C/D: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass?

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Three reissues out this week. One of my indelible musical memories is listening to them on headphones, age ten, on a Saturday 7 a.m. -- and getting a nosebleed.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Friday, 11 February 2005 21:13 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.hamncheez.com/media/flash/mr_nice.swf

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 11 February 2005 21:30 (twenty-one years ago)

i saw the reissues and was kind of confused. do people really care about this stuff? wouldn't they rather just go out and buy three for a dollar at the local thrift store? and since he is at every single thrift store, does this mean that he was pretty popular and people do actually care?

― Tito JaXoN (JasonD), Friday, 11 February 2005 21:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I like them, in fact I tried starting a Herb Alpert vs. Roy Etzel thread last month - with zero response. So my girlfriend won THAT bet. I've probably got about 6 or 7 of their albums, all purchased for about a dollar each of course. Not sure if I'd bother picking up a cd though....probably only if it was a compilation with a really killer tracklisting.

― everything, Saturday, 12 February 2005 00:00 (twenty-one years ago)

obv. classic, but yeah, pay no more than a quarter.

― hstencil (hstencil), Saturday, 12 February 2005 00:07 (twenty-one years ago)

You and your girlfriend wager bets based on thread popularity?

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Saturday, 12 February 2005 00:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Unquestionably Classic.

― Jole, Saturday, 12 February 2005 06:52 (twenty-one years ago)

san diego sez: DUD DUD DUD

― vahid (vahid), Saturday, 12 February 2005 08:52 (twenty-one years ago)

worse than surf-rock

― vahid (vahid), Saturday, 12 February 2005 08:53 (twenty-one years ago)

oh you joyless naysayers. this music is full of life and herb's trumpet is just so sarcastic - you think he didn't know how cheesy this stuff was? it's ace.
check out "the brass are coming" for the best version of "moon river" ever and "country lake" (how many harpsichord funk country tijuana numbers do you get you spoilt cretins? you need to appreciate this stuff!) also "SRO" for "mexican road race" if nothing else - funniest instrumental about a mexican road race ever! with car noises! also these guys are responsible for what is alongside the dali caldis ensemble's "sounds for a swinging christmas" probably the joint best ever christmas album. the rhythm section rocks.

― bob snoom, Saturday, 12 February 2005 10:49 (twenty-one years ago)

i like the track herb did with chuck d.

― eman (eman), Saturday, 12 February 2005 10:54 (twenty-one years ago)

eman wins

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Saturday, 12 February 2005 10:56 (twenty-one years ago)

i loved "diamonds " with janet jackson

― La Camilla Henemark, Saturday, 12 February 2005 11:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Get with it: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass were just popularizers. The Baja Marimba Band were the cutting-edge groundbreakers, man.

― lovebug starski (lovebug starski), Saturday, 12 February 2005 12:00 (twenty-one years ago)

i like the track herb did with chuck d.

The first mashup ever, and still the best. Evolution Control forevah!

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Saturday, 12 February 2005 16:38 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

"Diamonds," you ignorami!

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 22:00 (nineteen years ago)

Great version of "Wade in the Water".

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 22:13 (nineteen years ago)

Herb contributed a fine, appropriately lazy solo to Angel Corpus Christi's languidly sexy "Lazy" (from 1995's White Courtesy Phone LP) and is therefore more than OK in my book. Of the Brass, I only recognize the biggest hits, but they're pleasant enough. My parents owned '68's The Beat Of The Brass but never EVER played it to my knowledge. (Musta been a wedding gift or something.) Gatefold art, as I recall, had Herb & the boys honking away for the pleasure of sheep and goats in a petting zoo, no kidding.

― Monty Von Byonga (Monty Von Byonga), Tuesday, 30 May 2006 23:39 (nineteen years ago)

"Casino Royale" is grand.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 02:17 (nineteen years ago)

C'mon guys, "Spanish Flea" rules!!!

― naus (Robert T), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 02:20 (nineteen years ago)

The Dating Game Music innit? Call me stupid, but I always like This Guy's In Love With You.

― jim wentworth (wench), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 02:27 (nineteen years ago)

"Rise" = "Hypnotize" by Biggie.

― Ash (ashbyman), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 16:17 (nineteen years ago)

there's a mentally handicapped fellow who shops at the store and LOVES herb alpert.

draw your own conclusions.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Wednesday, 31 May 2006 16:46 (nineteen years ago)

five years pass...

dang the bobby konders mix of north on south street is something good

― coal, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 16:45 (thirteen years ago)

theres like 3 mixes on there its worth getting for

― coal, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 17:25 (thirteen years ago)

seven years pass...

Interesting interview with him now on WBGO.

― Theory of Every Zing (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 28 April 2019 16:18 (six years ago)

His wife is being interviewed too. Lani Hall, original lead singer of Brasil '66, in case you didn’t know.

― Theory of Every Zing (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 28 April 2019 16:29 (six years ago)

An actual video from 1966--this turned up in the Mentors documentary! (El Duce was influenced by the drumming...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_KDPUTyDyQ

― clemenza, Sunday, 28 April 2019 16:34 (six years ago)

At the age of 3 I used to jump around the living room like a maniac to my parents 45 of Spanish Flea

― Dr X O'Skeleton, Sunday, 28 April 2019 21:45 (six years ago)

four months pass...

Age 84 and he has a new album out. First single: "Skinny Dip"

― Josefa, Sunday, 22 September 2019 21:00 (six years ago)

two months pass...

Just saw him do a cabaret show with Lani Hall. They really brought it. It was a mix of Tijuana Brass songs and Brasil '66 songs, plus extras. He got the entire room to sing along to "This Guy's in Love with You," which was sweet. They closed with "Puttin' on the Ritz" which Lani sounded great on.

― Josefa, Saturday, 30 November 2019 15:32 (six years ago)

Where was this?

― Irae Louvin (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 30 November 2019 15:52 (six years ago)

Did you go with your colleague Michael Feingold?

― Irae Louvin (James Redd and the Blecchs), Saturday, 30 November 2019 15:53 (six years ago)

Café Carlyle at the Carlyle Hotel.

I don't even know Michael Feingold!

― Josefa, Saturday, 30 November 2019 16:15 (six years ago)

Oh, I see what you're referring to... the John Simon obit I linked to. I meant Feingold was a colleague of John Simon, not of me.

― Josefa, Saturday, 30 November 2019 16:16 (six years ago)

nine months pass...

New documentary out any day now.

― Erdős-szám 69 (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 27 September 2020 20:37 (five years ago)

Absolute certainty: if physical copies exist, every last one of them is destined for your local thrift shop.

― clemenza, Sunday, 27 September 2020 20:46 (five years ago)

I really want to see the documentary. I have a weird family connection: my brother-in-law's father was Bud Coleman, who was a guitarist for Alpert and the writer of "Tijuana Taxi."

― Elvis Telecom, Sunday, 27 September 2020 21:00 (five years ago)

two months pass...

Documentary is out for rent now (I assume everywhere, but I watched it on Amazon). I love this dude so much, and I love A&M Records as a whole concept and it was nice to see some of the behind the scenes of the label. Also, Herb just genuinely seems like a good person. The doc veered into hero worship by some of the contributors, but tbh much of it appears warranted.

― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 22 December 2020 05:11 (five years ago)

one year passes...

Just saw he's touring in September. He'll be 87! Has anyone seen him recently(-ish)?

― j.o.h.n. in evanston (john. a resident of chicago.), Wednesday, 9 March 2022 18:27 (three years ago)

i have not, but by strange coincidence i was listening to tijuana brass less than an hour before you posted

― covidsbundlertanze op. 6 (Jon not Jon), Wednesday, 9 March 2022 18:50 (three years ago)

Yeah I saw him in November 2019, see upthread. I'd say go see him, you owe it to yourself.

― Josefa, Wednesday, 9 March 2022 19:55 (three years ago)

He doesn't seem his age, he's got the spirit of youth

― Josefa, Wednesday, 9 March 2022 19:58 (three years ago)

three years pass...

green peppers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr2xYyKZDnE

― llurk, Sunday, 3 August 2025 02:44 (seven months ago)

he’s been touring all summer

― budo jeru, Sunday, 3 August 2025 15:43 (seven months ago)

Hey! I just saw that record in the record store about an hour ago and passed on buying it. Did I make a mistake?

― Ubiquitor, Sunday, 3 August 2025 19:19 (seven months ago)

You'll only have 87,000 more chances.

― clemenza, Sunday, 3 August 2025 19:21 (seven months ago)

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