A&M Cover Versions 1965-70: "I'll Be Back"

Which cover version is your favourite?

  • Roger Nichols & The Small Circle of Friends

    Votes: 5 41.7%
  • Wes Montgomery

    Votes: 1 8.3%
  • Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

    Votes: 6 50.0%

  • Total voters
    12

JOv2

Well-Known Member
Vote for your favourite cover version and tell us a bit about why you made your selection. (The selections are listed in release order.)



 
I picked Herb, mostly because I had fun with that one.

My buddy was supposedly a big Beatles fan at the time. Back then I wasn't into the Beatles other than a few of their later radio hits. So THE BRASS ARE COMIN' comes out, and my buddy is over. He hasn't yet heard the album and I challenge him. I'm going to put on a Herb Alpert Beatles cover and he has to "name that tune".

Well, "I'll Be Back" played on for its entire length, and he never got the connection to the Beatles at all. Herb's melancholy take on the melody just totally threw him. Once I revealed that the song was "I'll Be Back" - he got it.
 
I picked Herb, mostly because I had fun with that one.

My buddy was supposedly a big Beatles fan at the time. Back then I wasn't into the Beatles other than a few of their later radio hits. So THE BRASS ARE COMIN' comes out, and my buddy is over. He hasn't yet heard the album and I challenge him. I'm going to put on a Herb Alpert Beatles cover and he has to "name that tune".

Well, "I'll Be Back" played on for its entire length, and he never got the connection to the Beatles at all. Herb's melancholy take on the melody just totally threw him. Once I revealed that the song was "I'll Be Back" - he got it.
I had a similar reaction the first time I heard it.

No doubt about it, Herb's a genius!
 
It's one of my favorite Beatles songs. Out of the 3 choices here, I'll vote for the Roger Nichols version. I choose this because by far, it's the most creative and well thought out. I like the key changes, and the in the middle of the song they change the chorus from a minor key to a major key. That's very unexpected and interesting.
 
Another favorite Beatle song i Voted for Herb again on this one this like many others was the first cover version I heard Wes Montgomery's version was also good but for me it takes second place and since the album it was featured on was the Last original TJB release of the 60s in my opinion the title itself "I'll Be Back" seems Most Appropriate given what we know happened later
 
Voted for Nichols for the same reasons stated above. The arrangement is indeed unique and creative.

JB
 
I align with LPJim and Moritat for precisely the same reasons. Nichols' arrangement is The One of these three. Truth be told, however, all three are top-notch. Wes is very good as expected and places 2nd; and while Herb's arrangement is stellar -- his trumpet playing is simply not that good. (From a trumpeter's perspective, he sounds like he's having notable articulation problems; several executions are sloppy and one is missed altogether; his tone lacks warmth and the reverb on his horn sounds hard and unnatural. I wonder if the awful HAEGO-CGS process contributed to the tone / reverb quality?)
 
Wes "Road Song" album cover reminds me of the Michigan & Ohio borders on I - 75 which goes to Toledo!!!
 
Wes "Road Song" album cover reminds me of the Michigan & Ohio borders on I - 75 which goes to Toledo!!!
From the same year ('68), here's another "fence" LP cover.

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For me it was a toss up between Wes and Roger... I went with Roger, though because I like that 60s west coast sunshine pop sound! The TJB version was one I always skipped when playing Brass Are Comin', though I must admit, these days I enjoy those "slow" TJB songs I skipped in my younger days.

--Mr Bill
 
Same here -- I used to hate the slow TJB tunes but now some of them are among my favorites.

This is one of my favorite songs on TBAC album -- the pain in the lyric really comes through Herb's horn. I guess we all know that this was the beginning (or middle?) of Herb's creative burnout period, so he may have literally been playing his heart out on this song.

I like the Beatles version, and I do like the Roger Nichols, but I gotta go with Herb on this one.
 
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