RISE - Official Comments and Review Thread

What is your favorite track from the new RISE?

  • 1980

    Votes: 5 13.5%
  • Rise

    Votes: 13 35.1%
  • Behind The Rain

    Votes: 7 18.9%
  • Rotation

    Votes: 2 5.4%
  • Aranjuez (Mon Amour)

    Votes: 4 10.8%
  • Love Is

    Votes: 1 2.7%
  • Angelina

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Street Life

    Votes: 1 2.7%
  • Rotation (Alternate Version) [*]

    Votes: 2 5.4%
  • Aranjuez (2007 Dance Mix) [*]

    Votes: 2 5.4%

  • Total voters
    37
Status
Not open for further replies.
Ahhh...Rise. Summer 1979.

I mean, my whole life I had wanted to visit the A&M lot. My parents even tried to buy me A&M stock for my birthday to get me interested in business (today I am a business show host on TV); I'd met Herb and interviewed him once by then; collected A&M stuff for a long time, though not in an over-the top way.

Anyway, time came. A buddy and I accompanied my former roommate and his bride on their wedding trip (!) to LA, where I had arranged for tickets to a Tonight Show taping (where Johnny Carson actually addressed me during his monolog)...a taping of "Taxi"...and a visit to the A&M lot.

When I called to confirm that morning, the person on the other end said the guy who was supposed to take me around was out sick...so, sorry..."we can't accommodate you."

I had to explain that NO...NO...I really want to see the place. I've been waiting my whole life for this.

Headed out and had breakfast at a restaurant up the street on LaBrea and at the appointed hour, we walked through the gates and were on our way. Our guide was gracious and my colleagues put up with me. The studios, the lot, the offices. Herb's parking space --- H Alpert --- was vacant, but there is a Polaroid of me crouching over it and smiling.

I remember the hallway to a recording studio had a sun-faded gold record of "Whipped Cream" and other LPs hung high overhead. And I remember how rich and warm the feeling was in the studio and in engineering. The wood was dark and inviting.

The place where I SHOULD have had my picture taken was the A&M "Rise" painting, which was painted on an exterior wall of a building on the lot.
 
Regarding Randy's comments on the making of 'Rotation':

NOW THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!! THIS is what so-called 'celebrities', musicians, singers, etc.; SHOULD be talking about!! Not how much weight they've gained, what causes they're taking up this week,who they're dating, but about their ART, about the music! I honestly haven't in a long time read or seen an interview where a musician details how he created a song, what instruments he used, where it was done, why he wanted to use this effect on a song like Randy did!

Can you imagine today's crop of singers and or rappers going into the amount of detail that Randy did?! I doubt that they could get thru one paragraph, let alone one sentence! Maybe I'm being hard, but that's the way today's "musicians" come across; all image and no substance.

Anyway Randy, on some of the comments on the making of 'Rotation': I always thought that you, Andy, and Herb were listening to AFRICAN music, which I thought inspired you all to create 'Rotation' in the first place! I am surprised to find out that you used what you consider an Middle-Eastern musical motif to create the song. I don't know, but to me what with the conga playing, the 'bottomed out percussion' as I call it, that comes right after the conga, and the atmospheric ambience all sound African to me. Also, on what sounds like to me vocal-like effects that come in near the end of the song, was that a berimbau that you and Andy used? Or did you program the synthesizer to sound like a berimbau? Just curious, mind you; would like to know!

Anyway, Randy thank you very much for answering our questions! We at A&M Corner should give you some sort of award for answering all these questions(and in such technical detail!) in a patient and understanding manner, that's not at all condescending, but very friendly. Thanks again , Randy!

Also, thanks also for the discussion recently on the creation of 'Rise' itself what with the discussion on you and Herb working individually with Abe Laboriel and Julius Wechter, but that's a subject for my next posting...anyway, thanks again!

P.S.: Whose idea was it to use Bill Earl's voice in the beginning of 'Rise'? Yours or Herb's? It really added something to the song! As I always say: would like to know!
 
I remember the hallway to a recording studio had a sun-faded gold record of "Whipped Cream" and other LPs hung high overhead. And I remember how rich and warm the feeling was in the studio and in engineering. The wood was dark and inviting.

The place where I SHOULD have had my picture taken was the A&M "Rise" painting, which was painted on an exterior wall of a building on the lot.

Hi Richard:

You are right about those records. There were 2 rows of gold records on both sides of that ceiling alcove and all the labels had faded to a light green because of all of the years of the late afternoon sun hitting those records. There was a couch beneath those records and I would often take a break from recording and sit on that couch and gaze up at those records. The flying records from the Rise cover was painted by one of the guys from the band the "Tubes" on top of soundstage A.
 
jazzdre said:
Can you imagine today's crop of singers and or rappers going into the amount of detail that Randy did?! I doubt that they could get thru one paragraph, let alone one sentence! Maybe I'm being hard, but that's the way today's "musicians" come across; all image and no substance.

Anyway Randy, on some of the comments on the making of 'Rotation': I always thought that you, Andy, and Herb were listening to AFRICAN music, which I thought inspired you all to create 'Rotation' in the first place! I am surprised to find out that you used what you consider an Middle-Eastern musical motif to create the song. I don't know, but to me what with the conga playing, the 'bottomed out percussion' as I call it, that comes right after the conga, and the atmospheric ambience all sound African to me. Also, on what sounds like to me vocal-like effects that come in near the end of the song, was that a berimbau that you and Andy used? Or did you program the synthesizer to sound like a berimbau? Just curious, mind you; would like to know!


P.S.: Whose idea was it to use Bill Earl's voice in the beginning of 'Rise'? Yours or Herb's? It really added something to the song! As I always say: would like to know!

Hi Jazzdre:

I'll try to answer some of your questions in order.

Many of todays "artists" probably couldn't tell you about the creation of their tracks because someone else wrote the song and another person made the music and often times the track might be created in say Atlanta, by the producer, and then a Pro Tools session with a stereo rough mix is sent to say L.A. for the singer to over-dub their vocal and then the Pro Tools session might be sent to NY for a rapper to do his/her thing. Often times today, the artist is running around with their stylist choosing outfits and hair color while the songs are being manufactured 3,000 miles away.

Regarding Rotation: Andy and I wrote the song at my studio with a Moroccan theme in mind however we both listen to all kinds of music. All 3 of us are fans of "Good Music". Music that moves you and that has feeling . There is actually no conga on that song. Everything is from my exotic percussion instruments. The berimbau?? We did not use that instrument however the vocal like effects during the Latin part of the song is a Brazilian percussion instrument called a Quica. You can Google it and see what it's all about. It's very cool. We also use a lot of us blowing into the mic and then running it through the Space Echo for atmosphere. There are also electronic filter sweeps and swells throughout the song which give off an ambience thing.

Bill Earl's voice was used at the beginning of Rotation not Rise. I know that it was not my idea so it was either Herb's or Andy's. I think it's great and Bill has the Space Echo on him too. Hope this helps...
 
Hey Randy:

Once again, thanks for the info! When I was talking about Bill Earl, what I really meant was 'Rotation', not 'Rise'. I didn't realize what you were talking about, until I went back and checked my letter, then I realized that I made a goof. But when I wrote the letter, it was late at night, I was tired, and...well, I think you get the idea.

Regarding today's 'artists' not being able to answer questions; apparently this isn't a new phenomenon.Years ago, I was reading a book about The Supremes and there was a part in the book where they met The Beatles.All of them(The Beatles) wanted to know from The Supremes how that great Motown sound was created. All the ladies could answer was 'I think it has something to do the knobs on the board' or something to such effect was their answer. The Beatles were very disappointed; particularly George who said that The Supremes couldn't even give a clear-cut answer to how the music that they loved so much(the Motown sound) was created.So nothing new under the sun, I guess...

I really did think that was a conga that you were playing on 'Rotation'! Man, the things you can do in recording! Also, thanks for the correction regarding the instruments(quica and berimbau)! Will google it very soon.I really like the echo and ambience effects;I don't think anybody else was doing that until you guys came along with that sound.

Remember when I told you about the remakes of 'Rise'? Well, there's an Italian(I think) group who did a remake of 'Rotation'! Their version of the tune was played by a DJ named Rafe Gomez, who hosts a four hour program on the smooth jazz station we have here in NY called 'The Groove Boutique'. The group's version comes with trumpet lead and everything, but it is a little bit more fast paced than your original version.

Like I said before, 'Rotation' seems to me like a precursor to the whole 'chill' sound that's popular today, and I know that the leading DJs and musicians of that genre were most likely when they were teenagers or even little kids were probably inspired by 'Rotation' and decided to create music in that style. See how much an influence you, your uncle and Andy were?

Oh yeah, before I leave, the group that I mentioned that had sampled 'Rotation'? Their name was indeed Koffee Brown, and they were on Arista, not Motown as I mistakenly said. I still don't remember the title of the song that Rotation was sampled for, but from what I remember it honestly didn't grab me. Rotation wasn't sampled very well for this tune. Again, thanks for correcting my goof, and as usual, answering my questions. Thanks again, Randy!
 
I just noticed how quickly "Rotation" starts right after "Behind The Rain" on this reissue. On the LP and earlier CD there was some space between the two tunes.

I always loved this album cover. It's not quite as effective on a small CD, but the LP was really cool looking, especially with the subtle A&M logo on the label of the records. The flying records reminded me of one of the early A&M inner sleeves that had the floating records with a dog looking at them. The saying was "Man's Best Friend - Music".



Capt. Bacardi
 
My favourite track now is "Behind the Rain" for its TJB-like sound.

I remember our vinyl copy of "Rise" has a punchier bass specially on the title track "Rise."
Although I like the sound of the newly-remastered CD, I am still wondering why the title track's bass is a little bit light compared to the other tracks on the album. I also noticed the same in the Doug Sax-remastered compilation.
This is the main reason why I still prefer the original vinyl version released originally in 1979.
By the way, is there a 1980 vinyl re-issue of "Rise" LP with a different catalog #?

Thanks,
AudiophilePhil
 
Yes, It was initially numbered SP4790. Then it was rolled into the 3700 series as SP3714. When the Valu-Line series was going, Rise finally ended up as SP3274...

--Mr Bill
 
jazzdre said:
Regarding Randy's comments on the making of 'Rotation':

: I always thought that you, Andy, and Herb were listening to AFRICAN music, which I thought inspired you all to create 'Rotation' in the first place! I am surprised to find out that you used what you consider an Middle-Eastern musical motif to create the song. I don't know, but to me what with the conga playing, the 'bottomed out percussion' as I call it, that comes right after the conga, and the atmospheric ambience all sound African to me.

Those are tablas, not congas.
 
Above edited by moderator to fix the quoting function.
 
My favorite was actually the clear vinyl version of Aranjuez, which didn't include the manic strings.

Interviewing Herb at the time, he told me they simplified it so that Rise would remain the focus of the single. The implication was that by toning it down, the Aranjuez remix wouldn't have the appeal and DJs wouldn't be likely to play the flip side. (I think I remember this right. It has been my impression since the interview 28 years ago. Is that possible? Am I that old?)

I also remember mentioning how great the hand claps were at the end, and Herb laughed and said, "yeah, they're really something, aren't they."
 
Just got my copy today and playing the remix of 'Rotation' on the Beeb on Wednesday night. It's so different and very good for the overnight show I host.

The two remix tracks are cool, and the whole album is nicely remastered. A new lease of life for an old favourite.
 
I finally got my CD of the reissue. Favorite-wise, I had to go with Behind The Rain just edging out Aranjuez. It was close, but I like the turn Herb takes on the flugelhorn at the end of BTR. Some nice soloing there (and at the end of Aranjuez, too - I could have done with another couple of minutes of that).

Bonus track-wise, the alternate version of Rotation is very cool, but seems out of place with the rest of the album. It sounds more like something Herb would have done in the late 80's, rather than 1979. I'm still not clear on exactly when the track was produced, but it's a nice addition, because it's completely new (to me), and there's some nice playing by Herb on there.

I ended up deleting the 2007 version of Aranjuez out of my playlist, and re-sequencing the rest of the album back to its original order (with the new Rotation at the end). Sorry Herb - but whoever hacked up Aranjuez shouldn't be allowed near ProTools anymore. I was expecting something more creative or different (such as Re-Whipped), not just a few choppy edits and a louder beat.
 
I actually have five favorites: "1980", "Rise" "Behind The Rain" "Street Life" and "Aranjuez"-and not necessarily in that order. The great thing about digitally remastered sound is that you hear things you haven't heard before. (I noticed an electric guitar part on "Behind The Rain" that I don't remember on the original vinyl :) ). I've never been a fan of "Love Is", though.

Interesting note: I read somewhere that when the track "Rise" was played back in the recording studio, Julius Wechter (who plays marimba on it), didn't think too much of it. Wonder what he thought once became as big as it did.
 
There is an interview with Cissy Wechter on one of the BBC "Herb Alpert Story" segments. In that, she says that Julius hated it. She didn't say anything about his reaction to the song becoming a hit, as I remember.
 
RISE_THERMOMETER.sized.jpg
 
up.gif


--Is that a Promotional Item of the "New Product" or has such an item been featured back when this album came out back in '79...???



Dave
 
This came out in '79. There used to be quite a few available on eBay a few years ago. The only ones I could find were the ones where the thermometer never worked. :confused:



Capt. Bacardi
 
This past Friday I was at Tower Records in Yokohama, and the Japanese version of the “Rise” reissue was on the shelf, and of course, I bought it.

The only significant difference between the U.S. version and the Japanese, other than the mini LP sleeve packaging and that the liner notes are in Japanese, is that the label side of the CD is ocher, not dark blue, and “Herb Alpert Rise is in smaller black lettering on the top half of the CD. Also, like all the other Japanese Shout Factory Herb Alpert reissues, it’s called the “Golden Collection” instead of the “Signature Series”.

All-in-all, I’d say that the Japanese version of the Rise re-issue is a very nice little package for the serious collector of all things Herb Alpert.

Best regards,
Mike
 
Rise is a great record, and I'm glad to see this jazz- and funk-influenced album be available again. "Behind the Rain" has long been my favorite track, followed by "Aranjuez (Mon Amour):" I love the diversity and world-music influences of the song. It's nice to see the Alpert reissue series move along, albeit sporadically. :thumbsup:

Any comments on the sound quality?
Given that the music's been out of print for a little while, I'm willing to cut a little slack, but the impression I got from comments and a waveform posted on another forum is that it sounds loud and compressed.
 
If you're afraid of the loud remastering then look for the older CD from A&M. With the new reissue, the prices on that should have come down to a reasonable level. The early CD (mine is CD 3714, there are also CD 3274's around) is not nearly as loud and is certainly not compressed.

Harry
 
I do have one of the early CDs, but can't recall if it's 3714 or 3274. My friend has an early Japan release of it that has a unique catalog number I've never seen before. The A&M Audiophile vinyl I have is amazingly close to the original CD--I have not yet heard the Mobile Fidelity LP version of it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom