Warner Brothers "Loss Leaders"

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JonUrban

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Here's a suggestion for ForagingRhino that might be interesting to some.

How many of you old timers remember the LP series put out by WB in the '69-'75 era? They were, as I recall, Double LP's sold via mail order for $2 (!!) and included tracks from a large array of WEA artists. It's quite true that many fans discovered artists by purchasing these samplers. I know I had a few like "The Big Ball" and "Schlagers" (or something like that)

Anyway, how cool would it be to release a QUADIO LOSS-LEADER, as a way to pull the very best tracks off of the WB Quadradisc catalog, albums that would not merit having a full blown release, but maybe having a track or two the deserve to be preserved in quad for the future audio listeners. Examples are "Pick Up the Pieces" from AWB, "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack, a Spinners hit or two from "The Spinners", "Send in the Clowns" from Judy, "Never Let Her Go" from David Gates (the song), all of the 'good' tracks from LPs that would NEVER have a chance to get a QUADIO release. I am sure that we all could come up with a list of WEA Quadradisc tracks that would make the list, but with the world moving away from disc based music, unless WB/Rhino chooses to sell quad downloads of the '70s quads, this might be the last chance to get some of these songs out to the world.

Of course it wouldn't be a $2 release, or a LOSS LEADER, but they could package it as an homage to that piece of WEA History. I think it would be sweet.

What do you all think? How about some suggestions for a track list. Remember use only WEA titles released as Q8's or CD-4 LPs. Suggesting stuff that was never released by WB would be a waste of space.
 
Here's a suggestion for ForagingRhino that might be interesting to some.

How many of you old timers remember the LP series put out by WB in the '69-'75 era? They were, as I recall, Double LP's sold via mail order for $2 (!!) and included tracks from a large array of WEA artists. It's quite true that many fans discovered artists by purchasing these samplers. I know I had a few like "The Big Ball" and "Schlagers" (or something like that)

Anyway, how cool would it be to release a QUADIO LOSS-LEADER, as a way to pull the very best tracks off of the WB Quadradisc catalog, albums that would not merit having a full blown release, but maybe having a track or two the deserve to be preserved in quad for the future audio listeners. Examples are "Pick Up the Pieces" from AWB, "Killing Me Softly" by Roberta Flack, a Spinners hit or two from "The Spinners", "Send in the Clowns" from Judy, "Never Let Her Go" from David Gates (the song), all of the 'good' tracks from LPs that would NEVER have a chance to get a QUADIO release. I am sure that we all could come up with a list of WEA Quadradisc tracks that would make the list, but with the world moving away from disc based music, unless WB/Rhino chooses to sell quad downloads of the '70s quads, this might be the last chance to get some of these songs out to the world.

Of course it wouldn't be a $2 release, or a LOSS LEADER, but they could package it as an homage to that piece of WEA History. I think it would be sweet.

What do you all think? How about some suggestions for a track list. Remember use only WEA titles released as Q8's or CD-4 LPs. Suggesting stuff that was never released by WB would be a waste of space.

LOVE this idea! (And I loved those "Loss Leaders." Can't tell you how many artists I was hepped to by Big Red Ball alone...)
 
I sent my lawnmowing money in cash for Schlagers and Big Ball and never received anything!

Maybe a couple of Seals and Crofts tracks? I think there was one James Gang title and a Black Oak Arkansas title that fell under that distribution, but we're not talking hidden treasures there. Doobie Brothers, of course, but that has it's own thread of speculation.

I fear that respondents who recall Big Ball etc. will get spammed with offers selling medical alerts, staircase-to-elevator conversions....
 
A great idea, I have often discovered artists new to me via these sort of compilations, and there must be enough tracks in the vaults to do a few Quad releases
 
I'm all for this, even though I have never heard of Big Red Ball or Schlagers. Im gonna have to google them.
EDIT: Anyways yes, a compilation would be nice. I'm not a big soul fan (Sly Stone is as funky as I get) but a thoughtful variety of genres would be welcome.

Apparently the title is just "Big Ball" (although the ball is red). Both are double vinyl collections. Seems "Schlagers" was a bit more easy listening that "Big Ball". Lots of bigger names performing some of their lesser known repertoire. Certainly they were samplers designed to persuade you to purchase more music from the artists you enjoyed (without giving away the bigger hits). I would think Rhino's interest would be the success of the release itself, not in drumming up additional interest in the artists. But I also wouldn't care if there were a few Quadio tracks that have already been released (...Chicago, Doobies) if it is intended to drum up additional interest in Quadio. I can see something like a solitary Seals & Crofts tune on a Quadio sampler resulting in greater interest in the later release of a Seals & Crofts full studio release.
 
I suppose if AF was able to assemble their own quad sampler disc from various artists under different management, this is totally doable for Rhino.

I have quite of few of the WEA CD-4 LPs by less popular artists (Spinners, Souther-Furay-Hillman Band, AWB, Black Oak Arkansas, David Gates, etc) and they are all really good mixes.

Honestly, I'd buy anything (entire albums or track compilations) from this list:
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/WB.htm
 
What a fabulous idea - so much great material it would be easy to replicate a double album sampler.

A great chance to revive the original logo - William Stout's portrait of Dr Rhino's less reputable uncle Rocky Rhino - as well.
 
Ha Ha. I was just looking at these the other day. I have Zapped, Looney Tunes, Non-Dairy Creamer and Together. :LOL:
 
I religiously purchased all those $2 double disc WB Loss Leader LPs through Rolling Stone Magazine and indeed it was an effective way of introducing me to New Music.

I already posited the idea that Warners should clean out their vaults by releasing a potpourri of QUAD BD~As and stuff them into one box but Jon, your idea ain't so bad. I know when AF released their COLLECTION QUAD SACD it was met with lukewarm reception as they duplicated a lot of tracks already released as AF QUAD SACDs but heck, Warner owns all these titles so I'm sure it wouldn't be a stretch for them to release a double/triple BD~A loaded with disparate cuts from different albums in QUAD.

And, hopefully, they won't make the mistake of duplicating cuts already released on BD~A [like Chicago, Moondance, Doors and the upcoming Doobie QUADIO boxset, etc.]

Could sure use some Joni Mitchell, CSNY, CSN, Eagles, Jackson Browne, Carly Simon, Charles Mingus, Gordon Lightfoot, Seals & Croft, David Gates, Bette Midler, J Geils Band, Herbie Mann Modern Jazz Quartet,, Donny Hathaway, Randy Newman, Arlo Guthrie, Average White Band, Beaver & Krause, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, Tracy Chapman to name a few!

NOTE: WB Albums rumored to have a QUAD remix include: James Taylor: Sweet Baby James, Jimi Hendrix: Crash Landing, J Geils Band: Bloodshot, Carly Simon: Another Passenger, Queen: Queen, Gordon Lightfoot: Gord's Gold, Bonnie Raitt: Takin' My Time, Leo Sayer: Another Year, Rod Stewart: Atlantic Crossing, Smiler, Uriah Heep: Return to Fantasy, Frank Zappa: One Size Fits All, Dionne Warwick: Track of the Cat.

Some titles announced by WB for DVD~A 5.1 release were Joni Mitchell: Blue, CSNY, the Cars, Madonna's Greatest Hits & one more, Neil Young's After the Gold Rush, Frank Sinatra's September of My Years, Greatest Hits among others. Whether they were actually remixed for 5.1 is unknown.

Both Sinatra and Hendrix titles may have reverted to their respective estates and might be off the list [MOST unfortunately].
 
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The Hoffman thread looks like it will keep me busy for a while!

I got a few used but the first one I got new through the mail was Troublemakers, the last one I think. Pretty good record especially at the time, and it led me to a few things. They all led me to things that made me buy more records, it seemed like very good marketing for them and us.

Brief thread derail here, but one of them had a couple Van Dyke Parks things. One was an atmospheric (car?) commercial. I wonder where those were from or if if they were otherwise unreleased.
 
After a quick run through of the WEA '70s Quad catalog I came up with a few candidates for the fictional release:

Alice Cooper - No More Mr. Nice Guy
Allman Brothers - Blue Sky
Allman Brothers - Melissa
America - Sister Golden Hair
Aretha Franklin - Chain of Fools
Arlo Guthrie - Lovesick Blues
Arteha Franklin - Respect
Average White Band - Pick Up the Pieces
Bette Midler - Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Black Sabbath - Ironman
Bob Dylan - On a Night Like This
Bread -
Carly Simon -
David Gates - Clouds
David Gates - Never Let Her Go
Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water
Dionne Warwick - Then Came You
Eagles -
Eric Clapton - I Shot the Sheriff
Frank Sinatra - My Way
Frank Zappa - Don't Eat the Yellow Snow
Gordon Lightfoot - Rainy Day People
Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown
Graham Central Station - Can you Handle it
J. Giels Band - Must of Got Lost
Jackson Browne - Fountain of Sorrow
James Taylor - Mexico
Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi
Joni Mitchell - In France they kiss on Main Street
Joni Mitchell - Raised on Robbery
Judy Collins - Send in the Clowns
Mickey Newbury - American Trilogy
Mothers of Invention - Camarillo Brillo
Randy Newman - Sail Away
Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly With His Song
Seals and Crofts - Summer Breeze
Souther Hillman Furay Band - Fallin' in Love
Spinners - Could It Be I'm Falling In Love
Spinners - I'll Be Around
Spinners - One of A Kind Love Affair
Tony Orlando and Dawn - He Don't Love You
 
After a quick run through of the WEA '70s Quad catalog I came up with a few candidates for the fictional release:

Alice Cooper - No More Mr. Nice Guy
Allman Brothers - Blue Sky
Allman Brothers - Melissa
America - Sister Golden Hair
Aretha Franklin - Chain of Fools
Arlo Guthrie - Lovesick Blues
Arteha Franklin - Respect
Average White Band - Pick Up the Pieces
Bette Midler - Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Black Sabbath - Ironman
Bob Dylan - On a Night Like This
Bread -
Carly Simon -
David Gates - Clouds
David Gates - Never Let Her Go
Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water
Dionne Warwick - Then Came You
Eagles -
Eric Clapton - I Shot the Sheriff
Frank Sinatra - My Way
Frank Zappa - Don't Eat the Yellow Snow
Gordon Lightfoot - Rainy Day People
Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown
Graham Central Station - Can you Handle it
J. Giels Band - Must of Got Lost
Jackson Browne - Fountain of Sorrow
James Taylor - Mexico
Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi
Joni Mitchell - In France they kiss on Main Street
Joni Mitchell - Raised on Robbery
Judy Collins - Send in the Clowns
Mickey Newbury - American Trilogy
Mothers of Invention - Camarillo Brillo
Randy Newman - Sail Away
Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly With His Song
Seals and Crofts - Summer Breeze
Souther Hillman Furay Band - Fallin' in Love
Spinners - Could It Be I'm Falling In Love
Spinners - I'll Be Around
Spinners - One of A Kind Love Affair
Tony Orlando and Dawn - He Don't Love You

I would totally buy any number of "Loss Leaders" comprising any or all of those tracks, in any format. And I'd be willing to pay a whole lot more than two bucks.
 
After a quick run through of the WEA '70s Quad catalog I came up with a few candidates for the fictional release:

Alice Cooper - No More Mr. Nice Guy
Allman Brothers - Blue Sky
Allman Brothers - Melissa
America - Sister Golden Hair
Aretha Franklin - Chain of Fools
Arlo Guthrie - Lovesick Blues
Arteha Franklin - Respect
Average White Band - Pick Up the Pieces
Bette Midler - Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Black Sabbath - Ironman
Bob Dylan - On a Night Like This
Bread -
Carly Simon -
David Gates - Clouds
David Gates - Never Let Her Go
Deep Purple - Smoke on the Water
Dionne Warwick - Then Came You
Eagles -
Eric Clapton - I Shot the Sheriff
Frank Sinatra - My Way
Frank Zappa - Don't Eat the Yellow Snow
Gordon Lightfoot - Rainy Day People
Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown
Graham Central Station - Can you Handle it
J. Giels Band - Must of Got Lost
Jackson Browne - Fountain of Sorrow
James Taylor - Mexico
Joni Mitchell - Big Yellow Taxi
Joni Mitchell - In France they kiss on Main Street
Joni Mitchell - Raised on Robbery
Judy Collins - Send in the Clowns
Mickey Newbury - American Trilogy
Mothers of Invention - Camarillo Brillo
Randy Newman - Sail Away
Roberta Flack - Killing Me Softly With His Song
Seals and Crofts - Summer Breeze
Souther Hillman Furay Band - Fallin' in Love
Spinners - Could It Be I'm Falling In Love
Spinners - I'll Be Around
Spinners - One of A Kind Love Affair
Tony Orlando and Dawn - He Don't Love You


Sign me up!!!

Let’s turn fiction into non-fiction! P-P-PLEASE! ?
 
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