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. 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. 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.’
This is a fun if inconsequential ‘89 salute to early rock ‘n’ roll staples that has gone overlooked for so long, no one’s even bothered to rip a quality copy of the thing onto YouTube.
Newbies, start here.
Yes, of course: Every quality collection ought to include Rumours. Bet yours already does. True devotees also would/should want pressings of the self-titled ‘75 LP, probably Tusk, either of the ‘80s titles or both, plus at least a representative platter for both the Bob Welch era (I vote Bare Trees) and the foundational Peter Green years (Then Play On is tops, although there’s a Greatest Hits for that phase as well, from ‘71).
From this 21st century vantage point it seems pretty obvious that Christopher Cross was never going to match the improbable success of his start.
Never mind additional hype heaped on him by Grammy voters, who in February ‘81 made him the first (and, until Billie Eilish in 2020, only) recording artist in history with a clean sweep of the top categories, taking home trophies for album, record and song of the year as well as best new artist. (No need to re-litigate past injustices over who or what he beat, like the Pretenders for that last crown or Pink Floyd’s The Wall for the LP prize. It’s well-known the Grammys were myopic and rock-averse back then.)
Roughly a decade ago the archivists at Disney put out a comprehensive 2CD ‘Legacy Collection’ of this soundtrack that captures not only the cute flick’s complete score for the first time but also extras from the studio’s legendary songwriting Sherman Brothers that were cut from the finished film, the last to be greenlit by Walt himself.
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.
This may very well be the finest example of pure soundtrack ever created — not merely a collection of tunes and interludes but a truly transporting listening experience capable of conjuring the film’s vivid imagery sight unseen.
This is far from the final installment in my deep dive into Christine McVie’s discography; there are 15 more posts to write after this one. But it is the last (thus far) of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘alternate’ albums comprising demos and different takes of material both beloved and overlooked.
