LOST TREASURES - Your Reviews

[carlito]

Does anyone think it would be possible for Randy Alpert to get a list of dates for the songs on Lost Treasures, for the hardcore fans here?

Also, it sounds as some of the songs have much tape hiss, and others, not at all. I think this might give an indication of the songs where trumpet or voice were added recently. In other words, the songs were first cleaned up prior to laying down the new tracks.

 

[Numero Cinco]

After a crazy, exhausting week, finally I could sit down and listen to LT and the new reissues. After thirty long years, a new TJB album. I must be having a lovely dream. What a joy!

Later I'll try to focus my thoughts on particular tracks—but only after I've listened to the whole album several more times. It deserves that.

Two immediate first impressions:

1. Very clearly, most of these treasures went missing somewhere in 1970–75. On first hearing, most of them sound to me like tracks, new or alternative, from the era of Mr. Alpert's then reconstituted TJB, whose work was introduced in You Smile—The Song Begins. That carries its own distinctive pleasures. I wonder if it may also throw a bit for a loop the casual listener whose memory of the Tijuana Brass is etched by tracks like Mexican Shuffle and Spanish Flea.

2. Abundantly clear to me is Mr. Alpert's genius—and truly it is genius—for hearing original covers or old standards in fresh ways with unconventional arrangements. Some I responded to instantly; others, not; still others will grow on me, I suspect. There's no accounting for (my) taste. The fact remains, in all cases, that the gentleman simply had, and has, an ear for surprising approaches to seemingly established covers. Equally important, not once did I sense that the arrangements and performances were for the sake of eccentricity; to me, they ring true to new possibilities that Herb Alpert heard in his mind and wanted to share with others. Because this is a gift that I do not have and can never acquire, I sit in awe.

Thank you, Mr. Alpert. Thank you.

 

[Captaindave]

I love it...it's like having a brand new album after waiting for over 35 years...

I sure wish Music To Watch Girls By might turn up somewhere...someday. That song is a "natural" for Herb Alpert. If you have ever listened to the original Bob Crewe Generation recording from the sixties, someone who made that recording must have been trying for a copy of the TJB sound.

I'd like to hear a recording of that song by Herb himself...

 

[Numero Cinco]

Captaindave: I sure wish Music To Watch Girls By might turn up somewhere...someday. That song is a "natural" for Herb Alpert.

If Mr. Alpert had covered it, we can rest assured that it would have sounded nothing like Bob Crewe's version. Herb Alpert never imitated anyone. He would never have imitated someone imitating him.

 

[Brasil_Nut]

I don't think I hear anything here that is reminiscent of any album earlier than SRO...generally the sound seems to be later TJB. The trumpet sounds more like the sound from SRO onward...to my ears, there was a change in sound between What Now My Love and SRO...

Agreed. I was listening to LOST TREASURES in the car last night, thinking about this very thing. One thing that caught my attention was BEAT OF THE BRASS. A couple of songs from LT definitely sound as if they could have been from that particular era.

Jon

 

[alpertfan]

I like this CD very much! Most of the tracks seem to have a jazzy feel to them (others may disagree). Herb Alpert once said, "I basically consider myself a jazz musician". I think "Tradewinds" and "Killing Me Softly" is good material to be played on WQCD-New York. Judging from the sound on most of these songs, they sound like they come from the Reorganized TJB period of 1974-75, while some have the feel of the earlier period. Julius Wechter's marimbas shine on every track. The trumpet lines are perfect. I honestly don't know why half of what is on this CD was deemed unreleasable when it was first recorded. There was talk on this board, and I'm sure elsewhere, about a new Tijuana Brass album. I surmise that Alpert was thinking, "Okay, they want a 'new' TJB album, we'll give 'em one".

 

[carlito]

Has anyone mentioned how great Herb Alpert still sounds?! He must be practicing that horn everyday.

 

[thetijuanataxi]

I heartily agree. In the words of the immortal Ralph Malf, "He's still got it"!

David,
hoping Herb never runs out of music.........

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Okay, I've finally had a chance to give this a few listens. First thing is that I've been having fun playing along with my horn. Some pretty cool stuff to play along with, although "Julius And Me" is gonna require some work on my part.

Up Cherry Street - The trombone is far more out front than before (atta boy Herb! ), as is the banjo. Dave Frishberg's piano was always great on this. It's nice hearing the piano on the 2nd bridge of the song. Obviously from the You Smile... album.

Lazy Day - I love this tune. Nice arrangement. I'm thinking this is from the Summertime period, because the piano sounds similar to the album.

Wailing Of The Willow - Now this is a gem of a song! I bet Nilsson wasn't thinking about this style when he wrote it. I think the muted trumpet is a re-recorded track. I'm guessing this around the Going Places era.

Fire And Rain - What a far superior mix to the original 45! I know a few people don't care for the muted trumpet, but I think it works quite well for this setting. Obviously a newly recorded trumpet part. This version has far more life to it than the original, and could work as a smooth jazz single.

And I Love Her - A very laid-back bossa with Herb doing his romantic bit on trumpet. It's nice, but it really doesn't do much for me. I was expecting something else. Probably from the South of the Border period.

I Can't Go On Living, Baby, Without You - Not a whole lot of difference from the album version other than they start out with the harmony trumpets and a couple of doodlings here and there.

Close To You - First of all, I love the rhythm of this tune! It never had ocurred to me to have this quick samba as a background. The vocal is weak, but then I've never been a fan of Herb's singing. I think the trumpet is a new recording. Obviously from after Beat Of The Brass.

Promises, Promises - I always enjoyed the orginal version of this, but this okay as well. Obviously the lead trumpet part was re-recorded.

Happy Hour - What a cool song! A perfect TJB tune. I can't believe this was never on an album. Obviously a new trumpet recording. Probably from the S.R.O. era, maybe from the Sounds Like period (and would've fit nicely on that album!).

Julius And Me - A fun, herky-jerky tune with some memorable Julius. This sounds like the Herb Alpert's 9th period to me.

I Might Frighten Her Away - One of my favorite TJB ballads! Not a lot of variance from the LP version, although the trombone is a little more up front with the string section at times.

Alone Again - I never cared for this song much, so the new trumpet part is a tad better. But it doesn't help much.

Tennessee Waltz - I half like this song and half hate it. There's some neat horn lines halfway through. But it does little for me. Probably from the Going Places period.

Tradewinds - A very nice piece. Maybe from the Warm period?

Raindrops - This sounds as if Herb was just searching for something to play. Obviously from the You Smile period, possibly to get an idea of what he wanted to do with the new TJB. Kind of a hectic pace, although I love the way it ends.

Flowers On The Wall - Well, this turned out better than I thought it would. This sounds as if it is more of a Baja Marimba Band tune than a TJB thing. I tend to skip over this one.

Popcorn - The good news is that the rhythm section lays down a killer groove. The bad news is that the song just never seems to go anywhere. There's a nice horn line here and there, but it gets old quick. It is a fun tune to jam to with my horn.

Chris - I like this tune a lot. It has a nice feel to it. From the Beat of the Brass period maybe.

Killing Me Softly - A nice rendition of the Roberta Flack hit. This is another that could be good for smooth jazz stations. From the Coney Island period?

I'll Never Fall In Love - An interesting version of this Bacharach classic. I think this is another re-recorded trumpet part. From You Smile sessions.

Speakeasy - This has to be from the Beat Of The Brass sessions. It sounds very similar to "Thanks For The Memory" sound-wise. This is such a classic TJB sound.

Whistlestar - This song is Da Bomb!!! What a kick-a** version!!! I always loved the 45 version, so this extended rendition is a total joy to hear. The one regret I have is that the steel drums aren't on the second bridge as it is on the 45. But this version is great and should garnish some radio play! People should get this CD just for this song.

Overall, this is a great collection. I can't believe some of this wasn't released before, especially since some of the albums were on the short side, time-wise. They're not all classics by any means, but a pure joy to listen to.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Craig Z]

I dated some of the song titles using Allmusic.com to give an earliest possible date for some of these songs. The earliest Harry Nilsson album I can find with "Wailing of the Willow" is 1968. If correct, the TJB track couldn't proceed BOTB.

Craig Z

1947 Tennessee Waltz
1964 And I Love Her
1966 Flowers On The Wall
1967 Lazy Day
1967 I Can't Go On Living, Baby, Without You
1967 Killing Me Softly (Roberta Flack version 1973)
1968 Wailing Of The Willow
1969 Promises, Promises
1969 Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
1969 Popcorn (Hot Butter version 1971)
1969 I'll Never Fall In Love Again
1970 Fire And Rain
1971 Alone Again (Naturally)
1973 I Might Frighten Her Away

 

[Craig Z]

I agree that "Happy Hour" sounds like the SRO period, but I'm wondering about the congas. I need to go back and listen to the albums, but I don't remember congas being used at this time. Only circumstantial evidence.

Craig Z

 

[DAN BOLTON]

When I hear POPCORN, I find myself thinking of FANDANGO a lot...wonder if there was any inspiration from this melody to that one? Maybe there was a re recorded trumpet track, but the overall mood of the song reminds me of FANDANGO. It grows on me...but I think it might be a little long...as I remember, the HOT BUTTER version was just a little over 2 minutes or so...




Dan

 

[Hurrikane]

When I listen to the Tennessee Waltz on LT I feel that it easily could have fit on 9th! Very reminiscent of The Happening. If that is Pat Senatore on bass would be surprised. I've never heard a walking bass line like that out of him before. Come to think of it, the drum breaks don't sound like Nick Ceroli either. But, I could be wrong. A great track and a great re-arrangement of and old classic waltz.

Marty Hurrikane

 

[reechie]

I think I've figured out where I'd heard "Happy Hour" before. Wasn't that the song Doc Severenson and band would play before and after a stand-up comedian's set on the old Carson "Tonight Show"?

 

[jazzdre]

"lost treasures"? all i can say is why were they lost in the first place? these songs are TERRIFIC!!! loved herb's version of "and i love her";sounds like it came off south of the border,happy hour i love,sounds like it came off from sro(i'll bet anything that if a dj remixes it,it will be a big hit!)was disappointed in tennesee waltz,but loved close to you,killing me softly,i'll never fall in love again,chris,tradewinds, and whistlestar(this song reminds me of the big carnival scene in the movie classic "black orpheus". i know some songs came off from the you smile-the song begins album--does herb have plans to re release this album as well? it probably wouldn't make any sense,'cause a lot of the cuts are on LOST TREASURES. any way,how would i rate this cd? an a plus!!!

 

[BrassFan]

You are correct about "Happy Hour". While Doc would usually play a snippet of a song associated with a particular guest ("Thanks for the Memories" for Bob Hope, for example, or the theme song of a particular star's TV show or current movie,) sometimes a guest such as Orson Bean, who is not associated with any particular song, would come out and Doc would play "Happy Hour". Doc's version had more of an accent on the second note of that recurring riff, and it was less swinging.

 

[carlito]

The more I listen, the more it sounds like we have "The Third Album" plus bonuses. I do wish a version of "Desert Dance" had been found. I recorded it with a cheesy cassette recorder from the TV speaker years ago (Midnight Special), but somehow misplaced the tape during the ensuing years.

I was also thinking: wouldn't it be nice if Herb popped in to say "Hi"? He would certainly be treated like family here. I met Herb once, when I cut school to run over to Korvette's, on Fifth Ave. in Manhattan, and stood in line to get his and Hugh Masekela's autograph, and also some very kind words from Herb. What a prince of a guy!

Anyway, let me again say that Herb sounds better than ever on the rerecorded tracks, and I hope he has the interest to keep laying down tracks for us starved fans.

Carlito

 

[Numero Cinco]

More thoughts on a great album:

Having listened more times to Lost Treasures, I'm impressed by how much Bob Edmondson's trombone is out front on so many of these tracks. That, plus the overal sonics, seems to me to date most of them from the late 60s at the earliest, mid-70s in many cases.

I Can't Go On Living, Baby, Without You - Not a whole lot of difference from the album version other than they start out with the harmony trumpets and a couple of doodlings here and there.

I've listened to the "new" take of this track and detect one important difference from that on You Smile: I hear no steel drums on Lost Treasures. For this reason, among others, I prefer the You Smile version.

The alternative take of Up Cherry Street is revealing in many respects. Frishber's piano noodlings are nearly identical in both cases. Herb's decision, in the You Smile take, to stay with unison trumpet in the main line, until after the first bridge, makes that arrangement more varied to my ears. In addition, there's more "screaming trumpet" on the last choruses in the You Smile version. On balance, the earlier version is more to my taste, with one exception: the second bridge, on piano instead of whistling (a throwback to the South of the Border arrangement, which no longer works so well in Dixieland). I wonder if the banjo player knew this take probably would not be selected, which is why he "goofed around" at the very end.

Lots of Bachrach-David songs on this album: Close to You, Promises, Promises, Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head, I'll Never Fall in Love Again. And these are not my favorites. Is it mere coincidence that Bachrach himself had a hand in arranging the TJB's biggest Bachrach-David hits: Casino Royale, This Guy's in Love with You?

Biggest surprises: Tennessee Waltz and Flowers on The Wall. Neither is a classic, by any stretch, but both novelty pieces are catchy and fun. I doubt that Tennessee Waltz stems from the !!Going Places!! era; it doesn't sound like Larry Levine at Gold Key. Still, alongside A-Mer-i-Ca on Volume 2, Tennessee Waltz is Exhibit A of Mr. Alpert's flair for hearing unexpectedly jazzy possibilitiies in tunes sprung from their original time-signatures.

Julius and Me: Aptly titled, this will probably become a sentimental favorite for many of us. Reminds me of a pared-down, streamlined Flea Bag.

Great songs, great arrangements, great playing: Lazy Day, Wailing of The Willow, Happy Hour, Killing Me Softly, Speakeasy, Whistlestar. Why these were never tracked onto original LPs—especially those with only 10 or 11 tracks—is a mystery to me. Any of these would hold their own with the tracks originally issued. In fact, these Lost Treasures tracks are superior, I think, to some things that turned up on The Brass Are Comin', Summertime, You Smile, and Coney Island.

My favorite Lost Treasure? Happy Hour. It's by no means the world's finest melody or most intricate arrangement, but it's vintage Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, only now being uncorked in 2005. This is one song I'll be enjoying for a long time to come—but the same is surely true for the album as a whole.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

A real sleeper on the album is "Tradewinds." To me it sounds like it's from the WARM era with that bass drum and the guitar. Very classy and a beautiful melody.

 

[Harry]

"Tradewinds" is a great song, no doubt about it. I find myself being drawn more and more to it and wondering what else it reminded me of. I finally figured it out, and while the two recordings have similarities, they're not in reality all that close. If you have PET SOUNDS, play the instrumental called "Let's Get Away For Awhile." The bridge in that one is what I was reminded of while listening to the bridge in "Tradewinds", that descending lead guitar line with the light wood-block sound.

Turns out, reading the credits included in the PET SOUNDS CD that playing on "Let's Get Away For Awhile" is Julius Wechter, Hal Blaine, and Carole Kaye.

There's so much to love here on the LOST TREASURES album.

Harry
NP: Tradewinds - in my head.

 

[thetijuanataxi]

I have to agree. "Tradewinds" is a very pretty melody a bit exotic and a bit haunting. If there are words to it I can just imagine it being Herb's answer to "He's Got You, I Got Mexico". I can picture someone laying on a tropical beach with a margarita in hand thinking about a lost love.......

David,
giving LOST TREASURES a daily spin..............

 

[David Kirkpatrick]

No time now for a song-by-song review, but I've got to say that I love this album -- imagine if the Beatles Anthology series turned up this quality of Lost Treasures! (Apparently my mother did -- I bought an extra copy for my parents and my mom commented on how many instrumentals there were, thinking it was a Beatles album and not the TJB!)

Just a few random comments for now...

1) Does anyone else here notice a little reference to Berimbau (last track on Brasil '66's first album) in Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head?

2) I mentioned before that Leonard Cohen came out with a cover of Tennessee Waltz this year too. The funny thing is that Cohen's version was commented on as cheerier than the usual rendition and Alpert's version may stand as the least sentimental of all.

3) Popcorn is another standout re-interpretation. Here what is interesting is how much more "gravitas" the TJB version has -- someone here compared to to Vento Bravo and I think that person was right on the money.

4) Flowers on the Wall seems less of an adaptation than these other great covers, but what a wonderful spirit it has!

5) And I Love Her is a stand-out ballad treatment, as good as any of the other Lennon-McCartney covers that Herb did.

6) The originals all sound strong to me; Tradewinds is particularly haunting.

7) Generally I like the liner notes, although they seem a bit unreliable in places. It's hard to believe that any of the recordings are earlier than 1966, except that I can imagine And I Love Her getting bumped by All My Loving on South of the Border. The packaging says the collection includes rarities and unreleased, but it seems that everything is actually a previously unreleased version if not unreleased song. Not that I'm complaining. This suggests to me that some previously released rarities might actually appear as bonus tracks on later albums, despite what anyone reports at this stage of the game. An interesting thing about the liner notes is that it addresses head-on the issue of negative press that Herb received as a kind of faux-mariachi. Perhaps the reason for this particular selection of what may be an even deeper treasure trove of unreleased stuff (e.g. what about those Sol Lake compositions we heard about -- keep in mind how much Sol Lake dominated the first four albums) is to present the "essential" sound of the TJB as what it evolved into rather than how it first made its mark.

8) Starting off with version 2a of Up Cherry Street sets the stage for listening to the TJB as a Tiny Jazz Band rather than a Tijuana Jumping Bean. The first thing the listener hears is the sound of Dave Frishberg -- reacting to the imagination of Julius Wechter. The subliminal message here is that the original jaunty version of Up Cherry Street (also part of the simultaneous 3-album release) was just the first take on an evolving sound. I happen to agree with Herb's own interpretation of his inspiration, the idea that he is inspired by certain influences, some of them mariachi instrumentation, but that it is unfair to regard him as a plunderer of someone else's culture.

9) Happily enough, Lost Treasures makes Herb Alpert's Ninth remain his Ninth album, as if it were the authorized substitution for Volume Two. Maybe someday Volume Two will re-emerge as a lost treasure; I hope so, although it has always been my least favorite TJB album. More importantly, I hope the official canon will expand to include the post-Christmas albums and that the "bonus-track ban" will be lifted for these albums which were less commercially successful the first time around. (And that some exciting live performances will emerge). So far, the lost treasures I've heard aren't "bonus", they're essential!

10) The picture under the CD is intriguing. It looks like a studio session, but with all the official touring band included.

David

 

[Captain Bacardi]

10) The picture under the CD is intriguing. It looks like a studio session, but with all the official touring band included.

I meant to mention that myself. I think it's a neat little photo, maybe a rehearsal for a tour kind of thing.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[bob knack]

You Can Go Home Again!

 

[PartyRico]

After drooling here reading all your reviews and wonderful comments on LT, I finally got my copy here in San Sebastin. I "special ordered" it. I've only listened to it twice but am thrilled by the content of the recording. The sound quality is magnificent. The music put me in a time machine, and it felt great. The man is known for great taste! I too got goosebumps from the music.
I thoroughly enjoyed this cd, and to hear Julius Wechter up front in the mix, was fabulous. I'm happy to read in the liner notes that Herb feels Julius was an essential component of the Tijuana Brass sound. John Pisano's guitar and compositions are also important. May Ms. Cissy Wechter smile when she hears Julius again, like we have. Muchas gracias Herb, and Lani, for making it feel like Christmas every three months now!