🥂 50th The Thirty All-Time Best A&M Albums

[mr J.]

somebody gave me this list a few years ago(name withheld by request)-I thought this would be an interesting read for now:A&M's 50th anniversary.

THE THIRTY ALL-TIME BEST A&M ALBUMS(1962-1999)

1. JOAN BAEZ-DIAMONDS AND RUST (1975)
2.ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM-WAVE (1967)
3.WES MONTGOMERY-GREATEST HITS(1996)
4.CARPENTERS-CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT(1978)
5.PETER FRAMPTON-FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE(1976)
6.BRYAN ADAMS-RECKLESS-(1984)
7.RITA COOLIDGE-THE LADY'S NOT FOR SALE(1972)
8.SERGIO MENDES & BRASIL '66-EQINOUX (1967)
9.CARPENTERS-CLOSE TO YOU(1970)
10.CARPENTERS-HORIZON(1975)
11.QUINCY JONES-THE DUDE(1981)
12.JANET JACKSON-CONTROL(1986)
13.BRENDA RUSSELL-LOVE LIFE (1981)
14.LANI HALL-SUNDOWN LADY (1972)
15.HERB ALPERT-FANDANGO (1982)
16.JOAN BAEZ-GREATEST HITS(1996)
17.JOAN BAEZ-GULF WINDS (1976)
18.QUINCY JONES-WALKING IN SPACE(1969)
19.CARPENTERS-VOICE OF THE HEART (1983)
20.POLICE-EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE-THE CLASSICS (1998)
21.WES MONTGOMERY-A DAY IN THE LIFE (1967)
22.HERB ALPERT & TIJUANA BRASS-GOING PLACES(1965)
23.GEORGE BENSON-BEYOND THE BLUE HORIZON(1969)
24.STAN GETZ-APASIONADO (1989)
25.MICHEL COLUMBIER-WINGS (1972)
26.RITA COOLIDGE-NICE FEELIN' (1971)
27.CHUCK MANGIONE-FEELS SO GOOD (1977)
28.BURT BACHARACH-REACH OUT (1967)
29.LANI HALL-DOUBLE OR NOTHING (1979)
30.JANET JACKSON-RYTHYM NATION (1989)

 

[Harry]

"Best" based on what criteria? Certainly not sales.

This has to be someone's personal list.

Harry

 

[Michael Hagerty]

"Best" and "biggest" are often, maybe even usually, two different things. But "best" is highly subjective.

 

[mr J.]

The word "best" translates "highest quality"-and that definition here would relate to the album's performance,production and material.The person who compiled this list has reviewed some 400+ A&M albums over a 15+ year period,and these were his best picks.

If the list was based on sales,it would look quite a bit different.there would be albums like Captain & Tennille's "Song Of Joy" near the top of the list.

Personally,If I was compiling a list of best A&M albums,it might look similar to this one-but the Janet Jackson stuff wouldn't be in there.I would've included Gato Barbieri's "Caliente" and "Fire and Passion" and maybe a couple of more Carpenters albums.("Old Fashioned Christmas" was just as good as "Christmas Portrait").

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

The only explanation for this list is that is was actually compiled by Joan Baez.

At least "Wings" is on there......how about a nice write-in poll.....

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

that we could all contribute to....!

 

[Rudy]

......how about a nice write-in poll.....

that we could all contribute to....!

Touché.

It definitely is one person's list...of their all-time best favorites. But personally, if I heard one note of Joan Baez, it would be Frisbee Time™ at Casa Rudy. There is a lot that I don't care for in that list, so I agree: we should do our own write-ins. One person's "best" is never representative of anyone else's criteria of "best."

Anyone want to list their 30 "best" favorites...or any other number? Feel free! I'm thinking of some favorites of my own offline and will list some in a couple of days. What might be neat at the end of the year would be to compile everyone's lists (in this thread, and in others) in a nice format elsewhere on the site. Even if we all never agree on what is "best," I still think it is interesting to read the list posted above, as well as everyone else's lists, as it gives us insight into what music others like.

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

Great idea - and at the end of the year, if someone's feeling particularly anal rententive, they could calculate all them together for one big website best of sort of thing. Or not.

 

[Rudy]

Great idea - and at the end of the year, if someone's feeling particularly anal rententive, they could calculate all them together for one big website best of sort of thing. Or not.

Anything's possible. We're doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work right now actually.

 

[Harry]

Gee - I'd be hard-pressed to limit it to thirty. There are so many A&M albums that are favorites. All of the Alperts that I like alone might total 30, and then you've got all of the Mendes and Carpenters and Lani Hall. And that leaves out wonderfulness like Roger Nichols and Renee Armand and Burt Bacharach and on and on. Nope can't do thirty favortes...

But I like reading others' lists. Just reading this one got me to dig out a Joan Baez disc!

Harry

 

[Dave]

Hmmmmmm...--and should The Ethel Merman Disco Album be somewhere there, too????


-- Dave

 

[Rudy]

Limiting a list to 30 takes a bit of work--that's why it's a good exercise. Even 50 would work...I just don't have that kind of energy.

Easy way to decide on some of the titles: put two titles side by side. If you had to give up one, which would you give up? By doing that, you could work your way down.

 

[Bobberman]

I would have included at least one baja marimba band. Lp and herb alpert presents pete jolly the nadias theme comp lp and a chris montez album and one sandpipers lp for starters thirty best is not even scratching the surface it should be more like 100 best a&m albums with some of the titles already listed and mentioned here by everyone of you that would be more realistic and down to earth..great ideas though

 

[Harry]

How about 30 of the first 50?






Harry

 

[Bobberman]

Spot on you have hit the nail on the head my friend sounds like we are in agreement. I wish i had a poster of that.thank you im loving this

 

[A&Mguyfromwayback]

Hmmmmmm...--and should The Ethel Merman Disco Album be somewhere there, too????


-- Dave

Different list.

 

[Rudy]

Different list.

If you don't yet own a copy of the Ethel Merman album, I think I'll grab your address and send you a copy...

 

[Rudy]

I'll hammer out a list.

In no particular order, here is the start of my list of 30, of what I would say are "influential" albums for either A&M or the artist involved. These are often breakthrough albums for one reason or another, or the album that may be definitive or especially noteworthy for that particular artist.

TJB: Whipped Cream -- This put the TJB and A&M on the map; the breakthrough success.

Carpenters: A Song For You -- Considered by many to be their definitive album.

Herb Alpert: Rise -- Solo career takes flight.

Antonio Carlos Jobim: Wave -- Noteworthy for the debut of some Jobim classics.

Gino Vannelli: Brother To Brother -- Gino's commercial breakthrough; "I Just Wanna Stop" becomes a mainstay of Adult Contemporary radio.

Supertramp: Crime Of The Century -- This album put Supertramp on the map.

Janet Jackson: Control -- This album took Janet's career from "Michael's little sister" to an artist in control of her musical destiny.

The Police: Synchronicity -- This is as far as the Police formula could go, and in addition to hosting A&M's biggest #1 hit ever, its also arguably their most accomplished effort. (As an alternate, I would pick Reggatta de Blanc.)

Sting: Dream Of The Blue Turtles -- Sting proves he can continue past The Police with hit singles and a new jazz-based sound.

Styx: The Grand Illusion -- Arguably the definitive Styx album. Newcomer Tommy Shaw is comfortable in his role and some of their best tunes are laid to wax.

Chuck Mangione: Feels So Good -- One of jazz's more successful crossover albums, which made Mangione quite popular.

Brasil '66: Herb Alpert Presents -- while other Brasil '66 albums would focus and refines the group's sound, this debut from Mendes resonates from someone who has found the perfect formula of popularizing Brazilian music for the American audience with just the right mix of Brazilian, jazz, rock and, as the liner notes said, "a little sex."

Phil Ochs: Pleasures Of The Harbor -- A change of pace for Ochs, who recorded primarily with his own guitar accompaniment in the past.

Roger Nichols & The Small Circle of Friends -- A cult masterpiece of sunshine pop.

Peter Frampton: Frampton Comes Alive -- What kid in high school in the late 70s didn't own a copy of this one?? The cover is as recognizable as the hits from this album, which are still mainstays of classic rock radio.

Procol Harum: A Whiter Shade of Pale -- One of A&M's first forays into British rock, with a hit title track.

Tamba 4: We And The Sea -- While some of the tracks are basically Tamba Trio recordings with overdubbed guitar, the album highlights a more adventurous jazz presentation for Luiz Eça and his compadres. It also features the debut of one of Eça's most enduring compositions: "The Dolphin." Tamba Trio was much more popular in Brazil, so it was a bold move on A&M's part to feature the group and give them due recognition.

Rosie Vela: Zazu -- This one may be a personal favorite of mine, but it's notable for its notoriety. It not only featured obtuse lyrics that one could describe as a female take on Steely Dan, but was actually the closest we would get to a Steely Dan reunion for nearly a decade: both Donald Fagen and Walter Becker guested on many of the tracks, and the producer was Gary Katz. Rare, and prized.

That's 18 for now...I'll add more and revise the list as I go.

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

Having started my A&M collection in 1964, I do differ with the 30 listed at the start of this thread. It seriously under-represents the early days of A&M. And without the success of those albums, the later releases just never would have happened. In fact, it was the popularity and success of Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass albums that actually propelled the company in the early years. For those who have a better grasp of A&M's album output over the entire 50 years, there are just too many great albums from "the biggest little catalog" to make a representative list of just thirty!

 

[Captain Bacardi]

If you don't yet own a copy of the Ethel Merman album, I think I'll grab your address and send you a copy...

I'd be moving without filling out a change-of-address if someone offered me that deal!


Capt. Bacardi

 

[Captain Bacardi]

For those who have a better grasp of A&M's album output over the entire 50 years, there are just too many great albums from "the biggest little catalog" to make a representative list of just thirty!

Totally agree. You'd have to have a minimum of 100 albums IMHO, and it wouldn't necessarily have anything to do with what sold. Albums such as Michel Colombier's Wings, Tamba 4's We And The Sea and Edu Lobo's Sergio Mendes Presents... are just a few prime examples of albums that weren't big sellers yet provided incredibly high quality music. I always thought of A&M as a company that gave primarily unknown artists a chance to show what they were about. Not many other record labels would've done that.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[Rudy]

It's an exercise, though: anyone can ramble off 100, even 200 albums--that's way too easy, almost like free-association. Yet, I can't give someone an introduction to A&M with an overwhelming list; even 30 is too much IMHO. Being selective and whittling a list down, removing some personal favorites along the way, is very challenging no matter which way you look at it.

It needs to touch all the bases, too: early recordings as the "base," progressive recordings along the way showing how the label evolved, and major hits that show the label's greatest accomplishments, how the little label made it big. In my case, I'd go with "milestone" albums that made a big impression on how the label changed, and even with the few I listed, I'm willing to go back and rethink some of the choices and remove a few.

And of course, "best" is subjective. My 30 or 25 or 50 best will never coincide with anyone else's.

Lists are always interesting, and I always enjoy reading whatever anyone else comes up with. For my part, I would do a totally different list for my own "critic's choice" favorites, which would include the Edu Lobo album and a few others I'm personally fond of musically, and of course, others may not even like.

 

[Mark-T]

I would love to hear why you think "An Old Fashioned Christmas" is as good as "Christmas Portrait", mr. j. IMHO, it's not even close. Portrait is classic and OFC is piecemeal by comparison.

 

[Rudy]

I would love to hear why you think "An Old Fashioned Christmas" is as good as "Christmas Portrait", mr. j. IMHO, it's not even close. Portrait is classic and OFC is piecemeal by comparison.

I concur. The latter seems more like an afterthought, or a collection of the odds and ends that couldn't fit onto the original. (That sappy opening chorus ruins the album for me, incidentally.)

I made my own "special edition" that fits on a single CD, including all of KC's vocal cuts, plus an additional instrumental or two. The only thing that didn't fit was a short reprise of the song "Old Fashioned Christmas" at the beginning of another track. IMHO, this is how A&M should release it, and without the reverb-laden remix that the Collection had.

 

[mr J.]

MSTAFT-"Old Fashioned Christmas" was absolutely a worthy follow-up to "Christmas Portrait".Richard did a fantastic job on that album-as well done as it could've been.

The fact that OFC is short on vocal tracks doesn't diminish it's quality.All seven vocal tracks are excellent(Karen never sounded better),Peter Knight's arrangement's are exquisite(as was on"Portrait"),and the album features two of K&R's all-time best recordings:"Little Altar Boy",and "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town"(this track singlehandedly proves what a great jazz singer Karen could've been-had she chosen that route).

"O Holy Night" and "My Favorite Things"-two gorgeous instrumentals that blend together perfectly with the vocal tracks.I think most people agree they're a cut-above "Carol Of The Bells"(from "Portrait").

The three instrumental medleys-I could take or leave them.Richard had to add them to fill-in the remaining space on the album.Richard's original title track-the same.I would say that the "Nutcracker" suite is the only track that doesn't belong on the album.

Again,Richard did a fantastic job on "Old Fashioned Christmas"-and,I would rank it right behind "Portrait".