Spotlight: KEEP YOUR EYE ON ME (SP-5125)

What Is Your Favorite Song On This Album?

  • Keep Your Eye On Me

    Votes: 1 4.2%
  • Hot Shot

    Votes: 2 8.3%
  • Diamonds

    Votes: 5 20.8%
  • Traffic Jam

    Votes: 2 8.3%
  • Cat Man Do

    Votes: 1 4.2%
  • Pillow

    Votes: 3 12.5%
  • Our Song

    Votes: 1 4.2%
  • Making Love In The Rain

    Votes: 3 12.5%
  • Rocket To The Moon

    Votes: 2 8.3%
  • Stranger On The Shore

    Votes: 4 16.7%

  • Total voters
    24
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Captain Bacardi

Well-Known Member
Herb Alpert
KEEP YOUR EYE ON ME

A&M SP-5125

sp5125.jpg

Released 1987

Format: Vinyl/Cassette/CD

Albums Chart: #18 Billboard 200, #16 Top Contemporary Jazz Albums, #5 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Singles Chart: "Keep Your Eye On Me" - #46 Hot 100, #3 Hot Dance Music/Club Play, #3 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles, #6 Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales; "Diamonds" - #5 Hot 100, #1 Hot Dance Music/Club Play, #1 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles, #1 Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales; "Making Love In The Rain" - #35 Hot 100, #21 Adult Contemporary, #7 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles

Songs & Musicians:
  • 1. Keep Your Eye On Me (Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis) - 5:11*[list:5ae0041eaf]Herb Alpert - All Trumpets
    Jimmy Jam - Drum & Keyboard Programming, Percussion
    Terry Lewis - Vocals
    Lisa Keith - Vocals
    David Eiland - Keyboard Programming, Sampling
    Horn Arrangement - Herb, Jam & Lewis
    Rhythm Arrangement - Jam & Lewis
    Vocal Arrangement - Lisa, Jam & Lewis
    Produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
    Executive Producer: John McClain

2. Hot Shot (Albert Hammond) - 3:55
  • Arranged by Albert Hammond, Herb Alpert, Laytham Armor, Michael Stokes
    Herb Alpert - All Trumpets
    Laytham Armor - Drums, Keyboard, Bass and Programming
    John Barnes - Organ Sound
    Michael Landau - Guitar
    Paulino Da Costa - Percussion
    Engineers: Bill Bottrell and Robert De La Garza
    Remix: John Pace
    Assistant Engineers: Rob Jacobs and Michael Bowman
    Produced by Herb Alpert

3. Diamonds (Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis) - 4:51*
  • Herb Alpert - All Trumpets
    Jimmy Jam - Drum & Keyboard Programming, Percussion
    Terry Lewis - Bass Guitar, Percussion, Background Vocal
    Lisa Keith - Lead & Background Vocals
    Janet Jackson - Lead & Background Vocals
    Jellybean Johnson - Percussion
    "Party Vocals" - Jerome Benton, James "Popeye" Greer, Jellybean Johnson, Jam & Lewis
    Horn Arrangement: Herb, Jam & Lewis
    Rhythm Arrangement: Jam & Lewis
    Vocal Arrangement: Lisa, Jam & Lewis
    Produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
    Executive Producer: John McClain

4. Traffic Jam (Les Pierce) - 3:16
  • Arranged by Les Pierce and Herb Alpert
    Herb Alpert - Trumpet and Flugelhorns
    Les Pierce - Drums and All Keyboards and Programming
    Michael Landau - Guitar
    Engineer: Robert De La Garza
    Remix: Paul McKenna and Shelly Yakus
    Assistant: Mark McKenna
    Associate Producer: Les Pierce
    Produced by Herb Alpert

5. Cat Man Do (Roy Bittan/Herb Alpert) - 5:24
  • Herb Alpert - All Trumpets
    Roy Bittan - All Keyboards
    Jeff Porcaro - Drums
    Neil Stubenhaus - Bass
    Michael Landau - Guitar
    Paulinho Da Costa - Percussion
    John Barnes - DX7 Tuba
    Engineer: Robert De La Garza
    Remix: John Pace
    Assistant: Rob Jacobs
    Produced and Arranged by Herb Alpert and Roy Bittan

6. Pillow (Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis) - 4:32*
  • Herb Alpert - All Trumpets, Co-Lead Vocal
    Lani Hall - Co-Lead Vocal
    Jimmy Jam - Drum & Keyboard Programming, Percussion
    Terry Lewis - Percussion, Background Vocal
    Lisa Keith - Background Vocal
    Horn Arrangement: Herb, Jam & Lewis
    Rhythm Arrangement: Jam & Lewis
    Vocal Arrangement: Herb, Lani, Jam & Lewis
    Produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
    Executive Producer: John McClain

7. Our Song (Herb Alpert/Sal Macaluso) - 3:54
  • Herb Alpert - Trumpet
    John Barnes - Keyboards
    Chuck Domanico - Acoustic Bass
    Laytham Armor - Synthesized Bass and Voice Programming, Electric Percussion
    Sal Macaluso - Sythseized Bass
    Engineer: Robert De La Garza and John Pace
    Remix: John Pace
    Assistant: Rob Jacobs
    Produced by Herb Alpert

8. Making Love In The Rain (Jimmy Jam/Terry Lewis) - 5:53*
  • Herb Alpert - Muted and Open Trumpet
    Jimmy Jam - Drum & Keyboard Programming, Percussion
    Terry Lewis - Background Vocal
    Lisa Keith - Lead & Background Vocal
    Janet Jackson - Lead & Background Vocal
    Horn Arrangement: Herb, Jam & Lewis
    Rhythm Arrangement: Jam & Lewis
    Vocal Arrangement: Lisa, Jam & Lewis
    Produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
    Executive Producer: John McClain

9. Rocket To The Moon (John Barnes/Herb Alpert) - 3:51
  • Herb Alpert - All Trumpets
    John Barnes - All Keyboard and Drum Programming
    Neil Stubenhaus - Bass
    Paul Jackson - Rhythm Guitar
    Michael Landau - Guitar Solo
    Paulinho Da Costa - Percussion
    Jeff Porcaro - Drums
    Engineer: Robert De La Garza
    Remix: Shelly Yakus
    Assistant: Mark McKenna
    Arranged by John Barnes and Herb Alpert
    Produced by Herb Alpert

10. Stranger On The Shore (A. Bilk/R. Mellin) - 2:53
  • Herb Alpert - Trumpet, DX7 Harmonica and Celeste Solo
    Michael Landau - All Guitars
    Steve Schaeffer - Drums and Percussion
    John Barnes - Fairlight Voices and Keyboard
    Engineered by: Robert De La Garza
    Remix: Shelly Yakus
    Arranged by Herb Alpert, Michael Landau and John Barnes
    Produced by Herb Alpert
[/list:u:5ae0041eaf]

* Produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis for Flyte Time Productions
Engineer: Steve Hodge
Assisted by Terry Lewis, James "Popeye" Greer and Jimmy Jam
Recorded and Mixed at Flyte Time Productions, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, Studio 'A'
Special Thanks to Herb for the opportunity to experience experience.

Mastered at Bernie Grundman Mastering by Brian Gardner

Art Direction: Chuck Beeson, Melanie Nissen
Design: Melanie Nissen
Photography: Chris Callis

On the year of A&M's 25th Anniversary I'd like to dedicate this album to my incredible partner and friend, Jerry Moss...I love you



Capt. Bacardi
 
I never tire of Herb's version of "Stranger On The Shore". Mellow, laid back... yep, that's my pick as best song on the album.

Mike
 
Here's where Herb really started to get adventurous, with Jam & Lewis' funk-filled title track, a Janet Jackson vocal, and the introduction of Lisa Keith to the world of pop music. And those are just the 'hits' on the album. Pretty wild. And unlike WILD ROMANCE, KEEP YOUR EYE ON ME kept the vocal tracks to a minimum (only four vs. WILD ROMANCE having 7 vocals out of 9).

But if I had to use one word to describe the first half of this album, it would be "LOUD". The second half is understandably a little more of a laid back approach, what with all of the various production going back and forth and so on.

I picked "Our Song" as my favorite, because it re-captures, once again, that 'haunting'* echoey quality of Herb's trumpet (*as originally described by Hernando Cortes on the back cover of THE LONELY BULL). "Our Song" also has that urban-nocturnal feeling about it which I cannot logically describe except from personal experience. That is, I remember many times driving through Jacksonville at night, crossing the old Fuller Warren Bridge and seeing the glow from the Independent Life building, and all of the city lights, with "Our Song" playing on the stereo. I also remember thinking 'It's about time!' when this slow instrumental ballad was released on a single, the first in a long time for Herb. Produced solely by Herb, this was also the first single without a co-producer in quite a long time. Shame it didn't become a big hit. Only one small criticism, however: I have to admit that at first I had to get used to that 'clacking' drum machine!

A close second favorite of mine would have to be "Rocket To The Moon", chosen for the improvisational quality. "Pillow" was a good duet with Lani, and "Stranger On The Shore" was a more-than-respectable cover of the Acker Bilk classic. I liked the loud songs too, but truthfully, I don't find myself playing them as much nowadays. Just have to be in the mood for something like "Hot Shot", "Cat Man Do" or "Traffic Jam". They sounded great back in '87, but I rarely have the urge anymore. Age, I guess.

And as for the two vocal hits, let's face it. They were on Herb's album, but they really do nothing to feature Herb himself. A couple of trumpet riffs here and there, but that's it. Both are listenable tracks, but not exactly indicative of the personality of our favorite horn master. >>Skip>>

And the title track. I remember as if it were yesterday the newspaper clip from LA Times' Ken Tucker, which read:

"Herb Alpert's newest album "KEEP YOUR EYE ON ME" is a good novelty record and further proof that producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis can simply do no wrong these days. I mean, making Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass trumpet sound hip in 1987 is no small achievement. Both the title track and "Diamonds", featuring another Jam-Lewis restoration project, Janet Jackson, sound like sure-fire hit singles."

Tucker was absolutely right. 3 1/2 stars.

Tony
 
I have only one word for this kind of thing...NO.

I am most certainly not a fan of Janet Jackson, or any of the Jam/Lewis style and sound, etc. (Didn't they have something to do with Prince also? - another one I avoid at all costs...)

I am able to concede that I just do not like everything Herb has ever recorded. That does not reduce or diminish in any way my admiration and respect for him as a musician and artist. I do understand the artistic proclivity to explore and innovate, but it also acknowledges my own tastes and preferences, and this kind of music leave me totally cold and disinterested. No thank you to synthesizers, drum machines, programming, etc.

When Herb decided to try his hand at the urban/techno/hip-hop genre, he lost me for a while.

As grandma used to say - it takes all kinds to make a world - and I have no desire to be critical anyone who likes this kind of thing. All I am saying is that it just isn't for me...period.

FWIW...
 
Hey, this is Herb's attempt at a more Pop/Funk-Oriented, Youthful Sound... No more stuffy adult contemporary, shmaltzy instrumental, ring-ting-ting stuff...! :badteeth:

I've long heard "Diamonds" and literally took it as Janet Jackson featuring Herb and not the other way around like I was probably supposed to... :goofygrin:

All kidding aside, I have to say this should have been a fun album to make and have, as a result of the rhythm-, synthesizer- and drum machine-based production, a successful sell among young audiences and just a way at attracting a new market for his sound... "The Re-Whipped of its time"... :laugh:

That said, I found it hard to pick a favorite; "Diamonds" didn't seem to have any votes, so although I chose that, I am torn between it and the sultry, romantic-lorn "Making Love In The Rain"... The title-track, "Keep Your Eye On Me", I just couldn't feel sorry for, having not seen it get any notches in our poll... But, in spite of it being a bit obvious and a little "in your face", it's nice to see a "Man Vs. Machine", or "Trumpet Vs. Machinery" in this case, once you get pass its mindless mechanical, experimental groove... Although I've really never heard anything outside those three songs, which in addition to the radio play they got, all appeared on Herb's Definitive Hits...

Maybe not an album that met the levels of the expected expectation, among the newer, younger bunch, and the life-long fans and long-time pop-instrumental loyalists, and perhaps ignored by those outside either of those camps, but it at least as a far breaking new ground, and charting an uncharted course off Herb's beaten path, this new and more sophisticated dimension of his career, in wake of the older and faithful, familiar territory, (of which "Stranger On The Shore" seems to be a last gasp, in the sense that it was "long-overdue" for a cover; Alpert's trumpet, in place of Acker Bilk's clarinet) pretty much almost measures up...

An album worthy of *** --Three Stars...



Dave
 
This isn't my favorite solo-Herb album except in terms of the cover. The cover is great.

I really like the song "Diamonds," but to me it's not a Herb Alpert record, it's a Janet Jackson record with a guest appearance by Herb. If they'd billed it that way, it probably would have been a #1 single instead of #5.

I guess this is another one I need to listen to again - I never got the CD version when it was available and would buy it if Shout would release it. I think I would appreciate some of the finer points of the album more now than I did then. By this time Herb's had joined the industry trend of featuring multiple producers, so that could be one reason why the style and song selection is so "all over the map."

I do remember intensely disliking the title track (Sorry Rudy!) but enjoying the Roy Bittan tunes.

What's up with "Executive Producer: John McClain" credit on all the Jam/Lewis tracks?

About the comment above that Jam & Lewis had something to do with Prince. They were more like descendants of Prince; they were the founders of the band The Time and became proteges of Prince before breaking out in their own right.
 
Mike Blakesley said:
What's up with "Executive Producer: John McClain" credit on all the Jam/Lewis tracks?

Well, it's not the same "John McClain" who has "died hard" in four films we know and love. This John McClain was A&M's Urban and R&B AR Manager and was responsible for bringing Herb together with Jam & Lewis. He was also responsible for the Sounds of Blackness releases from A&M in the late 90s. He was one of the few A&M personnel to stay on through the absorption into Universal Music and (last I checked) was the head of the IGA imprint Universal created when they bonded Island, Geffen and A&M as well as overall head of Uni's urban/hiphop/R&B releases.

--Mr Bill
 
Thanks Mr. Bill. I knew two things: Somebody would catch the "Die Hard" thing, and somebody would give the info as to who the guy was. You did both, thanks!
 
"Keep Your Eye On Me" was Herb's greatest achievement since "Rise". The title track has the phenomenal combination of the "TJB mood" totally updated to the sound of the late eighties. Greatly produced by Jam and Lewis. And even today, I don't think it sounds dated at all.

- greetings from the north -
Martin
 
...and the video for the title track is arguably the best (technically speaking) Herb music video, hands down. Beautiful layering effects with out any of the silly "Herb running toward/away from a pretty not-Lani babe with bad 80s hair" and giving "meaningful looks" to the camera that seemed to permeate his videos of the era (think "8-Ball" and others). :wink:

Created/directed by Academy Awad-winning short film legend Zbigniew Rybczynski ("Tango," "Angst" and others), the video was one of the very first music videos produced in the then fledgling HDTV format. The Poland-born Rybczynski is known for his skillful use of image layering and visual "looping."

He's produced videos for Pet Shop Boys, John Lennon, Art of Noise, Mick Jagger and a slew of A&M artists: Supertramp, Chuck Mangione and Simple Minds...

Read more about him at his company's site: http://www.zbigvision.com

--Mr Bill
 
Ah, the Jam & Lewis album with Herb's name on it. It was only a matter of time.

For my part, I like this record - un-Herb though it is. I agree that "Diamonds" isn't a Herb record in the least. His muted trumpet is the least memorable thing about the song. It's a Janet track to it's core. I chose "Making Love..." on the strength of Jam & Lewis and Lisa's vocal is fantastic. It's such a shame that she wasn't the success she could have been. She only had one album and it did nothing. I've also got to hand it to Herb - whose moody trumpet lines really pay off at the end. The song would have worked without them but Herb's trumpet is wonderful splash of color. I also loved the title track. Yet another great Jam & Lewis arrangement.

This is a record with isolated great moments and some really humdrum ones. Still, I'd buy it if it comes back again.

Ed
 
Montana Mike Blakesley said:
You did both, thanks!

I aim to satisfy! (Just ask Mrs. Bill). And now that I'm going to be stateside again in less than two weeks, I am gearing up to once again be more active Moderator/contributor 'round these parts.

--Mr. Bill
 
I can’t help but wonder what went through Miles Davis head when he heard “Diamonds.” I know he respected Michael and Janet Jackson’s talent per his autobiography. But here is a trumpet player (Miles) world renowned, not afraid to toot his own horn so to speak, a performer who changes the world of jazz as we know it, yet volatile and difficult to work with, and Herb Alpert not only hits number one with “Rise” but later teams up with Janet Jackson for a top selling hit. I would love to have been a flea on the wall of Mile’s apartment!
 
The funny thing, Miles was of course amazing and revolutionary, but I don't think he gave one horse's patoot about what Herb or other horn players were doing....contrast this to Herb, who signed, released, and promoted so many other jazz artists and specifically trumpet players (Chuck Mangione, Thad Jones, Hugh Masakela, Jimmy Owens, and many others.....).
 
Back in the mid-80's I used to watch BET's "Video Soul" a lot, and one night John McClain was a guest and they spent a lot of time talking about Janet Jackson's Control album as well as Jam & Lewis. Towards the end of that show McClain mentioned that he had an idea for Herb to work with Jam & Lewis. I thought that was interesting at the time. A few months later the single "Keep Your Eye On Me" was released, with "Our Song" on the flip side. Two very different styles I thought. When the LP came out I grabbed it right away. When I first heard "Diamonds" I thought to myself they just have to release this as a single. Obviously, a few weeks later the single and the video - which I just love - were released. I agree this was more about Janet Jackson's name more than anything Herb did on trumpet. In an interview later Jam & Lewis said that "Diamonds" was actually meant for the Human League but they never got around to recording it.

As for the rest of the album I chose "Traffic Jam" as my favorite tune. I just loved Herb's horn work on this song. He really opened up his playing with this track. Other faves include "Cat Man Do", "Our Song" and "Rocket To The Moon", despite the rather weak opening melody. The one song I couldn't stand is "Stranger On The Shore". I never liked the song to begin with and didn't see Herb really doing anything with it. Other than that I thought this was a pretty strong album and was glad Herb got some exposure for the MTV crowd at the time.



Capt. Bacardi
 
A&Mguyfromwayback said:
The funny thing, Miles was of course amazing and revolutionary, but I don't think he gave one horse's patoot about what Herb or other horn players were doing....

For the most part I agree with this. However, later on Miles was frustrated that his music wasn't being played on black radio (outside of jazz stations) while some of Herb's music was via Keep Your Eye On Me and later with North On South St, which lead to the supposed offer to Herb to do an album with Miles, which came out in an interview with Herb during the Passion Dance tour in '97. Too bad that never came to fruition. That would've been a very interesting collaboration.



Capt. Bacardi
 
Captain Bacardi said:
A&Mguyfromwayback said:
The funny thing, Miles was of course amazing and revolutionary, but I don't think he gave one horse's patoot about what Herb or other horn players were doing....

...supposed offer to Herb to do an album with Miles, which came out in an interview with Herb during the Passion Dance tour in '97. Too bad that never came to fruition. That would've been a very interesting collaboration.

Capt. Bacardi

Yeah. I can just imagine... 95% improvisation, 5% melody... 95% muted trumpet, 5% open... Not exactly what defines Herb's trumpet playing since his music (up to this point) always had an emphasis on melody first. Miles was a completely different kind of trumpeter, no offense. That's why Herb had more commercial success. (I emphasized the word "commercial" because I know somebody out there is going to try to claim that I'm denying Miles' success in his illustrious career...) And I agree that Miles, though legendary in his own right, was too self-absorbed to care about other horn players, unless they were going to make him look better.

Bringing the discussion back home, I see Herb as more of a mentor. And even though Jam & Lewis were largely responsible for the success of "Diamonds", "Making Love In The Rain" and "Keep Your Eye On Me", it took a mentor like Herb to agree to these projects, and to put out an album like this, which undoubtedly would help boost the careers of others. His reward would be on the A&M business end of things. From Herb's perspective, Janet's & Lisa's successes would be A&M's successes. Business Logic 101.

Tony
 
And even though Jam & Lewis were largely responsible for the success of "Diamonds", "Making Love In The Rain" and "Keep Your Eye On Me", it took a mentor like Herb to agree to these projects, and to put out an album like this, which undoubtedly would help boost the careers of others.
That could be true; but whether he thought of the album that way or not, I guess the reason why I was kind of disappointed in this album was that instead of being the unique "Herb Alpert vision" that all of his previous albums had been, this one seemed to jump on the current bandwagon of hiring a "name" production team in the name of making sales.

In an interview later Jam & Lewis said that "Diamonds" was actually meant for the Human League but they never got around to recording it.
Wow, that's about as unthinkable as Sylvester Stallone in "Beverly Hills Cop!"
 
I remember one interview Herb did where he said it was an odd feeling having Jam & Lewis doing the production since Herb was so used to being in total control of his recordings. He wanted to change the tempos a bit but he said that Jam & Lewis insisted on these particular tempos because that's what was being played in clubs at the time. It was an aspect that Herb had not thought of before.



Capt. Bacardi
 
I have this album in my collection, but to be honest with you, I quite frankly think that this is one of Herb's WORST albums!! I basically think that he was trying to play catch up with what was happening in the music scene at that time, and results could not have been worse! The title cut is horrible, and the video is corny, and all of you are right: "Diamonds" is basically a Janet tune with Herb as guest trumpeter; my friend told me that he was on the train, and some guys were talking about the song as if it were JANET'S song, and then they said, "yeah, and they got this dude playin' trumpet, an' he messed it up!"

Herb himself felt the same way: in an interview he gave at the time for BLACKBEAT magazine, he said that he really wasn't all that comfortable with Janet being on the album, because he felt that the public would feel that it was HER album, not his.Given the level of popularity that Janet had at the time(high), and Herb's popularity(low), his confirmations rang true. However,Jimmy and Terry also didn't feel all that comfortable doing an all instrumental album, so that's why Janet and Lisa Keith are on the album as well.

However, all is not lost! I agree with Tony that while the first side is 'uptempo'(and that's really the 'bleccch' side), it's the second side where Herb shines a bit."Pillow" has very good vocals from both Herb and Lani, and some outstanding playing from Herb; the song used to get a lot of play on "The Quiet Storm" station here in NY, it could have also been the theme song to a highly sensuous 80s movie. "Our Song" really is my fave on the album; this is classic Herb, romantic all the way.(and due to my visits on youtube, the song and video is getting quite a following from people from all over, so I'm not the only one who feels this way.)

"Making Love In The Rain" is a beautiful tune but it feels like another 'guest' appearance by Herb. The vocals really do dominate this song, and again the public was fooled on this one.Many DJs mistakenly said that it was JANET who sang lead, and there was no mention of Lisa Keith! One DJ actually said, "Herb Alpert with Janet Jackson on vocals"! That was somewhat true, but he should have said 'Janet Jackson on background vocals'. "Rocket To The Moon" is an engaging and charming piece, great for late night couples dancing. But now back to the criticism: "Stranger On The Shore" is really a little too schmaltzy for my taste. It's a little TOO sweet(and icky at that!) and sentimental, and while melodic romanticism is Herb's strengths, it really doesn't come thru here.

I have to correct myself here:while I feel that this not the greatest effort from Herb, some tunes do have their moments. Side 1 was horrible, but side 2 had some gems. Another friend of mine told me that Herb wasn't really interested in doing this album anyway; during the time when UNDER A SPANISH MOON came out, he did a radio interview, saying that he had been "forced" to do the KEEP YOUR EYES OM MES, the WILD ROMANCES, and probably even the BULLISHES, just to satisfy A&M's bottomline so that he could pursue more heartfelt, artistic ventures like UNDER A SPANISH MOON, and MY ABSTRACT HEART.( I wondered at the time, and still wondering: how in the heck can a guy who created and runs his own label be "forced" to make music he really doesn't care for?! Oh well... guess that's the music business for you!)

If I were to rate this album, I'd give it...one and a half stars.Sorry about that, but remember, this MY opinion.(while I am typing this, I am listening to a concert live by another Alpert fan on PBS, but moreso a Miles disciple, Chris Botti, who is really giving these smooth jazzers a run for their money!)
 
Jimmy and Terry also didn't feel all that comfortable doing an all instrumental album
They must not have felt comfortable even doing an instrumental song, since all their songs here have vocals.
 
toeknee4bz said:
And I agree that Miles, though legendary in his own right, was too self-absorbed to care about other horn players, unless they were going to make him look better.

That isn't really true at all. There's no way I can go into detail about that, but maybe you should read the Miles autobiography. Although he does bash a lot of musicians, he also shows respect and admiration for a whole bunch of people including fellow trumpet players. Herb gets mentioned once or twice in the book, never in a negative way. It is my understanding that Herb and Miles were good friends, and they had respect for each other.

I don't think Miles really thought Herb was a good jazz trumpet player, (Not that he really tried to be...) but he probaly respected his knack for reaching a wide audience.
 
jazzdre said:
One DJ actually said, "Herb Alpert with Janet Jackson on vocals"!
Another friend of mine told me that Herb wasn't really interested in doing this album anyway; during the time when UNDER A SPANISH MOON came out, he did a radio interview, saying that he had been "forced" to do the KEEP YOUR EYES OM MES, the WILD ROMANCES, and probably even the BULLISHES, just to satisfy A&M's bottomline so that he could pursue more heartfelt, artistic ventures like UNDER A SPANISH MOON, and MY ABSTRACT HEART.( I wondered at the time, and still wondering: how in the heck can a guy who created and runs his own label be "forced" to make music he really doesn't care for?! Oh well... guess that's the music business for you!)

I actually remember a DJ announcing "Diamonds" as "Janet Jackson with a little bit of help from Herb Alpert"... I guess that was to be expected.

As for Herb doing an obligatory pop/r&b album vs. one that he really wanted to do, I don't think he would have done anything on an album if he really hated it that much. On the other hand, even though Herb and Jerry were the bosses of the label, they were still trying to do one thing above all else: sell records. Let's face it. KEEP YOUR EYE ON ME, love it or hate it, sold better than that of MY ABSTRACT HEART or UNDER A SPANISH MOON. This does not mean that it was necessarily a better album. We're talking the difference between apples and oranges. But if every album Herb released were a commercial sales flop, what kind of example would that set for other A&M artists? Sometimes even the boss has to work for the success of the business.

Tony
 
I think Herb just followed his musical muse, wherever it would lead him at the time. When RISE came out and was a smash, Herb did another album that was a lot like it. But KEEP YOUR EYE ON ME was a hit, yet Herb followed it up with an album totally unlike it that was practically guaranteed not to sell a lot of records.
 
This is actually by favorite Herb album besides Bullish. Difficult to pick one great song, but I'll go with Making Love In The Rain. Herb's playing here is top notch and here's a song that could melt any woman's heart.

Our Song is a close second. Perfect Herb, with a great video, too. And I've played the trumpet riffs over Diamonds many times while I listen to this song at home. Nice!
 
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