🥂 50th CLASSICS SERIES, VOL. 20 - Herb Alpert (CD 2518)

[Harry]

Classics, Volume 20 - Herb Alpert [1987]
CD 2518


1. Route 101 - from Fandango
2. Rise - from Rise
3. Red Hot - from Blow Your Own Horn
4. You Are The One - from Wild Romance
5. Fandango - from Fandango
6. Garden Party - from Blow Your Own Horn [edit]
7. It's All For You - from Wild Romance
8. Magic Man - from Magic Man
9. Rotation - from Rise
10. "8" Ball - from Wild Romance
11. Street Life - from Rise [edit]
12. Maniac - from Bullish
13. Bullish - from Bullish
14. Beyond - from Beyond

 

[Harry]

Essentially, the only domestic compilation of Herb's solo years, and it only covers the period from 1979's RISE through 1985's WILD ROMANCE. Sound quality is sterling.

Harry

 

[Dave]

This is one of the most intelligently put-together sets & there really haven't been any bad ones...

Ideally the songs are mainly B-Sides & limited to obvious hits, but who's idea was it to include 'Maniac'? No matter, for those interested in Herb's canon, focusing on his comeback in the 1980's when music of this sort seemed to be dead, it does kick off live & well, with the rest of the tracks following suit...

Surely fans of just about every genre should have by now turned the page to exploring Herb's stuff, with & without the Tijuana Brass, via this set being the sterling (in selection, annotation, and sound) place to start!


-- Dave

 

[Harry]

... but who's idea was it to include 'Maniac'?...

Ah, but its inclusion here (along with "Bullish") is one of my argument points that the BULLISH album doesn't belong lumped in with the "Tijuana Brass" canon, in spite of those words on the cover. BULLISH is, and always has been, a Herb 'solo' project.

Harry

 

[Rudy]

I would rather have seen the title track of Bullish rather than "Maniac" (with apologies to Michael Sembello of course). I like the arrangement (and "Maniac" is actually one of the best dance singles of that year) but it seems out of place on a retrospective such as this.

I will say that the TJB and solo works are better kept separated on anthologies--this is where Classics got it right. And this is a very good collection up to the point in time it was released.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I agree with Harry -- the "Bullish" tunes would have sounded ridiculous on ANY of the TJB compilations. I still wonder why Herb chose to put "Tijuana Brass" on the cover of that album.

This compilation is really good and to me it would only be improved with the inclusion of "Coco Loco" from Fandango. One my favorite of Herb's solo songs and one of the most TJB-ish of his later years. They could have taken out one of the Wild Romance tunes and put "Coco" in and my feelings wouldn't have been hurt.

About "Maniac," this version is OK, but it sort of loses steam along the way, especially when the vocals come in. When it comes to uptempo stuff, Herb's voice is OK for scat-type singing like he does on "Moon River" or lightweight songs like "The Bell That Couldn't Jingle." But "Maniac" calls for a more powerful vocal -- a person can just listen to the excellent Michael Sembello version to see what I mean. Lani's voice sounds great as always but she's just out of her element on this song.

The high point of this collection for me remains "Beyond." It's probably my favorite of Herb's solo recordings and I just never get tired of listening to it. There's more inventiveness in that one arrangement than a a lot of artists' whole albums.

 

[Bobberman]

I agree with all of you concerning this cd. I bought my copy in 1988 just i was getting my first cd player. And happily i still have it since i couldnt obtain any of the albums represented on this collection except rise, this serves as a great digital introduction to his solo catalog. I do have a theory on why Herb used the tjb name in Bullish. I remember him saying the tjb was never actually a real group per se. And i think because he was planning a tour with the tjb members that year i think he was wanting to do a "what would the tijuana brass sound like now ?" Type of album.just my opinion of course. Nevertheless this cd still sounds great today and covers his early solo efforts beginning with Rise up to wild romance and best of all my copy is still in top notch condition and i would be surprised if it isnt a collectors item by now. And from here on starting with keep your eye on me all my alpert albums were purchased on cd the liner notes by paul grein are especially informative and very helpful too well worth having. This collection makes the " definitive hits cd" almost obsolete before fact in my opinion

 

[Bobberman]

P.s to clarify when i said i could not obtain any of the albums except rise at that time. I was referring to the cd versions as i had and still have the vinyl versions of those recordings represented here.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

If I recall right the Summer Olympics were held in L.A. in 1984 and the Olympic Committee asked Herb to perform a concert for a gala for the Olympic athletes and organizers, since the TJB had an international sound. Herb agreed and put together a new TJB for a brief tour and released Bullish with the Tijuana Brass name, and as bbrmn mentions Herb thought that the album would be as he envisioned the Brass to be at that time. I think this was all in a copy of Billboard back then, and I'm sure it's in one of my many boxes of stuff.

As for this CD, I also loathed "Maniac". I thought either "Make A Wish", "Struttin' On Five" or "Passion Play" would've been a better selection from the Bullish album. "Skokiaan" would've been nice as well, even though it features Hugh Masekela. But given the time this was released it's a pretty nice overall look at Herb's relatively short solo career at this point.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Harry]

I guess I'm in the minority of folks who like "Maniac."

Harry

 

[Dave]

I guess I'm in the minority of folks who like "Maniac."

Harry

As I've said: "A Bizarre Inclusion for the Insanely Curious!"

Lani's vocal is too underpowered...! It's from an album credited to 'The Tijuana Brass', when it was merely an extension of Herb's '80's output, more than Bullish was significant in reuniting TjB members...! And it doesn't even have Herb's best trumpet playing...! (Well, it's along the lines of 'A Song I'd Like To Sing' by Kris & Rita, really...)

Putting the Devil's advocate aside, I like it & appreciate the well-rounded view to Herb's comeback that it does have to offer... (And also, I recall a Topic w/ a Poll here, simply weighing our opinion about it, as well!)


-- Dave

 

[Harry]

Something I'd not noticed before is that "Garden Party" on this CLASSICS disc is the 3:51 edited version. I have that on a 12" and would assume that it is also the 7" edited version, one I don't have. The full-length BLOW YOUR OWN HORN album version goes on for nearly another minute-and-a-half.

Harry

 

[Bobberman]

Yes Harry this edited version is also the 7 inch single version i used to have the radio promo single of garden party.and when i got this cd it replaced that worn and overplayed 45 i had but gave away later.nevertheless all versions of this song as well as all alpert classics are to be savored regardless of the version or length

 

[Steve Sidoruk]

A&M/PolyGram Germany released this as "STREET LIFE" with the same tracks.

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Something I'd not noticed before is that "Garden Party" on this CLASSICS disc is the 3:51 edited version.

"Street Life" is also an edited version.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Harry]

"Street Life" is also an edited version.
Capt. Bacardi

So it is. Noted in the original post.

Harry

 

[toeknee4bz]

Ah, but its inclusion here (along with "Bullish") is one of my argument points that the BULLISH album doesn't belong lumped in with the "Tijuana Brass" canon, in spite of those words on the cover. BULLISH is, and always has been, a Herb 'solo' project.

Harry

I agree completely. The designer could've even kept the same cool logo on the front, with H E R B A L P E R T scrolled across the top of the bull, and * * B U L L I S H * * underneath the bull, in place where T I J U A N A B R A S S is seen.

 

[toeknee4bz]

I guess I'm in the minority of folks who like "Maniac."

Harry

I liked "Maniac" while Herb was nailing the trumpet part. But when Lani came in, it just went downhill. I love Lani's singing ordinarily, but this just didn't suit her. She sounded strained, especially later on in the song.

 

[toeknee4bz]

As for this CD, I also loathed "Maniac". I thought either "Make A Wish", "Struttin' On Five" or "Passion Play" would've been a better selection from the Bullish album. "Skokiaan" would've been nice as well, even though it features Hugh Masekela. But given the time this was released it's a pretty nice overall look at Herb's relatively short solo career at this point.
Capt. Bacardi

I agree that "Skokiaan" would've made a great replacement for "Maniac" on this CD. I also would've omitted the two Brenda Russell vocals from WILD ROMANCE ("You Are The One" and "It's All For You") in favor of "African Flame", and full length versions of "Garden Party" and "Street Life".