Revisiting A&M Records No. 43
Richard Barbary: ‘Soul Machine’ (Summer ’68)
From liner notes penned by Ted Williams (of Record World, not baseball lore): ‘Have you ever had the pleasure of feeling you’ve “discovered” someone? I have, and it’s a together feeling.’
Revisiting A&M Records No. 42
Spooky Tooth: ‘It’s All About’ (July ’68)
Reissued as ‘Tobacco Road’ (June ’71)
Wish I could remember when and where and how I got the wrong impression of Spooky Tooth so I can revisit my younger self once time travel becomes possible and point out how misguided my assessment would be.
Revisiting A&M Records No. 40
Kai Winding & J.J. Johnson: ‘Israel’ (Summer ’68)
If stuffy jazzbos will forgive the comparison, this storied duo was to the late ‘60s what Silk Sonic is now: a much-heralded unification of esteemed forces.
Revisiting A&M Records No. 39
Phil Ochs: ‘Tape from California’ (July ’68)
When last we encountered the increasingly troubled, ultimately tragic antihero of the ‘60s folk scene, he had shed some (but never all) political skin in a bold leap away from his headlines-driven Elektra past and headlong into an expansive A&M era in which his allegorical approach might reach new sonic heights to match his imaginative wordplay.
Revisiting A&M Records No. 38
Artie Butler: ‘Have You Met Miss Jones?’ (May/June ’68)
First of all: get a load of that groovy cover! Easily my favorite from this late-‘60s run of CTI releases circulated by Mr. A’s & Mr. M’s burgeoning boutique.
Revisiting A&M Records No. 37
Pete Jolly: ‘Herb Alpert Presents Pete Jolly’ (April/May ‘68)
‘Since liner notes are seldom written by people who come into direct contact with the artist or the recording sessions in question, and since Pete Jolly really tells his own story inside this package, I’ll forego the usual copy on his first A&M release and simply say that I’m proud to have played a part in producing an album for people of all ages with one of the finest musicians in the world today.’
Revisiting A&M Records No. 36
Wes Montgomery: ‘Down Here on the Ground’ (April ‘68)
Perspectives shift and refocus with time and experience, that’s undeniable. So when I listen again to oft-maligned music from several decades ago, and discover how much I enjoy it, I still try my best to hear hints of what others once found so problematic.
Revisiting A&M Records No. 35
Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart:
‘I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonite?’ (April ’68)
I have only two quibbles over this pretty close to perfect proto-power-pop platter, the sort of still-sparkling gem you just know bands like Jellyfish and the Posies pored over at some point.
Revisiting A&M Records No. 34
Claudine Longet: ‘Love Is Blue’ (April ’68, possibly earlier)
Say this much for that ingenue de chanson then equally known as Mrs. Andy Williams: back in the ‘60s she had exquisite taste. Or, at least, the men (entirely men) shaping her sound and style did, though I can’t fathom even such a lightweight artist agreeing to sing just anything placed before her.
Revisiting A&M Records No. 32
‘Liza Minnelli’ (February ’68)
Despite its self-titling, this is far from the debut of Judy’s daughter. By the time she was about to turn 22 and relaunch her recording career via the auspices of Mr. A & Mr. M, Minnelli had already issued three LPs for Capitol Records, starting with ‘Liza! Liza!’ in ’64, the same year she embarked on her first national theatrical run as Luisa in the touring production of ‘The Fantasticks.’
But the reality remained that after four years of working her young tail off — including landing the lead in ‘Flora the Red Menace,’ her Broadway debut — Liza was still struggling to step out from her mother’s formidable shadow.
