GUANTANAMERA
A&M LP 117/SP 4117
October 1966; Billboard #13
Available on CD as a "twofer" with The Sandpipers

Side One
Guantanamera
Strangers In The Night
Carmen
Cast Your Fate To The Wind
La Bamba
La Mer (Beyond The Sea)

Side Two
Louie, Louie
Things We Said Today
Enamorado
What Makes You Dream Pretty Girl?
Stasera Gli Angeli Non Volano (For The Last Time)
Angelica

Comments: The Sandpipers' début album contained two single A-sides: the breakthrough Top 10 hit 'Guantanamera' and the Top 30 hit 'Louie, Louie', their ultra-soft version of the garage rock classic. From this very first album, The Sandpipers made it clear that they were never going to be a counter-culture act and instead offered a reassuringly soft and adult-friendly sound - of course, today rock is the norm and it is The Sandpipers' version of 'Louie, Louie' that is subversive.

The album established a pattern that the group would follow throughout the Sixties: a slew of folk songs from around the world along with versions of recent pop and easy listening hits, all sung mostly in English but sometimes in Spanish - and sometimes alternating between both languages! (Once or twice, they would even sing in Italian or French.)

Produced by A&M's Tommy LiPuma and mainly arranged by Mort Garson (except for 'Carmen', 'Louie, Louie', 'Things We Said Today' and 'Angelica', which were arranged by Nick DeCaro), the album contained no truly weak tracks and sent The Sandipers off to a good start.

Standout tracks: Guantanamera; Carmen; Louie, Louie; Things We Said Today

THE SANDPIPERS
A&M LP 125/SP 4125
May 1967; Billboard #53
Available on CD as a "twofer" with Guantanamera

Side One
The French Song
Bon Soir Dame
For Baby
Inch Worm
It's Over
Glass

Side Two
Rain, Rain Go Away
Yesterday
Michelle
Try To Remember
I'll Remember You
Softly As I Leave You

Comments: The Sandpipers' second album included three single A-sides - 'For Baby' (written by John Denver under his original name of John Deutschendorf), 'It's Over' and 'Bon Soir Dame' - none of which charted in the US ('For Baby' and 'Bon Soir Dame' appeared briefly on the Adult Contemporary chart.)

The album, which was basically a "part two" of the first LP in terms of song selection and pacifying sounds, was in fact just a slightly less impressive collection. The biggest mistake were the two opening tracks, which were ostensibly recorded live, but sound more like studio-recorded tracks with overdubbed audience sounds. Except for the very wild cheers before the songs, the band's invitations for sing-a-longs seem to evoke no response whatsoever, creating a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

The album was again produced by Tommy LiPuma, with Nick DeCaro arranging Side One, and Mort Garson arranging Side Two.

I believe this album was known as Softly As I Leave You in the UK. Can anyone confirm?

Standout tracks: For Baby; It's Over; Glass; Softly As I Leave You

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MISTY ROSES
A&M LP 135/SP 4135
December 1967; Billboard #135
Available on CD as a "twofer" with The Wonder Of You

Side One
Cuando Salí De Cuba
And I Love Her
Fly Me To The Moon
Strange Song
The Honeywind Blows

Side Two
Misty Roses
Today
I Believed It All
Daydream
Wooden Heart

Comments: Only 10 tracks on this third album, whereas previously Sandpipers punters had been spoiled with 12 tracks. Another album bereft of hits on the US singles chart, although 'Cuando Sali De Cuba' hit number three on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Not The Sandpipers' best album, but certainly a stronger track selection than the previous collection. For example, 'And I Love Her' was a more interesting take on The Beatles than 'Yesterday' and 'Michelle', although it may not have been a match for the melancholy interpretation of 'Things We Said Today' on the first album. The versions of The Lovin' Spoonful's 'Daydream' and that old Elvis Presley chestnut 'Wooden Heart' (originally a German folk song) were perhaps a bit unnecessary, but still carried off with the usual smoothness by artists, producer and arrangers alike.

Tommy LiPuma was still the producer, whereas Perry Botkin Jr. had taken over most of the arrangements, with only two such credits going to Nick DeCaro ('Cuando Salí De Cuba' and 'Misty Roses').

Standout tracks: Cuando Salí De Cuba; Fly Me To The Moon; Strange Song; Misty Roses

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SOFTLY
A&M SP 4147
August 1968; Billboard #180

Side One
Softly
Find A Reason To Believe
Back On The Street Again
Love Is Blue (L’Amour Est Bleu)
Cancion De Amor (Wanderlove)
Quando M'innamoro

Side Two
Jenifer Juniper
All My Loving
Ojos De España (Spanish Eyes)
To Put Up With You
Suzanne
Gloria Patri (Gregorian Psalm Tone III)

Comments: Quite possibly The Sandpipers' best album thus far; certainly, this collection contains almost only songs that are eminently suitable for the group's gorgeous harmonies. Apparently, there was but one single released - 'Cancion De Amor' / 'Softly' - which failed to chart, although 'Softly' made a Top 40 showing on the Adult Contemporary chart. The token Beatles song this time is 'All My Loving'. The only major question mark is the version of Leonard Cohen's 'Suzanne'; a great song, certainly, but it really needs to be performed by one single voice.

The album finds the group moving towards a more intimate sound and away from the lush, echo-laden production of the previous albums. The producer is again Tommy LiPuma, the main arranger this time is Bob Thompson, with the ever-faithful Nick DeCaro contributing two arrangements ('Softly' and 'Quando M'innamoro').

Standout tracks: Softly; Find A Reason To Believe; Cancion De Amor (Wanderlove); Quando M'innamoro

SPANISH ALBUM
A&M SP 4159 (UK cat. no.: AMLS 926)
1969

Side One
Guantanamera
La Bamba
Estraños en la Noche (Strangers In The Night)
Llevame a la Luna (Fly Me To The Moon)
Cancion de Amor (Wanderlove)
Louie, Louie


Side Two
Cuando Salí de Cuba (The Wind Will Change Tomorrow) Ayer (Yesterday)
Michelle
Y la Quiero (And I Love Her)
Enamorado
Ojos Españoles (Spanish Eyes)

Comments: This is simply a compilation of tracks from earlier albums; no vocals were re-recorded.

Note: 'Ojos De España' has been retitled 'Ojos Españoles' on this album.

THE WONDER OF YOU
A&M SP 4180 (UK cat. no.: AMLS 935)
May 1969; Billboard #194
Available on CD as a "twofer" with Misty Roses

Side One
Let Go
That Night
Wave
Yellow Days
Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero (The More I Love You)
Pretty Flamingo

Side Two
The Wonder Of You
Temptation
The Windmills Of Your Mind
If I Were The Man
Kumbaya

Comments: The Wonder Of You continues the intimate sound from the Softly album, but alas also its hit-free status. Despite four singles - 'Let Go', 'The Wonder Of You', 'Temptation' and 'Pretty Flamingo' - only the last one managed to scrape into the Pop Top 100, although 'Let Go' secured an Adult Contemporary Top 40 placing.

Except for the somewhat boring closing number, 'Kumbaya', the track selection was top-notch, with contributions from other A&M recording artists such as bossa nova legend Antonio Carlos Jobim ('Wave') and Jimmie Rodgers ('If I Were The Man'), and film themes like 'That Night' (from The Fox) and 'The Windmills Of Your Mind' (from The Thomas Crown Affair). The album was produced by Allen Stanton, and this time the brilliant Nick DeCaro handled all the arrangements, his inventive skills shining especially brightly on 'Let Go'.

Note: The version of 'Temptation' on this album features a trumpet solo, whereas the single version (A&M 1085) features a guitar solo.

Standout tracks: Let Go; Wave; The Wonder Of You; Temptation.

THE STERILE CUCKOO
Paramount PAS-5009
December 1969; Billboard #200

Side One
Come Saturday Morning (Main Title)
Montage

Side Two
Come Saturday Morning
End Walk

Comments: The Sandpipers are credited with four tracks on this soundtrack album for the 1969 Alan J. Pakula film, starring Liza Minnelli, Wendell Burton and Tim McIntire. However, all four Sandpipers tracks are really variations on the theme song, 'Come Saturday Morning'. The song was the group's final hit single of note, although it appears on the soundtrack album in a different, more ethereal version than the one found on the single and the Come Saturday Morning album (see below).

GREATEST HITS
A&M SP 4246 (UK cat. no: AMLS 940)
April 1970; Billboard #160

Side One
Guantanamera
Yesterday
All My Loving
And I Love Her
Quando M'innamoro

Side Two
Misty Roses
Cancion de Amore
Angelica
Enamorado
Cuando Sali de Cuba

Comments: Like so many other albums sporting that title throughout the history of recorded music, this Greatest Hits did in fact not contain all The Sandpipers greatest chart successes. The most notable omission was the Top 30 hit 'Louie, Louie' and the Adult Contemporary chart entries 'For Baby', 'Bon Soir Dame', 'Softly' and 'Let Go'. Half the songs on the album had not been chart hits at all, at least not in the US.

SECOND SPANISH ALBUM
A&M AMLS 969
1970, UK only?

Side One
Let Go (Porque Te Vas?)[all-Spanish vocals; shortened version as compared to English version]
Wave (Sencacional) [all-Spanish vocals]
All My Loving (Con Todo Mi Amor) [all-Spanish vocals; longer than English version]
Love Is Blue (El Amor Es Triste)
To Put Up With You (Yo Ya Me Voy) [all-Spanish vocals]
That Night (Amor Fugaz) [all-Spanish vocals]

Side Two
Born Free (Libre)
Pretty Flamingo (Como Un Flamingo) [all-Spanish vocals]
Yellow Days (La Mentira) [all-Spanish vocals]
The More I See You [= Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero (The More I Love You)] [all-Spanish vocals]
A Man Without Love (Quando M'Innamoro) Cuando Me Enamoro [all-Spanish vocals; longer than original Italian version]

Comments: It appears this album was not released in the US. Also, it contains a version of 'Born Free' that had not been included on any of The Sandpipers' earlier albums, which probably means that it, too, was never issued in the US. The rest of the songs had appeared on the Softly and The Wonder Of You albums.

However, in contrast to the first Spanish album, virtually all of the tracks on this album have had additional or completely new Spanish vocals added to the original backing tracks. Also, some tracks are shorter than the original versions, while others have been extended. The recording of the Spanish vocals was overseen by Chuck Anderson, who also wrote or co-wrote all the new Spanish lyrics (except for 'Born Free').

Note: 'Lo Mucho Que Te Quiero (The More I Love You)' has been mislabelled as 'The More I See You'.

BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS
20th Century Fox S 4211
1970

Side One
Main Title Sequence / Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls

Side Two
Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls

Comments: This soundtrack album contains The Sandpipers' version of the theme song for Russ Meyer's notorious 1970 movie.

The song appears twice. The first version, on Side One, is the regular version found on the Come Saturday Morning Album (see below); although it is preceded by the instrumental 'Main Title Sequence', the two tunes could just as easily have been presented as two separate tracks.

The second version, closing Side Two, is an instrumental version of the song, with The Sandpipers contributing vocally only for the last 30 seconds of the four-minute track.

Note: The currently available CD version is an expanded version of the original album, featuring a different sleeve.

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COME SATURDAY MORNING
A&M SP 4262 (UK cat. no.: AMLS 99)
August 1970; Billboard #96

Side One
Santo Domingo
The Long and Winding Road
Free to Carry On
A Song of Joy
Where There's a Heartache
(He's Got the) Whole World In His Hands

Side Two
The Drifter
The Sound of Love
Autumn Afternoon
Come Saturday Morning
The Wonder of You
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

Comments: For my money, this is The Sandpipers' very best album. Opening with 'Santo Domingo', featuring some of the most gorgeous harmony singing you're ever likely to hear, the album goes from strength to strength. Bob Alcivar should be given a medal for his production and arrangements on this album.

The title track - a different version than the one featured in the movie The Sterile Cuckoo - was released as a single and saw The Sandpipers back in the Pop chart for the first time in three years; 'Guantanamera' excepted, the 'Come Saturday Morning' singles' peak position of #17 was the group's best-ever chart placing.

The album also contained contributions from other A&M recording artists, such as Burt Bacharach (the version of 'Where There's A Heartache' was apparently the very first recording with vocals of an instrumental tune known as 'Come Touch The Sun' on Bacharach's soundtrack for the movie Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid) and Roger Nichols (a knock-out version of 'The Drifter', also recorded by Nichols himself). Indeed, if it hadn't been for the dull version of '(He's Got The) Whole World In His Hands', this would have been an absolutely flawless album.

The production credit reads "Bob Alcivar for Mr. Bones Productions, Inc.", Mr. Bones being none other than The 5th Dimension/The Association producer Bones Howe. Alcivar and Howes had collaborated as arranger and producer, respectively, on albums for those groups, and the sound on the present album bears all the hallmarks of a pristine Bones Howe production. If you're a fan of "sunshine pop", "soft pop" or simply well-produced late Sixties/early Seventies pop, this album is not to be missed.

Note: 'Come Saturday Morning' and 'The Wonder Of You' (the same recording as on the title track of The Sandpipers' 1969 album - does anyone know why it was included here as well?) were produced by Allen Stanton and arranged by Nick DeCaro.

CD Note: It appears the Japanese CD of this album is now out of print, but used copies are sometimes available. Try the links.

Standout tracks: A Song Of Joy; Where There's A Heartache; The Drifter; Come Saturday Morning

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A GIFT OF SONG
A&M SP 4328
1971

Side One
A Gift Of Song
It's Too Late
Never My Love
Leland Loftis
I Think It's Going To Rain Today

Side Two
Never Can Say Goodbye
How Can You Mend A Broken Heart
An Old Fashioned Love Song
Chotto Matte Kudasai (Never Say Goodbye)
If
A Gift Of Song (Reprise)

Comments: The Sandpipers' final A&M studio album doesn't quite maintain the high quality of its predecessor, but nevertheless constitutes a worthy finale to the group's tenure with the label. This time, Bones Howe and Bob Alcivar share the production credit, while Alcivar is also responsible for the arrangements. The version of 'Never Can Say Goodbye' alone is worth the price of admission - whoever came up with the daring idea to arrange this Jackson 5 hit as a cocktail bar bossa nova number, complete with a very cool Hammond organ, deserves to be called a genius.

Elsewhere, there are nice re-interpretations of songs such as The Association's 'Never My Love' and The Bee Gees' 'How Can You Mend A Broken Heart', along with competent but non-essential versions of Carole King's 'It's Too Late', Randy Newman's 'I Think It's Going To Rain Today' and Bread's 'If'. Indeed, there was something symbolic about the cover of 'If': at the time, Bread was emerging as a much more commercially successful male vocal group for those who wanted their pop music soft. As for the King and Newman songs, the message seemed to be that The Sandpipers' somewhat anonymous image - they weren't even pictured on the front of most of their album sleeves - was completely wrong for the burgeoning singer/songwriter era.

None of the singles from this album charted on any of the US charts, and the album was also the first of The Sandpipers' regular LPs not to enter the albums chart. After one final single in 1972 (see singles discography), The Sandpipers and A&M parted ways.

CD Note: It appears the Japanese CD of this album is now out of print, but used copies are sometimes available. Try the links.

Standout tracks: A Gift Of Song; Leland Loftis; Never Can Say Goodbye; Chotto Matte Kudasai (Never Say Goodbye)

FOURSIDER
A&M SP 3525 (reissued as A&M SP 6014 in 1979)
1973


Side One
A Gift Of Song
And I Love Her
The Windmills Of Your Mind
Free To Carry On
Chotto Matte Kudasai (Never Say Goodbye)


Side Two
An Old Fashioned Love Song
Misty Roses
The Long And Winding Road
A Song Of Joy (Himno A La Alegria)


Side Three
Guantanamera
Louie, Louie
Kum-Ba-Ya
Cuando Sali' De Cuba
La Mer (Beyond The Sea)


Side Four
Come Saturday Morning
Inch Worm
Yesterday
Cast Your Fate To The Wind
Softly As I Leave You
Never Can Say Goodbye

Comments: Along with a number of other A&M recording acts, The Sandpipers were awarded their own compilation double-album in this series of "foursiders".