What single is the most quintessential TJB song?
- Thread starter Clark
- Start date
- Status
Well, I agree with Mr. Bill on "Tijuana Taxi" and "Spanish Flea", but there are a lot of choices to finding a definitive TJB song that was a single. I think "Zorba the Greek" is the band at its best. And their version of "The Third Man Theme" is really great as well.
Coincidentally, those four songs were all on !!Going Places!!, so that has to be the definitive TJB album! Not to mention every song on that album is so lively and great souding. Unlike Whipped Cream and Other Delights which has a couple of rather melancholy songs like "Ladyfingers" or "Lemon Tree".
Joe, enduring the terrible winds and rain down here in N.O.
Coincidentally, those four songs were all on !!Going Places!!, so that has to be the definitive TJB album! Not to mention every song on that album is so lively and great souding. Unlike Whipped Cream and Other Delights which has a couple of rather melancholy songs like "Ladyfingers" or "Lemon Tree".
Joe, enduring the terrible winds and rain down here in N.O.
marblerabbit
New Member
I gotta agree with everyone so far - Going Places the quintessential TJB album and Tijuana Taxi the quintessential song. The spirit of the Brass to me was in the combination of mariachi, Dixieland (noticeable in Bob Edmundson's trombone fills), American pop and a little swing. The album and the song have a little bit of everything in it. No matter what mood you're in, Tijuana Taxi will make you smile, and I'll bet that's the thing Herb is most proud of.
Joe, keep those hatches battened down. Saw the NO radar loop - you guys are really in the middle of a blow. If I was in Pensacola right now, I'd be sitting at The Reef bar, suckin' dowm some margaritas, eating some fried grouper, and keepin' an eye on the skies. They're in for it, too.
Doug
Joe, keep those hatches battened down. Saw the NO radar loop - you guys are really in the middle of a blow. If I was in Pensacola right now, I'd be sitting at The Reef bar, suckin' dowm some margaritas, eating some fried grouper, and keepin' an eye on the skies. They're in for it, too.
Doug
Captaindave
Well-Known Member
I have always been fond of some of the less well known songs that the general public might not know as well, but still carry the TJB sound. Perhaps the best example for me is Memories of Madrid from the What Now My Love album.
To me, this song has all the elements of the TJB sound and style.
To me, this song has all the elements of the TJB sound and style.
I certainly can't argue with any of the choices mentioned. They're all right up there in my book. But I'll add one more to that quintessential list: "A Taste Of Honey". Though it wasn't recorded by the "classic" TJB members, it's still one powerful chunk of vinyl (or collection of digits for you modern-day guys and gals!).
Harry
...putting in a vote for "A Taste Of Honey", online...
Harry
...putting in a vote for "A Taste Of Honey", online...
DAN BOLTON
Well-Known Member
I'd have to go with WHAT NOW MY LOVE if we're considering only the singles, and DON'T GO BREAKING MY HEART if we aren't. WNML was my favorite commercial single...the bassline really drives, and it was a different take on a usually mournful song that really worked well...this song really showed Herb and the Brass' versatility and freshness, as well as Herb's creativity.
DGBMH was the best arranged TJB song, in my opinion...it just wails...it's one of the most exciting and romantic songs ever, and it captures the spirit of the '60's perfectly...I know that's an overused phrase, and I'm not sure just how to explain it, but the mid '60's were an exotic time...jet setters and all that...go-go boots, miniskirts, etc...and this song just captures that mood for me...
SLICK is another one...more jazz oriented than the earlier works, but a logical evolution from WNML and DGBMH, at least to me...I guess the "ameriachi" sound of 1965 was so huge and displayed in so many venues that I don't really think much about it now...I see the TJB as more of a jazz ensemble. SPANISH FLEA AND A TASTE OF HONEY may have put the TJB on the map, so to speak, but those songs were more pop and commercial icons than anything else, and they defined a very short period on the TJB's history...Herb spent a lot more time with the sound he was developing after 1965, and really grew as an artist in this period.
Dan
DGBMH was the best arranged TJB song, in my opinion...it just wails...it's one of the most exciting and romantic songs ever, and it captures the spirit of the '60's perfectly...I know that's an overused phrase, and I'm not sure just how to explain it, but the mid '60's were an exotic time...jet setters and all that...go-go boots, miniskirts, etc...and this song just captures that mood for me...
SLICK is another one...more jazz oriented than the earlier works, but a logical evolution from WNML and DGBMH, at least to me...I guess the "ameriachi" sound of 1965 was so huge and displayed in so many venues that I don't really think much about it now...I see the TJB as more of a jazz ensemble. SPANISH FLEA AND A TASTE OF HONEY may have put the TJB on the map, so to speak, but those songs were more pop and commercial icons than anything else, and they defined a very short period on the TJB's history...Herb spent a lot more time with the sound he was developing after 1965, and really grew as an artist in this period.
Dan
Steven J. Gross
Well-Known Member
thetijuanataxi
Well-Known Member
I have to go along with "Tijuana Taxi" for most quintessential TJB song. Strong runners up would be "Spanish Flea", "Taste Of Honey", and "The Lonely Bull". Those four songs will always be synonymous with Herb Alpert. Even people who don't listen to Herb's music know those songs. The others mentioned are also great tunes as well, but not universally recognized as Herb Alpert signatures.
David,
who also thinks "GOING PLACES" was the TJB's flagship album.........
David,
who also thinks "GOING PLACES" was the TJB's flagship album.........
I have to agree with the choices of "Tijuana Taxi" and "Spanish Flea" and "Taste of Honey" as the quintessential TJB songs. If I had to pick one of those three to send out in an interplanetary time capsule, I think I'd go with "Flea." It has it all: Great beat, plenty of hooks in the melody, a great fun arrangement and a memorable melody. (The only thing it DOESN'T have is Julius on marimba!)
If I was picking "my own" quintessential songs, I'd go with "The Sea Is My Soil" and "Monday, Monday." TSIMS is just an awesome record, and "Monday Monday" has that great stop-start arrangement and is my favorite Bob Edmondson recording.
If I was picking "my own" quintessential songs, I'd go with "The Sea Is My Soil" and "Monday, Monday." TSIMS is just an awesome record, and "Monday Monday" has that great stop-start arrangement and is my favorite Bob Edmondson recording.
DAN BOLTON
Well-Known Member
shakkai
New Member
I grew up listening to my parents' HA & TJB vinyls while home alone. I would go nuts jumping around to Zorba the Greek! I absolutely love their sound and I am probably one of the few from my generation that has even heard of the band!
Lonely Bull, Zorba the Greek, Spanish Flea, Tijuana Taxi... those are probably my favorites.
Wasn't one of the HA & TJB songs used for the cartoon the "Anteater?" I really thought they used their songs in some TV shows but could not find an answer on the discography.
Lonely Bull, Zorba the Greek, Spanish Flea, Tijuana Taxi... those are probably my favorites.
Wasn't one of the HA & TJB songs used for the cartoon the "Anteater?" I really thought they used their songs in some TV shows but could not find an answer on the discography.
DAN BOLTON
Well-Known Member
shakkai said:
The backup band for the Ant and Anteater cartoons was made up of some of the best jazz sidemen of the era[late '60's-early '70's]. Shelly Manne played the drums, and the great Tommy Tedesco played guitar and banjo. They're billed at the end of each cartoon, which was very unusual in those days. Tedesco was featured on several TJB albums...before John Pisano ...and did some work on Herb's solo albums, as well. He died in the mid '90's, but wrote a book shortly before he passed away. He mentions Herb in it...
I don't think that any TJB music was featured in the cartoons, but there was a trumpet, and the sound was obviously a TJB clone...kinda dixieland.
Dan, who can only remember Tommy Tedesco and Shelly Manne from the combo...
Not sure why I'm thinking this but overall I think I like "Marching Thru Madrid". Maybe it's because it was one of the first TJB songs I heard as a kid. It's kind of relaxed and contemplative. THe other one I keep going back to is on the Christmas album, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.
If they could just give me the split track for that, I'd love it!
Tim
If they could just give me the split track for that, I'd love it!
Tim
walterphil
Member
im a little surprised about people's choices here. don't get me wrong i love herb. but i think "spanish flea" and "tijuana taxi" are the worst. maybe it's "the dating game" that ruined them for me, but they are (to me) silly cliches, and novelty ones at that. my fave woule have to be "a banda." thats the greatest, the quintissential. next maybe the "love nest." and "flamingo." and especially "casino royale.""mae." "and the angels sing." (now THERE'S a knockout.) "bobo." (oooh maybe THAT'S my fave!) these are what make the brass magic for me. they aren't novelties. they are the real thing.
just my 2 cents.
walt
just my 2 cents.
walt
thetijuanataxi
Well-Known Member
Perhaps a clarification of what was originally intended (I believe) in this thread.
..."being the most typical" as it relates to Herb Alpert has to include songs like "Tijuana Taxi", "Spanish Flea", and my choice "A Taste Of Honey". Among other valid choices would be "The Lonely Bull" or perhaps "What Now My Love."
Point is, quintessential, by its definition, means the most typical. If you were asked to play a Tijuana Brass song, only one, for someone who's never heard the band before, what do you pick?
We all have favorites. Those exquisite numbers that push our buttons when we hear them, like "Mae" or "For Carlos." But those don't fit the dictionary definition of "quintessential", which has somehow, erroneously, taken on a connotation of 'being the best.'
Harry
...going to the dictionary, online...
dictionary.com said:
..."being the most typical" as it relates to Herb Alpert has to include songs like "Tijuana Taxi", "Spanish Flea", and my choice "A Taste Of Honey". Among other valid choices would be "The Lonely Bull" or perhaps "What Now My Love."
Point is, quintessential, by its definition, means the most typical. If you were asked to play a Tijuana Brass song, only one, for someone who's never heard the band before, what do you pick?
We all have favorites. Those exquisite numbers that push our buttons when we hear them, like "Mae" or "For Carlos." But those don't fit the dictionary definition of "quintessential", which has somehow, erroneously, taken on a connotation of 'being the best.'
Harry
...going to the dictionary, online...
walterphil
Member
i like, stand, so totally corrected.
i did miscontrue the origin of the poll.
yes of course "tijuana taxi" and "spanish flea" are the most typically herb.
also they were his greatest hits. unfortunately.
when i try to convince younger, perhaps non fans,the genius of herb alpert and i mention his "biggest hits," (taxi, flea et. al.) they chortle or run away screaming, because, of course, EVERYONE has heard these, often thru commercials or lousy tv shows. its like saying "i wanna hold your hand" or "yesterday" are the beatles at their best.
when i show these same people the refreshingly pop subtleties of "a walk in the black forest," or "when the angels sing," or "got a lot of living to do" or "flamingo," they realize there is more to this man and his sound, than those dating game cliches.
back to the original question though, i would agree also with "what now my love" (awesome), or "zorba" (still exciting), or stick to my original, "a banda" (which is both quintissential AND herb at his best) AND was also a hit.
didn't mean to offend. i really do love herb as much as any of you. i just think he's a lot better than his handful of novelty "greatest hits."
(especially when you are trying to convince a newbie)
much herbie love
walt
i did miscontrue the origin of the poll.
yes of course "tijuana taxi" and "spanish flea" are the most typically herb.
also they were his greatest hits. unfortunately.
when i try to convince younger, perhaps non fans,the genius of herb alpert and i mention his "biggest hits," (taxi, flea et. al.) they chortle or run away screaming, because, of course, EVERYONE has heard these, often thru commercials or lousy tv shows. its like saying "i wanna hold your hand" or "yesterday" are the beatles at their best.
when i show these same people the refreshingly pop subtleties of "a walk in the black forest," or "when the angels sing," or "got a lot of living to do" or "flamingo," they realize there is more to this man and his sound, than those dating game cliches.
back to the original question though, i would agree also with "what now my love" (awesome), or "zorba" (still exciting), or stick to my original, "a banda" (which is both quintissential AND herb at his best) AND was also a hit.
didn't mean to offend. i really do love herb as much as any of you. i just think he's a lot better than his handful of novelty "greatest hits."
(especially when you are trying to convince a newbie)
much herbie love
walt
Captaindave
Well-Known Member
IMO, this definition suggests the song(s) that are the ones that most people recognize and identify with the style and sound.
I think that songs like Tijuana Taxi and Spanish Flea (maybe This Guy's In Love With You might be quintessential also) are songs that people who know little, if anything else about Herb Alpert/TJB would recognize and might even be able to name the song's title. I think that many people who don't know much else about Herb Alpert might probably still recognize the "quintessential" songs, even after all these years since their original popularity. In other words, it's the songs that became hugely popular and defined the sound for the masses of people.
This is probably the big problem I have with buying collections or compilations of songs, however. It is the quintessential (or nearly so) songs that make it onto these recordings. These are the songs that everybody knows and recognizes. They are the ones that probably got all the radio airplay when popular. And these songs have been played so much that I often enjoy listening to the "non-quintessential" songs even more at times.
I'm not saying that these songs don't deserve their fame and popularity - they are the quintessential TJB. But, I also like to hear the songs that never made it onto the radio, or were never made into an arrangement for high school marching bands to play (now there's a way to find out what is popular - do high school bands play arrangements of it?
).
I think that songs like Tijuana Taxi and Spanish Flea (maybe This Guy's In Love With You might be quintessential also) are songs that people who know little, if anything else about Herb Alpert/TJB would recognize and might even be able to name the song's title. I think that many people who don't know much else about Herb Alpert might probably still recognize the "quintessential" songs, even after all these years since their original popularity. In other words, it's the songs that became hugely popular and defined the sound for the masses of people.
This is probably the big problem I have with buying collections or compilations of songs, however. It is the quintessential (or nearly so) songs that make it onto these recordings. These are the songs that everybody knows and recognizes. They are the ones that probably got all the radio airplay when popular. And these songs have been played so much that I often enjoy listening to the "non-quintessential" songs even more at times.
I'm not saying that these songs don't deserve their fame and popularity - they are the quintessential TJB. But, I also like to hear the songs that never made it onto the radio, or were never made into an arrangement for high school marching bands to play (now there's a way to find out what is popular - do high school bands play arrangements of it?
).SwingerfromSeville
New Member
Man, you guys are making me want to get all my TJB records out and bone up! I agree with so many of you - especially the defintion of "quintessential' - most typical would surely be Tijuana Taxi, Spanish Flea. But number one I think would be "The Lonely Bull" - cause I believe you've got to understand what came before and "Bull" was the first. My favourite and gotta be the best is "What Now My Love". What an arrangement!! That's just before dusk on a Saturday in the summer, that is. Great stuff. C'mon, "This Guy's in Love With You" is cool - "Casino Royale" and Herb just HAD to do "Spanish Harlem" Gotta go with !!Going Places!! But the B side of "Whipped Cream..." is truly great listening. "'Sgt. Pepper' for the middle-of-the-road set", indeed. Just my 4 1/2 cents CDN (2 cents American)
There are so many great "TJB" songs but my vote has to be "Lollipops and Roses" from the "Whipped Cream" Album, "Mae" then "And the Angels Sing." These songs in my humble opinion caputred the TJB at their "Big Band" sound. In particualr the "Going Places" album represents TJB at their peak professionally speaking.
- Status
Similar discussions
- Article