When I was a boy, I heard the story of the Holy Grail, a sacred artifact, lost somewhere within the sands of time. The Grail, it was said, processed miraculous powers. While many of the details of the Grail have been sacrificed to the relentless march of time, suffice to say the Holy Grail of my childhood recollections was something magical, something worth searching the world over for.
Fast forward many, many years...to the present day...
It seems there now are a great number of Holy Grail's in the world; those ultra-rare, virtually-impossible-to-find-even-though-they-exist items that some people would, if given the chance, trade their eyeteeth to possess. The Holy Grail of baseball cards, of heavy metal records, of ceramic dolls - of pretty much any collectible you can think of. While these items might not possess actual miraculous powers, unless you consider high resale value miraculous, they do contain the uncanny ability to make those who do not have them very envious. Among the countless number of items people are collecting, you can bet your last Missile Firing Boba Fett Star Wars action figure there's a Holy Grail of it, somewhere just waiting to be found.
This is the story of one of these latter day Grails.
Not Much To Look At
When Josh sent me the picture of "the SinatraJobim 8-track tape cartridge", as he referred to it in his text message, I have to admit I was a bit underwhelmed. He had built up the excitement to a fever pitch and I feared he might have oversold me on just how amazing this find really was. Of course, Josh is no slouch when it comes to ferreting out interesting items and - truth be told - I was curious to see what all the fuss was about.
On the face of it, there wasn't much to look at. Josh's newest treasure consisted of a plastic, canary yellow 8-track tape cartridge. On the front was a picture of the Chairman of the Board himself, Frank Sinatra, ol' Blue Eyes, casually leaning on the back of a Greyhound bus, his hands in his pockets, a friendly smile on his face. The bus appeared to be on a grass-covered road, somewhere in a jungle. It seemed a bit of an odd place to park your ride.
8-Track Cartridges - A Future That Came and Went
At exactly what age are we allowed to refer to a time in our past as "back in the day"? Should a 10 year-old be able to say that? "When I was five, you know, back in the day....". Exactly how much of "the day" can a ten year old actually remember?
I digress. Apologies.
Anyways... I vaguely remember 8-track cartridges as a thing back in the day - and I really am old enough to say something like that.
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| Inside of an 8 track tape cartridge (image courtesy of Wikipedia GNU Free Doc) |
In The Beginning - Magnetic Audio Tape
Decades before digital media streaming, before Compact or Laser Discs, there was magnetic recording tape. For many, many years it was the standard media on which electronic signals were recorded, in order that they could be reliably stored and then played back. "Audio tape", as it is (and was) often referred to, consists of a flexible plastic film base, a metal oxide coating (on which the electronic signal is recorded) and an adhesive "binder" which adheres the metal oxide to the base. Audio tape came (and still does come) in various sizes, depending upon what it was being used for. As time went by, technology improved, and the tape along with the machines used to do the recording and playback got smaller and more compact. Eventually, the average consumer could buy portable tape players to carry around with them, recording and playing as they went.
In the world of audio production, the recording and editing of sound, there was a time when it was all done on magnetic audio tape. All the classics which your grandparents talk about - the Stones, the Beatles, Zeppelin, Bob Marley and Frank Sinatra, etc. - they were all recorded on magnetic audio tape. In many cases, those original recordings still exist in climate-controlled vaults somewhere on the planet, still on the original tape they were recorded on all those decades ago.
Car Audio and Magnetic Tape
Predictably, audio tape eventually found its' way into the automobile, where it took the form of the 8-track tape cartridge. Designed to be durable and light, the "8-track", as it was commonly referred to, was ideal for the on-the-go motorist who wanted to take their tunes with them.
The 8-track was a direct descendant of the cartridge tape player, which had been in use in radio stations for many years. Unlike reel to reel tape players, cartridges only used a single reel, which was securely housed within a hard plastic shell. The mechanism inside the cartridge was designed to play the tape in a continuous loop. As the reel was feeding out the tape to the play head on one side, it was simultaneously collecting the tape back onto the other side of the reel. To play 8-track, all one needed do was place the tape side of the cartridge into the opening in the front of the player and push it so it securely locked into the player, at which point the program would begin to play. To stop playback, the user simply pulled the cartridge out of the machine.
Alan Livingston - A Creative Force
Alan Livingston, Vice President of Creative Operations at Capitol Records, had enjoyed what some might say was a meteoric rise to power and influence within the company. A virtual unknown when he arrived in Los Angeles, fresh out of his WWII Army GI uniform, Livingston had been given what could have been seen as a relatively tame first assignment, that of producing a library of children's records. Surprising almost everyone at Capitol, Livingston took this seemingly inconsequential opportunity and helped create what would eventually become one of the most iconic children's television characters of all time.
![](<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Andy_Amyx_as_Bozo_(cropped).jpg">Andrew H. Amyx</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5">CC BY 2.5</a>, via Wikimedia Commons)
Humble Beginnings
Bozo the Clown had humble beginnings as a character in a series of first of its' kind read-along storybook record albums. The series consisted of a set of vinyl records, each paired with an accompanying picture book. The idea was that, as the record was playing, the reader would be guided through the pictures in the book, using audible clues, such as the blowing of a whistle, signaling that it was time to turn the page. Bozo was one of the main characters in these stories. Pinto Colvig, a one time circus clown himself and veteran voice actor who had been the original voice for Walt Disney's Pluto, Goofy, Grumpy, Sleepy (and other characters) was hired to be the very first voice of Bozo.
October 1946 - Bozo At The Circus - A Children's read along record, the first of its' kind. (Fair Use - Internet Archive)
Over time, the storybook series, along with the character of Bozo the Clown became an incredible success, and by the early 1950's, Capitol Records had sold over eight million copies. This eventually led to successful merchandizing campaigns and a number of long-running, hugely popular television shows, all of them showcasing the wild, flaming red hair and floppy red boots of the over the top Bozo the Clown. The success of Bozo the Clown, along with additional read-along storybooks aided Livingston in his swift journey up the corporate ladder at Capitol Records, where he eventually moved into the adult music department, becoming Vice President of Creative Operations.
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| Capitol Records logo (Fair Use - Wikipedia) |
Frank Sinatra Signs with Capitol Records
When Frank Sinatra signed a seven year deal with Alan Livingston and Capitol Records, on March 13th 1953, it was with the hope that a change of environment would rekindle the fortunes of a down-on-his-luck entertainer. A career that began with so much promise and enjoyed phenomenal early success on radio and film was now slumping badly. Sinatra, by this time a "residency" entertainer in Las Vegas - one of the first to have the title - found it difficult even to fill up a showroom at one of the brand new Vegas resorts. His shows were playing to half empty ballrooms, and he was reduced to singing at a county fair (nothing against county fairs). A costly divorce to movie star Eva Gardner had drained his once swollen bank accounts and he had been forced to borrow money from his record label to pay off mounting debts. It was clear Sinatra needed a new direction and a fresh start.
Two Forces Meet - One Year At A Time
When Livingston signed Sinatra, it was no front-page, blockbuster deal. The agreement gave Sinatra a one year contract, with six options. This meant that at the end of each year of the contract, Capitol Records had the option to either extend Sinatra's time at Capitol/at the label for an additional year, or call it quits. In other words, Sinatra could potentially end up with a seven year contract with Capitol Records, depending upon how well things went. For Alan Livingston and Capitol Records, it was virtually a no-lose situation. They could take a chance on an entertainer who had previously proven he had the talent and capability to deliver and if it didn't work out, during any year of the deal, they could simply walk away. Sinatra, on the other hand, arguably at the lowest point of his career, needed a foot back in the door of the industry that didn't seem to want him anymore. This deal was that foot, and he jumped at the chance.
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| Frank Sinatra, 1957 (public domain image via Wikipedia) |
The Chairman of the Board - Reprise Records
The opportunity Alan Livingston and Capitol Records gave Frank Sinatra was a lifeline which helped resuscitate a flagging career. However, as the time passed, his experience at Capitol become more and more unsatisfactory for Sinatra. Creative differences with Livingston were boiling over and Sinatra eventually decided it was time for a change. It appears that the breaking point came when Capitol would not give Sinatra the right to own the masters of the recordings he created with the label. Thus, a new die was cast - not only would Frank Sinatra leave Capitol Records, but he would start his own recording label.
Founded in 1960, Reprise Records was born out of Sinatra's desire for a fresh start as a recording artist and as a vehicle for many of the performers he had worked and become friends with over the years. These included Bing Crosby, Jo Stafford, Rosemary Clooney, Duke Ellington, Nancy Sinatra, Esquivel and Redd Foxx. To help seal the deal with his artist friends and new labelmates, Sinatra promised his talent the very thing which Capitol wouldn't give him - full creative control and the possibility of eventually gaining complete control (including publishing rights) over the master recordings of albums recorded for Reprise Records.
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| Reprise Records logo (public domain - Wikipedia) |
Trouble In Paradise - A Content Crisis
While on this surface this might have seemed like a winner for everyone involved, not all was certain in the Reprise/Sinatra world. It was obvious that losing a major talent such as Frank Sinatra would be a significant creative and financial blow to Capitol Records. After all, Sinatra's tenure at the label had been a successful one, which saw the release of such classics as "Come Fly With Me" and "I've Got You Under My Skin". Surely, it seemed, any newly-formed record label which could boast of having Frank Sinatra as their premier talent would be assured of success...
However, Capitol was still, at least for a time, in the drivers seat when it came to Sinatra material/recordings. While Sinatra may have been the owner and chairman of the board of Reprise Records, the brand-new label had no Sinatra recordings of its own from which to draw. Capitol, on the other hand, already had a large back catalog of unreleased Sinatra recordings which they owned. The only solution for Sinatra was to get back in the studio to create new material which Reprise could sell. Meanwhile Capitol knew the value of the Sinatra recordings they owned and wasted no time using them to compete directly with the Sinatra material coming out of Reprise. In February of 1961, Reprise released Sinatra's first album for the label, Ring-a-Ding-Ding!, which went on to be a major success for Sinatra, and for Reprise, peaking at number 4 on Billboard.
Reprise Records exists to this day, as a label within the Warner Music Group family, and has hosted a large number of well known artists such as Enya, Eric Clapton, Michael Bublé, Green Day, Stevie Nicks, Neil Young, to name just a few. Frank Sinatra, for his part, sold off two-thirds of his ownership in the label to Warner Bros. in 1963, for a hefty $80 million. This move, however, did not stop him from recording for the label, and by 1967, Sinatra had recorded a total of twenty-two albums for Reprise Records. One of these albums would become another major success for Sinatra, and would lead to the creation of the Holy Grail of 8-track tapes, the Sinatra Jobim - Frank Sinatra with Antonio Carlos Jobim album.
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| Antonio Carlos Jobim (Public domain image via Wikipedia) |
Antonio Carlos Jobim
Known by many as simply Tom Jobim, Antonio Carlos Jobim is one of the most celebrated artists in the long and vibrant history of Brazilian music. A regular performer in the bars and nightclubs of 1940's Rio De Janeiro, Jobim was just another unknown musician when he teamed up with the Brazilian diplomat and poet, Vinicius de Moraes, to write music for de Moraes's play, Orfeu da Conceição (Orpheus of the Conception), which was subsequently made into a movie, for which they wrote additional music.
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In 1958, Brazilian João Gilberto, another artist who would come to personify what was known as the Bossa Nova sound, recorded Desafinado/Hô-bá-lá-lá, his first album to include Desafinado and Chega de Saudade, songs composed by Jobim which became Bossa Nova classics. This album went on to help to ignite the Bossa Nova movement in Brasil.
Not surprisingly, the complex rhythms and exotic chord progressions within Bossa Nova soon attracted jazz musicians from the United States. In 1963 and 1964, American saxophonist Stan Getz, João Gilberto and his then wife, singer Astrud, collaborated on two albums, Getz/Gilberto (1963) and Getz/Gilberto Vol. 2 (1964). The release of Getz/Gilberto ignited a Bossa Nova craze in the states, which in time spread internationally.
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| Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim (Fair Use via wikipedia) |
On January 30 and February 1st of 1967, Sinatra and Jobim began work at the United Western Recorders studio in Los Angeles on the album Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Sinatra, who was always looking for something unique and daring, saw an opportunity to work with a musical master and innovator, someone who could help him reach an entirely new group of listeners. Often referred to as the "father of Bossa Nova" Jobim helped to bring the Brazilian style of music - a type of Samba developed in the late 50's and early 60's in Rio De Janeiro - to an international audience.
Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim was released in late March of 1967 on Sinatra's Reprise label. It went on to become a huge success for both artists, peaking at number 19 on the Billboard 200 and at number 4 on the Billboard US Top Jazz Albums for 1967. What's more, it received a nomination for Album of the Year at the 1968 Grammy Awards (losing out to The Beatles, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band).
A New Project Takes Place
In February of 1969, Sinatra and Jobim convened once again at Western Recorders, this time for three nights of recording new Bosa Nova styled material. Sinatra was hopeful there was more lightning in the bottle with another Sinatra Jobim album, since their previous efforts had been so incredibly successful. The album was to be titled, Sinatra Jobim - Frank Sinatra With Antonio Carlos Jobim. For this effort, the arrangements would be done by Eumir Deodato, a prominent Brazilian composer and record producer.
All Good Things Must End
The album itself seems to have progressed as any other record project would have. Once all the individual tracks were recorded, they were mixed down and then mastered to create a finished album. An acetate (an ultra-precise recording of the master tape recording made on a methyl cellulose lacquer disc) of this master was then created and a metal negative was produced from that acetate. The metal negative is what would normally be used to create the finished vinyl pressings of the album, which would then be sold to the public.
The track sequence for the album was set, on Stereomaster acetate (number FS1028), as follows -
(Side 1)
- Sabia
- Bonita
- Drinking Water (Aqua De Beber)
- One Note Samba (Samba De Uma Nota So)
- Don't Ever Go Away (Por Causa De Voce)
(Side2)
- Someone to light up my life
- Trieste
- Wave
- This Happy Madness
- Off Key (Disifinado)
Everything was proceeding as planned. Album artwork was created, with a picture of Sinatra leaning up against the back of a Greyhound bus, in the middle of what must have been conceived of as a Brazilian rainforest. While the photo is convincing enough, it seems it was a creation of the art department, a blending of a rainforest background with a picture of Sinatra leaning against a bus, which was originally taken in a parking lot, ostensibly at the Warner Bros. studio. In addition, it appears this photo was taken during the same February 1969 photoshoot for the Sinatra albums My Way and A Man Alone.
However, for some reasons, known only to key players, the project quickly began to grind to a halt. Apparently, there were disagreements with key people involved in the project. What they were exactly, remains a mystery. Whatever these disagreements may have been, it appears they happened soon after the only finished product - thirty five hundred 8 track tapes - were made and released.
Almost as soon as the 8-tracks were released to retailers, a decision was made to discontinue all sales of the album, and to recall outstanding 8-track cartridges from the outlets they had been sent to. Warner Bros./Seven Arts went so far as to issue a memorandum to all retailers, requesting that any inventory they had of the album should be destroyed immediately. Finally, there was an attempt to retrieve any and all cartridges that had already been sold.
With that, the album, Sinatra Jobim - Frank Sinatra With Antonio Carlos Jobim, was officially cancelled.
A Resurfacing Act
In 2010, Concord Records released Sinatra/Jobim: The Complete Reprise Recordings, which reproduces the complete collection of Reprise recordings of Frank Sinatra and Carlos Jobim. This includes all the tracks from their first 1967 collaboration, and the tracks from the album briefly released on 8-track cartridge.
Where Are They Now?
While it is hard to know for sure what happened to all the Sinatra Jobim - Frank Sinatra With Antonio Carlos Jobim 8-track tape cartridges, it seems fairly certain that the vast majority were in fact destroyed. Assuming the memorandum from Warner Bros. Seven Arts is legitimate, and not a figment of someone's imagination, it would seem hard to believe that there is some unknown stash of the tapes, sitting somewhere in a warehouse, waiting to be discovered by some lucky person. However, until more definitive documentation surfaces, one can only imagine what really happened.
One source has claimed that, in 2006, one of the existing tapes was sold at auction for the amount of $4550. It's hard to know what one would be worth now.
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