Allen Klein passes away

[Leo Lakio]

This man is the reason why you didn't hear any Rolling Stones songs in Muzak mixes - he refused to license any ABKCO material whatsoever to them, no matter the price.

Allen Klein, a music executive who managed the business affairs of Sam Cooke, the Rolling Stones and, for a short time, the Beatles, and who was both admired and feared for his reputation as a fierce negotiator, died on Saturday in Manhattan, where he lived. He was 77. The cause was complications from Alzheimer’s disease, said Bob Merlis, a spokesman for Mr. Klein’s company, Abkco Music and Records.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/ar...ic/05klein.htm

[mel]

Re: Allen Klein passes away

Klein not only owned the back catalog of the Rolling Stones, the Animals, Herman's Hermits and Sam Cooke as indicated in the linked article... he also had acquired the catalog holdings of Cameo-Parkway Records which for many years reissues of that catalog were held in limbo... I think it was around 2004 when the catalog was finally issued to a boxed set (which I bought at a good discount during the Tower Records closing) that contained many of the single Cameo-Parkway records hits from the late 1950s to mid 1960s.

Music by Chubby Checker, Bobby Darin, The Orlons, Jo Ann Campbell, The Delfonics, early Kinks, several Peter Best tracks (after he was fired from the Beatles), Clint Eastwood (yes, he sang a country rock song), Bobby Rydell, Question Mark & the Mysterions ("96 Tears", "Can't Get Enough You Baby") and Dee Dee Sharp ("Mashed Potato Time") were all released on the 4-CD set along with some greatest hits compilations by some of them at the same time. Besides the 4 CD set I also have the greatest hits set by Chubby Checker (original Parkway Records recodings)... All good stuff if you are into this era of music.

And yes, the Rolling Stones catalog is legendary espcially all of the tracks and albums initially released on the London label in the U.S. These all went up to 1971 after which time as mentioned in the link, the Stones had their own label, the first album I believe being "Sticky Fingers" in 1971.

Klein and Phil Spector had a hand with The Beatles' "Let It Be" album, possibly one of their worst album releases during the time they were together, though by release time in 1970 the group was pretty much goners. Don't get me wrong, I like this album. However it kind of has an unfinished hodge-podge sound to it.. and yes, most of the tracks were recorded live on the rooftop of which several versions of each song are known to exist officially ("Let It Be... Naked", different singles mixes) and unofficially. Still the record yielded 3 #1 hits... so not bad for hodge podge recording.

Hopefully with Klein's passing, that more of what the guy stored in his vaults will be reissued to CD or digital format in the future. I want more Herman's Hermits!