AOTW: Chuck Mangione - FUN AND GAMES (SP-3715)

[Captain Bacardi]

Chuck Mangione
FUN AND GAMES
A&M SP-3715

Released 1980

Format: Vinyl/Cassette/8-Track/CD

Produced by Chuck Mangione
Production Assistance: Jeff Tyzik

Songs:

• 1. Give It All You Got - 6:12
  (Commissioned by ABC Sports for the 1980 Winter Olympics)
  2. You're The Best There Is - 7:30
  3. Pina Colada - 8:14
  4. I Never Missed Someone Before - 9:32
  5. Give It All You Got, But Slowly - 4:20
  6. Fun And Games - 7:14
  
  All selections written by Chuck Mangione and published by Gates Music, Inc. (BMI)

Musicians:
Chuck Mangione - Flugelhorn, Electric and Acoustic Pianos, Vocal
Chris Vadala - C Flute, Alto Flute, Bass Flute, Piccolo, Soprano and Tenor Saxes
Grant Geissman - Electric, Acoustic, 12-String and Classical Guitars
Charles Meeks - Bass, Harmonica
James Bradley, Jr. - Drums, Timbales, Triangle, Congas and Cowbell
Jeff Tyzik - Trumpets
Bill Reichenbach - Trombones

Recorded and Mixed at Westlake Studios, Los Angeles, California
Engineer: Mick Guzauski
Assistant Engineers: Larry Swist and Ed Cherney

Art Direction and Design: Junie Osaki
Photography: Benno Friedman
Management: Tom Iannaccone

Fun And Games is dedicated to the spirit of the Special Olympics - C.M.




Capt. Bacardi

 

[Dave]

"Fun And Games" and "Give It All You Got" are really the songs for therecognition of the 1980 Olympics; the rest is still a fairly tepid offering by Chuck and his crew... Overall a fairly "middling" effort... --Which I think I can safely give *** (3) Stars to...!



Dave

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Mangione gets more commercial with this release, and fortunately it's not all that bad. "Give It All You Got" is a pretty solid tune and has a nice hook at the end. "You're The Best There Is" is a little too pretty for me, although it has its moments. My favorite tune has to be "Pina Colada", which has Mangione doing some of his best blowing. Chris Vadala and Grant Geissman play some hot solos themselves. I remember seeing Mangione in concert right before this album came out, and when he started with his scat vocal at the beginning of this song I thought he had lost it. But it's a hip song. The rest of the album is kind of forgettable. "I Never Missed Someone Before" is a little different, with Charles Meeks doing some harmonica, but it gets kind of tired after a while. How nice of Chuck to provide his own Muzak version of "Give It All You Got, But Slowly". This was a wasted recording. "Fun And Games" has its moments, but it, too, gets old quickly. It's a decent album, but nothing special. 3 stars.




Capt. Bacardi

 

[Rudy]

I gave it three stars also. My favorites are the album's bookends: "Give It All You Got" and "Fun And Games". "Pina Colada" is good once you get past the scat portion. The other tracks are forgettable IMHO.

IIRC, "Pina Colada" made its concert debut in Detroit. A buddy of mine in band was a big Mangione fan. (To the point of having a flugelhorn and wearing a similar trademarked hat. ) He saw Mangione at the concert promoting this album, and he recalls that Mangione mentioned this was the first time they were playing the song in public.

 

[12131962]

Where can I find a copy of "Fun And Games" without paying an arm & a leg?Do you think this out of print cd will become in print? It was one of my favorites.

 

[Harry]

It's currently available from Japanese sources. CD Japan lists it for $16.03 plus shipping. That's not too bad a price.

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=UCCU-5385

Harry

 

[Captain Bacardi]

For a long time it had been one of those value-priced CDs (under $10). I didn't realize it had been out of print.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Rudy]

Heh, I bought mind as a Rebound (Polygram) reissue for $6.99, back in the day.

I found two used copies on Amazon for $15.99 ea., under this ASIN #:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000DN92/amcorne-20

Others are available but more in the $25 range.

 

[audiofile]

One of Chuck's best albums from the Feels So Good period. The tunes are nice, my favorites from a compositional standpoint are You're The Best There Is and Pina Cola. Pina Colada has one of the best tenor solos on any Mangione record. I also like Grant Geissman's solo on Fun & Games.

 

[toeknee4bz]

In another thread I stated that this was a 5-star recording, but I feel I need to ammend that with my current vote of 4 stars, only because I (admittedly) seem to skip over the "Slowly" track. Not that I have anything against it, but I just have to be in the mood to hear it. Good track. Great album. But not 5 stars.

Tony

 

[Dave]

"Fun And Games" seems to be in the spirit of Mangione's earlier hit, "Feels So Good", and with the accompanying album Chuck seems to have broken out of the "inter-changeable tangent" he'd currently been in, in his previous works...

I enjoyed Chuck Mangione a lot better on Main Squeeze backed by New York session greats... His own band isn't bad, but funny how his music can become more "hackneyed" there than with a Studio Band... That is at least how I've determined Mangione's listenability in either capacity...



Dave

 

[toeknee4bz]

1. Give It All You Got - 6:12 (Commissioned by ABC Sports for the 1980 Winter Olympics)

"Fun And Games" is dedicated to the spirit of the Special Olympics. - C.M.

Am I to understand that the 1980 "Winter" Olympics were one and the same as the "Special" Olympics? Herb Alpert's "1980" was commissioned by NBC for the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Then I read the Mangione credit for "Give It All You Got" being commissioned by ABC. Two networks (presumably) didn't carry the same event, so I wonder if I got it straight... ABC carried the Special Olympics in the "winter"? Just looking for a little clarification after 28 years...

Tony

 

[Harry]

Back in those days, Winter and Summer Olympics were done in the same year, and yes two different networks had the rights to the events.

ABC was coming off a long run of exclusive television rights to all Olympics, and racking up some big ratings success in the process. NBC decided to get competitive and bid up the rights to the Summer Olympics for the 1980 games. That's the one that Herb wrote the "1980" theme for on his RISE album. It was to REPLACE the Olympic Fanfare on NBC's TV coverage since ABC had commissioned the familiar work for their own coverage. NBC wanted a brassy fanfare and Don Ohlmeyer suggested that Herb Alpert should do the work.

Sometime later, the music rights to the Olympic Fanfare went to International Olympic Committee so that any network with the TV rights could use it.

In the earlier part of the year, the Winter Olympics took place in Lake Placid, New York, and Chuck Mangione's "Give It All You Got" was played endlessly as coverage began and ended along with the traditional Olympic Fanfare, as coverage was on ABC.

The Special Olympics is a totally separate event from either of the two major Olympics.

Since the two Olympics (summer and winter) were unrelated, sometime in the late '90s, they began to stagger them so that one would occur every two years, instead of both happening in the same year every four years.

Harry

 

[Rudy]

I missed watching the Olympics, so I didn't hear either song used on network TV.

As for this album, I give it a reluctant three stars...only two tracks really stand out (the title track, and "Give It All You Got"). "Pina Colada" is OK, but the others I can't even remember, even after listening to them. And isn't the "...But Slowly" version just an album filler? Seemed like it at the time.

 

[toeknee4bz]

I give it a reluctant three stars...only two tracks really stand out (the title track, and "Give It All You Got"). "Pina Colada" is OK, but the others I can't even remember, even after listening to them.

I always liked "You're The Best There Is". As for the "Slowly" track, you're probably bullseye correct. It was pretty enough, but I can't help thinking that he could have found (or written) something a little different for the album. Kinda makes you think that it might have [originally] been intended as a prelude to the faster track, similar to that of "The Children Of Sanchez Overture".

Thanks to Harry for clearing up the 28 year-long Olympics confusion. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's wondered about that, and I knew that somebody here would be able to shed some light.

Tony

 

[Harry]

I missed watching the Olympics, so I didn't hear either song used on network TV.

"1980", of course, though comissioned for the Olympics coverage on NBC, was never actually used since the US boycotted those Moscow games and there was no TV coverage here in the States.

Harry

 

[Captain Bacardi]

This is a hit or miss album. It starts strong with "Give It All You Got", which has a catchy melody and strong groove. Things get a little too "feels so goody" on the cheery "You're The Best There Is". I really loved the opening of "Pina Colada", where Mangione gets in some decent blowing. (I saw him in concert before this album was released and at first everyone thought Chuck was nuts doing his little scat thing. ) It goes downhill from there, as the songs get a little tiresome. The title track is a little on the goober side for me. It's a decent album overall. 2 & 1/2 stars.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[audiofile]

This is a hit or miss album. It starts strong with "Give It All You Got", which has a catchy meldy and strong groove. Things get a little too "feels so goody" on the cheery "You're The Best There Is". I really loved the opening of "Pina Colada", where Mangione gets in some decent blowing. (I saw him in concert before this album was released and at first everyone thought Chuck was nuts doing his little scat thing. ) It goes downhill from there, as the songs get a little tiresome. The title track is a little on the goober side for me. It's a decent album overall. 2 & 1/2 stars.



Capt. Bacardi

Yeah I like the meldy too.

 

[Rudy]

About half of a good album. "Give It All You Got," "Pina Colada" (except for the first two minutes) and "Fun And Games" are the standouts, but the rest are forgettable or (with "...But Slowly") redundant. It seems like it attempts to reuse the Feels So Good album format, but that format is rather played out by this point.

One good thing: it wasn't an overblown mess like Children Of Sanchez.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I enjoyed "Give It All You Got" and "Pina Colada" - I actually liked the scat vocal he did. I remember seeing him in concert before this album came out and he just started doing this crazy thing. The audience loved it! He did a nice solo on this tune. The rest of the album just bored me - even the title tune.

 

[Rudy]

The title tune seems to wander a bit--I like the head arrangement (if you will), but it really needed something else beside soloing to make it stand out. It is less boring than the other tunes though.

IIRC, my buddy Dennis, who was such an ardent follower of Mangione that he played a flugelhorn rather than trumpet in our jazz combos, saw him in concert, and claims Mangione debuted "Pina Colada" for the first time at the gig. He very well may have, but who's to say some artists may say the same thing at each concert on the tour?

 

[Dave]

"Less boring", in the sense, that a few moments of the other compositions do step out of the "attempted formula" of the "intended concept" of "Give It All You Got" and the title-track intend to lock this outing in...

Give the remaining tunes a chance, bear with the endless soloing (of which the possibilities, still do get out of hand) and this makes for pleasant listening, if for still, merely only pleasant background music...

Less redundant than most product from "the Mangione music machine", but this needs more of the brush he offered from Mainsqueeze, rather than a clone of stuff like Bellavia, Feels So Good (which will be forever hard to top) and Chase The Clouds Away...

-- Dave

 

[Rudy]

A bump for this album we featured in AotW features in years past. If the conversation seems repetitive, we have consolidated three AotW features (2006, 2008, 2011) into one. Check out this week's AotW feature for SP-3716.

 

[Bobberman]

I for one got my first copy in early 1980 coming off the lake placid Olympics I enjoyed every part of this album as I later heard these tracks used on the shortwave radio service of the AFRTS ( American forces radio and television service as they identified themselves at the time) they played 30 second song bits between their programs and this album and it's contents got a lot of play on that aforementioned radio service and not to mention one PBS affiliate near my home at the time using it as background music as well as sign on music for their test patterns ( it seems at the time it was common to use commercially available albums like this instead of production music libraries however that would change in later years but still for me This is still a great album from start to finish lots of music to reminisce with.

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

Tough room. I love this record. I love the title track, "You're the Best There Is," and "...Slowly." "Slowly" is a nice re-arrangement of the uptempo version and Chris Vadala's flute is just gorgeous throughout. I don't get the hate for the slower treatment at all. I think it's positively lovely. As for the rest, "Piña Colada" is a lot of fun too. The title track and "I Never Missed Someone Before" are really nice too. Chuck has nothing to be ashamed of here. Very well-done album and an easy four stars here.

Ed