Our Pregnancy Ends - Advert Mar. 1971
- Alice Cooper Group
- Mar 26, 1971
- 3 min read
Date: March 27 1971
Length: 6 min read
A full‑page Warner/Reprise advert in Billboard turns the release of new singles into a tongue‑in‑cheek maternity metaphor, capturing the label’s chaotic, fertile creativity at the dawn of the 1970s.
How Warner/Reprise delivered a “litter” of hits in one of the strangest ads of the era.
In March 1971, Warner/Reprise ran one of the most memorable promotional spreads of the early ’70s: a mock‑medical birth announcement celebrating the arrival of new singles by Alice Cooper, Jimi Hendrix, Van Morrison, James Taylor, and more. The ad’s humour, confidence, and surreal imagery reflect a label in full creative bloom.
📰 Key Highlights
• Full‑page Warner/Reprise advert styled as a maternity announcement
• Ron Saul (Director of National Promotion) posed as an obstetrician
• Singles by Alice Cooper, Jimi Hendrix, Van Morrison, James Taylor, Kenny Rogers
• Teasers for upcoming releases by Neil Young, Nancy Sinatra, Petula Clark
• A rare example of early‑’70s label humour in mainstream trade advertising
📰 Overview
By early 1971, Warner/Reprise had become one of the most adventurous and artist‑driven labels in American music. Their roster spanned hard rock, folk, country‑rock, psychedelia, and singer‑songwriter material — and their promotional style reflected that eclecticism.
The Billboard advert dated March 27, 1971, titled “Our Pregnancy Ends,” is a perfect snapshot of the label’s irreverent personality. Instead of a conventional singles announcement, Warner/Reprise framed their new releases as newborns delivered by an in‑house “obstetrician,” played by Ron Saul, the label’s Director of National Promotion.
The result is a playful, self‑aware piece of marketing that stands out even in the anything‑goes landscape of early‑’70s music advertising.
📰 Source Details
Publication / Venue: Billboard Magazine
Date: 27 March 1971
Format: Full‑page promotional advert
Provenance Notes:
All information derived from the visible advert text. No copyrighted article text reproduced. Contextual details based on public historical knowledge of Warner/Reprise’s 1971 roster.
📰 The Story
The advert opens with a bold headline: “Our Pregnancy Ends.” Beneath it, Warner/Reprise explains that records are “born,” not made — a metaphor for the long gestation of a hit. Ron Saul, dressed in a white medical coat, cradles a vinyl record like a newborn, embodying the joke with deadpan sincerity.
The “litter” of newborn singles includes:
“Eighteen” — Alice Cooper
“Someone Who Cares” — Kenny Rogers & The First Edition
“Freedom” — Jimi Hendrix
“Blue Money” — Van Morrison
“Country Road” — James Taylor
This is an astonishing cross‑section of early‑’70s talent: shock rock, country‑rock, posthumous Hendrix material, Celtic soul, and Laurel Canyon introspection — all arriving simultaneously.
The advert then confesses that Warner/Reprise is “already pregnant again,” teasing the next wave of releases:
Nancy Sinatra — “Hook and Ladder”
Neil Young — “When You Dance I Can Really Love”
The Ides of March — “L.A. Goodbye”
Petula Clark — “The Song of My Life”
The tone is playful, but the message is serious: Warner/Reprise is fertile, prolific, and culturally dominant.
This ad captures a label at its creative peak — confident enough to poke fun at itself while promoting some of the most important artists of the era.
📰 Visual Archive
A black‑and‑white promotional advert featuring Ron Saul in a medical coat, holding a vinyl record like a newborn baby. The layout resembles a maternity announcement, listing newly “delivered” singles and teasing upcoming releases. The Warner/Reprise logo appears at the bottom.
Warner/Reprise announces a “litter” of new singles in one of the most surreal ads of 1971.
📰 Related Material
• Alice Cooper — “Eighteen” (1971)
• Jimi Hendrix — “Freedom” (posthumous single)
• James Taylor — Mud Slide Slim era promotion
📰 Closing Notes
The “Our Pregnancy Ends” advert stands as a testament to Warner/Reprise’s creative confidence. In an era defined by experimentation, the label embraced humour, personality, and bold imagery to promote its artists — and in doing so, created one of the most memorable trade ads of the early ’70s.
📰 Sources
• Billboard Magazine (27 March 1971) — Advert
• Public historical context on Warner/Reprise Records
• Artist discographies and release timelines
📝 Copyright Notice
All magazine scans, photographs, and original text excerpts referenced in this entry remain the property of their respective copyright holders. This Chronicle entry is a transformative, non‑commercial archival summary created for historical documentation and educational reference. No ownership of the original material is claimed or implied.
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