As Sam Phillips gains valuable exposure in TV and film, Virgin is using the opportunity to give a renewed push to her third pop album, "Martinis and Bikinis."
Even though the album never took off as hoped, the company has pledged its long-term commitment to the title, which was released March 8 (Billboard, July 9).
The week of Oct. 31, Virgin reserviced the first single from the album, "I Need Love," to album alternative and modern rock radio. The track originally was serviced to album alternative outlets in February and to modern rock in March. Virgin product manager Margi Cheske says the label also will reservice the video "when the time is right."
The inclusion of Phillips' music in TV programs and movies is part of the label's latest marketing thrust. The song and video for the second single, "Baby I Can't Please You," aired on Fox-TV's "Melrose Place" Oct. 10 and Oct. 24, and is included on the show's Giant Records soundtrack, released Oct. 18.
In addition, Phillips recorded Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," a song she performed regularly during her "Indescribable Wow" tour in 1988, for the upcoming Robert Altman film "Pret-A-Porter."
"This is the tough, rockabilly versign that it was meant to be," says Phillips.
The song is featured on the Columbia soundtrack, due Dec. 6, along with tracks by U2, the Cranberries, Salt-N-Pepa, and Ini Kamoze.
The Miramax film, which features Julia Roberts, Tim Robbins, and a cast of other stars, opens in 1,000 theaters Dec. 21.
In addition, the singer has landed a role in the 20th Century Fox film "Die Hard III: With A Vengeance," in which she will play Jeremy Irons' mute German terrorist girlfriend. Cheske says Phillips is also working on a song for either the opening or closing credits of the movie, which is due next summer.
The singer, who has never acted before, was chosen for the part when the director saw her album; its back cover features a very austere-looking Phillips with slickedback hair.
"[Acting is] a lot of fun. I'm learning a lot," she says. "The first day, the director said, 'Rolling,' and to me, that means you start. So I started, and the director said, 'Cut,' laughed, put his arm around me, and said, "It's customary for me to say "action" first.'"
Fox Records is set to release "With A Vengeance," the soundtrack to "Die Hard III," in July 1995. However, Kevin Nakao, senior director of marketing at Fox, says the music is not yet confirmed.
"We've always been pretty aggressive when it comes to [getting music in movies and TV shows], but especially with Sam," says Cheske. "We're always looking for other avenues with Sam. This is a great way to expose her music."
Virgin is hoping the inclusion of "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" in "Pret-A-Porter" will spur sales of "Martinis and Bikinis" in much the same way that Phillips benefited from the "Melrose Place" exposure.
The critically acclaimed "Martinis and Bikinis" spent one week on The Billboard 200, at No. 182, and peaked at No. 9 on Heatseekers. According to SoundScan, the album has sold more than 73,000 copies to date.
John Artale, purchasing manager of the 135-store, Carnegie, Pa.-based National Record Mart chain, says, "She more than doubled in sales last week. The thing with 'Melrose Place' is, they play a song for a long time, and if you like it, sure, it could spur sales . . . ['Martinis and Bikinis'] is a good record, and it bears working again."
Virgin chose to re-service "I Need Love" because the "timing was bad" the first time out, says Cheske.
"By the time it started getting a really good response, we had already gone with "Baby I Can't Please You" as the second single," she says. "It started picking up steam when we went with the second single. Based on that, we're working it more aggressively now."
Cheske also hopes that "I Need Love" will cross over to top 40 this time. "Her appeal since this was first worked is more broad-based now, from her constant touring," she says.
Modern rock KPOI Honolulu is one station that didn't play "I Need Love" in March, but it placed the song into regular rotation Nov. 1.
"Everyone but Virgin is mad at me for adding this, because Sam doesn't really fit what we're doing," says KPOI PD Ted Taylor. "We used to be a [top 40]-leaning alternative station, and now we're a more [album rock]-leaning alternative station. The reason I added it is because I think it's a great song. I'm going to play the shit out of it, and hope they love it."
Virgin is in the midst of putting together a live promotional CD culled from Phillips' numerous on-air radio performances, including stints on public radio KCRW Los Angeles, album alternative KSCA Los Angeles, Public Radio nternational's "The World Cafe," modern rock WNNX (99X) Atlanta, and modern rock WDRE Long Island, N.Y.