so her recordings are safe from what I understand.
Yep! 👍 Four (?) titles were released on Herb's label, in fact.
 
Released digitally through ALMO Properties, LLC

SUN DOWN LADY in 2012
HELLO, IT'S ME in 2013
ES FACIL AMAR in 2013
SWEET BIRD in 2015
 
I I I I cannot BELIEVE THIS!!! How in the world could Universal be so damn careless?!! Didn't they think of the history of this stuff? All these great recordings, all these great historical masters all ended in a snuff thanks to a stupid blowtorch?! Steely Dan ,Joe Sample, all of Gino Vannelli's A&M material, Billie Holiday for God's sakes, the great LOUIS ARMSTRONG, Metheny, Minnie Riperton...I I just can't go on;too sickening to even think about it. We will never hear these recordings again in their original form thanks to corporate stupidity. Prince and Motown had the right idea though; they kept their masters in VAULTS!!

These artists and or their estates SHOULD sue Universal for this!!

P.S.: I think Lani's whole catalog was bought out by Herb when he made that deal with Universal, so her recordings are safe from what I understand.
Wouldn’t be the first time the record labels did something stupid.
 
Yet Lani Hall is on the list, so probably some of her stuff?
Maybe Then again Maybe not to my understanding Herb and Lani got All their masters back in 2000 but we will just have to wait and see I dont think anybody really Knows 100% yet what was lost for sure but I admit the list was a rather extensive and convincing one but we may probably never know for sure.
 
I think The moral of this Thread is Hang on to all the A&M and other vinyl & CDs under the Universal brand and owned Labels pre 2008 and beyond knowing what we know now. Let's be thankful for what we have and take the best care of them We may Never see them available again.
 
I think The moral of this Thread is Hang on to all the A&M and other vinyl & CDs under the Universal brand and owned Labels pre 2008 and beyond knowing what we know now. Let's be thankful for what we have and take the best care of them We may Never see them available again.
It's just completely unreal.
 
Just stumbled into some videos of Louie Prima and Keely Smith. I had forgotten about them but after watching some clips, I remembered seeing them on TV back in the day. Apparently their masters were lost, too.
 
But the last 4 albums by The Grass Roots (1972 - 1982) & the late Rob Grill solo 1979 album were burned. :mad::cry:
 
Back
Top Bottom