Page 59 - The Westerner Magazine Halloween 2018
P. 59
thought it was going to be a big picture Frank Ifield and the Beatles on one
with children. That was Star Wars. I album called “Jolly What?”
handed John Williams his first triple
I promoted all of that. The first time I
platinum album. That was pure luck.
had a Beatles record called Please,
Universal thought they had a loser.
Please Me. I got it played on the radio
th
Did 20 Century do “The Story of Star and we sold 3,500 records and then it
Wars” too? That was a great concept— came—that blast from England—and I
narration and music to tell the story of took it back out and it sold 300,000
the first film. records. The same record. I used to have
acetates of the Beatles album at my
Yes. That was my idea. It went gold too.
house. Those acetates now go for
We thought that we could get away
$250,000 each. I think it’s in my mother’s
with it and people asked about it. So, we
old house in the basement someplace.
did it.
I’m not a person who saves things. I was
awarded 100 gold records that I never
accepted. I told them, “The day you
actually have gold bullion on them, I’ll
accept it. When you spray it gold and
give it to a CPA, that’s when it loses its
charm.”
That album that you put Frank Ifield
with the Beatles on one album
though… That’s creative.
We had hits with Frank Ifield. “I
Remember You” was a big one.
“Jolly What” was the album that put Anything went.
the Beatles and Frank Ifield together on
The Vee-Jay stuff is fascinating, isn’t
an album. It is now a collectors item.
it? The material they managed to get
Let me take you back a few years. In and sell from all over the place.
your earlier career you worked for Vee-
Hit after hit, after hit, after hit. I helped
Jay, correct? The company who put
break the Four Seasons with Bob Crewe
the producer. Bob Crewe. I met him in
