Quad LP/Tape Poll Mancini, Henry, & Doc Severinsen: Brass, Ivory & Strings [CD-4/Q8/QR]

[EMB]

The duo's second collaboration, from 1973. Didn't sell particularly well, but RCA issued a Quad anyway, with a very nice die-cut cover design, but oddly the only reference to the album being Quad is on the back cover, nothing on the front(presumably a sticker was on the shrink originally):

Side 1:

1. Theme For Doc
2. Ben
3. Help Me Make It Through The Night
4. 'Round Midnight
5. Without You

Side 2:

1. Make It With You
2. Lover Man(Oh, Were Can You Be?)
3. Wave
4. Love Theme From Laura(from the Warner Bros. motion picture, "The Thief Who Came To Dinner")
5. I Can't Get Started

 

[EMB]

Pretty decent, active and creative mix...not Mancini's best, perhaps, but worth a listen or two...an '8' overall.

ED

 

[johmbolayaSQ]

I have not heard this, but would like to, and Hangin' Out With Henry Mancini.

 

[mtgc]

I have the Q8 cart of this music and it is, as we say down south, fair to middlin at best. Music is OK, not by any means an example of Mancini's better work.

MTGC (Michael)

 

[Doug G.]

"Theme for Doc" and "Love Theme for Laura" are really good. The rest are pleasant enough arrangements, I guess.

Of course, I have loved Doc's playing since listening to the Tonight Show band when I was a youngster but this is no "Fever".

The mix is fine with a nice spread around the four channels.

It just seems kind of uninspired like they really were recording elevator music, ya know?

Doug

 

[Quad Linda]

I bought this one on CD-4 when it was released. "Elevator music" is right, Doug. I always thought it was boring. Being a Mancini completist, I rebought this about 10 years ago on an import compact disc. The portion of the tray which is viewable when the CD cover is closed has the "Quadradisc" logo. I didn't know compact discs were released in CD-4. LOL!!

Linda

 

[EMB]

I recently came across and 2nd (or 3rd?) pressing of this album, with the late '70s black RCA label. What's interesting is that it's a standard cover, and the die-cut photo of Doc was simply ignored, so you see only Mancini and his name, while Doc is relegated to label and spine only. I can understand dumping the more expensive die-cut cover for later pressings, but couldn't someone have matted Doc in to replicate the original cover as you would have viewed it in the store?

ED

 

[JonUrban]

This was a title that I ALWAYS found in the quad bins at any record store that had one. A sure sign that it was a poor seller. The Q8 was also a favorite of the post-1978 cut-out bins. Single inventory title, right?

 

[Quad Linda]

Absolutely right, Ed. That reissue looked cheesy as hell. They obviously didn't care about Doc's pic. He was signed to another label, anyway.

The cover depicted in this thread looks like a modern CD cover, not from the CD-4 LP. Is it from a CD book? That RCA logo wasn't used back then. The CD-4 also had both names across the top, not Doc's on the bottom.

Linda the Bitch

I recently came across and 2nd (or 3rd?) pressing of this album, with the late '70s black RCA label. What's interesting is that it's a standard cover, and the die-cut photo of Doc was simply ignored, so you see only Mancini and his name, while Doc is relegated to label and spine only. I can understand dumping the more expensive die-cut cover for later pressings, but couldn't someone have matted Doc in to replicate the original cover as you would have viewed it in the store?

ED

 

[Doug G.]

Maybe Doc himself requested to have his photo removed from the cover hoping to remove his connection.



Doug

 

[Quad Linda]

Perhaps, but they did away with the flap, which was Doc's picture. Remember, these are the same geniuses who gave us Dynaflex. Spirit has a song called Gramaphone Man on their first album dedicated to the suits at RCA, who turned them down before Lou Adler signed them to Ode.

Linda
Gramophone mind that tells you to sing. Gramophone mind that wants what you bring. You'll find out too soon as you notice his ring.

Maybe Doc himself requested to have his photo removed from the cover hoping to remove his connection.



Doug

 

[EMB]

This was a title that I ALWAYS found in the quad bins at any record store that had one. A sure sign that it was a poor seller. The Q8 was also a favorite of the post-1978 cut-out bins. Single inventory title, right?

Yes, it was. Did make the charts, but then, Mancini's commercial fortunes peaked with his Romeo & Juliet single in '69; the '70s was pretty much just putting out album after album, many more concepts and projects than artistic successes.

The cover depicted in this thread looks like a modern CD cover, not from the CD-4 LP. Is it from a CD book? That RCA logo wasn't used back then. The CD-4 also had both names across the top, not Doc's on the bottom.

Yeah, I had to nick that one from the net. But it's basically what the quad Lp cover looked like before Doc's face was tossed, sans the RCA logo.

ED

 

[Quad Linda]

The CD-4 had a die-cut flap of Doc's head. The CD book is just standard. I expect if Doc asked for his pic no be removed, it wouldn't be on the CD cover. My guess is that the later LP issues lost Doc's head because the boneheads at RCA just took the artwork for the sleeve, and not the flap. Oops! If they were aware of it at all, they probably assumed that record buyers were as dumb as they were.

As a Mancicni completist, the 70's stuff was pretty bad. Late 50's & 60's were his heyday: Peter Gunn, Mr. Lucky, Breakfast at Tiffany's, etc., etc., etc.

Linda