The Rock Machine Turns You On
| The Rock Machine Turns You On | ||||
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| Compilation album by Various artists | ||||
| Released | 1968 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Label | CBS SPR22 | |||
| Various artists chronology | ||||
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The Rock Machine Turns You On was the first bargain priced sampler album. It was released in the USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, The Netherlands, Germany and a number of other European countries in 1968 as part of an international marketing campaign by Columbia Records, who were known in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as CBS.
A 1969 dated edition ( Number ASF 1356) bought in South Africa had a different sleeve (yellow with cut outs in the Rock Machine boxes) and psychedelic multicoloured vinyl. It also has a completely different track list with such notable tracks as Big Brother and the Holding Company's 'Piece of my Heart' and Leonard Cohen's 'Suzanne'.
The Rock Machine marketing campaign was initiated in the US in January 1968, by Columbia Records under its president Clive Davis. The campaign was seen as a means of promoting its expanding roster of rock and folk rock acts, who included Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Simon and Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen, Moby Grape, Spirit, Taj Mahal, and Blood, Sweat and Tears. Early promotional material in Billboard magazine stated:
"The Rock Machine...it's the happening sounds of today. Out of it comes the biggest, hottest rock list that ever started off any month. And with our Columbia Rock Machine, the most exciting and meaningful merchandising campaign we've ever devised..... It's all here - the talent, the product and the big concept to make it all happen. Now, doesn't that turn you on?"
The design of the "Rock Machine" logo, used in subsequent publicity material, including album covers, was by Milton Glaser.
As part of its highly successful campaign, CBS Records released The Rock Machine Turns You On, the first budget sampler LP, in the UK in 1968. The album was priced at 14 shillings and 11 pence (£0.75), less than half the cost of a full priced LP at the time. It entered the UK Albums Chart in June 1969, several months after its first release, rising to no. 18, and was estimated to have sold over 140,000 copies.
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