Herb Alpert / Tijuana Brass

Today's paper had a good profile on Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. The first two sentences of the article read ... "Just a few notes from that peppy horn are enough to book you on a first-class nostalgia trip. They take you back to turntable parties in the paneled rec room, tiki torches on the patio, and Dad sporting his groovy new sideburns."

Now, I never connected the Tijuana Brass with tiki or tiki torches, but the band was a representative sound of the 60's. One could argues that there was a migration in pop musical tastes from the 'not authentically exotic' sounds of Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman to the 'not aunthentically Mexican' brass sound of the Tijuana Brass.

There is lots of information in the article. Herb Alpert appeared in the movie 'The 10 Commandments' - he is playing the drums when Charleton Heston descends from the mountain; and also news that the woman on the cover of 'Whipped Cream and Other Delights' was three months pregnant when that photo was taken.

The article can be found here ...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28538-2005Apr5.html

Vern

I'm a big Herb Alpert fan! I remember when I was a kid, staring desperately at the Whipped Cream cover hoping to catch a glipse of....well, you know. (I was perv from a young age!) I loved playing the album too!!!!

Maybe I should give Herb Alpert's music a chance... god knows there's enough of his vinyl at the Goodwill that you could buy everything he ever released in one trip! If I happen to like his music I'd be set!

John - DO IT!! He's the best. I can't count how many Herb Alpert albums I have - It's almost an addiction! Go over to Amazon.com and have a taste...

Yes, Alpert records are everywhere and I always had to pick up one I didn't have. I have to admit though, there is a certain "law of diminishing returns" with that stuff after a while (speaking only for myself here). Kind of rigid sometimes compared to Bossa Nova, for me the real latin gem. But he is a major presence in the vast world of retro tropicalia. And there are some fine album covers. I think he helped springboard Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66 into int'l stardom, so hey. And I suppose you could say he was indirectly responsible for Johnny Cash putting horns in "Ring of Fire," which is in itself a wonderful thing! DadadaDAdadada,daDAdada! (Sorry...)

I was reading (I wish I could recall what it was, exactly) something very interesting about how the "tropical / exotic" niche has always been a constant in pop music (and you can go further regarding its associations with escape from restrictive norms regarding, well, sex and booze (but I'll leave that topic for now)). Anyway, the point was, the cha-cha craze of the '50s was quickly dropped when Cuba went communist. Either formally or informally, the political authorities let it be known that things Cuban were not to be portrayed in a favorable light. Thus as if on cue, in the '60s there was heavy emphasis on Brazilian (Bossa Nova) and "Mexican" (Alpert et al). I'm not saying here that anyone orchestrated this stuff (too conspiracy theory-ish), but the "message" was conveyed nonetheless. Similarly, the "Hawaiiana" craze can be seen as functioning to 1. solidify Americans' identification with this far-flung island chain when it was vulnerable and under attack, and 2. enhance the "acceptance" of it as a new state, and foster a tourism boom to better integrate it with the mainland economy. I know some of this is like, "No s***t, Sherlock!" but my point is, it's interesting how some of these pop culture things we all enjoy were tied into, of all things, geopolitics. (I've got a feeling this stuff is covered more eloquently in the BOT -- I don't have it yet...) So, in conclusion, you see, Herb Alpert can thank Fidel Castro for his vast commercial success! (My next essay will be on the geopolitical forces behind Jimmy Buffett (a Soviet plot to undermine American culture which took on a life of its own?).)

Yeah, it really amazed and freaked me out too when I saw the "Whipped Cream and other delights" album in my Dad's collection. It seemed so out of character! I was like (in Butthead-esque voice) "WHOA!!!" And I too stared at it from a variety of angles to try to really get an appreciation of, you know, the whole gestalt of it. A more innocent era I guess. Hearing that record, with the volume up so the speakers of the old cabinet phonograph vibrated on the low notes, meant that salted Planter's Peanuts were out in little bowls, a bunch of my folks' friends were over, many Hush Puppies were tapping to the beat, there was some sort of modest self-service setup on the kitchen counter, and that distant tribe of people known as "adults" suddenly seemed more human. I think that's when I started to really love music. Okay, I'll stop typing now.

Can Herb Alpert be described as "Mexotica"...I think I may copyright that...

Did any of you ever see HERB, the TJB cover band? I saw them about ten years ago, and they were fabulous! Whatever happened to them?

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=6136&forum=6&vpost=58684
:)

if you all want a herb alpert / burt bacharach / spy extravaganza, rent "casino royale" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061452/

also don't forget it's A&M records who brought us sergio mendez and brasil '66 ~ for which i am eternally grateful.

Lonely Bull still gives me shivers. I love that song!
There is a good collection of Herb Alpert tunes done by surf/ instro bands. Pollo del mar, Insect Surfers, Space Cossacks amoung many others make this a really cool compilation. Its out on Wildebeast Records. No whipped creamed covered girls on the cover, but there is a Surfin' Senorita with a really old looking longboard.
Dig it,
Chongolio

And it's being reissued, anyone need another copy?

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/04/12/eye.ent.alpert/index.html

man, that's great stuff! my intro to Herb and the TJB was in 5th grade way back when (mid 60's); our teacher actually played his albums in the room while we took tests.. (remember those old industrial strength record players?) and she let us chew gum as well! shocking stuff back around 64-65. then there was the Teaberry gum commercial and of course, the Dating Game... and of course, THAT album cover.

man, those were the days...

check this out...

http://www.whippedcreamlady.com

Thanks, Palama. ahhhh.... the Whipped Cream lady! Fantasies abound, usually involving a fire-hose!!! I have half a mind to buy that signed album cover. When all my little friends were spending their milk-money for "Rubber Soul" and "Meet the Beatles" - I was a charter member of the TJB Fan Club sponsored by A&M here in L.A., circa 1965-66. I wish to God I still had my old membership package! My first official live music concert was at the old Carousel Theater (very cool - concert in the round!) down in Anaheim - it's a church now, I think, if it's even still "around"! :) Anybody know? Wayne Newton was the actual headliner, but I wanted only to see the "warm up" band - Martin Denny's vibes player extraordinaire, my hero, Julius Wechter(RIP) and the Baja Marimba Band!! That was in 1967 for my 10th birthday!! Thanks for the memories

[ Edited by: PapeToaTane on 2005-04-14 09:16 ]

Clam Dip and Other Delights...

edit: Thanks for the subsequent image fix Freddie!

[ Edited by: Hakalugi on 2005-04-14 12:20 ]

On 2005-04-14 09:41, Hakalugi wrote:
Clam Dip and Other Delights...

On 2005-04-14 12:10, freddiefreelance wrote:

On 2005-04-14 09:41, Hakalugi wrote:
Clam Dip and Other Delights...

That's one of the best albums of all time!! My old band used to cover Articifial Heart all the time. The pre-Winona Soul Asylum was a great band.