Lani Hall: "Collectibles" vs. Original Version

[Brasil6699]

In 1984, Lani (with Herb) released "Collectibles". A greatest hits (or misses) with modified versions of most of the older songs. (First time Midnight Lovers and Never Say Never Again were on a Lani release)

1. Midnight Lovers
2. Never Say Never Again
3. Come What May
4. Send In The Clowns
5. We Could Be Flying
6. Nobody Gets This Close To Me
7. Rio
8. Come Down In Time
9. I Don’t Want You To Go
10. How Can I Tell You

What do you think: Good thing? Bad thing?

 

[Brasil6699]

I really like the modifed version of "Send in the Clowns". I am so glad that when Lani recorded it, she didn't make it a sappy ballad.

I don't really much care for the obvious electric guitar add-in (overdub) in the other songs.
I do like the horns in "We Could Be Flying"
But for the most part, I like the original versions of these songs best.

 

[Harry]

I went with "mostly" prefer original versions, only because it's fun to hear what Herb did with these. Still, though, I tend to gravitate toward the originals.

The "We Could Be Flying" mix on the Collectibles album is a straight lift from Michel Colombier's Wings, is it not? So while it differs from the Sun Down Lady and Classics 19 version, this one's really the first and original mix.

Harry
...goofing off at work, online...

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I voted 'original versions only' because they're the only ones I have! I had the Collectibles vinyl, but don't know what happened to it.

I'm one of the people who think Lani never again reached the heights she reached on her debut solo album, SUN DOWN LADY. That thing is stupendous. Like with the later Sergio Mendes albums, there are songs I like on most of the other records, but SDL remains the high point for me. (The 2nd best IMHO is A BRAZILEIRA followed closely by HELLO IT'S ME.)

 

[Brasil_Nut]

I went with "mostly" prefer original versions, only because it's fun to hear what Herb did with these. Still, though, I tend to gravitate toward the originals....

I was happy with the release of Collectibles -- mostly for reasons mentioned by Brandon -- the inclusion of "Midnight Lovers" and "Never Say Never Again". Otherwise, the sound effects added to the closing of "Come Down In Time" were pretty kewl, "Rio" was given a bit of an overhaul and "I Don't Want You To Go" seems simpler than the original.

The "We Could Be Flying" mix on the Collectibles album is a straight lift from Michel Colombier's Wings, is it not? So while it differs from the Sun Down Lady and Classics 19 version, this one's really the first and original mix.

Harry...can we hear that trademark "giggle" within the Collectibles mix? Been so long since I've listened to it, I can't remember. I was intelligent enough to purchase Collectibles on CD (though not intelligent enough to purchase the TJB and B'66 CDs when they were originally released...and I worked in a Wherehouse store loaded with 'em...go figure!) Actually, I have both Lp and CD versions of Collectibles (the "Lani Hall Collection Completest" in me!)

I'd say I'm somewhat "down the middle" in regard to Collectibles. Although an interesting concept (to enhance and/or redo her original recordings), I'm with the rest of you. I tend to gravitate toward Lani's original material.

Jon

NP: "A Brazileira" by Lani Hall

 

[Harry]

Harry...can we hear that trademark "giggle" within the Collectibles mix?

Yes, it's there. And I too was fortunate enough to find Collectibles on CD. As I sat in the car listening to it, I thought I must be nuts buying a CD of remixes when I already had most of these on Classics 19. But this was before our little therapy group here, back when I thought I was the only person on the planet besides Herb and Sergio who even knew what a Lani Hall was.

Harry
NP: some U2 crap on the radio

 

[Brasil_Nut]

I also have Classics 19 on CD -- a pretty good compilation. All that aside, I'm with you...I like the original stuff. However, the completest in me demands that I own everything by Lani Hall, Sergio Mendes, Herb Alpert (I really missed the boat on that one!) and any other A&M artist who strikes my fancy...Bacharach, Longet...the list goes on and on!!

Jon

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I have the CLASSICS too, which is an interesting story in itself...

At one time, I had put that CD in our "marked down" file for about 5 bucks. I musta been nuts! But I already had the SUN DOWN LADY album, which was all I probably figured I'd need....then one day a person picked up the COLLECTIBLES CD and asked me what it was like...which was tough -- how do you describe Lani Hall? I said she used to sing for Sergio Mendes, which drew a blank stare, so then I said she is a singer along the lines of Streisand except not as annoying. The guy bought the disk and then later brought it back, saying it "sucked." So I decided then to keep it myself.

My appreciation for Lani, Sergio, Herb and the rest was always "bubbling underneath" (and occasionally surfacing) but the A&M Corner has brought it to the surface to stay!

 

[Brasil_Nut]

I recall someone saying that a Lani Hall album had been played at a party and the room cleared out...what's up with that?!

My experience has been wonder, awe and appreciation for Lani when I've played her music at parties. Everyone has their niche, I guess. I've played Sergio, Herb, Lani, Bacharach, Montgomery, etc. The result? I usually end up making a myriad of copies for interested party guests.

Jon

Promoting the A&M Sound, online (and at parties!)

 

[Mr Bill]

I recall someone saying that a Lani Hall album had been played at a party and the room cleared out...what's up with that?!

Actually I think that was me and it was a Claudine Longet record... My infamous "Claudine Longet Listening Party of 1983" (Story embedded in an ancient thread around these parts).

I did annoy a friend who hates Lani's music by giving him Collectibles one year as his Christmas present. He was hoping for a They Might Be Giants CD -- and of course I dropped tons of hints that it was TMBG's CD. He took it back to Tower and, since they have tight rules about exchanges, had to say he got two copies for Christmas. Unfortunately for him the girl at the counter was a BIG Lani fan was asking him a lot of questions. If my friend wasn't such a doofus he could've had a date -- this is the guy who can't get a date (or laid) even if he pays for it! (He did indeed exchange it for They Might Be Giants).

Funny postscript: Years later when he was over in the Philippines I would send him postcards made from CD longboxes (remember those?) and one was made from either Collectibles or Classics 19. Naturally when he picked up his mail at the base post office the girl there ALSO turned out to be a big Herb and Lani fan. She would always hit on my friend and he, hating Herb and Lani, would ignore her. Gotta give her an "E" for Effort (and give my buddy a big Homeresque slap upside the head for being stoopid and missing out yet another chance at a date or relationship)...

--Mr Bill

 

[JMK]

Nope, it was me and it was Lani who cleared the room with "Albany Park" at a Halloween party I had whatever year that LP came out (198?). Might have been 1986 or 1987 maybe? I think Lani's voice is an acquired taste, especially in her solo projects. I don't think Lani has a bigger fan, but I can't ignore the fact that she was frequently less than focused on her solo efforts, as least to my ears. There are moments (the last note of At the Ballet, the opening of Hello, It's Me) that just make me cringe. I think she suffered a bit from "I'm going to prove to the world that I'm the greatest singer of them all!" when, for me, it was her relaxed coolness with Sergio that was her appeal to begin with. Just my 2 cents worth, nothing more.

 

[Brasil_Nut]

We went to San Francisco last evening to attend the opening of our FIRST Hooters Restaurant in the Bay Area (located on Fisherman's Wharf)...yeah!!!

Anyway...we listened to A Brazileira on the way home. One of my friends said, "Who is this?" "Who do you think it is?" I asked. "Is it Lani Hall?" he asked. "Yup...her only Brazilian solo album," I replied. As the album played, went from one song to another, the same friend popped up and said, "Gee...she doesn't sound anything like she did with Brasil '66...she's shrill!" Well, the more I listened, the more I heard what he was talking about. Lani's voice, being a powerful instrument, can become shrill on higher notes.

As for "At The Ballet", I always assumed the last note was part of the song. I mean, the actor in the stage production is dancing around telling the story.

It's all good...Lani Hall is tops in my book. Like JMK, Paula, Harry and countless other Lani fans, I find her music provoking, thoughtful and adventurous. That's what Lani is all about.

Jon

 

[Mr Bill]

Nope, it was me and it was Lani who cleared the room with "Albany Park" at a Halloween party I had whatever year that LP came out (198?)...

Well then there's two A&M artists who can "clear a room"... In Claudine's case I think I can understand it, but in Lani's? What kind of people did you invite to your Halloween party, Mr Kaufman?

--Mr Bill

 

[JMK]

I think it was a fairly representative sample of 20 and 30 somethings for that era. In remembering this, I also recalled something else that happened many years later that I also posted here at the time. The day I bought "Brasil Nativo" I had a gig right after and I took the CD and put it on the house sound system as the club was getting set up. Immediately a bunch of young kids (yes, they were "still" 20 somethings, I had moved on! ) immediately began laughing and holding their noses, etc. That one caught me by surprise.

I took the time to re-listen to "Collectibles" today. Something I don't think anyone else has mentioned--not only did Herb tweak stuff, Lani obviously redid her vocals on "Come Down in Time." Listen to the difference between the Collectibles version and the original and you have, in a nutshell, what I'm talking about with regard to the differences in focus and, as Jon put it, shrillness. Another good example is "We Could Be Flying," her first post-66 vocal--the effortlessness, lack of pushing, just pure "sunniness" is nowhere to be found in tunes like "Nobody Gets This Close to Me", etc. (and that may be choice of material as well).

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Interesting reaction to Lani's Brasil Nativo, huh? Then again, I'm sure kids aren't going to like the same material we do -- that's a given. I'm wondering if some of this could be geographic? What I mean is, when I played Lani's material at parties, it was the early to mid '80s, and I lived in Florida. Not to say that a group of flight attendants and pilots make for a more sophisticated group of party-goers, but they actually enjoyed Lani Hall. As I said, I was responsible for turning a great many people on to her music. Perhaps, had it been California, the response might have been somewhat different. Most California parties I attended were filled with songs from The Police, Madonna and other pop material of the time. The inclusion of Lani Hall might have rocked the boat.

Then again, I recall a Guest Relations party we threw when we lived in Florida back in '96. Most of my fellow Cast Members were 20-something's -- many from Disney's College Program. We played Sergio, Lani and Herb (among other things) at the party. The response? The kids dug it! This was before CD burners, so I had the majority of the material on cassettes. I remember more than one request to play "Mas Que Nada" over and over again -- both the old and new versions.

As a matter of fact, a dear friend of mine, Maria, another flight attendant who is all of 21-years-old, is quite taken with Sergio and Lani Hall. "Her voice is like silk," she said as we drove along listening to Sundown Lady. I guess it's all a matter of taste.

Jon

...spreading the Magic of Lani, Sergio and Herb, online and off...

 

[Harry]

I took the time to re-listen to "Collectibles" today. Something I don't think anyone else has mentioned--not only did Herb tweak stuff, Lani obviously redid her vocals on "Come Down in Time."

I'm sure that Lani re-did her vocals on a few others as well. "Come What May" comes to mind. I've always disliked the Collectibles version.

Harry
...trying to finish up at work, and goofing off at the same time, online...

 

[Trevor]

I have always been a fan of Lani's first 2 albums, Blush, the Spanish Albums (being in West LA, I understand most of it), and the 2 Brazilian Albums.

I wonder who picked the songs for her albums? How much of solo stuff was heavily Herb influenced (I don't mean that in a bad way, but just a thought)

 

[Brasil_Nut]

I have always been a fan of Lani's first 2 albums, Blush, the Spanish Albums (being in West LA, I understand most of it), and the 2 Brazilian Albums.

I wonder who picked the songs for her albums? How much of solo stuff was heavily Herb influenced (I don't mean that in a bad way, but just a thought)

I'm sure Lani and Herb worked closely together on her solo material. However, Lani is a sensational artist with a good ear. Herb and Lani are big-time believers in self expression. As such, I assume Lani most likely shared her interests with Herb, but made the final decision when it came to what she recorded. Double Or Nothing would lead one to believe that Lani had creative control over her recordings. It was the first album produced by two women -- something that had never been done before.

I think you have a good question here. It would be interesting to know just how closely the two worked on her recordings. Regardless of who had control over what, I'm just glad she released anything at all...she's sensational!!

Jon

...Loving that Lani Hall, online...

 

[JMK]

Jon, I think you're thinking of Blush with regard to being produced by women.

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Is it Blush? I have a newspaper clipping from the San Jose Mercury News that was published for Double Or Nothing. It states that, "This is the first time in her-story [sic] that an album was produced by two women..."

I was going by what the article said. Then again, it's been years since I've actually held and/or seen either of these albums, as they are in a Florida storage unit. You're probably correct.

Jon

 

[Harry]

Blush is correct. It was produced by Allee Willis.

Double Or Nothing was produced by Herb Alpert & Lani Hall, with several tracks produced by David Kershenbaum and Lani Hall.

http://www.amcorner.com/lanihall/

Harry
...checking the facts, online...

 

[Brasil_Nut]

I checked...ya'll are right, I'm wrong. Blush it is. Guess it's best not to work from memory (or what I thought was a memory...)

Jon

 

[Brasil_Nut]

Jon, I think you're thinking of Blush with regard to being produced by women.

I checked the San Jose Mercury article on Lani. It was published with the release of Blush and mentioned the album as being produced by Lani and Alee. My error was with Double Or Nothing which, indeed, was produced by Lani and Herb. My bad!

Jon

...getting his producers straight, online...

 

[JMK]

That "first time in her-story" quote about Blush is used in the Classics booklet.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

JMK wrote:

it was her relaxed coolness with Sergio that was her appeal

THAT'S IT!! I have always wondered what it was about Lani's solo albums that made them "less appealing" to me vs. her Mendes work....and you hit it on the head. The Mendes stuff has that "relaxed coolness," while her solo albums really don't.

Listen to her vocals on the Sergio reunion "No Place to Hide." Relaxed coolness makes a reappearance.