10 Least Favorite TJB Songs

[Rudy]

I didn't include CONEY ISLAND or YOU SMILE-THE SONG BEGINS in my considerations of least-favorites...if I had, "Carmine" would have made the list. That's an always-skip for me.

Wow, I'm the polar opposite on that one. When I got Coney as a kid, this was always one I'd skip--I had to play "The Crave" a few times to make up for it. Anyway, at this later date, I like the darkness of the song, and I appreciate how Herb just let Bob Findley "rip it" on the end of the track--Bob just opens up the stops and puts a great solo on the track as a coda. A trumpet feature, dedicated to the trumpet teacher. (And that's a really bad unintentional rhyme there. )

I have to agree about "Spanish Flea"--for me it's just plain ol' over-exposure throughout the years. I skip it now every so often, no offense to anyone involved. But I've played "Tijuana Taxi" even more than "Flea", and that's one of my favorites! I can say that a lot about many favorite songs of mine over the years--some still wear on me from overexposure, while I can still play others over and over and never get tired of them.

I haven't composed my own list yet, but I agree about "Talk To The Animals". It worked on the TV special, but I even skipped it on LP when I was a kid. (I'd actually cycle the record changer, since it was the last track...I had to be really careful with our stereo LPs on our then-new Magnavox console.)

 

[Mike]

All this talk about skipping over tracks…

Maybe I’m just too lazy to make the effort to actually move the tone arm or skip the track on the CD player because I always listen to albums in their entirety. Well, there is one exception and that’s “Revolution 9” on the Beatles White album. Heck I even made a copy of it on a CD-R without Revolution 9 so I could go back to my lazy ways.

Mike

 

[Mike Blakesley]

But I've played "Tijuana Taxi" even more than "Flea", and that's one of my favorites!

Same here...some favorites change over the years and some don't. I've posted before how I used to dislike all "slow" Tijuana Brass songs and now many of them are among my favorites....and when I was a kid, I couldn't get enough of "Brasilia," "In a Little Spanish Town," "A Walk in the Black Forest" and yes, "Spanish Flea" and now none of those are on my must-hear list.

 

[Moritat]

1. ZORBA THE GREEK !
2. Tijuana Taxi
3. Spanish Flea
4. Tijuana Sauerkraut
5. El Garbanzo
6. Surfin' Senorita
7. It Was A Very Good Year
8. Milord
9. Peanuts
10. The Girl From Ipanema

#2 and #3 are actually very good tunes. I liked both of them the first 500 times I heard them. When I got to about 1500 listens, I couldn't stand either one of them. Even the horn at the beginning of Taxi makes me ill. I'm done hearing these 2 songs for this lifetime. Zorba in my honest opinion is and always has been a wretched melody. The band does a good job considering the tune they're playing. For me, its as bad as it gets. I heard the complete song once and never could stand hearing it again. I actually would rather hear the ENTIRE Artie Butler lp, than to sit thru one listening of Zorba! One of my favorite bossa nova tunes made the list (Ipenema). Can't stand the heavy handed treatment. Hey Bob... Frieght Train Joe only made it to #12 on my list.

 

[Dave]

Oh, "Zorba The Greek"...; --forgot how that always made my skin crawl...!

However, when its climax was used to dramatize a walking out a pitcher in a Detroit Tigers vs. Tampa Bay Rays baseball game my wife and I were listening to, on my car radio, I actually appreciated that part of the song...


Dave

 

[toeknee4bz]

Ok. I can't stand it anymore. I must ask, WHAT IS WRONG with "Freight Train Joe" ???

 

[Rudy]

Well, there is one exception and that’s “Revolution 9” on the Beatles White album.

I see. It's the "Freight Train Joe" of Beatles songs.

 

[DAN BOLTON]

I never really cared too much for PLUCKY until I heard the "vamp" version. It was just a dull, innocuous tune...about as boring as a quick-tempo, upbeat tune could be; full of TJB cliches. The "vamp" version, with that bone interlude changes everything; making the tune a parody of itself, and that lifts it to CARMEN-like status. Without it, stinko!

From the same album, I never got too warmed up over IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR, either...I know it's a showcase for Bob and Lou; but it's best done as a vocal...and Sinatra did it best. I always thought this was a tune Herb felt like he HAD to record to be current, and maybe he did; but there isn't really much anybody could have done with it, sans lyrics...and it really belongs to someone of The Chairman Of The Board's status to be done believably.

Never really cared for THE ROBIN, either...lots of repetition

Herb's take on ANNA is okay, but I heard a much slower and lustier version with a vocal about "Anna from Havana" that had a lot more personality and charm. Hwerb seems to be trying to play the melody a little too fast. This is one song he should have sung...he and Lani could have done a killer version...why they haven't lately is a mystery to me.

I never really got into COUNTRY LAKE, either...the steel-like guitar licks and trumpet thirds just don't go together in my book. I would have included either TENNESSEE WALTZ or FLOWERS ON THE WALL over that song, any day...

I realize that I have the benefit of a little hindsight, and I'm not even sure if some of the changes I've suggested would have been practical or even doable; and my timeline might be off since we really don't know the recording dates of some of the songs I've mentioned as replacements. And Herb and Lani may not have been even considering working together when TBAC was recorded. These are some songs that I just never thought Herb quite nailed the definitive version of.

As for his tone deteriorating during 9TH, BOTB, TBAC and SUMMERTIME...well, I kinda like it. It always sounded rather intimate to me; sometimes he almost whispered the notes. And, on the back cover of 9TH, it looked like he was kissing his horn. I tried my darndest to emulate some of those weak tones, couldn't do them justice, and I always had a very weak embrochure(damned overbite...).



Dan

 

[JOv2]

ZORBA THE GREEK !...Zorba in my honest opinion is and always has been a wretched melody...For me, its as bad as it gets...I actually would rather hear the ENTIRE Artie Butler lp, than to sit thru one listening of Zorba!

Nice. I like the Artie Butler part.

Ok. I can't stand it anymore. I must ask, WHAT IS WRONG with "Freight Train Joe" ???

--Well, nothing that deserves having to bunk with Charles Manson...but for me the song nearly comes across like TjB-parody music. Musically, the piece goes nowhere and then someone came up with the great idea to drop in the sound of kids voices to remind you (the listener) that you're supposed to be having fun -- which you ain't.

It's particularly vapid considering how strong SRO is. It'd fit better on Ninth or Brass Are Comin'

 

[Dave]

Monday, Monday...they simply run on autopilot (just like they did on the A-section on With A Little Help...)...

Hey, I like your "On Autopilot" comment, JO...!

And I can't believe I read that someone here doesn't like "Sandbox"...!



Dave

 

[thetijuanataxi]

I can't believe anyone put TIUANA TAXI and SPANISH FLEA on their lists. For the love of God???? And while I understand that Zorba isn't everyone's cup of tea, makes your skin crawl???? That's a comment I'd reserve for some of the no-talent crap that's being imposed on us today. Not Zorba. Since the subject of this thread is "least FAVORITE, that do seem a bit harsh. And while FREIGHT TRAIN JOE isn't one of my favorites either and will probably make my list if I do one, I have no problem with it. There is nothing in the TJB repitoire that makes my skin crawl. Just good and GRRRRREAT!

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Well...everyone has their least favorite of anything. I have always wondered why there are some things I never get tired of hearing, but other things I once considered favorites now don't float my boat at all.

TJB's "Town Without Pity" is another one I used to CRANK whenever I heard it. Now it's on my "eh" list. I still like it, but there are several others on that album that I like more. I used to think "Gotta Lotta Livin' To Do" was a throwaway track, but now it's an essential.

I guess I am weird. That would explain almost everything.

 

[Dave]

...And while I understand that "Zorba" isn't everyone's cup of tea, makes your skin crawl???? That's a comment I'd reserve for some of the no-talent crap that's being imposed on us today. Not "Zorba". Since the subject of this thread is "least FAVORITE", that do seem a bit harsh...

OK, poor choice of words... Must be it waking me up (man, it was so jarring!) while falling asleep to Herb Alpert's Definitive Hits that would prompt such a description; and the only song I don't like (out of the twenty represented) there...

Now, to hear the non-talent of nowadays and how skin-crawlingly creepy their stuff is, then...



Dave

 

[audiofile]

Songs like Spanish Flea, Tijuana Taxi, and Lonely Bull just get on my nerves. When average people think of the TJB, they think of these songs, which upsets me because I don't think they're a good representation of Herb's talents. The TJB's music went from radio top 40 pop music (Lonely Bull through What Now My Love), to music that was much deeper. (SRO on...)

 

[Captaindave]

Songs like Spanish Flea, Tijuana Taxi, and Lonely Bull just get on my nerves. When average people think of the TJB, they think of these songs, which upsets me because I don't think they're a good representation of Herb's talents. The TJB's music went from radio top 40 pop music (Lonely Bull through What Now My Love), to music that was much deeper. (SRO on...)

This is true; however, radio airplay and TV specials were the means by which most people came to know this artist and this music back in the sixties.

Many of my favorite and most often played tunes are what I would call the "inner" tracks of the albums - songs that are excellent songs but never made it to the radio as Top 40 hits. On the SOTB album, I like Up Cherry Street. On the WCAOD album, I like Tangerine. On the Going Places album, I like More and More Amor and Mae. On the WNML album, I like So What's New. And the list can go on that way. I'd play these tunes before whatever became hits from any of these albums. I'll play Panama or Slick much sooner than This Guy's....from BOTB.

What does the so-called "average" person remember about WCAOD? Most likely the album cover rather than the music itself.

The albums released back in the sixties were all unique and different and show an evolving sound, and musical and stylistic sophistication. The studio sound was replaced with the band sound at about SRO, IMO. The live concert sound at that time, without some of the embellishments due to extra musicians or overdubbing on the recordings, was closer to the sound of SRO, Sounds Like, and Beat Of The Brass than any of the other studio recordings.

My regret is that like all popular music, it ends somewhere as public tastes in music change.

 

[Captaindave]

Well...everyone has their least favorite of anything. I have always wondered why there are some things I never get tired of hearing, but other things I once considered favorites now don't float my boat at all.

TJB's "Town Without Pity" is another one I used to CRANK whenever I heard it. Now it's on my "eh" list. I still like it, but there are several others on that album that I like more. I used to think "Gotta Lotta Livin' To Do" was a throwaway track, but now it's an essential.

I guess I am weird. That would explain almost everything.

No, I'd say this is quite normal.

These songs were recorded over forty years ago. Speaking for myself, I have changed quite a bit in that time period. I still like all these songs, but the way I might react to them today as a listener interacting with music is probably somewhat different. I hear things I didn't in the past. I can appreciate things I may not have appreciated in the past. My personal reactions have probably changed over that much time.

So, I can say that I might be less likely to play something like Town Without Pity right away, and play Shades of Blue or Lady Godiva instead. I used to play Wade in The Water right away when this album went on the turntable - I still really like that song and the sound of it - but I will play the other tracks more as well.

Never used to play Panama much when I first got that album - now it is one of my more appreciated tracks from BOTB.

The way we interact with and listen to music is subject to change and metamorphosis.

The great thing about this particular music is that it is still here and receiving this attention and appreciation - something that much of the pop music world cannot claim nor receive.

 

[bob knack]

OK Here's my deal on "Joe". Even the 1927 Yankees must have had a guy on the bench who hit .217. If the song were on another album, it might have more stature. To me, SRO is one of the greatest albums ever. Freight Train, just my opinion, is just not up to the standards of the rest of those tunes. And that drop-off made me dislike the thing a lot more.

 

[Mr Bill]

...When I got to about 1500 listens, I couldn't stand either one of them. Even the horn at the beginning of Taxi makes me ill. I'm done hearing these 2 songs for this lifetime.

I believe we should all consider this when we wonder why Herb doesn't want to play TJB songs anymore...

I see. It's the "Freight Train Joe" of Beatles songs.

Or the "Talk To The Animals"....

I've been thinking deeply about my "least" favorites and have been holding back my choices... Seeing everyone elses choices, though shows I'm clearly out of sync with most. I love "Talk To The Animals" (mainly because it's great to hear the boys sing -- I used to sit and ponder which member was singing which lines) and "Sandbox" was for years my favorite cut off Warm. I have no issues with "Freight Train Joe" as I think it fits well with the rest of the album, my least favorite of the original TJB LPs... Of late the only tracks I skip are "And I Love Her" from Lost Treasures and "Love Potion #9" from Re-Whipped.

--Mr Bill
Yokosuka Mike needs a Love Potion Revolution??? As they'd say in Germany, "Nine!"

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Maybe "Freight Train Joe" gets no respect because it has a ho-hum title. If it was called "Sleepy Mexican Train Ride" it might get more respect!

I was thinking, another reason my tastes have changed is because I have better listening equipment now. Hearing the songs without the 8-track tape hiss, or the LP scratches (I was always careful with records but hey, I was a kid!) and no inner-groove distortion has enabled me to enjoy songs I would have otherwise skipped over quite often. "The Shadow of Your Smile" being one.

 

[Rudy]

I was thinking, another reason my tastes have changed is because I have better listening equipment now.

Agreed. The old scratchy mono LPs became intolerable at the end of each side. When I dropped a big load on a turntable, arm and cartridge, I could then play clean stereo copies without distortion and hear what I was missing. And CD playback helped also, since inner-groove distortion does not exist there. I've appreciated other "end of side" songs a lot more now that they are actually listenable. "A Quiet Tear" on Lonely Bull was one of the worst--it got so loud that it was more like a burst of white noise than it was trumpets, strings and choir!

 

[Dave]

What keeps Herb's Warm from being a Five-Star Album (but it's still, at least a Four-and-a-Half-Star album) is...well, "Warm"...

Somehow to me "Warm" sounds like a bit of a rough draft of a song, that starts and stops intermittently and just doesn't seem to go anywhere... It scrambles to start, an interesting passage, some good trumpet solos, driven by electric guitar work, augmented by a flute, and then a denouement as the band crashes to a stop before starting up again and falling to another crashing stop at the end of the song... A series of after-thoughts...!

And I'll take any song that's "Herb's worst vocal" over the wheezing vocalese in that one, any day...



Dave

 

[audiofile]

I'll agree to disagree.

 

[Mr Bill]

"Warm" sounds like a bit of a rough draft of a song, that starts and stops... scrambles to start... trumpet solos... acoustic guitar work... flute... the band crashes to a stop... starting up again... another crashing stop... And I'll take any song that's "Herb's worst vocal" over the wheezing vocalese any day...

Flute? What flute? Wheezing vocals? What vocals? It sounds to me like you've never listened to the tune!

--Mr. Bill
maybe you're referring to the BMB version which does indeed feature a flute (but still no vocals)...

 

[bob knack]

I don't hear any vocals, but there are flutes...background bass flutes.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

starts and stops

There are a lot of TJB songs that feature "starts and stops." It's one of their hallmarks and one of the coolest things about Herb's arrangements IMHO.

FWIW I don't hear any flutes in "Warm" either but I'm not sure if I'm sure what a bass flute sounds like. Where are they in the tune? The slow bridge part?

There are some scat vocals in that section...you can hear Herb going "whey-do-wheyyyyy-do-wheyyyyyyyyyyy-dooo" in one spot. Again, that's a touch that marks a lot of TJB songs. He does a similar thing in "Promises, Promises" and it adds a lot to the arrangement, again just MHO!