Tell me about Fandango...anything, anyone!

[aymnostalgico]

Ok guys, these are the questions that haunt me about this album. In your most sincerest opinion, where do you rank this album in terms of the A&M catalogue. I also want to know for those fortunate to live and remember the release, What songs charted, or was it a flop? I read a comment here that said it didn't do as expected? I also heard that Fandango was the first production of A&M not done in A&M studios, rather recorded completely in Mexico City, correct? Now, something that I don't get is the production credits. Juan Carlos Calderon had a successful proven track record back in 1981. He is the producer behind Mocedades "Eres tu" or "Touch the Wind" in english....by the way, that title doesn't make sense in english (hope J.C. doesn't get mad at me) Well, I want to know why Jose Quintana was the producer and Calderon the Arranger and songwriter and not the producer. Calderon is consired one of the most important Latin producers in the Latin industry, today. Where did Alpert meet Quintana and even more importantly, where did he meet maestro Juan C. Calderon? Calderon is known for his Jazz records by some. He probably toured the jazz scene with his jazz band and maybe met Alpert there? Could this be possible? Feel free to tell me as much as you know about this Album, I appreciate it.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

As far as Herb's Tijuana Brass catalog, I would rank it better than LONELY BULL, VOL. 2, and THE BRASS ARE COMIN, but not as good as the rest.

As for his solo catalog, I would rank it as not as good as RISE or or BULLISH, but better than everything else. (I'm a big fan of BULLISH, unlike a lot of guys here.) If you're not a dance-music fan, then FANDANGO is really better than RISE, too. (These are just my own opinions of course; a lively debate is sure to follow!)

It produced a hit single, "Route 101" which did middle-of-the-chart business and is one of Herb's all time best songs, with or without the TJB. Another favorite of mine is "Coco Loco" which sounds like it could have easily been TJB material.

I don't know where the LP charted but Harry's sure to chime in with that info.

It was recorded in Mexico City and at the A&M Studios in Hollywood., with additional recording at Studio Sound Recorders in Hollywood.

As for Herb's choice of producer, I think around this time he was just going with whoever he thought could give him the type of sound that fit his muse at the time.

Calderon actually only arranged 3 of the 11 tracks on the album. The rest of the record is a mixed bag of arrangers, like Bill Cuomo, Michel Colombier, Eduardo Magallanes, and Jose Quintana along with Herb.

 

[aymnostalgico]

So, you consider "Route 101" as been one of Alpert's all time best. This is actually the song that focused my interest to Alpert. This is great stuff, Mike.
thank you

Anyone else with info to add?

 

[thetijuanataxi]

IMHO, FANDANGO is Herb Alpert's best solo album, followed by PASSION DANCE. FANDANGO is also most reminiscant of the TJB and perhaps even more Latin. There isn't a turkey on the whole album. While it didn't do as well as it should have saleswise, I attribute that to the fact that many of Herb's fans from the TJB period weren't aware that he was still recording and to the change in musical tastes at that time. There was only so far that a Latin instrumental album would go on the pop charts in 1982, no matter how good. FANANGO was a personal journey for Herb, who said that he wanted to make an authentic Latin album that would celebrate the sounds that inspired his music. Hence, the choice of Calderon and Quintana. Herb considered them to be the chieftains of the kind of sound he was going for. Although I like BULLISH also, I think that FANDANGO is much more suited to the Tijuana Brass fans to the point that if Herb had credited it as a TJB album, it would have been far more believable than BULLISH, which sounds like a solo album, except maybe for the title track. All Herb would have had to do was add some Edmonson tombone and more of Julius' marimbas and it would have been TJB with a vengance! But even without those things , I think it is solo Herb at his best doing the kind of music most of his fans want to hear.

David,
NP- Fandango

 

[Dave]

I really remember hearing "Route 101" from it and years after being introduced to "Rise" which radio stations kept playing in this "era", as well. I even heard "This Guy's In Love With You" once, from the same station as well... (though later found out that it was years older)

It did return Herb to the more authentic-Latin stylings he started with and I'm sure he strived for the same Chart-Success he saw with Rise; that is pretty much what I know about Fandango...


Dave

 

[Harry]

FANDANGO, the album, did not chart in the Top 40 in Billboard. The only Alpert solo albums to chart in the Top 40 were:

RISE at #6
BEYOND at #28
and KEEP YOUR EYE ON ME at #18

The song "Route 101" did chart, peaking at #37 with 10 weeks on the Billboard chart.

Let me also add that with FANDANGO, we had the birth of a whole new subdivision of A&M Records designed for the Latin market, AyM Discos. FANDANGO was the first album in this line as SP30001. The album already had one vocal performance from Herb, sung in Spanish, and with the rest being instrumental, there was no need for any changes sonically from the main A&M counterpart.

The front cover of SP30001 differed by including a green border around it. The back cover is visually similar, but several track titles were changed to Spanish, the side designations became "LADO UNO" and "LADO DOS", the credits are changed to Spanish, as is Herb's personal liner notes:

VIENTE AÑOS HAN PASAJO DESDE QUE VI MI PRIMERA CORRIDA DE TOROS. LOS RECUERDOS DE ESA MAGICA TARDE EN TIJUANA, MEXICO ME DEJO CON UNA NECESIDAD ETERNA DE AGRADECERLE AL FINADO, GRAN MATADOR (Y REJONEADOR) CARLOS ARRUZA Y A TODOS MIS AMIGOS LATINOS, QUIENES DE ALGUNA MANERA U OTRA, HAN INFLUIDO EN MI MUSICA.

ESTE ALBUM ES PARA USTEDES.

Herb Alpert

The Spanish track list is:

FANDANGO
MARGARITA (CAMAGUEY)
JALA Y EMPUJA
CALIFORNIA BLUES
QUIEREME TAL COMO SOY
RUTA 101
COCO LOCO (LA GUAJIRA)
ARIA
ANGEL
SUGARLOAF
MEDLEY (FRENESI, BAHIA, MOLIENDO CAFE, POROMPOMPERO)

I personally rank this album with much of the best of the TjB era and I believe it to be Herb's shining moment in the solo era. Evidently Herb too thought highly enough of the title track, "Fandango," to have incuded it in DEFINITIVE HITS along with the actual hit, "Route 101."

Harry
NP: FANDANGO, Herb Alpert

 

[Mr Bill]

This is probably my first, second or third favorite Herb Alpert solo LP (depends on my mood at the time I'm asked). I think it rates high because it is most similar to the TJB sound for which Herb is famous. Other solo albums I like as well (maybe better, again depending on my mood) are Rise, Beyond and maybe sometimes Just You & Me...

many compare this to Passion Dance as well, but with the exception of a few "TJB-sounding" tunes, Passion Dance was just another dull rambling solo effort. To me virtually everything after Fandango (album wise -- there's at least one stand out track on each) was lacklustre and unsatisfying IMHO.

--Mr Bill

 

[thetijuanataxi]

Mmmmm. PASSION DANCE dull and rambling?????

David,
perplexed........

 

[Rudy]

For me, Fandango is the #1 solo on my own personal chart, and ranks up there with the best of the TJBs as well. Fandango represents "modern" Mexico, where the TJB (especially earlier TJB) is evocative of the old-world "bull ring" Mexico. That is what likely appeals to most of us here.

As for the other solo albums, I will say that if you are not a fan of the style of music he was recording for that album, or don't have an adventurous ear, you probably are not going to like it. For example, if you don't get into hip-hop or street, "North on South Street" could be a total turnoff. "Passion Dance" would not be as appealing if you're not a salsa fan, as I am. "Keep Your Eye On Me", too, would go over the heads of some listeners who aren't into R&B, funk or the production talents of Jam & Lewis. Yes, he may have taken a risk when releasing these, but you have to consider he was at the point where it wasn't about selling albums, it was artistic fulfillment. And we should feel privileged to have gone along for the ride.

 

[bob knack]

Also, during a TJB concert I attended near Chicago, Fandango was the tune the band played where the artist came out and made a large portrait of Herb in only as long as it took to play the song.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

As far as why Jose Quintana was the producer, I read that bassist Abe Laboriel was good friends with Quintana and Abe suggested him to Herb, which Herb was only too happy to try.

One other thing, Fandango was not the "first production of A&M not done in A&M studios", since Alpert had used Gold Star exclusively until the A&M studios were ready to use in the late 60's.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[aymnostalgico]

Very interesting information you guys are posting here. Thank you for answering this post. It helps me to gather knowledge about
AyM Latin during those years. If you have anything more to add, I am ready to keep reading. Thanks guys.

 

[Dave]

"Fandango", the tit-track is a really neat piece--the strumming guitar and the call-and-response Herb's trumpet seems to give it... And that Bass-solo (by Abraham Laboriel) seems to complement it very strikingly, too!

It really deserved to be as big of a hit (or at least to have gotten more than the "secondary-airplay", which I heard) as "Route 101"... Surely radio-station programmers, as well as the rest of the public were very impressed by this "change of pace" or Herb's return to his "roots" or at least where his "sound" started...


Dave

 

[DAN BOLTON]

Route 101 charted in the top 5 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart in the summer of '82...





Dan

 

[Mike]

This is a link to a previous Fandango topic. Hope the link works :|

http://forum.amcorner.com/viewtopic...ostorder=asc&highlight=fandango+tour+de+force

 

[jfiedler17]

Oddly enough, considering it just barely scratched the Top 40, between hearing it on the radio and hearing it in public places, I hear "Route 101" more often than any other Herb song, with or without the TJB, with the sole exception of "Rise." Go figure. It just seems to pop up all over the place for me. I'm certainly not complaining, though! "Route 101" is definitely my fave song on the album, with "Coco Loco" my next favorite, and Fandango's almost certainly my favorite Herb solo album - it's immaculately produced and engineered, and it just works so beautifully as a cohesive and great-from-start-to-finish album that it's hard to just listen to individual tracks on it.

Jeff F.

 

[Mike]

I view the album Fandango, as a single performance. One doesn’t listen to a single song; one sits back and enjoys the complete concert. Don’t start if you can’t finish.

 

[Captaindave]

As has been mentioned above, opinions will vary based on personal musical tastes - likes and dislikes.

I am big fan of Fandango. That is because I like the music and the songs, and I find Herb's trumpet playing to be among his finest efforts on this album.

I am one of those people who does not like dance music, rap, disco, and electronic sounds. The music and sound of Fandango are, as mentioned in a post above, more of the "modern Mexico" sound. This was a good way to characterize the album. I am a fan of both that and the "old" sound reflective of the sixties TJB recordings.

IMO, Fandango is the best of the Herb Alpert solo albums, and most reminiscent of the Herb Alpert sound I enjoy and admire.

 

[Steven J. Gross]

This is probably my first, second or third favorite Herb Alpert solo LP (depends on my mood at the time I'm asked). I think it rates high because it is most similar to the TJB sound for which Herb is famous. Other solo albums I like as well (maybe better, again depending on my mood) are Rise, Beyond and maybe sometimes Just You & Me...

many compare this to Passion Dance as well, but with the exception of a few "TJB-sounding" tunes, Passion Dance was just another dull rambling solo effort. To me virtually everything after Fandango (album wise -- there's at least one stand out track on each) was lacklustre and unsatisfying IMHO.

--Mr Bill

I wonder why the brilliant Herb Alpert solo CD- "Midnight Sun" is so overlooked?
What is your feeling about that CD Bill?
Hope you are well- Is sushi abundant in Korea?

 

[Mr Bill]

I wonder why the brilliant Herb Alpert solo CD- "Midnight Sun" is so overlooked?
What is your feeling about that CD Bill?
Hope you are well- Is sushi abundant in Korea?

I'm fine. I'll be home on Easter Sunday. No sushi that I've seen -- just KimChi

Midnight Sun is probably played least by me (only Second Wind is played less). So, no, it's not among my favorites.

--Mr Bill

 

[Steven J. Gross]

I wonder why the brilliant Herb Alpert solo CD- "Midnight Sun" is so overlooked?
What is your feeling about that CD Bill?
Hope you are well- Is sushi abundant in Korea?

I'm fine. I'll be home on Easter Sunday. No sushi that I've seen -- just KimChi

Midnight Sun is probably played least by me (only Second Wind is played less). So, no, it's not among my favorites.

--Mr Bill

Good to hear man! The reason I asked about the sushi is that I find so many Korean owned sushi places here and even in Hawaii, it puzzled me.

See you real SOON!

-sjg

 

[Rudy]

Oddly enough, considering it just barely scratched the Top 40, between hearing it on the radio and hearing it in public places, I hear "Route 101" more often than any other Herb song, with or without the TJB, with the sole exception of "Rise."

"Push and Pull" used to get a lot of airplay around here. In fact, WJZZ used to play that a lot more than "Route 101".

Once I'm done with my surround-sound listening session here, I'll probably put Fandango onto the turntable.

 

[aymnostalgico]

Push and PUll getting airplay more than "101", that's interesting. Sometimes I catch "fandango" playing on the Weather channel during the temperature update break.

Thanks for the link , Mike. I appreciate it.
Abraham Laboriel is also an excellent acoustic nylon guitar players, if you didn't know. I think he plays guitar on this album as well, if I'm not mistaken. About 4 months ago I saw a taped airing of a workshop in Barcelona of Laboriel jamming away and teaching a class. This was on a channel from valladolid, Spain. I was lucky to see this program.

 

[Dave]

...Abraham Laboriel is also an excellent acoustic nylon- guitar player, if you didn't know... ...think he plays guitar on this album as well, if I'm not mistaken...

Er, that's nylon-STRING!! (...nylon gets me started on another "subject"... )

Yes, Abe did play guitar for a long time, and that was the instrument he learned on; I really wonder what made him switch to bass... Laboriel was actually born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico, as well... There are also a couple of "biographies" of him out there, Online...


Dave

 

[Chinese Sausage]

I personally love this album. Probably his best solo effort. The album track is the main reason I began searching for more Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass recordings. I also like "Quiereme tal como soy" a lot, it's a very emotional song. The solo trumpet shines!