Collecting Music: LP or CD. Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Part ONE.

September 19, 2018

#276

Gentle reader,

I did not start out as a teen in the 1970's with the intent to collect LP records. I was simply buying records as most kids did then.

However, as time went by, I acquired more and more LPs. Of course, adulthood came along, what with being married and raising kids, many things took precedence over what new music I'd like to own.

As I recall, my first LP was Jefferson Airplane's (later: Starship) Surrealistic Pillow. My older sister gave it to me. After that, it becomes foggy as to which came next. But, I still have may of those same LPs to this day. Even then, I took care of them. My first big expense was due to a movie I'd seen: Jesus Christ, Superstar. I was SO impressed with that film and the music in it, that I spent TEN DOLLARS to buy the 2-LP set!

We grew up with music playing often in our house. Dad was a Presbyterian Minister and liked to play guitar and sing at home. Mom was a "homemaker" until we were all in school and she sought work outside the home. She played trumpet in school and still had hers. I used the same trumpet when I tried to learn how to play in grade school.

Dad and Mom had different tastes in music and I do not recall which of them, perhaps both, introduced Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass into their record collection. And into our lives. 

Dad had a modest stereo of which all I can remember are the KLH 17 speakers and at some point he added a SONY reel-to-reel tape deck. What brands of other equipment he had is long lost to me.

Above is my entire collection of Herb Alpert's music. 

NOTE: In reviewing this before publishing, I saw that when I used the ampersand: &, the program added "amp;" to it. So, if you see that, remember it was beyond my control.
 
NOTE: This is not going to be a history of Herb Alpert and his music. For more information on his incredibly long (and still going!) career making music that has entertained billions, please check out his own website:

Herb Alpert

There is SO much information on that site. Even photos of many of the foreign (to the USA) releases of his music. Some of which you will see in my collection. Also videos, which I plan to check out.

No one can deny that he and his very capable band invented the genre of Latin-America-sounding music. Sounding at any rate to Gringo ears like what one might hear while walking through Mexican towns or cities. It all started with this:

I used to buy many of the copycat band's music, and there were plenty of them trying to hitch a ride on Herb's bandwagon. Many of them sounded very good too. I still come across some from time to time. But this article is not about those clones. It is about the genuine article.

I'll start with the CDs since there are fewer of them. Way back in 2005, Herb made a deal with Shout Factory to re-release his original albums on CD. They did so with all but Volume 2, the band's second release and to my mind, one of their best. The story was, Herb could not find the original stereo master tape and did not want to have it go out in mono. I found this odd as he had released it on CD in 1990. But I wasn't there.

"What's this, there it is!" You may be thinking. No, that is a release he put out, apparently along with the rest of the originals in 2016. UNLIKE the Shout Factory CDs which come in "Digipack" cases, it is packaged like a "gatefold" LP. No plastic is used except for the CD. Much more responsible method to house a CD. Think how much oil has been used to create the "jewel" cases for billions of CDs. 

And check it out! The CD looks like a 45 RPM record!

His pseudo-Latin music is generally very upbeat with tunes I find myself whistling along with. But then, I've been hearing them since 1962, when I was six! I can whistle along, from memory, almost every tune from the original releases. 

If you are ever feeling down, put on some Herb Alpert, it is guaranteed to raise your spirits. 

Their third, SOUTH OF THE BORDER and forth GOING PLACES! continue in the same type of Latin-sounding brass infused music. I cannot find one tune that I do not like. They are all so listenable!

That is until THE BEAT OF THE BRASS. A tune from the film, Doctor Doolitle titled Talk to the Animals and perhaps one more, that I skip right past. SOUNDS LIKE is better. With Casino Royale being the shining beacon to finish the album. 
Yes, long before Danial Craig's first go as 007, there was another Casino Royale film, in the 1960's. It was Ian Flemming's first book about James Bond. Trivia: His very first book was Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang. Disney pretty much ruined the tense story he wrote for his children by making it a musical. It was not chosen to be part of the canon of 007 films way back then. So, another studio decided to make it a comedy. Funny and silly it is with big name actors and several James Bonds in it. This tune is from the soundtrack.

"S.R.O" is short for Standing Room Only. I have them reversed in the photo. WHAT NOW MY LOVE is next chronologically. Note that it is the same woman in the same dress in this photo as on SOUTH OF THE BORDER. I believe that is his wife. She was with Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66, a band he discovered and signed to his label: A&M, short for Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss.

It may have been a tongue-in-cheek joke on Herb's part to intimate that Beethoven might have worn a shirt with his face on it. NINTH was his ninth, thus the name. Clever, no? It's a very good album.

Ah, yes, the ever famous WHIPPED CREAM & OTHER DELIGHTS. An album that has no doubt set many a males mind to wondering. It really is an exceptional album. Not one tune that I do not love. I'm listening to it right now. I equate it as Herb's Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band.

These two close out the Shout Factory re-releases. Except, RE-WHIPPED is new and filled with remixes from many different individuals. Some, to me are pretty good, others, well, you can decide.
LOST TREASURES is made up of 22 tunes that he found in his archives that for whatever reason were not released originally. Many are very good, some, should have been left on the vine. But perhaps you will like them all?
It is my considered opinion that some of the selections on some of the albums could almost be considered "easy listening" versions of other's works. Yet others, are in my mind better than the originals. To avoid flame wars, I'll keep those tune's titles to myself.

GREATEST HITS, who does not have an album of this title? Well, no doubt a lot of bands, especially one-hit-wonders. But, a best-of to me, if one owns all they produced is a supernumerary. How's that for a fancy word? FOURSIDER is a double LP that was another best-of. Since they could not fit four LP sides on one CD, they left some out.  

A&M Records had become a large concern in the music industry with many great artists signed to it. So, they came out with a 20 CD release of many of the artists best works. He bracketed the series by having himself as the alpha and omega.

For fellow stereo equipment and junior audiophiles out there, you will like the following from this 2001 release: "20-bit re-mastered with tube equipment from the original master tapes."
Twenty tunes starting with  THE LONELY BULL and ending with MAKING LOVE IN THE RAIN. They cover the gamut of his releases both with and without the "T.J.B." It has always made we wonder, what does the J stand for, Juana?

These are UK and German best-of releases. Left is from 1991 and made in the United Kingdom. Did you know that Canada, Australia and New Zealand (and perhaps others) are STILL part of the UK? Yep, look it up.
Also from 1991 and made in Germany is the green one. Note that they chose different tunes than the Brits did. 

By now, Herb and the boys have gone their separate ways. Herb may have been trying to go mainstream with some of this music. It's been so long since I have listened to them, I can't really comment on the content.

WILD ROMANCE is from 1985. KEEP YOUR EYE ON ME is from 1987. It features Diamonds with singing by Janet Jackson, yes, THAT Janet Jackson.

Steering then towards Jazz, Herb had centered himself. UNDER A SPANISH MOON is excellent. It came out in 1988. NORTH ON SOUTH STREET from 1991 continues in the same style. He even had a ponytail.

1992 he brought out MIDNIGHT SUN. Also very good. Four years later, SECOND WIND came out. Another wonderful album.

The next year, 1997, PASSION DANCE emerged. It is truly outstanding and I love playing it.
Two years later, in 1999  & COLORS came out. Oddly, I do not recall seeing it on HIS website. It is a little different. But still listenable. 

Well, that's it for the CDs. Twenty seven of them if my math is correct. As I said, he seems to have come out with new re-releases of the original ten albums on CD. I also saw there are several since the last one which I have that he lists on the site and Amazon has all of them. Tempting......

Thank you so much for once again taking the time to read my humble blog. And if this is the first one which you have seen, welcome! I decided to write about some of my other collections having been concentrating mostly on stereo/audio equipment. What is the point of collecting, unless you share what you have with others?

Scott
September 19, 2018
#276