Loss Leaders

Mail order only promotional records that were released by Warner Brothers Records starting in 1969 with the release of The 1969 Warner/Reprise Songbook (PRO 331) and concluding in 1980 with Troublemakers (PRO A-857). The catalog numbering has many gaps in it, and these numbers were used for promotional items that were typically given to radio stations and were not used for the Loss Leaders series. Original mail order form text: "What we have here, to be out front about it, are some of our favorite records by 23 of the artists currently recording for Warner Bros.-Seven Arts and Reprise Records. We have put this double album together not only for our own enjoyment — since it includes worthy singles that never made it commercially as well as tracks from current albums — but hopefully to win new friends for some very creative people. The Sinatras, the Dean Martins, the Pet Clarks have their own songbooks. This one is for those of you who may never have heard of Van Morrison but remember "Brown Eyed Girl". Who are interested to know that Jethro Tull and The Pentangle are both outselling Sammy Davis, Jr. Who dig The Mothers of Invention and are wondering what Frank Zappa is up to now." Text from another Loss Leader's order form: "The best, Biggest bargains on record! The Warner/Reprise Loss Leaders. You can't buy these albums in a store; they are available only by mail, for the ridiculously low price of $2 for the doubles, $1 for "Zapped". We can get away with that low price because these celebrated artists and this benevolent record company have all agreed not to make a profit on this venture. We (and they) feel it's more important that these samples of musical joy be heard. If you're as suspicious of big record companies as we feel you have every right to to be, we avert your qualms with the following High Truths: • This is new stuff, NOT old tracks dredged out of our Dead Dogs files. If our Accounting Department were running this company, they'd charge you $9.96 for each double album. But they're not. Yet. • We are not 100 per cent benevolent. It's our fervent hope that you, dear consumer, will be encouraged to pick up more of what you hear on these special albums at regular retail prices. • That you haven't heard much of this material we hold obvious. Over 8,000 new albums glut the market (and airwaves) each year. Some of our Best Stuff has to get overlooked. Or underheard. Underbought. Thus, we're trying to get right to you Phonograph Lovers, bypassing the middlemen. • Each album is divinely packaged, having been designed at no little expense by our latently talented Art Department. The WORDS OF WARNING: Warner / Reprise put out all kinds of albums, but only one kind of inner sleeve (this one). For those of you who have serious reservations about Youth, Artistic License, and Hard Rock, we recommend you stick to our "Schlagers!" epic. We suggest this mostly because we hate getting nasty letters. As we mentioned earlier, these albums are not available in any store. If you want them (indeed, how can you resist?) you have to fill in the coupon and send it off, with your loot, to Loss Leaders, Room 215, Warner / Reprise Records, Burbank, Calif. 91505"