Songs That Would Sound Good, Tijuana Brass Style

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Guitarist Paul Brown has a new CD called Up Front.

There is a track called 24/7 - features trumpeter Rick Braun.

I think this would be perfect for Herb...cool sound and great trumpet. Very West Coast, cool sound...
 
My Gosh...what a GREAT topic!

So, here it is Friday night. Am I out painting the town red with some beautiful girl? No. I am kneeling in front of my CD collection checking out different tunes while imitating the sound of a trumpet to see if it will, indeed, work with the song. Thank God I live alone. I don't think that I could tolerate the embarrassment if anyone caught me (ba ba ba ba ... you get the picture).

In any case, I'm having a wonderful time, so who the heck cares, right?

Anyway, before I offer my picks I want to comment on a few others already offered:
"Build Me Up Buttercup" by The Foundations..."Gimmie Dat Ding" by The Pipkins...Bobby Russell's "Little Green Apples"...and Sonny Curtis's "Love Is All Around" are all choices that are not only good, but sound as though they could've been written for Herb. Great suggestions!

Also, while I too believe that it's difficult to top a Beatles song performed by The Beatles, it certainly doesn't mean that someone can't add a new spin on them and have them turn out to be enjoyable in their own right. It's precisely because The Beatles wrote such great songs that they can be and ARE covered so frequently. The examples are too numerous to mention.
I feel similarly to Steely Dan, although I can't say that there would be quite as many choices as the Beatles. Just my opinion.

And to the person who suggested Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit",...I won't laugh. It's actually a very interesting choice and would work. Cudos to you!

Now for a few of my choices. A couple of them are questionable, but what the heck...we're just having fun, right?

Blood, Sweat & Tears.....Lucretia Mac Evil

ZZ Top.........................La Grange

Frank Zappa................Dinah-Moe Humm (okay, maybe this is a stretch)

Soundgarden...............Hands All Over (again, just a thought)

The Seekers................Georgy Girl (obvious TJB material)

Billy Joel.....................Scenes From An Italian Restaurant
(They were meant to play this one!)

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young...........Suite: Judy Blue Eyes

Edgar Winter Group......Easy Street (also performed by David Lee Roth)
(Can you imagine how cool this would be???)

Last, but not least, I would LOVE to hear Herb & The TJB do John Barry's immortal .....................GOLDFINGER (talk about "bad to the bone"!).

Okay, that's about it from me (as if this post wasn't enough...can you tell I'm an addict?). This was fun! Again thanks for the topic and the food for thought that sprang from it!!!
Alan
 
Captaindave said:
Guitarist Paul Brown has a new CD called Up Front.

There is a track called 24/7 - features trumpeter Rick Braun.

I think this would be perfect for Herb...cool sound and great trumpet. Very West Coast, cool sound...
Click to expand...

From the same CD, there are arrangements of the songs "Moondance" - Van Morrison - and "I Don't Want to be Lonely Tonight" - James Taylor. I can hear in my head a Herb Alpert trumpet and a TJB arrangement of both of these.
 
Alan G. said:
Frank Zappa................Dinah-Moe Humm (okay, maybe this is a stretch)
Click to expand...

Uh, yeah - just a bit of a stretch! :laugh: Actually, I always wished there was a video of Zappa doing this tune. :D



Capt. Bacardi
 
The Irascable Captain B said:
Wacky Alan G. said:
Frank Zappa................Dinah-Moe Humm (okay, maybe this is a stretch)
Click to expand...

Uh, yeah - just a bit of a stretch! :laugh: Actually, I always wished there was a video of Zappa doing this tune.
Click to expand...

I could see the 70's reformed TJB doing this moreso than the original TJB. But it is do-able and interesting (not to mention unexpected)!!!

--Mr Bill
 
How about: "Close To You", "Knowing When To Leave", "Message To Michael", "Walk On By"... songs by Burt Bacharach either done as a medley or seperately...

There are Beatles songs I think Herb & TjB would do well, too: "I'll Be Back", "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" and even "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"...

And from Simon & Garfunkel, I think "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and maybe "Homeward Bound"...

Dave
 
"I'll Be Back" has already been featured on "The Brass Are Comin". However, two Beatles songs that come to mind that would sound good with the TJB treatment would be "When I'm Sixty Four" and "Eight Days A Week". Also, someone was listing Billy Joel songs earlier and mentioned "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant"? I don't know about that one. Although it's a good song, I don't think it is well suited for TJB arranging. I would have said "Don't Ask Me Why" and "You May Be Right" as two Billy Joel standouts. And then maybe "She's Always A Woman To Me" and "Only The Good Die Young" thrown in for good measure. Other songs that come to mind for me are John Denver's "I'm Sorry", Gerry Rafferty's "The Ark", Shania Twain's "You're Still The One" and several George Strait songs. "Nobody In His Right Mind", "Cool To Be Crazy", "Some One Had To Teach You", "Drinkin' Champagne" immediately come to mind. Also Lionel Richie's "Sail On Down The Line". I'll think of more later.

David,
going back to bed now.....
 
Well, if you want to do a Beatles song, I bet Herb Alpert could take "Get Back" and really blow the doors off of it. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I like it. Man, with the TJB laying into it, and John Pisano could really get down on this number too! I`m getting excited thinking about it, eventhough it`ll never happen...oh well, fun to dream.
 
"Get Back" continued... And, if Leon Russell played the organ it would be perfect. I love Pete Jolly, but for this particular song, I thing Leon, with his rock & roll background would be a better choice.

Since, HA & TJB won't be doing this... Hey Juan Oskar, if you're reading this, please do "Get Back" on your next CD.
 
While listening to Claudine's "Look Of Love" album I found another song that would sound good TJB style: "Think Of Rain". Also, Reba McEntire's "Till Love Comes Again". Wendell Johnson also gave me a few songs that were written with TJB styling in mind. I'm sure you all know "Down The Mississippi" which begs for a "Mame" style arrangement. He also had a couple of other gems, "El Matador" and "Vamoose" which both could work with "Volume 2" type arrangements.

David,
filling the imaginary TJB arsenal.............
 
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