Tag: A&M
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Klark Kent, Klark Kent, 1980 on I.R.S. Records
Debut solo album from Klark Kent, a psuedonym for Stewart Copeland of The Police. Released on 10-inch vinyl but with a 12″ die-cut sleeve so that it fits alongside full-size LPs. Not sure why the name is misspelled on the label as Klerk Kant—maybe copyright issues with the owners of Clark Kent aka Superman? But…
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Joe Jackson’s Jumpin’ Jive, Jumpin’ Jive, 1981 on A&M
Joe Jackson always seemed to me a bit like someone out of the wrong time – though I loved his new wave / new romantic era and azz inflected records, on this one he went full on 1940s, covering songs from the swing and jump blues era. Some people feel like it is a gimmick…
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UB40, Rat in the Kitchen, 1986 on A&M
Seventh UB40 full length, on A&M in the US and DEP International / Virgin elsewhere. Love the title track as well as “Sing our Own Song,” with the rallying cry of the African National Congress (“Amandla Awethu”). Got to see them around this time in Minneapolis – what a fantastic live show they put on,…
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UB40, Labour of Love, 1983 on A&M
Fourth studio LP from UB40 – a collection of covers including their giant hit “Red Red Wine” – but don’t hold that against them. It’s really a fantastic album start to finish. “All of these songs were recorded by reggae artists between 1969 and 1972” – they came to “Red, Red, Wine” not via Neil…
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The League Unlimited Orchestra, Love and Dancing, 1982 on A&M
Remix album by The Human League, released in 1982 on Virgin in the UK, Europe and Canada and on A&M in the US. (Name inspired by Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra). I love the version of “Hard Times” here – mostly instrumental versions, remixed by Martin Rushent. This is another filing oddity – I put…
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Joe Jackson, Live 1980/86, 1988 on A&M
Recorded across four different tours in the early 80s, this double LP live album includes three versions of “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” on four sides – including an a cappella version and an acoustic version. Great live album and surprisingly hearing three versions of the same song is actually really compelling and…
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Sting, Bring On The Night, 1986 on A&M
Sting’s first solo live album, a 2xLP set recorded over multiple nights of a tour in 1985. Sting was touring here with Branford Marsalis, Darryl Jones, Kenny Kirkland, Omar Hakim and others – basically a killer jazz band. The band is incredibly tight and the energy of the shows is wonderful – even on songs…
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The Police, Zenyatta Mondatta, 1980 on A&M
Third album in the brilliant opening set of LPs from Sting, Stewart Copeland, and Andy Summers. Side one opens with “Don’t Stand So Close To Me,” “Driven To Tears,” and “When The World is Running Down, You Make The Best of What’s Still Around” – what a sequence! There’s such a tight and interesting rhythm…
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UB40, Little Baggariddim, 1985 on DEP International / A&M
Great EP by UB40 from the mid-eighties, including a duet with Chrissie Hynde covering Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe,” with a dub version on side 2. There’s also a new version of “One In Ten” from Present Arms There’s a full album called Baggariddim – this EP was only released in the US…
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Squeeze, East Side Story, 1981 on A&M
Squeeze’s fourth studio LP, between 1980’s Argybargy and 1982’s Sweets from a Stranger. This was the first album after Jools Holland departed, replaced by Paul Carrack, who provided lead vocals on “Tempted.” Produced by Elvis Costello and Roger Bechirian, except for “In Quintessence” which was produced by Dave Edmunds. My copy, via Academy Records in…
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Supertramp, Breakfast in America, 1979 on A&M.
Though I imagine it’s the one Supertramp album most folks could name, this was their sixth LP. It’s got “The Logical Song” “Goodbye Stranger” and “Take the Long Way Home” – all Billboard Top 100 singles. Love the iconic cover with the twin towers of the World Trade Center and Kate Murtagh in statue-of-liberty-as-waitress pose.…
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Squeeze, Sweets From a Stranger, 1982 on A&M
Fifth studio album from Squeeze, this one including Don Snow, John Bentley, and Gilson Lavis alongside Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook. and featuring “Black Coffee in Bed” with backing vocals from Elvis Costello and Paul Young. Lover the overlay flap on the front – “When it comes to Squeeze, they can’t be called ‘critics’” –…
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Various Artists, A Very Special Christmas, 1987 on A&M
Long before Maria’s “All I Want For Christmas” came this wonderful compilation to benefit Special Olympics International with a whos-who of mid-late 80s artists covering holiday songs: This is holiday music I can get behind – though Christmas in Hollis does have a certain earworm quality I still love it. Artwork by Keith Haring, of…
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Joe Jackson, Look Sharp!, 1979 on A&M
Joe Jackson’s debut full length, with “Is She Really Going Out With Him?,” “Fools In Love,” and “Sunday Papers.” Love this iconic cover photo by Brian Griffin. Recorded at Eden Studios in London, with the band including Graham Maby, Dave Houghton, and Gary Sanford – produced by David Kershenbaum. My copy is a promotional pressing…
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Joe Jackson, I’m the Man, 1979 on A&M
I knew Joe Jackson’s music from the early 80s – he was pretty hard to avoid on mainstream radio at that point – but I don’t think I really appreciated his unique talent until I was a bit older. This was his sophomore album, following 1978’s Look Sharp – and included the title track as…
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Joe Cocker, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, 1970 on A&M
Technically the soundtrack to the live movie of the same name, a sprawling live set with a tremendous band including (led by?) Leon Russell, across rock, soul and R&B. If you can only have one Joe Cocker album this probably ought to be it. Great renditions of “Cry Me A River,” “Bird on a Wire,”…
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Tim Finn, Escapade, 1983 on A&M
Tim Finn’s better known as one of the co-founders of Split Enz, and later member of Crowded House. This was his debut album as a solo artist, originally on Mushroom records, a large indie label in Australia, but distributed in the US by A&M. It was a #1 record in New Zealand, top ten in…
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Squeeze, Cool for Cats, 1979 on A&M
Second album from the late 70s power-pop version of Squeeze (aka UK Squeeze) with Jools Holland joining Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook. The “UK Squeeze” name was ropped for later releases in the US, but was still used in Australia up through Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti. This album includes the title track as well as…