The Inner Sleeve

[A Lark Ascending]

Stumbled on these today:

I'm 14/15, can only afford one LP a month (probably a Chicago one in the case of these) and these tantalising inserts suggest a strange and wonderful world. I recall one with an advert for 'Live Evil' that had me curious about Miles Davis.

Harvest - the EMI prog label - also did these.

Other labels at:

http://www.woebot.com/movabletype/archives/cat_special.html

[A Lark Ascending]

A Harvest one here:

[JSngry]

Yeah, I remember those...mostly written by Mort Goode IIRC.

I was about the same age as you, Bev, and was buying a ot of Columbia product. Those Inner Sleeve things did indeed do what they set out to do, which was to arouse curiosity and, if nothing more put the name of the artist or band in your head.

but of course, that was also a time when people were hungry for that type of thing.

[A Lark Ascending]

What was odd was the way they mixed things up - you might get a Perry Como or Andy Williams blurb alongside Johnny Winters or Al Kooper.

They also went for more niche-marketed inner sleeves, without worrying what record they turned up in. I'm sure my Soft Machine 'Third' (bought Dec, 1972... I remember these things!) had both discs with inner sleeves devoted to MOR favourites. I can almost see myself scowling with contempt as I viewed it on the bus home (I vividly recall that trip!).

[sidewinder]

I've got tons of these 'Inner Sleeves' from the early 1970s. I think they stopped doing them around 1975. My Miles 2LP sets, Soft Machines, Don Ellis twofers etc. all have them. Always found them quite an interesting read. Interesting to see who they were promoting at the time - Johnny and Edgar Winter, Johnny Mathis, Soft Machine, Janis Ian etc.

[sidewinder]

I'm sure my Soft Machine 'Third' (bought Dec, 1972... I remember these things!) had both discs with inner sleeves devoted to MOR favourites. I can almost see myself scowling with contempt as I viewed it on the bus home (I vividly recall that trip!).

Yeah, I had the same reaction with my 'Bitches Brew' (Ray Conniff, Mirielle Mathieau etc.)

[Big Beat Steve]

I'm sure my Soft Machine 'Third' (bought Dec, 1972... I remember these things!) had both discs with inner sleeves devoted to MOR favourites. I can almost see myself scowling with contempt as I viewed it on the bus home (I vividly recall that trip!).

Yeah, I had the same reaction with my 'Bitches Brew' (Ray Conniff, Mirielle Mathieau etc.)

Ha, same reaction here too ...

Must have bought quite a few CBS and Epic LPs in my early collecting days of the mid-70s, and I distinctly remember how it struck me as EXTREMELY odd how they mixed all sorts of music into one mishmash of sales blurb on those inner sleeves. Prog rock stuff - O.K, not my cup of tea in those early rockabilly, Merseybeat, swing and blues collecting days of mine, but I had seen and heard a handful of these at my friends' homes, but then you'd see Johnny Winter or those Bessie Smith reissue twofers (so far, so well) being promoted next to, say, Andy Williams (see above) or horrible pseudo Russian folk warbler Ivan Rebroff or German pop chirps Katja Ebstein or Mary Roos! Aw my gawd - pure shlock all the way and something you as a rock-minded teen wouldn not have touched with a HUNDRED-foot pole ever!

To add insult to injury, imagine that kind of crap promo on an inner sleeve of a Link Wray album on Epic in the hands of a 16-year old with a somewhat eccentric (by mid-70s teen standards ) music taste ! :D Totally out of tune and out of style!

What crap, I thought - if they can promote EVERYTHING as being the ULTIMATE then what is there that's actually worth listening?

I've come across a few more of those sleeves in CBS jazz reissue albums bought secondhand in later years, and each time those mixed reactions from the 70s came floating back.

Somehow those 50s and early 60s Capitol inner sleeves with album cover thumbnails from their catalog left a slightly more favorable impression ....

Edited July 23, 2009 by Big Beat Steve

[Guest Bill Barton]

Cool!

[sidewinder]

or horrible pseudo Russian folk warbler Ivan Rebroff or German pop chirps Katja Ebstein or Mary Roos!

Thankfully they never made it onto the UK 'Inner Sleeves' (at least I think so). The French stuff was as 'International' as it got (but maybe Thijs van Lier and Focus got a look in). Plus the US schlockmeisters, folk, country and prog-rockists, of course.

Edited July 23, 2009 by sidewinder

[Hot Ptah]

I often read these Inner Sleeves. I noticed that after I would get an album mentioned in the Inner Sleeve, that it was not nearly as exciting as the author of the Inner Sleeve had portrayed it to be.

[Head Man]

I often read these Inner Sleeves. I noticed that after I would get an album mentioned in the Inner Sleeve, that it was not nearly as exciting as the author of the Inner Sleeve had portrayed it to be.

It was ever thus!

[A Lark Ascending]

In the process of purging my loft I found the 1972 Soft Machine double LP. So here are a few scans (apologies for rudimentary Photoshop skills):

Inner Sleeve containing Disc 1 (Soft Machine fans were well known for also loving Andy Williams):

How many Andy Williams albums did anyone need? I have a nice 1 CD compilation but....

Inner Sleeve containing disc 2:

And there's the Live Evil report that entranced my fevered, newly Mahavishnu-ed, 17 year old brain. I'd love to track down a copy of that Lesley Duncan album - there's a beautiful song on there called 'Love Song' that Elton John had some success with. I recall the original from late night 'progressive' radio, where singer-songwriters would sit cheek-by-jowel with Yes, English country rock bands, Elton Dean's Just Us and Martin Carthy!!!!! Those were the days!

Here's a close up of the 'Live Evil' talk-up:

"He's something else."

Priceless!

And what is all that 'Mother Figure' stuff?

Edited July 31, 2009 by Bev Stapleton

[Jazzmoose]

For some reason, this brought back memories of those $5 samplers you could order (Reprise? Warner Brothers? Damned if I remember) that I could never afford to even consider as my music budget back then limited me to one or two LPs a month.

[JSngry]

For some reason, this brought back memories of those $5 samplers you could order (Reprise? Warner Brothers? Damned if I remember)

Both...the "Loss Leaders" series. And IIRC, they started out at a buck each and would often enough contain material not available elsewhere, at least early on...

http://www.dustbury.com/music/wbloss.html

http://www.dustbury.com/music/wblist2.html

[mjzee]

Yah, I had a number of these. Very fond memories of them. "Songbook"'s cover was by Cal Schenkel. "October 10, 1969" was a quiet masterpiece. "The Big Ball" was just wonderful (very long sides, too, as I recall...over 25 minutes per side). For a long time, this was the only way you could get Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well." I had the prior version of "Zapped," with a different cover and slightly different song selection. The last one I got contiguously was "Together." I did wind up getting "Troublemakers," but couldn't tell you how.

I absolutely loved WB/Reprise because they had such a depth of artists, and these albums were really the only way to get exposed to them. Thanks to this series, I got to know The Pentangle ("Sweet Child"), Family, The Everly Brothers' "T For Texas", Pearls Before Swine, Levitt & McClure, The Fifth Avenue Band, the folkie Dion, Tim Dawe, Hard Meat, John Simon, Jimmy Webb ("P.F. Sloan" - what a wonderful song!), John and Beverley Martyn...looking at these albums is sending me down memory lane!

And these albums were really programmed well. Each side really flowed as music. And it seemed the only place at the time where Frank Zappa and his label's artists got any respect as, well, artists.

Thanks for posting this link, Jim.

[JSngry]

Yeah, hard to believe now, but WB/Reprise used to have a reputation as an "artist's label" from the late 60's thru the mid 70s...they even tried to get people to listen to Van Dyke Parks by, what was it, giving away or selling for a penny, copies of Song Cycle...it was a different time then...

[A Lark Ascending]

I remember this one...bought it in WH Smiths in St. Austell of all places:

Side One

1.Led Zeppelin: "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham) - 3:53 (from "Immigrant Song" US single b-side, cat. no. 2777, 1970)

2.Loudon Wainwright III: "Motel Blues" (L. Wainwright) - 2:43 (from Album II, cat. no. K40272, 1971)

3.Gordon Haskell: "Sitting by the Fire" (Haskell) - 3:41 (from It Is and It Isn't, cat. no. K40311, 1972)

4.Dr. John: "Where Ya at Mule" (Mac Rebennack) - 4:55 (from The Sun, Moon & Herbs, cat. no. K40250, 1971)

5.Buffalo Springfield: "Bluebird" (Stephen Stills) - 4:28 (from Buffalo Springfield Again, cat. no. K40014, 1967)

6.Delaney, Bonnie & Friends: "Only You Know And I Know" (Dave Mason) - 3:24 (from D&B Together, cat. no. CBS KC 31377, 1972)

[edit] Side Two

1.Cactus: "Long Tall Sally" (Richard Penniman) - 3:03 (from One Way...Or Another, cat. no. K12345, 1971)

2.Jonathan Edwards: "Everybody Knows Her" (Edwards) - 1:53 (from Jonathan Edwards, cat. no. K40282, 1971)

3.The J. Geils Band: "I Don't Need You No More" (Peter Wolf, Seth Justman) – 2:35 (from The Morning After, cat. no. K40293, 1971)

4.John Prine: "Sam Stone" (Prine) – 4:14 (from John Prine cat. no. K40357, 1971)

5.Yes: "America" (Paul Simon) – 10:30 (previously unreleased)

The Led Zepp and Yes tracks were unavailable elsewhere at the time - and I took a real liking to Loudon, Buffalo Springfield, the elaney and Bonnie track and John Prine as a result.

Though this was the most influential cheapo sampler for me:

A 2LP Island records treasure trove - I ended up following most of the artists on it - Fairport, Fotheringay, John Martyn, Traffic etc.

I also recall hearing this one though I never owned it:

Edited August 1, 2009 by Bev Stapleton

[JSngry]

See, there was actually a time when "giving away" music was viewed as a good promotional tool...Don't know what that one went for, Bev, but the WB/Reprise samplers were $1.00 per record.

[sidewinder]

3.Gordon Haskell: "Sitting by the Fire" (Haskell) - 3:41 (from It Is and It Isn't, cat. no. K40311, 1972)

He still lives near at Ashmore near Shaftesbury, I believe. Had a bit of a comeback a few years ago with a chart single.

I bought quite a few jazz samplers in the early/mid 70s. My vaourite is an MPS/BASF one with some killer tracks on it by the likes of John Taylor ('Piano Power Vol 2') and naff cover art with an Earl Hines lookalike in pimp suit smoking a cheroot.

Sometimes see the occasional Vertigo 2LP sampler album in the racks. Usually though they are totally trashed !

[A Lark Ascending]

He still lives near at Ashmore near Shaftesbury, I believe. Had a bit of a comeback a few years ago with a chart single.

He did indeed. I recall him as the vocalist (and, I think bass player) on King Crimson's 'Lizard'. Don't think he liked the experience much...I get the impression he was more of a balladeer. The music he had to sing on 'Lizard' was verging on free jazz (well, polytonal jazz!) and the lyrics were bonkers....'See the slinky-sealed circus policeman, bareback ladies have fish.'

[Jazzjet]

I remember this one...bought it in WH Smiths in St. Austell of all places:

Side One

1.Led Zeppelin: "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" (Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, John Bonham) - 3:53 (from "Immigrant Song" US single b-side, cat. no. 2777, 1970)

2.Loudon Wainwright III: "Motel Blues" (L. Wainwright) - 2:43 (from Album II, cat. no. K40272, 1971)

3.Gordon Haskell: "Sitting by the Fire" (Haskell) - 3:41 (from It Is and It Isn't, cat. no. K40311, 1972)

4.Dr. John: "Where Ya at Mule" (Mac Rebennack) - 4:55 (from The Sun, Moon & Herbs, cat. no. K40250, 1971)

5.Buffalo Springfield: "Bluebird" (Stephen Stills) - 4:28 (from Buffalo Springfield Again, cat. no. K40014, 1967)

6.Delaney, Bonnie & Friends: "Only You Know And I Know" (Dave Mason) - 3:24 (from D&B Together, cat. no. CBS KC 31377, 1972)

[edit] Side Two

1.Cactus: "Long Tall Sally" (Richard Penniman) - 3:03 (from One Way...Or Another, cat. no. K12345, 1971)

2.Jonathan Edwards: "Everybody Knows Her" (Edwards) - 1:53 (from Jonathan Edwards, cat. no. K40282, 1971)

3.The J. Geils Band: "I Don't Need You No More" (Peter Wolf, Seth Justman) – 2:35 (from The Morning After, cat. no. K40293, 1971)

4.John Prine: "Sam Stone" (Prine) – 4:14 (from John Prine cat. no. K40357, 1971)

5.Yes: "America" (Paul Simon) – 10:30 (previously unreleased)

The Led Zepp and Yes tracks were unavailable elsewhere at the time - and I took a real liking to Loudon, Buffalo Springfield, the elaney and Bonnie track and John Prine as a result.

Though this was the most influential cheapo sampler for me:

A 2LP Island records treasure trove - I ended up following most of the artists on it - Fairport, Fotheringay, John Martyn, Traffic etc.

I also recall hearing this one though I never owned it:

There were also a couple of 70s CBS samplers - 'Fill Your Head With Rock' and 'The Rock Machine Turns You On'. This was when CBS put out a lot of prog like Flock, United States of America etc. There was also another Island cheapo sampler called El Pea and an earlier one called 'You Can All Join In'. The latter, if I recall, had a photo of a group of hairy Island label 'stars' photographed early morning ( non rock n' roll hours ) on Hampstead Heath. Jethro Tull - probably the biggest Island stars at the time - thought it would be a good idea to loon around at the back of the group and remain obscure in the photo. Just imagine how many PR people, advisers, consultants. PA's etc it would take nowadays to prevent that kind of thing happening.

[A Lark Ascending]

See, there was actually a time when "giving away" music was viewed as a good promotional tool...Don't know what that one went for, Bev, but the WB/Reprise samplers were $1.00 per record.

I've seen a copy of 'The New Age of Atlantic' with a 99p sticker on. Which, thinking about it, wasn't that cheap. A full LP cost £1.99 in those days.

[sidewinder]

He still lives near at Ashmore near Shaftesbury, I believe. Had a bit of a comeback a few years ago with a chart single.

He did indeed. I recall him as the vocalist (and, I think bass player) on King Crimson's 'Lizard'. Don't think he liked the experience much...I get the impression he was more of a balladeer. The music he had to sing on 'Lizard' was verging on free jazz (well, polytonal jazz!) and the lyrics were bonkers....'See the slinky-sealed circus policeman, bareback ladies have fish.'

I have the feeeling that I might have passed him in the street in Shaftesbury High Street a few weeks ago. A Dorset man through and through !

Anyone see that repeat of the 'Prog Rock' night programmes on BBC4 last night? Still chuckling over the disco dancing to 'Atomic Rooster' on TOTP and Rick Wakeman in witches hat live open air at Tintagel Castle. Those were the days !

Edited August 1, 2009 by sidewinder

[A Lark Ascending]

There were also a couple of 70s CBS samplers - 'Fill Your Head With Rock' and 'The Rock Machine Turns You On'. This was when CBS put out a lot of prog like Flock, United States of America etc. There was also another Island cheapo sampler called El Pea and an earlier one called 'You Can All Join In'.

I remember those too - though I only saw the earlier Island samplers on a rather nice promo brochure Island put out with nice colour reproductions of all its releases. I think they had vanished by the time I was buying records from mid-1970 onwards.

[sidewinder]

'See the slinky-sealed circus policeman, bareback ladies have fish.'

Very Prog !