Re: [ARSCLIST] Verve, but not Jazz

[Tom Fine <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I _think_ but do not know that non-jazz music was in the post-Granz, MGM
era. The comedy may have started before Norman Granz sold it to MGM, but I
doubt it.

Does anyone know when Polygram bought Verve from MGM and does anyone know
definitively if they bought all of MGM's record labels at the same time?

Whichever company owned Verve in the late 60's reissued a lot of the 50's
albums as budget-priced LPs. Then a bunch of the really early stuff was
licensed to Book of the Month Club in the 70's. I have a bunch of those
reissues and they are actually not bad. They seem to be remastered from the
original tapes, and done pretty well at that. Not pressed on the best vinyl
in the world, but not the worst either. Cheapo thin cardboard sleeves but
original liner notes and artwork reproduced pretty well.

-- Tom Fine

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cary Ginell" <SoundThink@xxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2005 10:16 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Verve, but not Jazz


>
>
> In a message dated 10/18/2005 6:30:28 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
> db65@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
>
> Hi  all,
>
> I have a question about Verve Records, but it's not about  Jazz.  I have a
> wonderful psych/pop album by "The Gordian Knot" which  is from the late
60s
> and is on Verve.  I'm wondering if anyone can  tell me if this was a real
> big departure for the label or if they  regularly had non-Jazz releases?
I
> know they are known for Jazz, but  don't know much else about the label.
>
> Thanks for your  time.
>
>
>
> Actually they were the first label to feature standup comedy  performers
on a
> regular basis. Beginning with Mort Sahl and continuing with the  likes of
> Shelley Berman, Jonathan Winters, and others, they helped stimulate the
standup
> craze of the late '50s and early '60s.
>
> Cary  Ginell
> Origin Jazz  Library
> www.originjazz.com