🎵 AotW Classics Chris Montez FOOLIN' AROUND SP-4128

[Harry]

Chris Montez
FOOLIN' AROUND
A&M SP-4128

Also released as LP-128 in mono and on CD from Japan

Tracks:

1. Foolin’ Around* 2:15
2. On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever) 2:26
3. The End of A Love Affair 2:28
4. Once I Loved (O Amor Em Paz) 3:00
5. Girl Talk 2:42
6. Because of You*¹ 2:30

Side Two
1. I’m Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary People) 2:49
2. Once In a While 2:08
3. Dindi (Jin-jee) 3:05
4. A Taste of Honey 2:12
5. I Didn’t Know What Time It Was 2:39

Produced by Larry Marks
*Produced by Herb Alpert
¹Arranged by Nick De Caro
Album Designed by Peter Whorf Graphics
Liner Photo by George Jerman
Liner Notes by Derek Taylor

 

[Dave]

"A Taste Of Honey", here...! And such a killer rendition...! It completely knocks me out...! Why wasn't it a SINGLE???!!!



Dave

 

[Moritat]

I went with End Of A Love Affair, but it barely topped I Didnt Know What Time It Was. I really love both tunes. I also think I'm Glad There Is You is a fine offering. Although Chris never had much of a voice, the arrangements are tops.

 

[Harry]

This is the first album in the numerical sequence of A&M releases where I don't own a copy in any form. I have a Chris Montez compilation disc with five of these songs, but that's all I have to go on.

Foolin' Around
Because Of You
I Didn't Know What Time It Was
Once I Loved
Girl Talk

...are all contained on a Chris Montez GOLD SERIES disc I have a copy of. I've just never run across, nor diligently sought out a copy of the album.

Harry
...with something still on his list of things to look for, online...

 

[Steven J. Gross]

Where is Chris at these days?

 

[Dave]

Well, I could'a seen him perform in Pontiac at our annual Dream Cruise, but after stopping off at home to rest after looking at all those cars and then later that evening, going to the venue where Montez was slated to perform along with the likes of Sha-Na-Na, I realized I'd missed him as he had come on first...

Had this album and my Watch What Happens LP, in tow...


(Unless the guy I saw in an R/V happened to be him; strong resemblance, but a Michigan license plate, so maybe not...)



Dave

 

[Harry]

I cued up those five songs I listed above and started listening. I got through the first two (Alpert produced) tracks and all was fine. Then came "I Didn't Know What Time It Was." I'm sorry, but Chris just wasn't anywhere near some of the notes on that one and I had to turn it off!

I'm usually not someone who advocates the modern-day trick of Autotune, but THAT track could really use it!

Harry

 

[Dave]

It's hard to compound my feelings towards Chris' high-pitched voice for me, too, although, even with the "lot'ta falsetto" he is a terrific singer...


This album, then, turns the corner towards a new-found commercial dimension in Pop Music's new direction that Chris and crew ably contribute to on this...

There's a bit of "old-styled material" and at least one track with the "hang-over production" by Herb Alpert (who I'm without a doubt that he was the one who announced on "Because Of You": "And now the star of our show..., Mr. Chris Montez...!!!"...) and the rest of the production by A&M staff-producer, Larry Marks...

The title-track is inspiring and boasts some background vocal contributions by arranger Nick De Caro (unless that's Chris, too) and is augmented by a cool cello ensemble... (And it's that it appears on the multi-artist Family Portrait set, that it completely won me over...!)

"Girl Talk" is sly and swanky and "I'm Glad There Is You" is a dank, but hopeful and uplifting daunty number... And I love the bitter humor of "The End Of A Love Affair", as well as the wistful innocence of "Once I Loved"...

"A Taste Of Honey" is always going to stand out as my favorite and not just on this LP or even by Chris Montez, but certainly no version vocally or instrumentally could ever match...

The enjoyment of this album and my making it my fav' however is offset by too much "traditional Pop" as numbers like "On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever)" "Once In A While" and "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" and the overly sentimental "Dindi (Jin-jee)" tend to turn me off and seem more like they'd be better in-place if this album were more like Montez's first or second...

A still enchanting work, sweet, strong, sterling and sublime...!



Dave

 

[Rudy]

I cued up those five songs I listed above and started listening. I got through the first two (Alpert produced) tracks and all was fine. Then came "I Didn't Know What Time It Was." I'm sorry, but Chris just wasn't anywhere near some of the notes on that one and I had to turn it off!

I'm usually not someone who advocates the modern-day trick of Autotune, but THAT track could really use it!

Harry

I've always felt Chris was out of his element as a pop-singer/crooner. I can listen to a 10- or 12-song "best of" for his A&M recordings, but like you, I can't handle the vocals some of the time. It just feels like some of the songs are out of his comfort range, vocally. On his Monogram sides, the higher voice is better suited to the type of music he was making at the time ("Let's Dance"). In fact, for the liner notes of the DCC CD release, he mentions that he wasn't comfortable with that type of role, but with Herb's help, gained confidence to cut these sides.

After A&M, he got into the Latino music he grew up with, his Ritchie Valens influence being the icing on the cake. I'd really like to hear some of those later recordings, but they're not as easy to find these days. One of them was released on A&M's international label in the 80s ("Cartas de Amor"...?).

 

[audiofile]

Chris is still preforming these days. And even though I have a special place for his A&M albums in my heart, I would never go see him now.