🎵 AotW AOTW: Chuck Mangione - 70 MILES YOUNG (SP-4911)

[Captain Bacardi]

Chuck Mangione
70 MILES YOUNG
A&M SP-4911

Released 1982
Peaked at #19 on the Jazz Albums chart (1983)

Format: Vinyl/Cassette/CD

Produced by Chuck Mangione

Songs & Musicians:

• 1. 70 Miles Young - 21:38[list:f0a19d5bb9]Chuck Mangione - Flugelhorn
  Chris Vadala - Tenor and Soprano Saxophones, C Flute, Alto Flute
  Don Grolnick - Acoustic and Electric Pianos
  Charles Meeks - Bass
  David Spinozza - Guitars
  James Bradley, Jr. - Drums
  Paulinho Da Costa - Percussion
  Recorded at Britannia Studios, Los Angeles
  Engineered by David Greene for Unlimited Productions, Ltd.

2. Feels So Good (Vocal) - 4:12

• Don Potter - Vocal and Guitar
  Chuck Mangione - Flugelhorn
  Ron Leonard - Cello
  Recorded at Britannia Studios, Los Angeles
  Engineered by David Greene for Unlimited Productions, Ltd.

3. Cannonball Run Theme - 3:58

• Chuck Mangione - Flugelhorn and Electric Piano
  Chris Vadala - Tenor Saxophone
  Larry Carlton - Guitars
  Carl Lockett - Guitar
  Charles Meeks - Bass
  James Bradley, Jr. - Drums
  Recorded at Britannia Studios, Los Angeles
  Engineered by David Greene for Unlimited Productions, Ltd.

4. Recuerdo - 7:16

• Chuck Mangione - Flugelhorn
  Don Grolnick - Electric Piano
  Bob Mann - Guitars
  John Tropea - Guitars
  Tony Levin - Bass
  Steve Gadd - Drums
  Ralph MacDonald - Percussion
  Rubins Bassini - Percussion
  Recorded at Electric Lady Studios, New York City
  Engineered by Mick Guzauski
  Assistant Engineer: Michael Frondelli

5. Lullaby For Nancy Carol - 3:26

• Chuck Mangione - Flugelhorn and Electric Piano
  Gerry Vinci - Violin
  Recorded at Kendun Studios, Los Angeles
  Engineered by Mick Guzauski
  Assistant Engineer: Larry Swist

All music Composed and Arranged by Chuck Mangione[/list:u:f0a19d5bb9]

Art Direction and Design by Junie Osaki Mangione
Photography by Benno Friedman
Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisc, New York

"This album is a toast and a tribute to some of our most cherished national treasures and their vast resources of love, knowledge, wisdom and understanding. It is dedicated to my father and to so many throughout the land who have discovered that youth, rather than time of life, is a state of mind." C.M.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Dave]

Yow, funny how A&M was getting more, and more MILEAGE out'ta this guy...! Though this outing is a bit of a throw-back to "glib", it still holds a few "new features" which are what sets it apart from the similarities of the preceding LP's Mangione has of late, recorded...



Dave

 

[LPJim]

I'm surprised Chuck Mangione's albums didn't come out in A&M's 3400 series, since so many of his associates' works did (Esther Satterfield, Gap Mangione & Gerry Niewood, for example).

JB

 

[audiofile]

Keep on hatin on Mangione..



As for me, this album is kind of uneven. I love this version of 70 Miles Young, Recuerdo, and Cannonball Run Theme, but don't particularly like the vocal version of Feels So Good and Lullaby For Nancy Carol.

 

[Dave]

70 Miles Young: Those guitars sound like they can lift their players, John Tropea and David Spinozza in the air...!!! Maybe out in Outer Space...! This track, alone makes a clear departure from Mangione's usual "straight-Jazz stock-in-trade" and goes for some more rock-oriented fusion... Ah, but does this REALLY need to take up all of Side 1...?!?!?! Gotta wonder, too, if Spinozza and Tropea are trading licks in a here-uncredited New York recording studio, or if they really did travel over to L.A. to play in Chuck's band...!

Feels So Good: --Or does he? What were they thinking? I had no idea "Feels So Good" had WORDS...!!! Chuck probably could'a sung this out himself, much like how Herb Alpert sang "This Guy's In Love With You", and blowing his horn at the song's coda, like Herb also did... Don Potter, despite singing with a rather adenoidal mutter, he carries out this song vocally, pretty well, but somehow this track seems completely unnecessary, since the original instrumental version is all we need... Though it starts off Side 2 almost "on a good foot"...

Cannonball Run Theme: The album seems to come to life with this track, or at least besides a few monotonous embellishments, reminiscent of "the Chuck of old" there are still a few hooks in this long-overdue Movie theme, which at least doesn't sound only fit for the Eumir Deodato-set... And Larry Carlton contributes his guitar work quite nicely in one of the few songs he's ever played with Chuck...

Recuerdo: However, the energy and the edge we thought Mangione was giving us with this release is gone... Mainly because this track is clearly a "Main Squeeze-outtake" which STILL should'a gotten "left in the can"... A pleasant ballad, especially with these musicians, but unlike the rest of the tracks on Main Squeeze, not really quite his best...

Lullaby For Nancy Carol: --Which does what a Lullaby should...! An inspiring, creatively arranged piece, but also a bit of an afterthought, even though the minimalist instrumentation gives this a nice touch...!

A not-so-fond farewell, to Mangione's association with A&M Records, this somehow sounds hap-hazardously assembled... The tribute/dedication to Mangione's father is a good concept-vehicle, but it's really on Side 1 where it's obviously significant... Somehow, only if Papa calls Chuck and complements his son on the stuff on Side 2, and saying he likes that and Side 1, can it really be cohesive with the material on Side 1... Really not quite the way I would want to present Mangione's final album for the label... (And why is it so SHORT...???!!!)



Dave

 

[audiofile]

The fact that 70 Miles Young takes up the whole side is irrelevant to me. I enjoy every minute of it.

Cannonball Run Theme is a nice tune.

Recuerdo is a really great tune. I also love his version on the Chuck Mangione Quintet record of the same name, recorded for Riverside in the 60's. This newer version has a really cool groove in 6/8, and the trading 4's between Chuck and Steve is nice.

Those are the good moments for me on this album.

I really do not enjoy the vocal version of Feels So Good.

This album as I stated before is a little uneven, and feels like it was recorded at various times and sessions. The different musicians are listed on the inside cover of the lp. This album is similar to Herb's Summertime in these respects.

Overall, if you like Chuck's music of this period, there's no reason you shouldn't enjoy most of this album. But then again, most of the forum members who have "reviewed" his albums don't, so it's understandable why some feel the way they do about this album.

You wanna here a BAD Mangione record?? Just listen to an album he did for Columbia in 1986 called Save Tonight For Me.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I'm guessing this is a type of contractual obligation album. With the exception of the "Cannonball Run Theme" these are all remakes of older Mangione songs. The title track was originally called "60 Miles Young" and was on two earlier Mercury albums - Together and then later Alive!, which I consider the definitive version. Mangione does "70 Miles Young" in a bit more funkier mode with some guitar work added. It's an okay version, but I didn't care for Mangione's horn work. The vocal version of "Feels So Good" is a complete waste. I don't know of anyone who liked this. "Cannonball Run" is just too pop for me, and is an example of where Mangione went wrong with his career. I actually like "Recuerdo", which is clearly from the Main Squeeze sessions. Gotta love Steve Gadd's drum work. This song is worth getting this album alone. I have the original LP - called Recuerdo - that this first appeared. "Lullabye For Nancy Carol" also first appeared on the Together album, then later on the Land Of Make Believe album, which I prefer. I don't care for this new version at all. Being this was Mangione's last album for A&M he seemed to go out with a wimper. Too bad. 2 stars.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Captain Bacardi]

You wanna here a BAD Mangione record?? Just listen to an album he did for Columbia in 1986 called Save Tonight For Me.

All of Mangione's Columbia albums were bad, some more than others.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[audiofile]

Not true.

I used to think that, but then I rediscovered the 1982 and 83 releases, Love Notes and Journey To A Rainbow, which I actually do enjoy.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

 

[Dave]

The Columbia stuff is, to me, just recycled A&M ideas--with a lil' "extra-added pizazz"... When I saw Chuck in Concert he mostly played his A&M material and a bit of when he was at Mercury...

"In with a whimper, out with a whimper"--Not to be negative in any way, just that while Mangione hasn't to me been much of an album-maker, 'cept in the "assembly line" sense, he can sure at least put on a very good show...!!!



Dave