What is your favorite tune from each respective Herb album? JUST ONE!

Man, back in the day, I could count on the remixes being a must-have in addition to owning the album. In most cases, for favorite artists, they were a must-have purchase. I got more picky when the price went up, but often I would find used copies shortly after release.

With Prince, if you were any sort of fan, buying the 12 inch singles, import 12 inchers or EPs, or even a couple of the 45s, was necessary to get the non-album tracks. I think I probably bought them all up through Lovesexy. The B-sides were compiled on his first 3-disc hits compilation, but they were all the 45 RPM B-sides, not the longer 12 inch versions. The first of any notoriety was the B-side "Gotta Stop (Messin' About)", which appeared on the extended 12 inch of "Let's Work." It took me months to find it, and I found the last new copy I'd ever seen anywhere.

I usually picked up Herb's 12" singles if I came across them. I am glad I got all of them for the Keep Your Eye On Me album, even the promo 3-pack of singles in three colors (red, blue, clear).
The Herb 12 inch ones were always on my want lists I only had a couple of them Rise and Bullish and they were used in decent shape but unfortunately I never was able to have the connections necessary to obtain them and most times I never knew existed. That's what I got for living in an area where the deck was stacked to favor everybody else and their brother and not folks like myself.
 
The Herb 12 inch ones were always on my want lists I only had a couple of them Rise and Bullish and they were used in decent shape but unfortunately I never was able to have the connections necessary to obtain them and most times I never knew existed. That's what I got for living in an area where the deck was stacked to favor everybody else and their brother and not folks like myself.

Same goes for here in northeast Florida. Everything back in the day was either country, rock, punk, junk or jam. That's what sold in the record stores, so that's what they ordered. I had to go over to Gainesville (a heavy college town which caters more to the jazz, funk and the uncommon element) in order to find my completist quotas for my personal collection. There were at least three used record shops all within walking distance, and the selection was amazing. They're all long gone now. But I found my 12" copies of "Rise", "Red Hot" (specially remixed version), "Bullish" (Monster Funk & Rubba Dub Dub mix), and a number of others. Of course I rarely play them now, because my tastes have somewhat matured... but they're there in the spare bedroom if I ever decide to step back into my own nostalgic teenage kid land.
 
Same goes for here in northeast Florida. Everything back in the day was either country, rock, punk, junk or jam. That's what sold in the record stores, so that's what they ordered. I had to go over to Gainesville (a heavy college town which caters more to the jazz, funk and the uncommon element) in order to find my completist quotas for my personal collection. There were at least three used record shops all within walking distance, and the selection was amazing. They're all long gone now. But I found my 12" copies of "Rise", "Red Hot" (specially remixed version), "Bullish" (Monster Funk & Rubba Dub Dub mix), and a number of others. Of course I rarely play them now, because my tastes have somewhat matured... but they're there in the spare bedroom if I ever decide to step back into my own nostalgic teenage kid land.
It's sounds like my situation back in the 80s I lived in a city south of where I live now 33 miles down in Lewiston idaho and I used to take the bus from there to here in Moscow id because we used to have those same kind of shops and Moscow being the big college town where I live now has only one store but it doesn't have the variety stores used to have all the old shops are gone from here too and now all I have left is online stores such as amazon etc I still am befuddled by just how so many things have changed over the years and Sadly NOT FOR THE BETTER.
 
I live in Palatka, Florida... one hour south of Jacksonville, one hour east of Gainesville, one hour northeast of Ocala, one hour northwest of Daytona and 45 minutes southwest of St. Augustine. Now with all of those nearby, good size cities in close proximity, you'd think that they would have a better variety of music, then and/or now. Nope. Very few retailers willing to carry something other than top 40.
And I agree wholeheartedly: Lotta changes... sadly not for the better.
 
We are lucky to still have some good music stores around here. Primarily used records, but a few of them carry decent stock of new vinyl. Ann Arbor (a college town, again) has the best selection of stores, and they are close by each other. Aside from a few sticky titles, I was able to fill in a lot of holes in my collections locally, and the rest I was lucky enough to find either through rec.music.marketplace back in the day, or via the Internet today.

Columbus OH has even more good stores close together. I just can't mention I'm a Wolverine fan when I head into Buckeye territory. :D But I stopped at maybe four used shops when I last visited, and that meant there were probably at least four more I didn't get a chance to see. My buddy down there is a regular at all of them, so he's good to travel with.
 
We are lucky to still have some good music stores around here. Primarily used records, but a few of them carry decent stock of new vinyl. Ann Arbor (a college town, again) has the best selection of stores, and they are close by each other. Aside from a few sticky titles, I was able to fill in a lot of holes in my collections locally, and the rest I was lucky enough to find either through rec.music.marketplace back in the day, or via the Internet today.

Columbus OH has even more good stores close together. I just can't mention I'm a Wolverine fan when I head into Buckeye territory. :D But I stopped at maybe four used shops when I last visited, and that meant there were probably at least four more I didn't get a chance to see. My buddy down there is a regular at all of them, so he's good to travel with.
Rudy you are very Fortunate indeed enjoy those stores while they are still in business because one day there may very well be no more brick and mortar music stores like the ones we knew and loved i will fondly forevermore remember the wonderful record/ music stores I hung out at over the years as a teenager they were my #1 FAVORITE HANGOUTS
 
Rudy you are very Fortunate indeed enjoy those stores while they are still in business because one day there may very well be no more brick and mortar music stores like the ones we knew and loved i will fondly forevermore remember the wonderful record/ music stores I hung out at over the years as a teenager they were my #1 FAVORITE HANGOUTS
Agreed. I hung out in a locally owned music shop, as well as Camelot Music, Sound Shop, Coconuts, Turtles and any other shop I could peruse. And it was good, clean fun that you didn't have to feel guilty about or worry about getting into trouble. And sometimes I would tell my mom about an album, and occasionally she would actually help me pay for it if she liked some of the songs!
 
Agreed. I hung out in a locally owned music shop, as well as Camelot Music, Sound Shop, Coconuts, Turtles and any other shop I could peruse. And it was good, clean fun that you didn't have to feel guilty about or worry about getting into trouble. And sometimes I would tell my mom about an album, and occasionally she would actually help me pay for it if she liked some of the songs!
My mom did that for me too on occasion as well wow we were very blessed to have good parents and good things to occupy our attention and you are correct it kept us kids out of trouble sadly today's kids are being ripped off in a sense they aren't even being allowed to just be kids anymore Schools today pile on so much homework and stuff they don't even have time for themselves anymore let alone have any good clean fun it's pretty sad
 
Man, I can't even really pick since there are usually a couple on each album that I will play several times. And those earliest records are tied to a lot of my childhood memories from the 60s, so that makes it even harder to select one song. We also had an 8-track player in the "good" car, so a lot of road trips had that sound track also. We wore out the tape of SRO on one of those trips. Quick, quick, gotta find a record store!:D

One thing that really stood out to me is that the Definitive Hits cd is recorded REALLY LOUD! When I first got that some years ago I put it in the car player and nearly ran off the road when it kicked in.

One of my best friends worked in a record store during college, and she would alert us when good stuff was being released. We hung around there a lot, mostly in the back room - odd lots, cutouts, black lights, beads, papers :whistle: Owner didn't seem to mind us hanging around - we did buy a lot of stuff.
 
One thing that really stood out to me is that the Definitive Hits cd is recorded REALLY LOUD! When I first got that some years ago I put it in the car player and nearly ran off the road when it kicked in.

Now that you've mentioned it, I've also had a problem with the LOUDNESS of 21st century recordings. And they vary by release, even by track. On HUMAN NATURE, the song "Look Up Again" is supposed to be a rather low key, quiet and haunting track. But the bass on that song is ridiculously overblown. I've set the bass level on my car stereo to -4, and that track still vibrates the speakers like crazy. If I were playing something like "Shake It", "Chattanooga Choo Choo" or "Puttin' on the Ritz", I could kinda understand the me vibration as those are rich textured, heavy bass-laden tracks. But "Look Up Again"? I just don't get it.
 
It's partly the modern method of mixing music (mo' bass, mo' bass), and the brickwall digital mastering that pretty much ruins it beyond that. That is one reason the vinyl versions sometimes play better--they haven't been through a brickwalled CD mastering phase. Yet sometimes the mix itself is brickwalled, and any version you buy will sound pretty much the same. The bass does get annoying.

I loves me some deep bass, but it gets to a point where it overpowers the room (or the system in the car). The title track of Bebel Gilberto's Tanto Tempo is horrible from that standpoint--I've actually had to dial the subwoofer in the car nearly to the off position to make the rest of the track listenable. I first heard this as far back as the 90s--the Diane Schurr live album with Count Basie Orch. (on GRP Records--can't recall the title at the moment) has exaggerated bass. Sounds good on lesser systems but if you play it back on anything that has a sane tonal balance to it, it sounds off. How do I know it's exaggerated? There was also a live video release of the concert, and not only is the bass where it needs to be, the video version has none of the studio overdubs.

I don't know who started this trend, but I don't like it. And I agree, it is enough to turn me off to music I would otherwise listen to. Tone controls? Not on my system, thanks--I don't like how they sound even when they aren't in the loop. If the recording can't hack it without me having to fudge with tone controls or EQ, then IMHO it's crap. (And I should say that Randy's remasters are very nicely balanced and musical...as they should be. :) )
 
One of my theories is that because many of these recordings never get cut to vinyl, some engineers can take advantage of the digital domain and make the tonal balance fit anything they choose. With vinyl, you have to be careful not to use too much bass, and high frequencies also cannot be overly bright either, as both can cause mistracking. In fact, engineers back in the 60s and 70s had to sometimes cut back on the frequency extremes, and avoid large dynamic changes, since the cartridges of the day could not track them. (One of the most famous examples is Robert Ludwig's infamous cutting of Led Zeppelin II, which had some passages that would cause the stylus to skip. Today's modern equipment can play it back with no issues, and it's now a collector's item sought after for its superior quality.)

Thing is, a properly balanced recording fits the playback parameters of vinyl nicely. They didn't have as much of an issue with pre-recorded tape--it could handle some of the dynamics, and what it couldn't, it just gracefully rolled off. Especially the highs. (The reels and 8-tracks, especially, had little content above 10kHz, if that...not very good reproduction even when new, due to the effects of high-speed duplication and the low-end duplicator grade tape they used at places like Ampex.)
 
Ok, let's play a little game here: If you had to pick... just ONE track and ONE track only, from each of the 42 released albums in Herb's catalogue... which would you choose? These are the songs that, for unanswerable reasons, will just stick in your head. Or think of it this way: Which song off of each album can you just not live without?

Here are mine (using your format):

1. The Lonely Bull (THE LONELY BULL)
2. Mexican Corn (VOLUME 2)
3. Numero Cinco (SOUTH OF THE BORDER)
4. A Taste of Honey (WHIPPED CREAM & OTHER DELIGHTS)
5. A Walk in the Black Forest (!!GOING PLACES!!)
6. Memories of Madrid (WHAT NOW MY LOVE)
7. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (S.R.O.)
8. Wade in the Water (...SOUNDS LIKE...)
9. The Happening (HERB ALPERT'S NINTH)
10. The Robin (THE BEAT OF THE BRASS)
11. Las Mananitas (THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM)
12. Sandbox (WARM)
13. None… (THE BRASS ARE COMIN')
14. None… (SUMMERTIME)
15. Song for Herb (YOU SMILE-THE SONG BEGINS)
16. I Belong (CONEY ISLAND)
17.none… (JUST YOU AND ME)
18. Skokiaan (but in truth very hard to pick because I like the whole record) (HERB ALPERT/HUGH MASEKELA)
19. Foreign Natives or Besame Mucho (tie; but I really like the entire record) (MAIN EVENT LIVE)
20. Aranjuez, Rise, Street Life (tie) (RISE)
21. Interlude for Erica (BEYOND)
22. Manhattan Melody (MAGIC MAN)
23. Route 101; Margarita; Latin Melody (tie) (FANDANGO)
24. Paradise Cove (BLOW YOUR OWN HORN)
25. Love Without Words (BULLISH)
26. No Time For Time (WILD ROMANCE)
27. Cat Man Do; Stranger on the Shore (tie) (KEEP YOUR EYE ON ME)
28. I Need You (UNDER A SPANISH MOON)
29. Romance Dance (MY ABSTRACT HEART)
30. I can’t Stop Thinking About You (NORTH ON SOUTH ST.)
31. Friends (MIDNIGHT SUN)
32. Can’t Stop Thinkin’ About You (SECOND WIND)
33. Until We Meet Again (PASSION DANCE)
34. Lady In My Life (HERB ALPERT & COLORS)
35.Whistlestar; Killing Me Softly (tie) (LOST TREASURES)
36. None… (RE-WHIPPED)
37. Besame Mucho (ANYTHING GOES)
38. What Now My Love (I FEEL YOU)
39. Green Lemonade; Migration (tie) (STEPPIN' OUT)
40. Amy’s Tune (IN THE MOOD)
41. Love Affair (COME FLY WITH ME)
42. Don't Go Breaking My Heart (HUMAN NATURE)
 
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Here are mine (using your format):

5. A Walk in the Black Forest (!!GOING PLACES!!)
6. Memories of Madrid (WHAT NOW MY LOVE)
7. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (S.R.O.)
8. Wade in the Water (...SOUNDS LIKE...)
19. Foreign Natives or Besame Mucho (tie; but I really like the entire record) (MAIN EVENT LIVE)
23. Route 101; Margarita; Latin Melody (tie) (FANDANGO)
24. Paradise Cove (BLOW YOUR OWN HORN)
27. Cat Man Do; Stranger on the Shore (tie) (KEEP YOUR EYE ON ME)
40. Amy’s Tune (IN THE MOOD)
42. Don't Go Breaking My Heart (HUMAN NATURE)

NICE! I noticed you picked both versions of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart". I really like both versions too. But in the interest of trying NOT to pick the same song twice, I chose not to pick the S.R.O. version as a 'favorite'.
"Walk in the Black Forest" has always moved me too, despite it's short length (is that an oxymoron or what?).
"Memories of Madrid" has always been a favorite of mine. And it was a contender for my list, just barely missing out. Same goes for "Wade in the Water", "Foreign Natives", "Paradise Cove" and "Amy's Tune".
For years my favorite MAIN EVENT track was "Besame Mucho". But recently I've grown more fond of "Shame the Devil". Great solos on that one, from everybody involved.
As for the FANDANGO album, I definitely know how you feel. I had to pick "Route 101" if for no other reason than for the sake of it's radio impact in the synthpop world of 1982. A top 40 instrumental with no ties to any movie soundtrack, no duet, no guest artist, just Herb... with a great, driving song.
Good choices!
 
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This took some doing. There were quite a few in there that were almost coin flips, so it was really hard to choose some of them. On the other hand, there are some albums that are on such limited rotation, I had to go back and listen to them again just to try and find a favorite-enough song for the list. But I think this is pretty close.

1. Desafinado (THE LONELY BULL)
2. Winds of Barcelona (VOLUME 2)
3. South of the Border (SOUTH OF THE BORDER)
4. A Taste of Honey (WHIPPED CREAM & OTHER DELIGHTS)
5. Zorba The Greek (!!GOING PLACES!!)
6. The Shadow Of Your Smile (WHAT NOW MY LOVE)
7. Don't Go Breaking My Heart (S.R.O.)
8. Gotta Lotta Livin' To Do (...SOUNDS LIKE...)
9. A Banda (HERB ALPERT'S NINTH)
10. Cabaret (THE BEAT OF THE BRASS)
11. My Favorite Things (THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM)
12. The Sea Is My Soil (WARM)
13. Moon River (THE BRASS ARE COMIN')
14. Jerusalem (SUMMERTIME)
15. Last Tango In Paris (YOU SMILE-THE SONG BEGINS)
16. Carmine (CONEY ISLAND)
17. Musique (JUST YOU AND ME)
18. Lobo (HERB ALPERT/HUGH MASEKELA)
19. Foreign Natives (MAIN EVENT LIVE)
20. Behind The Rain (RISE)
21. Interlude (For Erica) (BEYOND)
22. Besame Mucho (MAGIC MAN)
23. Fandango (FANDANGO)
24. Garden Party (BLOW YOUR OWN HORN)
25. Struttin' On Five (BULLISH)
26. "8" Ball (WILD ROMANCE)
27. Cat Man Do (KEEP YOUR EYE ON ME)
28. Fragile (UNDER A SPANISH MOON)
29. Fun House (MY ABSTRACT HEART)
30. Jump Street (NORTH ON SOUTH ST.)
31. All The Things You Are (MIDNIGHT SUN)
32. Sugar Cane (SECOND WIND)
33. TKO (PASSION DANCE)
34. Libertango (COLORS)
35. Popcorn (LOST TREASURES)
36. Green Peppers (RE-WHIPPED)
37. Laura (ANYTHING GOES)
38. Berimbau (I FEEL YOU)
39. Migration (STEPPIN' OUT)
40. Don't Cry (IN THE MOOD)
41. Night Ride (COME FLY WITH ME)
42. Shake It (HUMAN NATURE)
 
This took some doing. There were quite a few in there that were almost coin flips, so it was really hard to choose some of them.
2. Winds of Barcelona (VOLUME 2)
6. The Shadow Of Your Smile (WHAT NOW MY LOVE)
7. Don't Go Breaking My Heart (S.R.O.)
8. Gotta Lotta Livin' To Do (...SOUNDS LIKE...)
10. Cabaret (THE BEAT OF THE BRASS)
13. Moon River (THE BRASS ARE COMIN')
14. Jerusalem (SUMMERTIME)
15. Last Tango In Paris (YOU SMILE-THE SONG BEGINS)
20. Behind The Rain (RISE)
21. Interlude (For Erica) (BEYOND)
22. Besame Mucho (MAGIC MAN)
23. Fandango (FANDANGO)
24. Garden Party (BLOW YOUR OWN HORN)
26. "8" Ball (WILD ROMANCE)
27. Cat Man Do (KEEP YOUR EYE ON ME)
29. Fun House (MY ABSTRACT HEART)
30. Jump Street (NORTH ON SOUTH ST.)
33. TKO (PASSION DANCE)
34. Libertango (COLORS)
35. Popcorn (LOST TREASURES)

WOW! Some interesting selections here! I can kinda relate on several of these:
I have always lovvvvvvved "Winds of Barcelona". On any other day, I might've picked it as a favorite from VOLUME 2. But I still went with "Spanish Harlem" because it's the one that has popped into my head the most, for unanswerable reasons. I also love "The Shadow of Your Smile", with the exception of the harpsichord intro. It's not that it isn't well performed, but harpsichord just doesn't resonate with me personally. Once the trumpet kicks in, it's golden from then on.
Seems that everybody on this thread likes at least one version of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", myself included. Great song, and I never thought it would take on a new life some four decades later.
"Gotta Lotta Livin' To Do" could've also been picked as a fave from SOUNDS LIKE on another day. But as with "Spanish Harlem", "The Charmer" comes to mind for no apparent reason. And I find myself wanting to play it. That's gotta mean something, right?
Please don't hate me, but one of the very few covers done by Herb and the Brass which I did NOT care for was "Moon River".
"Cabaret", "Jerusalem" and "Last Tango In Paris" are tracks I've enjoyed since my teenage years in the 80s, but I wouldn't necessarily pick them as 'favorites'. I can see how others might, though. As you said, this took some doing. So I get it.
"Behind the Rain" and "Interlude (For Erica)" are awesome tracks each in their own respective ways. On another day I just might've picked them!
I always preferred the MAIN EVENT version of "Besame Mucho" over the MAGIC MAN version, but this one's still a respectable cover. And it does have a unique quality to it's rhythm.
If for no other reason than the fact that they were all exciting singles, "Fandango", "Garden Party" and "8 Ball" are all definitely worthy of attention, and once again I can see how they end up in the list.
"Cat Man Do" is a very LOUD track, but if I'm in the mood I can still enjoy it. Although I don't crank it up as much these days like I did back in 87.
"Fun House" and "Jump Street" are definitely faves of mine, but "Legs" and "Where's Tommy?" are the earworms that stick in my head.
To be quite honest, "TKO" didn't really grab me at all when PASSION DANCE came out in 97. But as the years went on, it grew on me and now is one I just can't part with. Conversely, I listened to "Libertango" when COLORS came out in 99, but in subsequent years I've kinda grown bored with it. Why? I dunno. It's not a particularly bad track. But I just seem to skip over it.
And then there's "Popcorn": The first time I ever heard this was a cheesy 70s synthesizer version by a group called [wait for it.......................................................] Hot Butter. No joke. The name of the group was Hot Butter.
I liked Herb's Brass version MUCH better.
 
I recall an ancient thread on the old board from two decades ago when we did this exercise for the TjB albums only

As I stated above, we had done this on one of the earliest versions of this board and it was for TjB albums only, but we included BULLISH.

Just as a way of showing my consistency, here's a picture of the cassette I made as a result of that thread. I called it "MY" FAVORITE THINGS.""

MyFavoriteThingsCassette.JPG
 
I recall an ancient thread on the old board from two decades ago when we did this exercise for the TjB albums only, so this is a good updating of that. Here's the way I approach this. You've got a few minutes to listen to a song. You grab a Herb Alpert album - which song do you pick to listen to from each of the albums?

1. A Quiet Tear (THE LONELY BULL)
2. Winds Of Barcelona (VOLUME 2)
3. Up Cherry Street (SOUTH OF THE BORDER)
4. A Taste Of Honey (WHIPPED CREAM & OTHER DELIGHTS)
5. Mae (!!GOING PLACES!!)
6. What Now My Love (WHAT NOW MY LOVE)
7. The Wall Street Rag (S.R.O.)
8. Wade In The Water (...SOUNDS LIKE...)
9. Carmen (HERB ALPERT'S NINTH)
10. This Guy's In Love With You (THE BEAT OF THE BRASS)
11. My Favorite Things (THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM)
12. The Sea Is My Soil (WARM)
13. You Are My Life (THE BRASS ARE COMIN')
14. Summertime (SUMMERTIME)
15. Fox Hunt (YOU SMILE-THE SONG BEGINS)
16. Coney Island (CONEY ISLAND)
17. Promenade (JUST YOU AND ME)
18. Lobo (HERB ALPERT/HUGH MASEKELA)
19. She-Been (MAIN EVENT LIVE)
20. 1980 (RISE)
21. Red Hot (BEYOND)
22. Magic Man (MAGIC MAN)
23. Route 101 (FANDANGO)
24. Gently (Suavemente) (BLOW YOUR OWN HORN)
24½. Noche De Amor (NOCHE DE AMOR)
25. Passion Play (BULLISH)
26. No Time For Time (WILD ROMANCE)
27. Cat Man Do (KEEP YOUR EYE ON ME)
28. Fragile (UNDER A SPANISH MOON)
29. When The Lights Go Down Low (MY ABSTRACT HEART)
30. Jump Street (NORTH ON SOUTH ST.)
31. Someone To Watch Over Me (MIDNIGHT SUN)
32. Second Wind (SECOND WIND)
33. T.K.O. (PASSION DANCE)
34. Libertango (HERB ALPERT & COLORS)
35. Speakeasy (LOST TREASURES)
36. Bittersweet Samba (RE-WHIPPED)
37. The Trolley Song (ANYTHING GOES)
38. Something Cool (I FEEL YOU)
39. Puttin' On The Ritz (STEPPIN' OUT)
40. Chattanooga Choo-Choo (IN THE MOOD)
41. Got A Lot Of Livin' To Do (COME FLY WITH ME)
42. Doodles (HUMAN NATURE)

I added NOCHE DE AMOR as a sort-of album number 24½.
NICE! I noticed you picked both versions of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart". I really like both versions too. But in the interest of trying NOT to pick the same song twice, I chose not to pick the S.R.O. version as a 'favorite'.
"Walk in the Black Forest" has always moved me too, despite it's short length (is that an oxymoron or what?).
"Memories of Madrid" has always been a favorite of mine. And it was a contender for my list, just barely missing out. Same goes for "Wade in the Water", "Foreign Natives", "Paradise Cove" and "Amy's Tune".
For years my favorite MAIN EVENT track was "Besame Mucho". But recently I've grown more fond of "Shame the Devil". Great solos on that one, from everybody involved.
As for the FANDANGO album, I definitely know how you feel. I had to pick "Route 101" if for no other reason than for the sake of it's radio impact in the synthpop world of 1982. A top 40 instrumental with no ties to any movie soundtrack, no duet, no guest artist, just Herb... with a great, driving song.
Good choices!

May I suggest that, regarding Foreign Natives, that you listen to the Herb/Hugh Main Event take and then go to Jonas Gwangwa's own recording from his record, Songs from Exile (it is a Gwangwa tune, as are four songs on the record). Mr Gwangwa was very much a part of that live album and really needs to be acknowledged. The aforementioned album and his Flowers of the Nation I highly recommend. He, like Masekela, still performs, though solely in SA, I believe. Now wouldn't it be cool if that group could get together for a little reunion? Shoot, Masekela reunited with the Jazz Messengers in the past year...
 
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  1. The Lonely Bull: El Lobo (The Wolf)
  2. Volume 2: Spanish Harlem
  3. South Of The Border: Mexican Shuffle
  4. Whipped Cream & Other Delights: A Taste Of Honey
  5. !!Going Places!!: More And More Amor
  6. What Now My Love: Memories Of Madrid
  7. S.R.O.: Our Day Will Come
  8. ...Sounds Like...: Wade In The Water
  9. Herb Alpert's Ninth: Bud
  10. The Beat Of The Brass: Panama
  11. Christmas Album: The Christmas Song
  12. Warm: The Sea Is My Soil
  13. The Brass Are Comin': I'll Be Back
  14. Summertime: Summertime
  15. You Smile - The Song Begins: Last Tango In Paris
  16. Coney Island: Mickey
  17. Just You And Me: Spanish Nights
  18. Herb Alpert / Hugh Masekela: Skokiaan
  19. Main Event: People Make The World Go 'Round
  20. Rise: Rise
  21. Beyond: Kamali / Beyond (tie, sorry)
  22. Magic Man: Besame Mucho
  23. Fandango: Coco Loco / Route 101 (Coco Loco by only a nose hair )
  24. Blow Your Own Horn: Blow Your Own Horn
  25. Bullish: Always Have A Dream (Pour Le Coeur, A Mon Pere)
  26. Wild Romance: African Flame
  27. Keep Your Eye On Me: Traffic Jam
  28. Under A Spanish Moon: I Need You
  29. My Abstract Heart: When The Lights Go Down Low
  30. North On South St.: It's The Last Dance
  31. Midnight Sun: A Taste Of Honey
  32. Second Wind: Sneakin' In/Drivin' Home (These two songs belong together: they're in the same key; the ending of the first and the beginning of the second feel linked.)
  33. Passion Lady: Slinky
  34. Colors: The Look Of Love
  35. Lost Treasures: Popcorn
  36. Rewhipped: Whipped Cream (Anthony Maranelli Remix)
  37. Anything Goes: Pararaio
  38. I Feel You: Moondance
  39. Steppin' Out: Cote D'Azur
  40. In The Mood: Don't Cry
  41. Come Fly With Me: Windy City
  42. Human Nature: Human Nature
 
Conversely, I listened to "Libertango" when COLORS came out in 99, but in subsequent years I've kinda grown bored with it. Why? I dunno. It's not a particularly bad track. But I just seem to skip over it.
I will generalize and say that this seems to happen to me a lot lately, with all sorts of music. Even old favorites...I'll grab the LP to give it a spin, get a track or so into it, then swap it out for something else. Or I'll queue it up in JRiver and then end up skipping over it.
 
I'll stay with the earlier albums as I'm not a big fan of the later ones.

LONELY BULL Acapulco 1922

VOLUME 2 Winds Of Barcelona

SOUTH OF THE BORDER Up Cherry Street

WHAT NOW MY LOVE Memories Of Madrid

WHIPPED CREAM Green Peppers

GOING PLACE More And More Amor

SOUNDS LIKE Wade In The Water

SRO Flamingo

NINTH A Banda

WARM Marjorine

BEAT OF THE BRASS Slick

SUMMERTIME Darlin

There's a few that I hated to leave off this list, but they just got edged out by another tune. Those include "For Carlos" - "Lollipops & Roses" - "Casino Royale" - "My Heart Belongs To Daddy" and "A Beautiful Friend". Biggest surprise of all the choices on these lists is that someone actually chose "Frieght Train Joe" as their favorite from SRO. I always thought Frieght Train was the one tune from SRO that was a bit weak and prevented SRO from being the perfect TJB lp. But that's the beauty of these lists. Everyone has different tastes. I'm sure I have a choice or two that will shock some people as well!
 
Well some albums are easier than others to pick a favourite from, but here goes.....
(and I'll turn this into a radio programme to make this not a wasted hour and a half!!!)

1. Struttin' With Maria (THE LONELY BULL)
2. Winds of Barcelona (VOLUME 2)
3. Salud Amor Y Dinero (SOUTH OF THE BORDER)
4. Bittersweet Samba (WHIPPED CREAM & OTHER DELIGHTS)
5. More and More Amor (!!GOING PLACES!!)
6. So What's New? (WHAT NOW MY LOVE)
7. Flamingo (S.R.O.)
8. Casino Royale (...SOUNDS LIKE...)
9. Cowboys & Indians (HERB ALPERT'S NINTH)
10. A Beautiful Friend (THE BEAT OF THE BRASS)
11. Winter Wonderland (THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM)
12. Zazuiera (WARM)
13. IGood Morning Mr Sunshine(THE BRASS ARE COMIN')
14. Darlin' (SUMMERTIME)
15. Up Cherry Street (YOU SMILE-THE SONG BEGINS)
16. Catfish(CONEY ISLAND)
17. Promenade (JUST YOU AND ME)
18. Skokiaan (HERB ALPERT/HUGH MASEKELA)
19. I'm Comin' Home (MAIN EVENT LIVE)
20. Street Life (RISE)
21. Beyond (BEYOND)
22. Magic Man (MAGIC MAN)
23. Coco Loco (FANDANGO)
24. Garden Party (BLOW YOUR OWN HORN)
24a Sueno Precolombino (NOCHE DE AMOR)
25. Always Have a Dream (BULLISH)
26. Wild Romance (WILD ROMANCE)
27. Diamonds (KEEP YOUR EYE ON ME)
28. Fragile (UNDER A SPANISH MOON)
29. Legs (MY ABSTRACT HEART)
30. Jump Street (NORTH ON SOUTH ST.)
31. I've Grown Accustomed to her Face(MIDNIGHT SUN)
32. Side Steppin' (SECOND WIND)
33. Route 101 (PASSION DANCE)
34. Libertango (HERB ALPERT & COLORS)
35. Happy Hour (LOST TREASURES)
36. Lollipops and Roses(RE-WHIPPED)
37. Besame Mucho (ANYTHING GOES)
38. Berimbau (I FEEL YOU)
39. The Lonely Bull (STEPPIN' OUT)
40. Chattanooga Choo Choo (IN THE MOOD)
41. Sweet and Lovely(COME FLY WITH ME)
42. Doodles (HUMAN NATURE)
43. Michelle (MUSIC Vol. 1)
44. I'll Be Home For Christmas (A CHRISTMAS WISH)
 
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