THE BEAT OF THE BRASS: Comments and poll

[Numero Cinco]

When I burn this one for the van, however, "Talk To The Animals" is GONZO!
What wuz they thinking? Embarrassing is the only word to describe that one, even if one member here gave it an 'underdog' vote... :goofygrin: Hey, somebody's gotta do it, right?

I have a half-cocked theory about "Talk to the Animals," which depends on many variables I don't pretend to know. What if the producers of the tie-in Beat of the Brass TV special went to Mr. Alpert and said, "Herb, baby, we need a song we can use to display cute scenes of little kids at a zoo"?

And the rest would be gonzo history.

 

[David Kirkpatrick]

I have to break with the pack here. My favorite tune is the opener, "Monday Monday." I love the Bob Edmondson trombone work here; (in fact he is at peak form throughout the album). The chimes in the choruses, the stop/start arrangement, the modulation from one verse to the next...it just all clicks for me.

"Panama" would be my second choice. Great work by Edmondson AND by the ever-amazing Julius Wechter on this one. I don't know if the TJB ever played this in concert but it would have been great.

These are my top two favorites too (in that order), followed by Slick and This Guy's In Love With You. I don't know about other concerts, but Panama did appear in the "Coney Island" era 1-hr TJB TV special and it sounded great, although given a very different sound.

I know Herb's trumpet sound on this album has been criticized but 1968 (including the Christmas Album) may be Herb at the very top of his form as an arranger -- although you could make an argument for his 1967 albums too.

The funny thing about TBOTB is that the title and the first track would lead you think that the album is to be venture into rock territory. The next few albums do "go places", into Christmas standards territory, Brasilian territory, country-and-western territory, west-coast sound territory. Yet what the listener finds is that the "beat" of the Brass turns out to be a broad range of contrasting beats and moods. Even with Warm, The Brass Are Comin' and Summertime, one finds that the band stays on theme much less religiously than on, say, Whipped Cream and Other Delights. This is not meant as a complaint; the sheer variety of sounds on TBOTB is a major part of its charm. By contrast, someone following his entire solo career would have to be impressed with Herb Alpert's versatility, but might not get an inkling from hearing just one of any of them. Imagine identifying Herb with only Midnight Sun, or with North on South Street.

David

 

[DAN BOLTON]

As I recall, TV guide used a picture of Herb playing the trumpet with a chimpanzee on his shoulder for their "Close-up" regarding the Beat of the Brass special. It was a cute scene that underscored the image of what the TJB was really about, I thought...wholesome family image...Judeo/Christian values to the max...

Actually, if you think about it- TTTE is a progenitor to WHISTLESTAR, sort of...I think the song gets a bad rap because it came from a very poorly-done, campy movie with a lousy plot that everyone expected great things from, and it just didn't deliver. But, even Eddie Murphy couldn't get the premise to work, so maybe it was a flawed concept.

TTTE was another song that Herb made his own, it fit the TJB concept, and everybody else was doing it, so...what choice did he have but to record it? And, it's a good choice to use to turn your grandkids on to the TJB sound experience...

Dan, glad to have his computer fixed and to be back online...

 

[David Kirkpatrick]

TTTE was another song that Herb made his own, it fit the TJB concept, and everybody else was doing it, so...what choice did he have but to record it?

TTTE -- what's that? Talk to the Enemas?

(Edited by moderator -- There's no need to 'QUOTE' the complete message previous to your reply. Quoting only the relevant passage is easier on the reader.)

 

[DAN BOLTON]

I have dyslexic fingers...

 

[Harry]

TTTE was another song that Herb made his own, it fit the TJB concept, and everybody else was doing it, so...what choice did he have but to record it?

TTTE -- what's that? Talk to the Enemas?

Dan must have got his computer fixed - except the "A" key!

Harry

 

[Mike]

Music aside, this album has one heck of a classy cover.

Alas, I’m still sitting by the mailbox… oh where, oh where can my CDs be?

 

[Captain Bacardi]

The one disappointment of "This Guy" I have is that they didn't use the 45 version with the extra few seconds tacked on the end of the tune.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Do any of the CD versions of that song include those extra seconds?

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I've only heard them on the 45s. Even the Italian and Spanish versions have those extra seconds.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[Timeframe]

Does anyone know? Did Bob double on bass trombone as well as his regular 'bone? Fantastic work on Monday, monday, and Panama.

Steve

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I also wonder who played the flute on Panama (not Monday Monday, Mr. Kun!) and The Robin. Could it be the same person who played on Sergio Mendes' "Ye-Me-Le," which was recorded around the same time? I think that player's name has been posted here before but I don't remember it.

For that matter, I have always wondered who played the sax intro to "Margarine" from WARM, too.

 

[Greg Shannon]

Funny, Talk to the Animals has never bothered me. Maybe it's because I was 12 years old when the album came out. More likely it's because I recognized this as an album from a TV special. You expect skits and dumb jokes and Talk to the Animals-type music in TV specials, especially '60s era TV specials. Anyway, T3A (or should it be 3TA?) is an inherent part of BoTB to me.

My pick for favorite track was "The Robin," an underrated tune that would have fit in on Warm, my all-time favorite TJB album.


Greg Shannon

 

[Harry]

Do any of the CD versions of that song include those extra seconds?

I don't know of any CDs with the longer version of "This Guy's In Love With You". Most of them clock in at around 3:5x, whereas the single version comes out to be about 4:0x.

The longer mono version appeared on at least one LP - that DEE JAY SAMPLER - THE VERY BEST FROM HERB ALPERT & THE TIJUANA BRASS (mono version). So it must've been the mono master that extended that long and it was pruned a bit for the stereo.

Harry

 

[Mr Bill]

I also wonder who played the flute on Panama (not Monday Monday, Mr. Kun!) and The Robin...

I always just kinda assumed it was Bernie Fleischer of the BMB...

--Mr Bill

 

[RichardWarner]

pickpickpick
In the booklet, there are repeated references to the Beat of the Brass being an NBC special. But it was a CBS special, repeated months later on NBC.

 

[Harry]

pickpickpick
In the booklet, there are repeated references to the Beat of the Brass being an NBC special. But it was a CBS special, repeated months later on NBC.

Thank you! I was pretty sure this was correct, but without evidence, I just didn't want to stir anything up.

My recollections are that BOTH the first two specials were aired on CBS first - and then after months, re-ran on NBC.

THE BRASS ARE COMIN' was always an NBC show, as evident by the participation of both Johnny Carson and Lorne Greene.

The SENTRY special ran on our ABC station, but I have a feeling it was a syndicated show in the US, originally airing in the UK.

Harry

 

[RichardWarner]

No, Brass are Comin' was always NBC...both runs. I believe the first special was, as well. But Singer Presents Herb was on a Monday evening in April, 1968. I was glued --- mesmerized --- in front of the TV set after Gilligan's Island. I believe the Sentry special was on ABC but only ran one time.

 

[AudiophilePhil]

Here are the 5 of my favourite tracks from "Beat of the Brass" after listening to the reissue CD:

Cabaret
Talk To The Animals
Slick
Thanks For The Memory
This Guy's In Love With You

 

[Harry]

No, Brass are Comin' was always NBC...both runs.

I thought that's what I said - perhaps you misread, or I'm misunderstanding you. BRASS ARE COMIN' - always NBC.

I believe the first special was, as well.

Here's where I differ. I'm pretty sure that the first special aired on CBS the first time around. My recollections of TV back then was that I was a CBS fan and was delighted that Herb's special was on "my" network.

But Singer Presents Herb was on a Monday evening in April, 1968. I was glued --- mesmerized --- in front of the TV set after Gilligan's Island. I believe the Sentry special was on ABC but only ran one time.

The audio I have of the SENTRY special confims that it was on our ABC station. It may have aired on ABC once and then as a syndicated special a second time. I seem to recall it had two runs.

Harry

 

[Mr Bill]

The Sentry Special did run on ABC (immediately before or after a Frank Sinatra special if IIRC). It was then bundled in a syndicated package of specials with a slightly different content in one of the two middle segments...

--Mr Bill

 

[Numero Cinco]

I also wonder who played the flute on Panama (not Monday Monday, Mr. Kun!) and The Robin. Could it be the same person who played on Sergio Mendes' "Ye-Me-Le," which was recorded around the same time? I think that player's name has been posted here before but I don't remember it.

For that matter, I have always wondered who played the sax intro to "Margarine" from WARM, too.

Is there a flute on "Panama"? I don't recall it. I do hear it on "A Beautiful Friend," bopping all over the melody while answering the trumpet.

In my mind's ear, I hear a clarinet, not a sax, in the opening "cabaret" of Warm's "Marjorine." That, by the way, should be differentiated from "Margarine," which is the Lower Priced Spread.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Oops, that's the song I meant. "A Beautiful Friend." Guess I qualify as a liner-notes writer too!

As for "Marjorine" -- I've listened to that a lot of times and I think it's a sax. But sometimes it does sound like a clarinet. Maybe some woodwind-expert will weigh in. Either way, I'd like to know who played it.

 

[Rudy]

Sure sounds like a clarinet to me in "Marjorine".

 

[Mr Bill]

Sounds like a Clarinet to me, too. It could be an Eb Clarinet, which is either half or an octave and a half higher than a standard black Bb clarinet and made of metal (and easily confused with a soprano sax in both look and sound)

--Mr Bill
whose clarinet is second to his marimba...