STRANGE RARE 1965 ABC Radio industrial musical - Mad Men world

$

100

If you've seen "Bathtubs Over Broadway" or read "Everything's Coming Up Profits," you know that private pressing "industrial musical" souvenir albums are some of the rarest and weirdest records in existence. These motivational musicals were only for dealers, salesmen, distributors and other industry insiders at sales meetings and conventions, and the souvenir vinyl records were not available to the public. And many of these shows boasted outstanding music and performances along with the bizarre corporate subject matter.

I'm the collector and historian profiled in the documentary "Bathtubs Over Broadway," and the co-author of "Everything's Coming Up Profits - The Golden Age of Industrial Musicals." I'm thinning out my stash of duplicates, and offering an assortment of records that range from the scarce, to the very rare, to the "you'll probably never encounter this again."

This one is "People to People," a revue show that ABC Radio toured around the country to the six cities served by its stations: WABC, WLS, KGO, KQV, WXYZ, and KABC. It's a sort of B to B musical, as media company industrials generally were; the audience wasn't the company's own personnel but rather advertisers or or their representatives that the company wanted to impress -- similar to TV "upfront" presentations that still happen today.

Here ABC radio wanted to stress that radio was the best way to reach a wide audience, as it was portable in a way that TV wasn't, and that ABC's stations were the top of the heap. There are a couple speeches, but most of the record is songs and musical skits. It was all recorded live, and the ad men seemed to get quite a kick out of it, judging from the laughter. I'm sure an open bar helped.

Songs include the "People to People" theme song, "Objectives of Presentation," a satirical take on ABC Radio's excessive fondness for long boring memos, and "Good Things," about the good things in life including radio. There are also musical sketches about the inanity of call-in talk radio shows, the invention of radio, and the history of radio advertising which name checks many famous products and jingles.

The cover adds to the appeal, with show photos on the front and back, and a gatefold that opens out to show ad guys mingling at the event. They all look straight out of "Mad Men"... or like the executives in "How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying." The inside has info about the show, plus credits. Tucked into the jacket with the record is a mini-page which was once glued into the gatefold, containing a message from the president of ABC Radio.

The cover is in good shape with minor wear, and a little sticker on the back. The vinyl is close to pristine with a few superficial scuffs. Not surprisingly ABC Radio was skilled with audio equipment, and the live recording sound quality is quite good.

An interesting and charming piece of media history, and a solid addition to a growing collection of industrial shows.

Check out my other listings for many more killer examples of this deliciously strange and secret slice of American musical and corporate history.

Buyers of multiple records get a break on shipping charges.