🎵 AotW Classics Baja Marimba Band: Naturally (Applause APLP-1008) (1982)

1646666310083.pngThe Baja Marimba Band
Naturally

Applause APLP-1008
Released 1982

Available on LP, cassette, download and streaming.
Unofficial releases on CD mentioned in the discussion below.

The band: Julius Wechter, Bernie Fleischer, Dave Wells, Charlie Chiarenza, Carmen Fanzone, Jules Greenberg, Harvey Newmark, Kim Stallings, Ed Roscetti


Tracks:

  • Morning Train
  • Alone Again, Naturally
  • El Abondonado
  • Theme From "Deep Throat"
  • Alley Cat
  • Shout
  • The Elegant Rag
  • Las Flores
  • Medley


 
Last edited:
Click to expand...
Hey y'all, just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on the "Naturally" album....saw it at a thrift shop and was wondering if it was worth picking up.

Any info is appreciated...

NJB
 
I think it's worth picking up. It's not the classic BMB, but it's pretty good. Definitely worth getting just to hear them play the "Deep Throat" theme, as well as a BMB medley, which includes their only recorded version of "Coney Island".



Capt. Bacardi
 
I bought a cassette of this album @ Kmart back in the late '80s. I liked the first track OK but, unfortunately, it was mostly a forgetettable effort by the once proud Baja, IMHO. If you're a big BMB fan, you may like it a little more. Thrift shop $, yeah. Whadaya got ta lose?

Tony
 
I haven't heard the record in years but did enjoy it a lot. I once had a chance to tell Julius how much I loved the album and my wife really loved the cover. :confused:
later....Jay
 
That's the reformed BMB alright from the LA TV special.

You can see the director barely misses a bit of comedy business on La Cucaracha when Dave Wells grabs Fanzones arm when the music breaks.

And that is Carmen Fanzone on trumpet, who used to play for the Chicago Cubs. As Julius says in the special, "since he joined us his batting average has slipped...but he's scoring a lot more."

It's the same band as on the record except for Frank Devito.
 
Definitely worth picking up just as a rarity. It took me awhile to find one--don't play it much, but at least I have it.
 
Robert P said:
It's now available on iTunes under the name of Alley Cat...

Robert
Click to expand...

Thanks, Robert, for pointing that out. I downloaded and burned it to a CD today. Playing it right now!

All the best,
Mike
 
How is the sound quality on the iTunes version?

I have the LP - it's one of a bunch of albums I've picked up being cast off by radio stations - and it's been in the collection for years. I don't play it much - I may have listened to it a time or two, but the fact that it's now available digitally has spurred a little interest.

I notice that the track order is different from the LP and several of the titles are spelled wrong. They also split the "Medley" up into two different parts (each one 99¢!). On the album, all four songs are lumped together as one medley track, as there are only eight tracks on the album.

The album cover art seems to be among the missing on iTunes, yet it's one of the more "charming" features of the NATURALLY album.

Harry
 
Harry, I think that the iTunes sound quality of Naturally is good enough – at least in my unprofessional opinion it is. However, after listening to this album a few times over the weekend, as a BMB effort I think it lacks that je ne se qua that made the A&M releases so timeless. Although, I am glad that I downloaded it; it’s a pleasure to hear BMB songs that I have not previously heard.

Regards,
Mike
 
The NATURALLY album is also available on Amazon.com's downloads, with the same ALLEY CAT title and wrongly spelled titles.

Harry
 
It’s encouraging to see this available at iTunes and Amazon. I wonder who is behind getting this digitally released for download? Is there anyway to find out? Who knows, maybe there are more releases to follow.

It appears that I’ve crossed over to the dark side. I’ll take BMB releases anyway I can get them – even as an iTunes download.

The art work is ridiculous.

51TVCTv0BTL._SL500_AA280_.jpg


Regards,
Mike
 
It happens every time I disappear for a while... Last time it was the three "download-only" TJB titles. Now it's BMB's Naturally (with lousy cover art and an even lousier new title).

But at least I now have something decent to spend all my iTunes gift cards on! And it leaves me only requiring the Bell release Baja Marimba Band's Back to complete my personal .mp3 collection.

Great news despite the retitling and lousy cover art...

--Mr Bill
 
Well, I fianlly got my iTunes store connection to work (and the process resulted in me adding items 73 through 77 for my growing article "100 Reasons Why I Hate Apple & My Mac")...

But I have to say I'm disappointed overall with this download for a number of reasons...

1-Most tracks are misnamed. The first "Medley" on the list is actually the tune "Shout" and the final Medley is (as it should be and was on the original Naturally release) actually the correct Medley of all four Wechter compositions.

2-"Theme from Deep Throat" and "Las Flores" are reversed, ie: the song listed as "Deep Throat" is "Las Flores" and the one listed as "Las Flores" is "Deep Throat."

3-Sound quality. Sounds like it was remastered in a coffee can under a pillow. On top of that many songs have as much as six seconds of dead lead in time, complete with vinyl crackles -- this sure didn't come from an original master tape or even a sub master. In the case of "Morning Train" the first notes are cut off and with "Shout" it is a whopping 21 seconds before you start to hear the song's fade in. Normally I'm in agreement with Yokosuka Mike -- as long as it sounds like the vinyl as I remember it, I'm okay. Mike and I have shared home made files we are more than happy with, but I have disgree with him on this one -- Sorry Mike.

4-The title change and absence of original cover art. If that wasn't suspicious enough...

5-The typos are inexcusable. This leads me to believe this may not be a legit release or some sort of case where someone acquired the Applause Records Catalog and is out to make a quick buck... Beyond the Lettermen I can't recall other artists on Applause. Maybe a search for those artists on iTunes with eye-catching, cheesy, revised art could proove this true...

I only hope the rest of the catalog, when it comes along is treated better. Collectors Choice or Dusty Groove would do it right!

--Mr Bill
 
Mr Bill said:
On top of that many songs have as much as six seconds of dead lead in time, complete with vinyl crackles -- this sure didn't come from an original master tape or even a sub master.
Click to expand...

This sounds similar to a compliation I bought a few years ago called I'll Marimba You - A Portrait In Music where all the songs sound as if they came from a noisy vinyl LP instead of being truly remastered. Good thing I have a clean copy of Naturally that I put onto CD.



Capt. Bacardi
 
The tracks sound like they were transferred from a cassette. I actually have a copy of this album on cassette, and put it on cd a couple years ago and it sounds just like the mp3's on I-tunes.
 
Just be careful.

That album was "released digitally" as a CD-R before with a scrambled track list, different title (BEST OF BAJA), and poor recordings. This one looks to be a better option: it's a different company and the sound samples sound pretty good, but it's still a CD-R manufactured by Amazon when you order it.

Perhaps our @Steve Sidoruk has some knowledge of the situation.

Harry
 
Yeah, I'd be wary: I've heard some alleged "remastering" that was just some shmuck behind his computer, running it through a $50 program that removes clicks, pops and half the music. That kind of software is garbage, and frankly I'd rather listen to the beat up vinyl.

I'd also be wary since this title barely made a blip, sales-wise, when it was on vinyl. These "rare" albums are often targets for piracy. Remember, just because Amazon lists it doesn't make it legit: they tend to trust the publisher to be honest. The only ones to trust here are the owners of the master tapes, which would be either the record label or the artist. If either one has licensed used of the recording to this company, then it's OK. If not, it's pirated.
 
NATURALLY is an album I've had in my collection for probably thirty years or more and never played until today. It was one of those throwaways at the radio station with a cut corner. As a result of it being ignored, the vinyl is in near-pristine state, and it just made a nifty needledrop. Just comparing my efforts to those sound samples on Amazon, mine sounds a bit beefier. The cover had a bit of ring-wear near the bottom, but some quick touch-ups in Photoshop and even my make-shift cover looks decent, except for the now REALLY small printing.

Harry
 
I have received e-mail contact from the company that now controls the master for "Naturally." I'm waiting for more info, which I'll share here and on my Facebook
Julius Wechter page.
 
I Heard the samples for " Best of Baja" on amazon. And i think the original vinyl release is Far superior. ( and i too had a great needle drop to CDR made of it too.)
until i see a legitimate and decent quality version released. I will stay with the original version.
 
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