A&M Label Swap

[AandMFan]

Ok now I know that when Quincy Jones' blockbuster album The Dude came out the red A&M label had already started being used like for The Carpenters Made in America album. The 45's from the Dude were the red label and yet the white label with the large A and M brown letters were used on the LP. Don't believe me, check eBay. All LP's have the white label and the 45's have the red label. Does anyone know what happened? I personally never cared for the red label and liked the white one.

 

[Rudy]

The red label wasn't used on albums for the most part, although there are one or two exceptions (Carpenters being the only one I know of).

 

[Actorman]

Interesting. In my head I've always thought it went from the silver/tan one, to the red one and then the black one as the standard for albums. But now that I think about it, the silver/tan one was used on Janet Jackson's Control which was years after Made In America. I guess I always assumed that the LP labels mirrored the single lables, but I realize not that's not the case.

After they went through the trouble to design a new label, I wonder why they decided to not use it on the albums yet keep using it on the singles. This is the kind wierd little details I'd love to know about!

And I agree with AandMFan. I never cared much for the red label design either.

While we're on the subject of LP labels, I think that A&M probably did more custom LP labels than any other company. Just off the top of my head I can think of: Carpenters' Kind of Hush and Passage, Styx's Paradise Theatre and Kilroy Was Here, Supertramp's Breakfast In America, Rita Coolidge/Kris Kristofferson's Full Moon, Captain & Tennille's Greatest Hits, all three Go-Go's albums (on IRS), and several Police and Sting albums. Maybe I'm just a total geek, but I always got a big thrill from sliding a new album out of the jacket for the first time and seeing a custom label.

 

[Mr Bill]

The red, white and black label was used for singles only (and there are two versions of it or its accompanying sleeve as well). The final LP label (the black one) also exists in blue versions and red versions (and white for promo vinyl). It's worth noting that when an LP went back to press, the repressings would use the most current label which is why you'll see classic A&M LPs with the tan/silver and (however briefly) the black/silver.

I was in the midst of a label gallery showing the evolution of the A&M and affiliated labels when my computer died. (I was removing the text to show a true generic label -- very tough with the silver/tan scheme and it's 'screen' dot design). Eventually the gallery will be posted... As for the red label on Carps MIA I believe the label was made just for that LP and it was decided it would work swell as a generic label -- at least for the 45s...

--Mr. Bill

 

[Rudy]

Our cohort W.B. would probably back this up as well.

The Styx "Paradise Theater" label has something else unique about it. Anyone care to guess?

 

[A&M Retro]

Very interesting! It's cool that A&M did something unique for the Carpenters' comeback LP, "Made In America". Makes sense. They did sell a ton of records for the label, and they certainly earned a special label for that album.
I remember the day I found the ad in Billboard that the album was coming out. I couldn't believe it. Then, I saw "Touch Me When We're Dancing" with a bullet at #71, I believe. The record store didn't have it, so I went to another one which sold 'hot' records....a store owned by the mob of Kansas City, Mo. THEY did have it....lol.
I remember opening that LP in '81 and being very surprised to see the red label for the first time.
It WAS a thrill to open vinyl LPs for the first time. Some of them even had a distiinct 'smell' about them. (i.e.) The Beatles' "Rock and Roll Music" compilation.

 

[Actorman]

Our cohort W.B. would probably back this up as well.

The Styx "Paradise Theater" label has something else unique about it. Anyone care to guess?

I'm not sure about the label, but I remember the actual record having the band's logo etched into the vinyl. It was a really cool effect I have never seen used on any other record since. Is that what you're referring to?

 

[Actorman]

I was in the midst of a label gallery showing the evolution of the A&M and affiliated labels when my computer died. (I was removing the text to show a true generic label -- very tough with the silver/tan scheme and it's 'screen' dot design). Eventually the gallery will be posted...

Sounds awesome, Mr. Bill! Can't wait to see that.

 

[AM Matt]

The first 45 that I saw with the red & black A&M label was the song "Hold On Loosely" by .38 Special (from 1981 "Wild Eyed Southern Boys"). Matt Clark Sanford, MI

 

[Mike Blakesley]

The Styx "Paradise Theater" label has something else unique about it. Anyone care to guess?

I'm pretty sure it had both side 1 and side 2 listed on the same label...to leave the other side of the record blank for the laser etching. (Am I right?)

I also think they did the same thing with at least one Split Enz album -- or two maybe? I know WAIATA was laser-etched for sure.

 

[A&M Retro]

I do remember the Split Enz single, "One Step Ahead" was also etched. I still have it.

 

[toeknee4bz]

I was also excited to get new A&M releases with custom labels. The one A&M artist who baffled me with only one custom label was, of all people, Herb Alpert! Aside from UNDER A SPANISH MOON, I don't know of any of Herb's albums with a custom label. (Unless somebody knows about another one...)

Tony

 

[A&M Retro]

That is interesting! I can't think of another one, either.

 

[Mr Bill]

Aside from UNDER A SPANISH MOON, I don't know of any of Herb's albums with a custom label. (Unless somebody knows about another one...)

Magic Man has a label that thematically matches the purple of the jacket and inner sleeve. Regardless of record company, custom labels were usually only used on initial pressings of albums. Later pressings would often resort to the stock label. This just means your copy of Magic Man was a later pressing...

--Mr. Bill

 

[A&M Retro]

On another note:
The first copy I ever saw of the white label with the newer white/tan logo was Carpenters "Singles '69-'73" LP. Does anybody know if that was the first ever A&M album to use that logo for the LPs?
I also remember that "Top of the World" was issued alongside the album with both the tan/yellow A&M label AND the white/tan logo. Must be the only single that used both.

 

[Harry]

Don't forget the custom label for Carpenters A KIND OF HUSH.

Harry

 

[A&M Retro]

That was a great one. Better custom label than album cover. Except for the inside, which had all the Carpenters logos printed in there.

 

[Harry]

The Japanese mini-LP CD from the 35th Anniversary box set got everything just right:

Harry

 

[A&M Retro]

Too cool! I have that one, too. I should have bought the whole set when I had the chance.
I have "A Song For You", "Ticket to Ride", "Carpenters" and "Horizon", as well as this one. Wish I had "Close to You" and "Offering" versions, too.
Thanks for the scan!

 

[toeknee4bz]

Aside from UNDER A SPANISH MOON, I don't know of any of Herb's albums with a custom label. (Unless somebody knows about another one...)

Magic Man has a label that thematically matches the purple of the jacket and inner sleeve. Regardless of record company, custom labels were usually only used on initial pressings of albums. Later pressings would often resort to the stock label. This just means your copy of Magic Man was a later pressing...
--Mr. Bill

Actually I do have the pink & purple labeled MAGIC MAN label. I wasn't really counting it as a "custom label" due to the fact that it's really just a color change of the standard A&M label. However, it does have the foggy, smoky font of "Magic Man" on the bottom, and this would qualify it as custom. My apologies ...

Tony

 

[Rudy]

The Styx "Paradise Theater" label has something else unique about it. Anyone care to guess?

I'm pretty sure it had both side 1 and side 2 listed on the same label...to leave the other side of the record blank for the laser etching. (Am I right?)

Yep, that was it! (You win a 4-wheeler. )

I'm wondering what happened after the initial run of LPs. I'm guessing they jsut ditched the custom label and went with the standard A&M white/tan at that time.

Some of the other Styx LPs had the Styx logo on them. And, I can't recall what Roboto had for an original label.

Supertramp had a custom label for Breakfast In America.

 

[Dave]

I thought Cat Stevens had a custom label for a few of his albums...

And don't forget one of the FIRST A&M Custom Labels: Cheryl Dilcher...!



Dave

 

[toeknee4bz]

Some of the other Styx LPs had the Styx logo on them. And, I can't recall what Roboto had for an original label.

Before PARADISE THEATER, Styx albums THE GRAND ILLUSION, PIECES OF EIGHT and CORNERSTONE featured the standard A&M label, with the "Styx" logo imitating the same font as it's cover.

"Roboto" came from KILROY WAS HERE, which had a custom label matching the cover art/font, same as CAUGHT IN THE ACT/LIVE.

FYI,
Tony

 

[A&M Retro]

"Breakfast In America" also had a cool custom label.
Incidentally, I saw a video recently where the Carpenters' secretary had allowed a large group of fans to tour the famous home shortly after their Mom passed away (1996). The room Karen used when she would visit has a poster of "Breakfast in America" on the bedroom wall.
She was apparently a big fan of Supertramp! I'm sure it wasn't hard for her to get the poster....lol.

 

[Rudy]

"Roboto" came from KILROY WAS HERE, which had a custom label matching the cover art/font, same as CAUGHT IN THE ACT/LIVE.

That's what I thought. I guess the album title and label was as memorable as the music.

Equinox would have made for a cool custom label...