Sampler Singles

What is a sampler single? There are several 7" and 12" sampler releases all over the world, wich have also other artists included. This will be the right place to list them all. Also included here were radio spots, and, if they ever exist, other curious releases. If you know any more about these, any others like them, mail me.


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What's It All About?
[ http://fzsinglesfaq.w-i-s.net/Sampler_Singles.html#WhatsItAllAbout ]
Record Company
Format
Ordering Number
Matrix Numbers
Country
Year
Comments
unknown
Single
MA 1157
unknown
USA
1978 or 1979
Zappa / Firefall
unknown
Single
MA 1755
unknown
USA
1978 or 1979
Zappa / Dolly Parton
program #418
unknown
Single
MA 1824
unknown
USA
1978 or 1979
Zappa / David Bowie #1
unknown
Single
MA 2903
unknown
USA
1978 or 1979
Zappa / David Bowie #2 (?)

This seems to be 7" US Radio promos, a series of singles featuring various artists, with 5 minutes of music by and interviews of each ("anti-drug spots"). There were four different versions with Zappa on the A-side: one with Dolly Parton on the B-side, one with Firefall, and two different versions with David Bowie. Zappa says on the record that "Freedom is what it's all about".

(What's It All About? has also been described as "A brief interview with Zappa for public service religious broadcast", and "Produced by Presbyterian Church public service broadcasting", which sounds very odd.) For those of you who don't believe: Here's a picture of one of them.
 
 
 

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Oldies 45
[ http://fzsinglesfaq.w-i-s.net/Sampler_Singles.html#Oldies45 ]
Record Company
Format
Ordering Number
Matrix Numbers
Country
Year
Comments
unknown
EP-Single
OL-A 115
unknown
Belgium
unknown
 
Side A:
  1. Frank Zappa - "Bobby Brown"
  2. The Rolling Stones - "Angie"
Side B:
  1. Fox - "Only You Can"
  2. The Rolling Stones - "Satisfaction"

 
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Jethro Tull - The Mothers #1
[ http://fzsinglesfaq.w-i-s.net/Sampler_Singles.html#JethroTull-Mothers1 ]
Record Company
Format
Ordering Number
Matrix Numbers
Country
Year
Comments
Reprise / Music Hall
EP-Single
183
unknown
Argentina
1972
white-label promo
runs on 33 1/3 rpm
Side A:
  1. Jethro Tull - "Thick As A Brick Part 1"
  2. Jethro Tull - "Thick As A Brick Part 2"
Side B:
  1. The Mothers Of Invention - "Holiday In Berlin, Full Blown, Part 1"
  2. The Mothers Of Invention - "Holiday In Berlin, Full Blown, Part 2"
The Mothers number is probably listed in Spanish, as "Vacaciones en Berlin" something.

[EDITOR'S NOTE]: Seems very very odd... The disc would have been extremely big to include both parts of Jethro's "Thick As A Brick", which covers two complete sides of the LP of the same name. And even Holiday in Berlin is way too big to include it on one 7" single.
 
 
 

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Jethro Tull - The Mothers #2
[ http://fzsinglesfaq.w-i-s.net/Sampler_Singles.html#JethroTull-Mothers2 ]
Record Company
Format
Ordering Number
Matrix Numbers
Country
Year
Comments
Reprise / Music Hall
EP-Single (?)
40.018
unknown
Argentina
unknown
white-label promo
runs on 33 1/3 rpm (?)
Side A:
  1. Jethro Tull - "Living In The Past"
  2. Jethro Tull - "Christmas Song"
Side B:
  1. The Mothers Of Invention - "Eat That Question"
  2. The Mothers Of Invention - "Cleetus Awreetus-Awrightus"

 
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The Doors - The Mothers
[ http://fzsinglesfaq.w-i-s.net/Sampler_Singles.html#TheDoors-Mothers ]
Record Company
Format
Ordering Number
Matrix Numbers
Country
Year
Comments
Reprise / Music Hall
EP-Single
217
unknown
Argentina
1972
white-label promo
runs on 33 1/3 rpm
Side A:
  1. The Doors - "Get Up & Dance"
  2. The Doors - "Hardwood Floor"
Side B:
  1. Frank Zappa - "Waka/Jawaka"    (4:56)    [edited version]

 
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Frank Zappa - Spinach
[ http://fzsinglesfaq.w-i-s.net/Sampler_Singles.html#FrankZappa-Spinach ]
Record Company
Format
Ordering Number
Matrix Numbers
Country
Year
Comments
United Artists
Single
YD 303
S 18 UA 35344[rhombus]1N
S 18 UA 35314[rhombus]1N
Italy
1972
 Jukebox single
white holecover
Side A:
  1. Frank Zappa - "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy"
Side B:
  1. Spinach - "Action Man Part 1"
The flip side was written by Georgio Moroder and Michael Holm, a german Schlagerstar in the seventies. Both released several singles together under the name Spinach.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy" was released in Italy coupled with "Magic Fingers" as B-side (with matching ordering number as matrix), and also with "What Will This Evening Bring Me This Morning". This single was especially made for use in juke-boxes, compiling hits by different artists on one single to prevent all those b-sides not frequently choosen by listeners in pubs or coffeeshops. Both sides also have dates stamped between the run-out grooves; "7/1/72" for Spinach, and "9/2/72" for the Zappa side (note Italy uses european way of dates, so it's January and February).

Pictures here.
 
 
 

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Frank Zappa - Herbie Mann
[ http://fzsinglesfaq.w-i-s.net/Sampler_Singles.html#FrankZappa-HerbieMann ]
Record Company
Format
Ordering Number
Matrix Numbers
Country
Year
Comments
Warner Brothers
(Atlantic for H. Mann)
Single
031
WEA 56298/2
59 W 1554<>1N [Triangle]DB
Side B has also "8 4 77"
Italy
1977
Jukebox Single
company sleeve
Side A:
  1. Frank Zappa - "Disco Boy"    (5:28)
Side B:
  1. Herbie Mann - "Bird Walk"    (3:40)
[EDITOR'S NOTE]: Someone remarked if this is a longer edit of "Disco Boy". The original version on the Zoot Allures CD (CDZAP 22) is listed as 5:09, whereas the original vinyl says 5:28, so I think whoever edited this single just took the timings from the original album.

"Disco Boy" is credited to Zappa / Jeff Simmons on this single. Weird, eh? And "Disco Boy" is also "copyrighted 1970 Bizarre Music Inc.", which is a misreading of the original copyright notes on the album Zoot Allures, where the 1970 Simmons part belongs to "Wonderful Wino". Also note the matrix number for "Disco Boy" is actually the ordering number for the album "Zoot Allures".

The Herbie Mann side shows a production date, probably from the pressing plant, for the matrix. Italian singles often show this artefact, so that it can be said this single must have been made later than, or in April 1977. Maybe the record company used matricess already in production, and just combined two hit singles to one jukebox release.
 
 
 

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Frank Zappa - Bob Dylan
[ http://fzsinglesfaq.w-i-s.net/Sampler_Singles.html#FrankZappa-BobDylan ]
Record Company
Format
Ordering Number
Matrix Numbers
Country
Year
Comments
CBS Dischi S.P.A.
Single
JC 15029
CI 8625-1N   16-6-80
CI 8743-1N   25-6-80
Italy
July 1980
jukebox edition
hole cover
Side A:
  1. Frank Zappa - "I Don't Wanna Get Drafted"    (3:10)    [non-LP version]
Side B:
  1. Bob Dylan - "Saved"    (4:00)    [from the album "Saved"]
This is one single especially made for juke-boxes, just to avoid boring b-sides no one really likes to listen to. A picture of the label can be found here.

Both sides show a production date, probably from the pressing plant, for the matrix. Italian singles often show this artefact, so that it can be said this single must have been made later than, or in June 1980. Maybe the record company used matricess already in production, and just combined two hit singles to one jukebox release. Because of the 25th June on side B I think this single was published in July of 1980.
 
 
 
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Summer In the City
[ http://fzsinglesfaq.w-i-s.net/Sampler_Singles.html#SummerInTheCity ]
Record Company
Format
Ordering Number
Matrix Numbers
Country
Year
Comments
CBS Records
Single
PROSI 2
PROSI 2
<nothing on side 2>
Germany
1980
promo copy
factory sleeve
Side A:
  1. Ray Gomez - "Summer In The City"    (4:10)
  2. Frank Zappa - "Bobby Brown"    (0:04)
  3. Garland Jeffreys - "Matador"    (0:04)
  4. The Brothers Johnson - "Stomp"    (0:02)
  5. Johnny Logan - "What's Another Year"    (0:02)
  6. Barbara Dickinson - "January, February"    (0:04)
  7. Goombay Dance Band - "Aloha-Oe, Until We Met Again"    (0:08)
Side B:(saying "Side 1 continued" is just a few seconds of runout groove)
This is a promo single for a various artists elpee entitled "Summer In The City". It starts with the first song by Ray Gomez, and at the end of the track all the other tunes from the sampler are introduced with names and a few seconds of music underlayed. Side B is empty, just a runout groove, but since not all artists have place on the label, they included some of them on the B-side, saying "Seite 1 fortsetzung" (Side 1 cont.). For those of you who can't believe, here's some scans.
 
 
 
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Frank & Dweezil Zappa - Michael Sciuto
[ http://fzsinglesfaq.w-i-s.net/Sampler_Singles.html#Frank&DweezilZappa-MichaelSciuto ]
Record Company
Format
Ordering Number
Matrix Numbers
Country
Year
Comments
Guitar Player Magazine
Flexidisc-Single
Soundpage #??
unknown
USA
January 1987
 Flexi-disc sold with
Guitar Player Magazine
January 1987
Runs on 33 1/3 rpm
Tracklist:
  1. Frank & Dweezil Zappa - "Sharleena"    [recorded live at Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles, Dec. 23rd, 1984]
  2. Michael Sciuto - "Grand Prize Stun Solo"
This is a flexi-disc sold with the January issue of Guitar Player Magazine in the USA, and contains a then unreleased live recording from 1984. This track was later released on "You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 3", of which liner note says: 'This was the last concert of the 1984 tour. It was also the first time that Dweezil and I ever played guitar together on stage. He was 15 and had been playing for two years at the time of this recording.'

Those flexis were made by Eva-Tone. A poor picture is here. There's another flexi made for the Keyboard Magazine with the Black Page No.1.
 
 
 

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Presentati da: Valentino Maggioni
[ http://fzsinglesfaq.w-i-s.net/Sampler_Singles.html#ValentinoMaggioni ]
Record Company
Format
Ordering Number
Matrix Numbers
Country
Year
Comments
United Artists
EP-Single
PRG 2
unknown
Italy
1971
promo copy
runs on 33rpm
Side A:
  1. The Vetures - "Squaw Man"
  2. If - "Far Beyond"
  3. Shirley Bessey - "Diamonds Are Forever"
  4. Reg King & B.B. Blunder - "Little Boy"
  5. Frank Zappa - "Daddy Daddy Daddy"
  6. Ike & Tina Turner - "Oh Poo Pah Doo"
Side B:
  1. Bobby Russell - "Saturday Morning Confusion"
  2. Louis Armstrong - "All The Time In The World"
  3. Johnny Rivers - "Sea Cruise"
  4. War - "Get Down"
  5. Allan Taylor - "Song For Kathy"
This sampler is an italian radio promo, with a total of 11 tracks. Those songs were played in excerpts, presented by Valentino Maggioni as announcer. I hope to come up with more info, and a nice picture of it later...
 
 
 
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Those who contributed:

Created: 25.02.2001         Last update: 08/28/2008 12:13:13

The big note: Like most of you I, too, have a regular life and have to go to work each day, so do not expect updates on a daily basis, nor a prompt reply to e-mails. Just give me a little bit of time. And then there´s always the question of violation of copyrights. If you think that my pages contain material which I´m not allowed to include because of its protected status, please drop me an e-mail, and I will remove the doubtful parts. On the other hand I regard all material within my pages as protected by copyright laws, too, so please ask before you steal. I´m sure we can work something out.