'60s TjB: The Singles -- The Most Impressive Release

[Rudy]

I'm stuck on my vote--I'd go with either "Third Man/Taste" or "Zorba/Taxi" as most impressive. The latter is definitely the most "produced" of the singles, as it not only has unique mixes and/or edits, it also has a lot of compression to give it punch in the jukebox and on the radio. (This compression was added in the mastering phase--the same edits/mixes on the Dee Jay Sampler LP don't have this compression.)

On the other hand, if I had to pick the most important, it would be "Shuffle", being that defining moment in the TJB's history.

 

[JOv2]

"NOWAMSAIN"...I cannot for the life of me make sense of it...

Mr. Bill -- As usual, Harry's got it! I live in an urban setting, and about 7-10 years ago much of the street language incorporated this multi-word conglomerate. I'm sure it's all but dead today, but I always found it funny sounding -- particularly as it was endlessly used to fill empty dialogue space, yet added no content value.

Harry -- I understand the rant. It's fair to state that in all cultures there exists both written and spoken versions of the same language. When I write I like to mix the two -- particularly having fun with some of the colloquialisms...kinda like a pianist incorporating two different inversions of the same chord for one voicing + a Fender Rhodes overdub. Anyway, I apologize if it causes any level of consternation, but...that's just the way I write -- and you-DO-know-what-I'm-saying!

 

[JOv2]

I went with "Zazueira"/"Treasure of San Miguel" mainly because I like to go for underdogs. "ATOH"/"3rdMT" would have to be up there, too though.

"Treasure" is one of my favorite TJB tunes and "Zazueira" was such a radically different tune for the TJB at that point in their careers.

Zazueira is where my real-time childhood TjB memory starts to kick in -- I recall this one from the radio. Actually, just last night I was playing along with it...in many ways it is the quintessential Herb/trumpet lead: laid-back, relaxed melody -- with the band chugging solidly in support. (Paul Simon leads his bands in a similar manner.) For all you trumpeters out there, the "response" trumpet part hits a high D -- indeed, a very nice note to smack! Mr Bill's correct in that the song is very different -- most notable is the piano-driven arrangement, as piano was rarely a featured TjB instrument. As for the flip side, The Treasure Of San Miguel IS the sound and direction of which '67/'68 TjB dreams are made ~

On the other hand, if I had to pick the most important, it would be "Shuffle", being that defining moment in the TJB's history.

Go Rudy!!! Shuffle Shuffle shuffle

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Glancing over that singles list again, I'm curious why oh why did they put "She Touched Me" on the back of "My Favorite Things?" Should have been another Christmas tune! (Since, as we know from the CHRISTMAS ALBUM liner notes, the record was recorded in June, so there would have been plenty of time to put, say, "Jingle Bells" on the flip.)

 

[Mr Bill]

Allow me to answer for James.

I'm pretty sure that "NOWAMSAIN" is a run-together string of letters that's meant to denote the question, "(Do You) Know what I'm saying?"

Ah! If he'd had that "K" at the front I would've clearly seen it that way. Darn these kids and their wacky txt abbrvs!

--Mr Bill
recalling that James is not necessarily much younger than most of us mods or regular (if I'm not mistaken).

 

[Mike Blakesley]

James is not necessarily much younger than most of us mods or regular (if I'm not mistaken).

Well now I'm sure James is as regular as any of us (at our ages!)

Mike B.
Always eager to jump on any typo, especially if it creates an opportunity for a joke, no matter how depraved

 

[Rudy]

Mr. Bill -- As usual, Harry's got it! I live in an urban setting, and about 7-10 years ago much of the street language incorporated this multi-word conglomerate. I'm sure it's all but dead today,

Still in use here. And you probably can translate "what salmon" as well.

 

[JOv2]

Ah! If he'd had that "K" at the front I would've clearly seen it that way. Darn these kids and their wacky txt abbrvs!...recalling that James is not necessarily much younger than most of us mods or regular (if I'm not mistaken).

Actually, that spelling captures the phonetic spirit of the spoken word. Earnestly, it really DID sound like they were saying now-am-sayin (as the one-word reduction of "you know what I'm saying". My best friend, an excellent essayist and song lyricist, concocted that funny spelling back in the day...I've been hooked ever since.) As for the age thing...Geeze, I'll indirectly plead the 5th by stating that I'm older than my gf (who was born in '74) Ha!

Still in use here. And you probably can translate "what salmon" as well.

Well, I'm no cryptologist; nevertheless, my knee-jerk best guess is "What's Happening?"

Hey, I see Mexican Shuffle picked up another vote -- Harry...?

 

[Harry]

Hey, I see Mexican Shuffle picked up another vote -- Harry...?

Not I.

I made my choice for "Casino Royale"/"Wall Street Rag" as stated earlier in the thread.

Harry

 

[Mike Blakesley]

That's right...even the moderators only get one vote per poll! I haven't made my choice yet, but I'm accepting any and all bribes to sway my vote.

 

[JOv2]

...well, it was worth a try. (The old moderator bribe...I mean, if you guys can add a tilde over a letter "n" [Las Mananitas] and add additional songs to an otherwise exhausted poll list -- moderator power appear noteworthy. Ha!) In all seriousness, we still haven't heard from Rudy -- who WAS leaning toward Mexican Shuffle...

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

A tilde is easy, just copy and paste from Word!

 

[Harry]

In Windows, you can do a tilde-over-n by holding down the [Alt] key while typing on the numeric keypad 0241. So it's [Alt]0241 and you get:

ñ

Harry

 

[Mike Blakesley]

You can Google up a list of codes to get various symbols -- you just hold down ALT and type the appropriate number on the numeric pad. For example, to get the ¢ sign, hold down ALT and type 155.

 

[TallPaulInKy]

I like all the singles and have most of them in original releases. Too bad there has not been a singles A&B sides release. However, I suspect Universal kept the rights to them, and the masters probably went up in the fire. It is my understanding from discussions on line, A&M kept their singles masters spooled on separate reels in numerical order. So the singles were not filed with the artists album masters.

 

[RichardWarner]

I picked the Work Song because that's the first recording of the group I ever bought. I asked for another record for Christmas, expecting a single, but my folks bought me <gasp> an LP. Going Places.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Too bad there has not been a singles A&B sides release. However, I suspect Universal kept the rights to them, and the masters probably went up in the fire.

Herb got his catalog back when he left A&M for the last time, so he would probably be able to put together a singles release, although some of the mono mixes or other "single" mixes might not still exist. Big question is whether a label would want to release such a collection.

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

I like all the singles and have most of them in original releases. Too bad there has not been a singles A&B sides release. However, I suspect Universal kept the rights to them, and the masters probably went up in the fire. It is my understanding from discussions on line, A&M kept their singles masters spooled on separate reels in numerical order. So the singles were not filed with the artists album masters.

They may or may not have the single masters, but Universal neither has any rights to use them nor any other of Herb's music.
There are however, 16 mono tracks that make up
A&M LP 9004 - DEE JAY SAMPLER - THE BEST FROM HERB ALPERT & THE TIJUANA BRASS

SIDE ONE:
1. THE LONELY BULL
2. SOUTH OF THE BORDER
3. MEXICAN SHUFFLE
4. A TASTE OF HONEY
5. WHIPPED CREAM
6. SPANISH FLEA
7. ZORBA THE GREEK
8. CABARET

SIDE TWO:
1. TIJUANA TAXI
2. WHAT NOW MY LOVE
3. IF I WERE A RICH MAN
4. MAME
5. THE WORK SONG
6. CASINO ROYALE
7. A BANDA
8. THIS GUY'S IN LOVE WITH YOU

I would have to do some analysis to determine if these were indeed from different mixes
compared to A&M SP 19004, the stereo version of this promo album.

 

[Harry]

Yes, they are different mixes from the stereo. The mono version of DEE JAY SAMPLER uses all of the mono single mixes - very much noticeable on "Taxi" and "Zorba" since those were wildly different, but it's true on all of them. Some believe that the actual 45 of those two are still another mix - I think it was just a change in mastering for 45 vs mastering for LP of the same mixes.

Harry

 

[toeknee4bz]

I would have to go with #775 - "3rd Man Theme" b/w "A Taste Of Honey", if for no other reason than, in addition to both being great songs, "A Taste of Honey" was originally the B-side and eventually surpassed "3rd Man Theme" to become the iconic epitome of the TJB sound. Herb said in an interview that he initially wanted "A Taste of Honey" to be the A-side, but Jerry convinced him to go with "3rd Man Theme" because "A Taste of Honey" had too many stops and starts in it. He came around to Herb's way of thinking when it started racing up the charts like a rocket!

 

[Rudy]

Yes, they are different mixes from the stereo. The mono version of DEE JAY SAMPLER uses all of the mono single mixes - very much noticeable on "Taxi" and "Zorba" since those were wildly different, but it's true on all of them. Some believe that the actual 45 of those two are still another mix - I think it was just a change in mastering for 45 vs mastering for LP of the same mixes.

Harry

Yep, the mono version was intended to replace the actual 45RPM singles that A&M issued, and those are indeed the same Taxi/Zorba mixes. For mastering the 45 RPM version (possibly right while cutting to lacquer) they "slammed" it further with limiting, so that gives it the radio/jukebox "punch" you hear in comparison to the DJ Sampler LP. In those days, too, it wasn't so much a "mix" as it was balancing three channels down into one or two; Gold Star only had 3-track. My guess is that they either mixed in the sound effects "live" for that single, or bounced it to another 3-track and put the sound effects on a third channel. That was the crude but effective way they "multitracked" back then.

The stereo version of the DJ Sampler only contains album versions. But, it does make a nice alternate "greatest hits" package to listen to.

 

[DeeInKY]

Hard choice but I had to go with the one that started it all - The Lonely Bull. That was one of the two songs I heard on the radio as a kid that made me immediately pay attention and want to know what that was. It was different. (The other one was I Saw Her Standing There.)