Life Is My Song

[Harry]

I never paid too much attention to this last track on BULLISH. And I was surprised the other day to see a Japanese compilation titled with this song's title:

The comp is an overview of Herb's solo output up until this 2-disc LP set was issued. I thought of making it a playlist and found that it ran well over the 80 minute mark which would prevent it from fitting onto one CD if I wanted to go that route. So I started pruning by putting in single edits where I could. I got it down to around 82 minutes by doing that and I realized that the title track, "Life Is My Song" was one of the culprits at well over 6 minutes in length.

So I set about pruning the length of that final track and got it down to around 3:40 or so - a decent length for a fit with radio. The more I edited the song, the more it stuck with me. I think I like this track a lot more now.

 

[Steven J. Gross]

 

[Bobberman]

This happens to be one of my favorites when I first bought the Bullish LP in 84 this song just stuck with me and in my opinion a perfect closer to this album. I still love the Bullish album TJB or Not

 

[Mike Blakesley]

So now I'm curious to hear your edit, Harry!

It's one of my favorite tunes on the Bullish album but it does kind of go on.

 

[Harry]

So now I'm curious to hear your edit, Harry!

It's one of my favorite tunes on the Bullish album but it does kind of go on.

Ask and ye shall receive.

Yesterday I was just playing around with it and deleted the edit. I didn't think I'd be asked to post it, but here, you've gone and done it, so, I get to repeat my work and present it here. Today's edit came out a little shorter, down to 3:30, but I think it's a better edit.

 

[Bobberman]

Ask and ye shall receive.

Yesterday I was just playing around with it and deleted the edit. I didn't think I'd be asked to post it, but here, you've gone and done it, so, I get to repeat my work and present it here. Today's edit came out a little shorter, down to 3:30, but I think it's a better edit.

Excellent Edit Harry I could've used this on my radio shows or made one similar to this as I used to make my own edits on tape back in the day

 

[Harry]

Thanks, Bob.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I didn't think I'd be asked to post it

Oh now come on, you know me better than that! Nice edit, I couldn't find the edit spots (except the fadeout of course). What software did you use?

 

[Harry]

Just Audacity and my own ears.

 

[Steven J. Gross]

Harry's version could be a hit if it was released today!

 

[Harry]

OK, here will be the art for the 45 picture sleeve.

 

[Charles H.]

It would be wonderful to have a 'Tijuana Brass' record back on the pop charts!

Charles

 

[Mike Blakesley]

You should have called it "Harry's Edit"

 

[Harry]

I'm not that narcissistic...

 

[Bobberman]

I'm not that narcissistic...

Good Man.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I always did like that picture of Herb. I used it as the front cover on a best-of compilation I made of his solo work, which I titled "Make a Wish."

 

[Harry]

So, since I went to the trouble of making that edit, I decided to go ahead and throw this Japanese compilation/playlist onto a CD-R. That required using single mixes wherever I could, so the track list looks like this:

1	2:26	1980
2	3:52	Rise (single version from THE VERY BEST OF HERB ALPERT)
3	4:17	Beyond (edited version from the 45)
4	3:48	Aria
5	3:49	Maniac
6	3:49	Magic Man (edited version from the 45)
7	3:41	Red Hot (from BEYOND)
8	3:54	California Blues
9	3:19	Route 101
10	3:45	Aranjuez (Mon Amour) (45 version)
11	3:43	Fandango
12	3:12	Street Life (short version from CLASSICS 20)
13	4:39	Secret Garden
14	4:33	Make A Wish
15	5:44	Latin Medley
16	4:03	Bullish (single version)
17	6:11	Besame Mucho (from MAGIC MAN)
18	3:03	The Continental
19	4:11	The Midnight Tango
20	3:29	Life Is My Song (edited version)

The whole playlist now clocked in at 79:29 by using the "no-gap" between tracks option on my CD-R software (Nero). With the 2-second gap, it might have worked at 80:02, but I didn't want to chance it. Besides, each track already has its little buffer from being compiled onto whatever album I grabbed it from.

Artwork was adapted from what I'd already done, and then a modification from the Japanese comp.

Japan comp:

My CD-R:

 

[Harry]

So, I'm listening to this new compilation and I got to "Aranjuez (Mon Amour)" and this is the 45 version on the flip side of the "Rise" single. The compilers of the single used an edited version of the song, which I needed in order to squeeze all of these tracks onto one CD-R.

Somewhere around the 2:30 mark into this single version, a few nasty dropouts began to be heard. They all seem to be right channel dropouts, and they continue for the next 45 seconds to a minute.

I've only got this one copy of the single with "Aranjuez" on the flip side. By chance, is there anyone out there that has this 45 and can let me know if the dropouts are inherent in the track or whether I just have a bad pressing of the 45? The one I have is styrene and otherwise in good shape. I just checked the 45 again on the turntable and the dropouts are still there. They sound like there was a loose wire on the right side as the thing was being dubbed.

Mostly now I'm just curious about the pressing - I've already taken to the task of doing the same edits on the long version on the RISE CD to get it to the same length as the 45. So, I'll re-compile the CD-R and use my own edit this time.

 

[abstract_fan]

Ask and ye shall receive.

Yesterday I was just playing around with it and deleted the edit. I didn't think I'd be asked to post it, but here, you've gone and done it, so, I get to repeat my work and present it here. Today's edit came out a little shorter, down to 3:30, but I think it's a better edit.

Just right!

 

[Aaron Bitman]

So, I'm listening to this new compilation and I got to "Aranjuez (Mon Amour)" and this is the 45 version on the flip side of the "Rise" single. The compilers of the single used an edited version of the song, which I needed in order to squeeze all of these tracks onto one CD-R.

Somewhere around the 2:30 mark into this single version, a few nasty dropouts began to be heard. They all seem to be right channel dropouts, and they continue for the next 45 seconds to a minute.

I've only got this one copy of the single with "Aranjuez" on the flip side. By chance, is there anyone out there that has this 45 and can let me know if the dropouts are inherent in the track or whether I just have a bad pressing of the 45?

My short answer would be "No, I don't think the dropouts are inherent."

It just so happens that I once got a "Rise" single just a couple of years ago at a used record store for $1 and I never noticed a problem with it. But maybe my ears aren't as sharp as yours. So I recorded my copy and put it out here:

Aramjuez (single)

I must apologize for the poor quality of the recording. All I could do was plug my turntable into my laptop with a phone jack - because my turntable doesn't have a USB port - and record it in Audacity. Sometimes, under those conditions, I get half-decent results, like here for instance...

Pico Pico

...but for some reason, whenever I record Herb Alpert with those same settings, I get clipping. Why should HA get clipping when other trumpeters don't? I don't know. And I've experimented with several combinations of Audacity settings and such, without getting any better results than that. (For instance, one setting gives no clipping but does give a constant buzz in the background.)

In fact, I wonder: does anyone have any suggestions for a combination of Audacity settings good for Alpert's recordings?

But I digress. The point is that despite the poor quality of my recording, you should be able to determine whether my single has these drops you mention.

 

[Harry]

Yes, the dropouts are there. If you have access to decent headphones, listen at around the 2:26 mark for a number of seconds and you'll hear the right channel drop out a bit - almost like a loose speaker wire. It's present in my copy too, and it looks like yours and mine are the same 45 pressing. Thanks for checking.

Herb Alpert - Rise

View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1979 Vinyl release of "Rise" on Discogs.

www.discogs.com

Audacity has a record level setting.

 

[Aaron Bitman]

Wow. I turned the volume way up and then I heard it.

And I just looked online for instructions on that setting. I came to the conclusion that the reason I don't see such a setting is that my version of Audacity is many years out of date. The next time I record something, I should upgrade it. Thank you.

 

[Harry]

Wow. I turned the volume way up and then I heard it.

Sorry I "ruined" your record!

And I just looked online for instructions on that setting. I came to the conclusion that the reason I don't see such a setting is that my version of Audacity is many years out of date. The next time I record something, I should upgrade it. Thank you.

I'm at version 3.0.2 and have been advised that further versions had something 'negative' about them - spyware, adware, something undesirable, so I've left the version at 3.0.2.

 

[Aaron Bitman]

Okay, I took note of that in case I ever do upgrade Audacity. But - heh! - I haven't gotten a newer version of Audacity since I first downloaded 2.0.6 in October of 2014! I don't recall if it ever occurred to me to upgrade it.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I've never heard of any issues with Audacity. I'm wondering if that "caution" has to do with the various "click here to install" buttons that you see when you download and/or install it. Many of those will lead to other software being installed. You just need to make sure the thing you're clicking on is the thing you want.