A&M "Classics" CDs from the 1980s

Oddly A&M passed on the opportunity to do the first CD comp on Phil Ochs. That would come later as War Is Over.

 

You sucked me in w Herb Alpert. You lost me with Pablo Cruise.

 

I have this one with Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66.
Great track-list and from what I remember it sounded pretty good.

 

Yeah, I have this one, great collection, no problems with sound.

 

Figured I'd update the thread to give a better reflection of which titles I know are pressed Japan for US. I'm still trying to figure out which - if any - are ONLY available as US pressings, so maybe this will help.

Japan pressings I own:

Classics V2 - Carpenters
Classics V3 - Quincy Jones
Classic V4 - Joe Cocker
Classics V5 - Rita Coolidge
Classics V6 - Chuck Mangione
Classics V7 - Gino Vannelli
Classics V9 - Supertramp
Classics V10 - Atlantic Starr
Classics V11 - Brothers Johnson
Classics V12 - Peter Frampton
Classics V15 - Styx
Classics V17 - Procol Harum
Classics V20 - Herb Alpert
Classics V21 - Joan Armatrading
Classics V23 - Burt Bacharach

Titles I don't own but have seen online in Japanese pressings:

Classics V1 - Herb Alpert and Tijuana Brass

Titles I don't own and have NOT seen online in Japanese pressings:

Classics V8 - Joan Baez
Classics V13 - Nils Lofgren
Classics V14 - Humble Pie
Classics V16 - Nazareth
Classics V18 - Sergio Mendes and Brazil '66-'86
Classics V18 - Lani Hall
Classics V22 - Wes Montgomery
Classics V24 - Cat Stevens
Classics V25 - Squeeze
Classics V26 - Pablo Cruise
Classics V27 - LTD

Can anyone confirm Japanese pressings of the titles listed in the third category?

 

Oatsdad, just pulled my Lani Hall (which is V19-- those darn typos) and it is made in U.S.A. The backward dot matrix in the inner ring says ZAZ (or 2A2) D74 and the catalog number CD2517.

 

Whoops - you're right that I messed up the volume # for Lani Hall. Why couldn't you have responded while the edit window was still open???

Thanks for the info. I think it's possible Japan-for-US pressings exist for all of these, but I'd like to get documentation. If we hear from enough people who have certain titles and none of them are J-for-US, then I'll give up hope!

 

Styx-Classics was the first CD I ever heard in my life and my first musical present, back as an 8 year old in 1992. Loved the cd then and now.

 

The Peter Frampton volume 12 was one of my earliest cd purchases. Well done comp.
I have the Supertramp one too.

 

These are the Japan Denon pressings I have from your list above...

CV8 - Joan Baez
CV13 - Nils Lofgren
CV16 - Nazareth
CV24 - Cat Stevens

Hope this helps.

 

These are the only 2 that I have....

 

Wasn't the Carpenters' volume just the "Yesterday Once More" compilation with a new title and cover?

 

And didn't it have the original unremixed songs, before Richard had it pulled? I know this has been covered elsewhere on SHtv.

 

It does - thanks! It'd be even more helpful if you sold or traded them to me!

Logically, since we have documentation of Japan-for-US pressings through V24, it seems likely that J-for-US versions of all its predecessors as well.

That leaves J-for-US versions of the last 3 volumes in doubt more than any of the others. Would love to hear comments from any folks who own any of those!

 

If you look at the copyrights on these they start at 1986. My Styx CD is 1987. The Denon Digital USA plant opened in 1986.

Most of the early Classics series for USA market I have ever seen were pressed at one of the two Denon/NC plants in Japan or USA. So, Denon Japan pressings (for the US) are likely to be one and done for these since, the USA plant was open. The Denon USA pressings were quite plentiful by 1987. BMG used Denon back then for their own pressings as major supplier, so the club discs are commonly available Denon USA pressings, but contracted discs by BMG rather than the relabeled retail discs. No idea about Columbia House versions, which are likely from DADC.

 

I've got all but the Lani Hall CD. That seems to be a tough one to find. My copies are a mixture of Denon (J), Denon (USA) & DADC issues. None of my Japan issues are in your lower list.

 

Good post - thanks!

 

Thanks! I'd love to get "definitive word" on any titles that only exist in US pressings because then I can stop looking for non-existent Japan versions!

 

Add to that,Lani Hall's Classic Vol.18.Of course Ms. Hall is Mrs. Herb Alpert,so consider 3 out of the 27 titles,roughly 10% of the bunch,to be Herb & Lani.Add Lani into the Sergio Mendes mix,a vital group member and it grows a bit more.Why does the Lani Classic volume hold its value today?Because it was probably the poorest seller.As much as I love much of her material,she had no hits.Even her Bond song was the wrong Bond(come to think of it,Herb's Casino Royale also fits in that category).On top of that,A&M's early MOR material are only represented by the TJB & Brasil '66 comps.No Baja Marimba Band,Chris Montez,Sandpipers, Claudine Longet or Liza Minnelli, acts with enough material and at least the sales clout of Wes Montgomery's three A&M/CTI LPs,were ignored.Even a nice genre comp featuring a cut or two from these acts would have made the anniversary story a little better.

 

Aside from Phil Ochs, the Tubes, and Captain & Tennille, who else deserving was left off these label retrospectives? Were there plans for further issues?
Edit: Just saw this:
Baja Marimba Band,Chris Montez,Sandpipers, Claudine Longet or Liza Minnelli

 

How about The Police?

 

Good call, but their hits CD hadn't been out that long.

 

Agreed . . . but the same could be said for several artists who appeared in the A&M Classics series. For example, a CD version of the old Cat Stevens Greatest Hits LP was released a few years before the Classics Volume 24 CD.

 

Still, a reissue of the LP. Opportunity to expand on it. Greatest Hits went to a mid line.

 

I have two copies of Volume 1, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, one from Denon Japan and the other one a USA PDMC. The Japan version is the one with the track index error, while the US one is corrected.

The rest of the ones I have:

Volume 20, Herb solo is Denon Japan.
Volume 23, Bacharach is Denon Japan.
Volume 2, Carpenters is Made in USA.
Volume 19, Lani Hall is Denon USA.
Volume 6, Chuck Mangione is Denon Japan.
Volume 18, Sergio Mendes is Denon USA.
Volume 22, Wes Montgomery is Made In USA.
Volume 24, Cat Stevens is Made in USA.


The series was essentially a CD series, but I have seen a couple of these titles in other formats. For instance, I once saw this title on eBay - a foreign cassette without a volume number:



And I also saw the Tijuana Brass title as a cassette.

Harry