As others have said, this is a great album from the peak years of the TjB, and picking a favorite is tough - many would do.
I ultimately went with "The Work Song", but could have easily gone with "For Carlos" or "Flamingo" or my dad's favorite, "The Wall Street Rag."
Like the hits that came before it, "The Work Song" is one of those tunes that simply defines the TjB and is defined by it. They go hand in hand and I couldn't imagine "The Work Song" by anyone else, nor a TjB repertoire without "The Work Song".
I first heard this album in its mono version as it was one of the titles I owned before discovering "stereo." I later upgraded to the stereo LP version.
I was one of the lucky ones to have had SRO on CD from Japan, finding it in a CD-only store in the mid-'80s in the import section along with WHIPPED CREAM. Up until then, the only TjB on CD that existed was the CHRISTMAS ALBUM, I believe, and perhaps one of the compilation discs. I was thrilled to have my old favorite band on this newfangled format.
The Shout! Factory CD sounds better than that old Japanese CD, with its nice remastering work. Some of the flaws that existed then, still exist today, like the mushy distortion in the opening minute of "Our Day Will Come".
Burt Bacharach gets another of his tunes on an A&M album here with "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." His "Walk On By" got the very first A&M album treatment by the Baja Marimba Band. Burt, of course, would go on to record for the label and become and important part of its success.
Harry
I ultimately went with "The Work Song", but could have easily gone with "For Carlos" or "Flamingo" or my dad's favorite, "The Wall Street Rag."
Like the hits that came before it, "The Work Song" is one of those tunes that simply defines the TjB and is defined by it. They go hand in hand and I couldn't imagine "The Work Song" by anyone else, nor a TjB repertoire without "The Work Song".
I first heard this album in its mono version as it was one of the titles I owned before discovering "stereo." I later upgraded to the stereo LP version.
I was one of the lucky ones to have had SRO on CD from Japan, finding it in a CD-only store in the mid-'80s in the import section along with WHIPPED CREAM. Up until then, the only TjB on CD that existed was the CHRISTMAS ALBUM, I believe, and perhaps one of the compilation discs. I was thrilled to have my old favorite band on this newfangled format.
The Shout! Factory CD sounds better than that old Japanese CD, with its nice remastering work. Some of the flaws that existed then, still exist today, like the mushy distortion in the opening minute of "Our Day Will Come".
Burt Bacharach gets another of his tunes on an A&M album here with "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." His "Walk On By" got the very first A&M album treatment by the Baja Marimba Band. Burt, of course, would go on to record for the label and become and important part of its success.
Harry