Dore Album DiscographyDore (pronounced "Dorrie") was formed in 1958 by Herb Newman and Lou Bedell as a companion
to their Era label. A&R for the Dore label was by Lou Adler and Herb Alpert. Dore recorded popular,
rock and roll, rhythm and blues and comedy records. In June 1959, Bedell sold his interest in the both
labels to Herb Newman.
Dore Records started with a #1 hit in August, 1958, with "To Know Him Is to Love Him" by a trio called
the Teddy Bears. The song was written and produced by Phil Spector, the leader of the group, which
also contained Annette Kleinbard, and Marshall Lieb. After the one hit, the Teddy Bears left Dore for the
greener pastures of the larger Imperial label in 1959. Spector at Imperial was given the latitude to record
an album for his group, which was one of the first stereo albums released. Unfortunately, all stereo did
for the Teddy Bears was to reveal in painful detail the lack of singing talent in the group, which after the
album was history. Phil Spector, of course, went on to become one of the great producers in rock and
roll history, but became a noted stereo-hater.
Dore had hits in 1959 and 1960 with the duo Jan and Dean. Their first hit for the label was a song written
by Lou Adler called "Baby Talk". The arrangement was by Herb Alpert, an unknown at the time. Adler
and Alpert produced the record, as they did many of the Dore singles. "Baby Talk" was a big hit, and
Jan and Dean had four more charted hits for Dore in 1959 and 1960 before leaving for the Challenge
label, and then Liberty, where by 1962 they really hit their stride on the surfing/drag racing music genre.
Dore released a Jan and Dean album (LP 101) which is very collectable; the album included a large
color picture of Jan and Dean. Lou Adler went on to form Dunhill records which had great success with
the Mamas and Papas. Herb Alpert had many hits under his own name with the Tijuana Brass, after he
and Jerry Moss formed A&M Records. A&M, of course, has become a record industry giant. Dore
continued to operate at a low-key level over the years, most of their releases being novelty or comedy
records. They did have some success with the soft soul group the Whispers.
We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an
information web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no
association with Dore Records. Should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography
(which are all out of print), we suggest you see our
Frequently Asked Questions page and follow the instructions found there. This story and
discography
are copyright 1998 by Mike Callahan.
The original Dore label was light blue with black printing, with "Dore" in script on a black feather above
the center hole. This was used for the 1000 and 100 series.
The Dore label used on early issues in this series was a similar design to the original light blue label, but
used silver print on dark aqua blue. "Dore" was in script above the center hole on a feather. This label
was used in the late '60s and early '70s.
Around 1971, the label was redesigned, and this multicolor label was used throughout the rest of the
1970s and early 1980s. The label was black with silver printing. To the left of the center hole was
"DORE" in yellow; above the center hole is a multi-color feather.
In 1981, Dore started a collector's series of LPs which were issued on colored vinyl, but the pressing
plant messed up the vinyl order and the albums proved mediocre sellers, so the series proved short-
lived. These collectors series LPs used the original light blue Dore label design of the late 1950s.
CD 357 - The Best of Hudson and Landry - Hudson & Landry [1996] Mostly transferred
from vinyl, with lots of noise. I Couldn't Live Like That (E)/Ajax Liquor Store (M)/Montague For Governor
(M)/Frederickism (E)/Ajax Mortuary (M)/ Bruiser LaRue, Footballer (E, no surface noise)/Bruiser Meets
Dracula (E)/ Ajax Airlines (E)/Cornelius Vanderbilt (E) /The Heaven Game (M)/Sir Basil (M)/Obscene
Phone Bust (M)/Ajax Travel Bureau (M)/Frontier Christmas (M)
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