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Official Review What Now My Love [Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass]

Discussion in 'The Beat of The Brass: Herb Alpert/Tijuana Brass' started by Rudy, Jan 1, 2017.

  1. Rudy

    Rudy ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ Site Admin Thread Starter

    US
    Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
    WHAT NOW MY LOVE
    A&M SP-4114
    [​IMG]

    Herb Alpert Presents (HRB 035)
    Previously released on CD as A&M CD 3265 and Shout! Factory DK 30849

    Tracks:

    Side One
    1. What Now My Love (Becaud-Sigman) 2:18
    2. Freckles (Ervan Coleman) 2:12
    3. Memories Of Madrid (Sol Lake) 2:23
    4. It Was A Very Good Year (Ervin Drake) 3:37
    5. So What's New? (John Pisano) 2:07
    6. Plucky (Alpert-Pisano) 2:21

    Side Two
    1. Magic Trumpet (Bert Kaempfert) 2:18
    2. Cantina Blue (Sol Lake) 2:34
    3. Brasilia (Julius Wechter) 2:30
    4. If I Were A Rich Man (Harnick-Rock) 2:33
    5. Five Minutes More (Styne-Cahn) 1:53
    6. The Shadow Of Your Smile (Mandel-Webster) 3:28

    Produced by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss
    Arranged by Herb Alpert
    Engineered by Larry Levine, Gold Star
    Album Designed by Peter Whorf Graphics

    Billboard peak album chart position: 1, 9 weeks (debuted 5/21/66)
    Weeks in Top 40 album chart: 141
    RIAA certified Gold (5/9/66)
    Album released 1966
     
    Rudy, Jan 1, 2017
    #1
  2. Harry

    Harry Charter A&M Corner Member Moderator

    A&M Corner Southern Command in Sunny Central FL
    Listening to this album today on the newest Herb Alpert Presents CD and doing a little comparison to its elder brothers. This version strikes a nice balance between the old A&M CD and the Shout! issue. The older A&M CD had a sort of thin sound to it while the Shout version tended toward a slightly overbloated bass. The newest version is right in the sweet spot in the middle and I think Randy deserves kudos for getting it right.

    WHAT NOW MY LOVE was always my favorite classic Tijuana Brass album and it's good to have it get such a good treatment.
     
    Harry, Feb 6, 2018
    #2
    Bobberman likes this.
  3. Mike Blakesley

    Mike Blakesley Well-Known Member Moderator

    Forsyth MT
    Agreed, it's a great balanced album -- still has some of that "mariachi" flavor but it's squarely in the pop/rock vein and firing on all cylinders.

    The only song on it that I can really say I don't care for is "If I Were A Rich Man" -- I don't know why but that one just sort of leaves me cold. Every other tune just hits the mark. My favorite song on it is "Freckles" which should have been a single....I suppose the only reason it wasn't is due to the wealth of other great choices.
     
    Mike Blakesley, Feb 6, 2018
    #3
  4. Bobberman

    Bobberman Well-Known Member

    Moscow Idaho
    While I own the shout factory version on CD I do have the HAP version Downloaded in my SD Card ( along with many others) I agree with Harry it does have more of a sweet spot in the middle unfortunately I missed out on the Original A&M CD version so I can't comment on that one but it was one of the first 2 TJB albums I Ever heard as a child thanks to my parents owning it on vinyl.and it's still an EXCELLENT album from start to finish.
     
    Bobberman, Feb 6, 2018
    #4
  5. Moritat

    Moritat Member

    An excellent TJB album. (fourth on my list of TJB lps). Not sure why Alpert included one "draggy ballad hit of the day" on so many lps, but "It Was A Very Good Year" was a "very bad selection" for this (or any other) album. Other than that, it's a darn good album. My second favorite tune from this lp is "Freckles". My favorite song on WNML would be "Memories Of Madrid" (Sol Lake was so good!!!)
     
    Moritat, Feb 6, 2018
    #5
    S.J. Hoover and Rudy like this.
  6. Rudy

    Rudy ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ Site Admin Thread Starter

    US
    I'm not too fond of the tune, no matter who does it, so I tend to tune that one out when it comes on. I am sort of lukewarm on "Cantina Blue" as well, but otherwise I like all of the remaining tracks on this one. The vinyl reissue has a very nice sound to it as well. :thumbsup:
     
    Rudy, Feb 12, 2018
    #6
  7. Bobberman

    Bobberman Well-Known Member

    Moscow Idaho
    Agreed as i mentioned previously
     
    Bobberman, Feb 13, 2018
    #7
  8. Steven J. Gross

    Steven J. Gross Well-Known Member

    Chatsworth, CA
    My first album, ever...
     
    Steven J. Gross, Feb 13, 2018
    #8
  9. Mike Blakesley

    Mike Blakesley Well-Known Member Moderator

    Forsyth MT
    When I first became a TJB fan, I was only interested in the uptempo stuff - I don't know why, but that was why I didn't think much of the Summertime album upon first listens. "It Was a Very Good Year" falls into that category of "slow tunes" that I didn't used to like but have found appreciation for.

    That said, "Very Good Year" will probably never be in my list of top favorites. I think my favorite feature of it is the trombone work, but I don't think I've ever included it on any of my many TJB compilations.
     
    Mike Blakesley, Feb 13, 2018
    #9
  10. S.J. Hoover

    S.J. Hoover Member

    United States
    The "wet version" (the only one I, personally, am accustomed to) has that strange cello cutting-in like almost a pre-echo effect everytime the electric bassline starts.
     
    S.J. Hoover, Jun 14, 2018
    #10
  11. Captaindave

    Captaindave Well-Known Member

    Akron, Ohio
    I like this album quite a lot, but then I like all of them.

    My favorites are Memories of Madrid and So What's New.

    I am not a big fan of It Was A Very Good Year as a song....like mentioned above - no matter who does it. The only thing I pay much attention to in that song is the trumpet solo part, which I think is handled in classic Herb Alpert style and sound...without that, it is a pretty forgettable tune.

    To me, this album is an interesting transition between Going Places and SRO.
     
    Captaindave, Jun 14, 2018
    #11
  12. AM Matt

    AM Matt Well-Known Member

    Is the song "The Shadow Of Your Smile" ends at 3:29 or does it have another 10 more seconds at the end of the song?? Matt Clark Sanford, MI
     
    AM Matt, Jun 14, 2018
    #12
  13. AM Matt

    AM Matt Well-Known Member

    The original tan album version has 10 seconds more of the song "The Shadow Of Your Smile" at the end!! Matt Clark Sanford, MI
     
    AM Matt, Jun 14, 2018
    #13
  14. Harry

    Harry Charter A&M Corner Member Moderator

    A&M Corner Southern Command in Sunny Central FL
    Not really. They are at a slightly different speed making one about three seconds longer than the other. The bigger difference is between the Wet LP and the CD versions. The wet version has Herb's lead trumpet way off in the distance with a lot of reverb, whereas the dry CD has him much more upfront.
     
    Harry, Jun 14, 2018
    #14
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  15. Bobberman

    Bobberman Well-Known Member

    Moscow Idaho
    Very true I noticed the same Sonics on Rise Herb Used a lot of reverb there too as well as his lead trumpet was off in the distance to me Both albums had that quality and that gave his trumpet a real strong sound in my opinion
     
    Bobberman, Jun 14, 2018
    #15
  16. S.J. Hoover

    S.J. Hoover Member

    United States
    Bob's haunting trombone makes IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR worth sitting through (for my ears). The clunkers, IMO, are: If I Were A Rich Man and Shadow of Your Smile (the harpsichord instantly dates "Shadow" in a tacky way).
     
    S.J. Hoover, Jun 15, 2018
    #16
  17. AM Matt

    AM Matt Well-Known Member

    Thought it was Bob Edmonson who is playing the trombone when it fades out. Matt Clark Sanford, MI
     
    AM Matt, Jun 16, 2018
    #17
  18. S.J. Hoover

    S.J. Hoover Member

    United States
    What do you mean when it "fades out"(?)...the trombone part underpins the texture of the whole track.
     
    S.J. Hoover, Jun 16, 2018
    #18
  19. AM Matt

    AM Matt Well-Known Member

    Give a listen near the end: Matt Clark Sanford, MI
     
    AM Matt, Jun 16, 2018
    #19
    Bobberman likes this.
  20. S.J. Hoover

    S.J. Hoover Member

    United States
    listening to the 1968 tape my father bought at this moment
    (the trombone comes in at the *beginning* like a soliloquy to the song)[​IMG]
     
    S.J. Hoover, Jun 17, 2018
    #20

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