From browsing back issues of the major music industry trade publications, I’ve discovered that Record World is refreshingly focused on just the music, and not, say, coin-operated amusements (i.e., Cash Box) or circuses, fairs, and the entertainment industry (Billboard). Beat Instrumental from the UK is likewise devoted to the music but delves deeply into “gear” (guitars, amps, recording process) in a way that sets it apart from the others. Billboard — which enjoys distinction as one of the world’s oldest trade publications — was originally a Cincinnati-based periodical when its first issue hit the newstands in November 1894, you might be surprised to learn.
From what I have observed, much of the advertising in the major music trades of the day was (and likely still is) ephemeral in nature, with a great many of the full-page ads here being run only once or twice. With this piece, therefore, Zero to 180 attempts to corral some of the more distinctive and memorable ads of the mid-to-late 1960s, lest they wind up in history’s wastebin.
Modern Architecture As Friend – And Foe
Record World
Apr. 15, 1967
Record World
May 20, 1967
Record World
Oct. 18, 1969
Cash Box
Apr. 27, 1968
Billboard
Jun. 22, 1968
Billboard
Nov. 23, 1968
*
*
Overseas Artists Vying For The North American Market
Billboard
Mar. 5, 1966
Madalena Iglesias
Billboard
Mar. 5, 1966
Bill Hjerpe
Billboard
Mar. 19, 1966
“If you started out in a cave and ended up making records … you’d look happy, too“
The Creatures
Billboard
Jun. 4, 1966
Kui Lee
Record World
Feb. 11, 1967
Eduardo Davidson
Cash Box
Jul. 1, 1967
Ravi Shankar
Cash Box
Nov. 18, 1967
Ola & The Janglers
Cash Box
Nov. 18, 1967
Cockie Kay
Cash Box
Aug. 10, 1968
Sajid Khan
Billboard
Sep. 6, 1969
Radha Krishna Temple
Billboard
Aug. 15, 1970
Heintje
*
*
Mop Top Beat Groups
Billboard
Aug. 6, 1966
Billboard
Sep. 10, 1966
Billboard
Oct. 15, 1966
Cash Box
Feb. 25, 1967
Billboard
Mar. 25, 1967
Billboard
Jun. 3, 1967
Billboard
Jul. 27, 1968
*
*
Top Mop Tops – Beatles
Billboard
Feb. 26, 1966
Billboard
Jun. 4, 1966
Billboard
May 11, 1968
Billboard
May 11, 1968
Billboard
Nov. 25, 1967
Billboard
Dec. 2, 1967
Billboard
Nov. 9, 1968
*
*
Top Mop Tops – Rolling Stones
Billboard
Feb. 19, 1966
Billboard
Jul. 9, 1966
Billboard
Jun. 18, 1966
Billboard
Aug. 6, 1966
Billboard
Dec. 14, 1968
Record World
Mar. 22, 1969
*
*
Top Mop Tops – Beach Boys
Billboard
1966 Talent Directory
Billboard
Oct. 15, 1966
Record World
Jul. 29, 1967
Cash Box
Sep. 9, 1967
Cash Box
Jul. 13, 1968
Billboard
Jan. 25, 1969
Billboard
Feb. 22, 1969
*
*
The Latest Gear
Beat Instrumental
January 1965
[Okay, so technically not an ad]
Beat Instrumental
April 1965
Beat Instrumental
November 1965
Beat Instrumental
January 1966
Guitar + Organ = Guitar-Organ
Beat Instrumental
January 1966
Early drum machine
Beat Instrumental
November 1966
Beat Instrumental
September 1966
2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 3
(read the fine print for the details on those numbers)
Beat Instrumental
October 1967
Keith Moon‘s “Exploding” Pop Art drum kit
(optimally viewed under fluorescent black light)
Cash Box
Oct. 21, 1967
Beat Instrumental
February 1969
*
*
Chess/Cadet Records’ Memorable Marketing Campaigns
Record World
Feb. 22, 1969
This Is Howlin’ Wolf’s New Album
Record World
Jun. 15, 1968
Cash Box
Oct. 19, 1968
“These Records Have Made Us Pure Again“
Muddy Waters – Electric Mud LP
Billboard
Feb. 10, 1968
Record World
Dec. 12, 1970
Billboard
July 29, 1967
Billboard
November 4, 1967
Record World
Mar. 23, 1968
Record World
Aug. 17, 1968
Record World
Mar. 2, 1968
Cash Box
Mar. 9, 1968
Cash Box
Apr. 1, 1967
Record World
Apr. 8, 1967
*
*
History Repeats Itself!
Cab Calloway delineates the eerie similarities between the Lincoln and Kennedy assassinations while backed by a patriotic choir — released as a 45 on ABC subsidiary label, Boom Records.
Record World
Mar. 26, 1966
*
*
A Whimsical Pairing
Ad #1
Record World
Mar. 22, 1969
*
Ad #2
Record World
Jun. 6, 1970
(Note the oversized images of Ahmet Ertegun & Jerry Wexler in the background)
*
A Premier Pairing = Spelling Pays!
Billboard
Mar. 22, 1969 ‘Campus Attractions’ special issue
– Company misspells own’s name –
*
Billboard
Mar. 29, 1969
– New ad in following issue sans typo (and with vastly reduced color) –
An Epic Pairing –
Terry Reid & Vivian Reed
Billboard
Nov. 23, 1968
*
Just a Splash of Color
Record World
Dec. 24, 1966
Record World
Sep. 3, 1966
Record World
Oct. 28, 1967
Record World
Oct. 19, 1968
*
*
Latin Soul
*Record World
Mar. 11, 1967
Billboard
February 1, 1969
Record World
Dec. 7, 1968
Billboard
Dec. 16, 1967
Billboard
Dec. 16, 1967
Billboard
Jun. 1, 1968
Billboard
Aug. 30, 1969
*
*
Eye–Catching Ads
Record World
Feb. 22, 1969
Billboard
Feb. 25, 1967
Record World
May 10, 1969
Record World
Apr. 19, 1969
Cash Box
Feb. 10, 1968
Billboard
Aug. 3, 1968
Billboard
Apr. 26, 1969
Billboard
Nov. 19, 1966
Billboard
Mar. 19, 1966
Artwork from Mad‘s Jack Davis
Cash Box
Oct. 21, 1967
Artwork from Mad‘s Jack Davis
Billboard
Dec. 23, 1967
Billboard
Jun. 28, 1969
*
*
Fun and Games
Billboard
Oct. 29, 1966
Cash Box
May 27, 1967
Record World
Jul. 24, 1971
Cash Box
Oct. 28, 1967
Record World
Nov. 21, 1970
*
*
Upside Down + / — Backwards
Cash Box
Jan. 28, 1967
Record World
Mar. 11, 1967
Cash Box
May 18, 1967
Billboard
May 20, 1967
Record World
Oct. 7, 1967
Cash Box
Jul. 27, 1968
Record World
Oct. 26, 1968
*
*
Humor +/– Satire
Billboard
Jun. 11, 1968
Billboard
Nov. 5, 1966
Billboard
Sep. 23, 1967
Billboard
Aug. 24, 1968
Record World
Feb. 11, 1967
Billboard
Billboard
Oct. 8, 1966
Record World
Dec. 31, 1966
Billboard
Oct. 14, 1967
Billboard
Mar. 11, 1967
Billboard
Jan. 28, 1967
Billboard
Dec. 30, 1967
Cash Box
Mar. 4, 1967
Cash Box
Jul. 6, 1968
Cash Box
Feb. 17, 1968
Billboard
Nov. 25, 1967
Billboard
Jun. 24, 1967
Billboard
Nov. 11, 1967
Billboard
May 25, 1968
Cash Box
Jun. 15, 1968
*
*
Mod Fashions
Record World
Mar. 25, 1967
Billboard
Feb. 11, 1967
Billboard
Oct. 1, 1966
Record World
Sep. 30, 1969
*
*
Psychedelic References Hit the Mainstream
Billboard
Apr. 2, 1966
Billboard
Jun. 25, 1966
Record World
Aug. 20, 1966
Record World
Jan. 14, 1967
Cash Box
Aug. 26, 1967
Cash Box
Jul. 29, 1967
Record World
Mar. 4, 1967
Record World
Apr. 29, 1967
Record World
May 13, 1967
Record World
Apr. 15, 1967
Billboard
Apr. 1, 1967
Billboard
Jul. 8, 1967
Billboard
Jul. 29, 1967
Billboard
Sep. 9, 1967
Billboard
Sep. 23, 1967
Cash Box
May 27, 1967
Billboard
Sep. 16, 1967
Record World
Sep. 7, 1967
Billboard
Nov. 4, 1967
Record World
Nov. 11, 1967
Billboard
Nov. 18, 1967
Billboard
Jun. 22, 1968
Billboard
Jul. 12, 1969
Record World
Feb. 22, 1969
Billboard
Apr. 13, 1968
Billboard
Jun. 24, 1967
Billboard
Jul. 15, 1967
Billboard
Dec. 30, 1967
Billboard
Apr. 13, 1968
Billboard
Sep. 28, 1968
Billboard
Jun. 1, 1968
Billboard
Feb. 3, 1968
Cash Box
Jul. 20, 1968
Billboard
Nov. 25, 1967
Billboard
Jul. 5, 1969
Billboard
Aug. 24, 1968
Record World
Oct. 19, 1968
Record World
Mar. 8, 1969
Roots of Country Outlaw
Record World
May 23, 1970
Record World
Aug. 15, 1970
Cash Box
May 27, 1967
Cash Box
Oct. 19, 1968
*
*
Transgressions Against Decency & Good Taste
Record World
Apr. 20, 1968
LINK to
The In Crowd’s edgy “Hangin’ From Your Lovin’ Tree” ad
Record World
June 29, 1968
Record World
Aug. 19, 1969
Record World
Apr. 4, 1970
Record World
Sep. 12, 1970
*
*
Open Letters –
I’ve Got Something to Say
Billboard
Apr. 29, 1967
Billboard
Apr. 8, 1967
Billboard
Feb. 15, 1969
*
*
War Is Hell
Billboard
Jan. 13, 1968
Record World
Nov. 30, 1968
Record World
Nov. 28, 1970
Record World
May 23, 1970
Elektra Records
*
*
*Love and Peace
Billboard
Jun. 17, 1967
Billboard
Oct. 28, 1967
Billboard
May 25, 1968
Billboard
Oct. 19, 1968
Billboard
Nov. 16, 1968
Billboard
Jun. 21, 1969
*
*
Faith and Spirituality
Record World
Dec. 14, 1968
Billboard
Jan. 11, 1969
Record World
Sep. 30, 1969
Record World
Nov. 29, 1969
Cash Box
Mar. 16, 1968
Record World
Mar. 28, 1970
*
*
Minor Artists
Cash Box
Jan. 28, 1967
Cash Box
Jan. 28, 1967
Cash Box
Dec. 9, 1967
Record World
Dec. 2, 1967
Billboard
Sep. 23, 1967
Billboard
Feb. 1, 1969
Billboard
Oct. 17, 1970
*
*
Bonus!
Rainy Day Projects for the Kids
Billboard
May 28, 1966
Record World
Aug. 12, 1967
Cash Box
Mar. 9, 1968
Record World
Aug. 8, 1970
*
Thanks to Bryan Richardson for digitally stitching the 2-page ads
*
Listen to Zero to 180 on the Radio!
LINK to Chris Richardson’s 90-minute interview + 21 songs
Courtesy of Robbie White‘s “Forbidden Alliance” program
WOWD FM — Takoma Park, MD
