Chris Montez

[Brasil_Nut]

You know, Chris Montez is definitely an acquired taste. I mean, "Call Me" and "The More I See You" are pretty stellar as far as his A&M Career is concerned, but I can't go much beyond that. Following his career as an artist with A&M, he went on to have several #1 hits outside the U.S. Interesting.

What brought this up? I think it was the thread about Sergio's possible piano-playing on one of Chris' songs. I listened to "The More I See You," but he lost me on "Fly Me To The Moon." Oh...it's shrill! Am I alone? He's not the worst artist I've ever heard, but he's certainly not the best either. For that matter, Claudine could be considered an acquired taste as well, and I love her. Guess it's all a matter of taste.

Jon

...happily listening to Claudine, online...

 

[Steven J. Gross]

"Let's Dance" was probably the song he will be remembered for- and it was good!

 

[Brasil_Nut]

"Let's Dance" is, indeed, a great song! However, I'm still listening to Claudine!!

Jon

...not dancing, online...

 

[thetijuanataxi]

I've always liked "Foolin' Around".

David,
remembering that Chris gave us "Cinco De Mayo"........

 

[Steven J. Gross]

I've always liked "Foolin' Around".

David,
remembering that Chris gave us "Cinco De Mayo"........

Good One!!!

 

[Joe]

I like a lot of his A&M stuff myself. His voice tended to be on the weak side, but it's not that bad. "The More I See You" is classic!

Joe, NP: "The More I See You" Chris Montez

 

[snapcrotch]

Glad Jon brought up Chris Montez and 'The More I See You'. They were on my mind while listening to a Brasilian 3-CD set of Wilson Simonal from 1967-69 ('Alegria, Alegria' Vol. 1-3 on EMI). So many of the tracks have got that clap-along, live audience 'In-Crowd' groove that augments Simonal's positive, happy cabaret-style singing. Simonal has a swinging, hipster presence and his voice is in the same range as Milton Nascimento's without the nasal overtones. The backgrounds vary from a tight, Wanderley-esque combo to a very together big band (directed by Lyrio Panicali). Many of the 37 tracks are written by a who's who of happening Brasilan writers of the late-60's. And there's only 3 tracks that don't quite succeed, so it's a high percentage experience. Our friends at Dusty Groove just got it a couple weeks ago, and $24.99 is very nice for 3 CDs.
Okay, now we can get back to Chris Montez.

 

[Brasil_Nut]

I like a lot of his A&M stuff myself. His voice tended to be on the weak side, but it's not that bad. "The More I See You" is classic!

I will say his arrangements were top-notch -- much like Claudine. The A&M albums are (of course) available as imports from (where else?) Japan. There is merit in every musical artist and Chris is no exception. His A&M cover art is some of the best -- once again, similar to that of Claudine. His singing may be an acquired taste, but the music is a delicious blend of Jazz and Pop standards of the day.

I'm willing to give Chris another try. I'm on a "CD Buying Spree" to include many of the Japanese imports I do not have in my collection. I'm going to purchase his "Best Of" CD, as well as the rest of what I don't have by Claudine -- definitely a favorite of mine. I'll let you know what I think when I've heard "Best Of". I'm always willing to find the good in things -- music and life-wise -- that I don't necessarily like. Judging from the positive comments posted here, I'm willing to give Chris another spin. Thanks for your input everyone!!

Jon

...ready for a new A&M adventure, online...

 

[Rudy]

I do like a couple of Montez's albums, but more for the A&M arrangements than the singing. I think it's the fact that he used to sing off-key on all those records...it's torture to someone like me who's cursed w/ perfect pitch.

A good Montez compilation is the one on the DCC label--you can still get it. It was mastered by Steve Hoffman, and covers his Monogram hits along with his best A&Ms. Steve did a lot of work researching this one. It is even a good addition if you already have the A&M.

 

[Captaindave]

I have always liked the radio hits from Chris Montez - Call Me, Let's Dance, The More I See You, not sure if there were any others.

I can't say it was the singing as much as just the songs themselves that I like. I didn't mind the singing; I guess I've never really paid much attention to it - I'm not really that into "thinking" a lot about vocals. Being primarily an instrumentalist, I listen more carefully to instrumental playing than singing. I tend to pick up on playing quicker than singing... I guess I'd call the singing "cute..."

I'm not very familiar with much of anything else by Chris Montez since I don't have any of the records...

I feel the same about Claudine Longet, as suggested in another post. I have never really considered her to be much of a strong singer...I tend to think she's more of an "image" than a musician... A friend of mine that I used to play in a band with always used to be much more interested in just looking at her than hearing her sing...