TJB CD reissue that almost was...

[Rudy]

While looking through a Mobile Fidelity listing, I found an entry for this:

Herb Alpert & The TJB: Whipped Cream / Lonely Bull, UDCD-689.

Looks like Mobile Fidelity was planning to remaster this title as an Ultradisc II release, even so far as to assign a catalog number to it, but it was withdrawn.

Numerical MoFi gold CD listing here: http://www.aurealm.com/orange.htm

It would have been interesting to hear this one! Too bad it was scrapped.

 

[daveK]

Yes! I remember when it was announced via the MFSL catalog. I was working in a CD store and got so excited upon reading that it was scheduled for release. I remember at the time thinking that a coupling of "Whipped Cream" and "Going Places" would have been better, but I was still excited about how the sound quality would be. Believe me, when the release date came and went and then I heard that the release had been scrapped, I was really, really disappointed! I never did find out the official reason for the release not happening.

 

[Harry]

What was the time frame for this proposed release? Before or after the A&M CDs hit the market?

Harry
...curious about this non-release, online...

 

[daveK]

It was supposed to be released very late '96 or early '97, so nearly a decade after the A&M issues.

 

[daveK]

Looking at the MFSL discography, it appears that the TJB title was one of only 5 Mo-Fi UltraDisc titles that were given catalog numbers but we're never released, along with Oliver Nelson's "The Blues And The Abstract Truth", Art Garfunkel's "Breakaway", a second volume of Alan Parsons & Steven Court's "Sound Check" and Queensryche's "Empire", which was eventually given the gold disc treatment by DCC.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Wonder if it was scrapped because of Herb's distaste for "two-fers," or was MoFi on the way out by then?

 

[daveK]

I didn't know Herb has a distaste for "two-fers". Is this something he's said before? Very interesting...

 

[Rudy]

I don't recall the source, but he was against two-fer releases, and budget or midline reissues of his albums.

The catalog numbers place it at approximately 12/96 or 1/97. That phase of MoFi CD releases lasted until some time in 1999 or 2000, so it's not like they were on the brink of failure.

 

[Harry]

1997, huh? - That was also the year of the Polydor/Herb Alpert "announce-and-withdraw" MI HISTORIA compilation.

Interesting.

Harry
...who hadn't heard anything about this MoFi 2-fer before, online...

 

[Mike Blakesley]

There was also a series of A&M packages called "Fan Box Sets" around that time. I don't know if they ever saw the light of day....at least I never saw one. Some were supposed to be two-disk sets, and some were four disks. All they were, were groups of previously issued albums packaged together. I used to know what was going to be in the TJB one (I think both GH albums plus a couple of the other regular CD issues) but am not sure anymore. Did anyone ever see any of these?

 

[Harry]

Yes, I remember seeing the Tijuana Brass FAN BOX SET in the rack at a local Borders. It was simply the two discs of GREATEST HITS and GREATEST HITS VOLUME 2 bundled together, literally. They were stuck together in shrink wrap with each cover facing outward. I think there might have been a sticker that said FAN BOX SET - there would almost have to be, otherwise I wouldn't have noticed that it was, in fact, called that.

I remember thinking how chintzy it was - and even being a devoted fan, wouldn't bite on that one!

I wasn't aware that any other act got a FAN BOX SET designation.

Harry
NP: radio at work

 

[Rudy]

If I remember, the TJB "Greatest Hits" fan box set I saw locally in a "longbox", with both discs facing the front. (The longbox was a generic type--I don't even know if there was any printing on it...nor do I recall it even saying "fan box set" anywhere on the packaging.)

 

[Mr Bill]

The one I saw was in a blister pack with both GH and GH2 showing and a "Fan Box Set" sticker like someone else described. Chintzy indeed.

--Mr Bill

 

[Rudy]

It was a good pairing, to be honest, and IIRC it was at a good price as well. But the WAY they combined these... A bit tacky, yes. Wonder how many they sold in that configuration.

Darn it...I wish MoFi had put TJB out, on vinyl even more so than CD. I'm listening to Gino Vannelli's "Powerful People" on MoFi vinyl right now, and it's smokin' the CD version.