#FlashbackFriday: The Gold and Platinum Records at HQ and Other Musical Hits

With the Grammy Awards coming up this Sunday, Flashback Friday takes a look at the Exchange’s musical past. A few stops:

The Mystery of the Platinum and Gold albums: The Exchange no longer sells CDs, or any other format for record albums, but it does possess about two dozen gold and platinum albums—in a way.

In storage at Dallas Headquarters are plaques for gold or platinum records such as Pat Benatar’s “Crimes of Passion” (1980); Alabama’s “Feels So Right” and REO Speedwagon’s “Hi Infidelity” (both 1981), the Police’s “Synchronicity” (1983), Anita Baker’s “Rapture” (1986), the single “Be Our Guest” from Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” (1991) and more.

Some of the albums—Journey’s “Frontiers” (1983), Phil Collins’ “No Jacket Required” (1985), Mariah Carey’s 1990 debut, Amy Grant’s “Heart in Motion” (1991) and Ice Cube’s “Death Certificate” (also 1991)—are enshrined in a display on the second floor at headquarters.

So why does the Exchange have these, which are usually awarded to the people who make the records that sell 500,000 units (gold) or 1 million (platinum)? We contacted the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which issues the awards to see what we could find out.

According to an RIAA representative, these aren’t official RIAA platinum or gold albums, which would bear an official hologram. The ones at HQ are probably celebratory plaques created by other organizations and presented to the Exchange.

The platinum-album plaques at Exchange headquarters–including this one for Pat Benatar’s 1980 album “Crimes of Passion”– are not officially certified by the Recording Industry Association of America and were more likely

But if they’re not official, they’re still representative of successful sales in the vinyl/CD past. Speaking of which …

The Exchange once ran record shops: In 1977, the Exchange opened its first individual record shop, the Music Box, at the Nuernberg Area Exchange. Although PXs and BXs sold records, the stand-alone store was introduced to feature the personal touch customers got from better record shops back in the States.

“We’re trying to offer the customer the widest possible selection of records in a homey, relaxed atmosphere,” Paul Head, the manager of the Music Box, told the Exchange Post in July 1977.

The store had the largest selection in Europe, with 1,500 titles. Music Box purchases were placed in distinctive bags that were also inspired by U.S. record stores.

Long lines streamed into the store on opening day, when sales more than doubled the $7,000 goal.

Another of the plaques at HQ, for Anita Baker’s 1986 album “Rapture.”

The Exchange’s songwriters: In October, Flashback Friday wrote about Lou Stallman, who was a cafeteria worker in the ‘50s at the Manhattan Beach Air Force Station Exchange and went on to co-write receive a Grammy nomination for co-writing “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle.” Stallman, Teddy Randazzo and Bobby Weinstein wrote the song in 1965, but the Grammy nomination came along in 1982, when Deniece Williams covered the song.

There’s at least one other successful songwriter in Exchange history. Patrecia McCurdy, a clerk-stenographer in the Command and Public Relations Division of the Exchange in the ’70s, wrote songs under the name Patty Jackson (usually in collaboration with Jerry Abbott, a Dallas-area songwriter), including “I Don’t Dream About You Anymore,” which was recorded by Freddy Fender, “Tonight She’s Giving Her Love to Him,” recorded by Joe Stampley, and “When it Comes to Cowgirls,” recorded by Stampley and Moe Bandy. The latter was considered for the “Urban Cowboy” soundtrack but wasn’t used.

According to a December 1979 Exchange Post story, McCready, who joined the Exchange in 1974, said she had no burning desire to be a famous singer or songwriter. She wrote only when she in the mood. She did stay with the Exchange, though, retiring on Dec. 1, 1995, after a more than 20-year career.

Have any music-related Exchange memory you’d like to share? Tell us about it in the comments.

Sources: Exchange Post archives, RIAA.com. Photos by Ross Hailey, Exchange photographer