Solid State Record "Percussive Mariachi" Arranged and Conducted by Ted Sommer (1967)

 

              I have been attracted to these Solid State record jackets for a while now.  My buddy Vic and I are lovers of old Command Records, and I feel like while much different, these are in the same vein.  It’s a pretty safe bet that if something has geometric figures on the cover and the words “percussive” or “percussion,” then there is a good chance it will be good.  I just bought a record called “Hawaiian Percussion” by Billy Mure based on the same criteria, and it worked out great for me.

                I have found very little information on the Solid State record company, but their claim to fame was recording with solid state gear.  It was specifically for home Hi-Fi’s that utilized the futuristic (and presumably magic) transistor.  “NO TUBES WERE HURT DURING THE MAKING OF THIS RECORD.”  I actually made that quote up, but based on the album notes, these guys were serious about their transistor equipment.  Funny how things change.  Tubes are back in style these days in a big way.  Today, saying your stereo has transistors in it is like saying your car has wheels on it.     

                But how does it sound?  Really great, actually.  It’s super clean and has nice separation.  Some of the low notes the brass section plays will actually rattle your chest deep into the lungs, if played at high volume.  The marimba parts are clean and plucky and the drums are crisp and dry.

                One thing that should be noted is that it does kind of sound of like a Herb Alpert record.  In 1967, Herb was all the rage, so there were lots of "cash in" albums done in his style.  I love Herb Alpert, so this is not really a bad thing for me.  My wife loves the song “If I Were a Rich Man,” and with all of its tempo changes and marimba virtuosity, it’s a great choice.  Ole Herb did this tune on his “What Now My Love” record and she pointed out how cool it was then.  Now she sings it with a kind of “doo doo doot doot doot” kind of sound that I find very pleasing.  Maybe I’ll make her record it for my personal files.

                On an odd note, every time I look at the record cover I think it says “Progressive Mariachi.”  What the heck would that sound like?  I am actually quite intrigued.  It could be awesome, with serious jazz dudes wearing Mexican hats, just tearing it up with fast complex horn lines and harmonies.  Or, it could be somethin’ awful.  I also picture fat metal kids in black t-shirts with 7 string guitars tuned to C#.  They may even play Randall amps.  Those are transistor based…Right?

                Side two kicks off with not one, but two songs from the Black Orpheus soundtrack!  If you haven’t heard Luiz Bonfa’s recording of these songs, just go find them and dig in.  Vince Guaraldi’s versions are great too.  There is a neat percussion sound in “Samba De Orfeu’ that the liner notes calls "pitched cow bells".  It sounds like someone hitting an expensive pan made of both glass and metal.  “Carnival” is also great and played much faster than the more somber renditions I have heard in the past.   Has anyone ever seen the movie Black Orpheus?  I got a get a paragraph in on this. 

                What a strange movie from Brazil.  My wife and I watched this one afternoon before our son was born.  I think we ate BBQ chicken pizza, which my wife no longer cares for, but I would like to have again sometime.  Anyway, the movie has this little dancing kid with a tambourine that follows Orpheus around.  Dang this kid is awesome.  He’s probably 65 now, but I’d still love to meet him.  I tried dancing around the house like him for a few days, but surprise, it did not have the effect I was looking for.  I’m going to go and get my tambourine and try again right now.  Hold on……………………………………………………………………Dang!  I still can’t do it.  If you haven’t seen Black Orpheus though, you should.  So many Jazz and Bossa Nova dudes played the songs from the soundtrack that it’s cool just to say you saw it.  My wife and I still talk about it.  It’s weird and has subtitles though, so don’t watch it when you just need to veg out. 

Tones:  There is an interesting instrument on a few songs called a buzzimba.  Without hearing it, I would think that would sound like a marimba running through a fuzz box, but I am wrong.  To me it sounds bit like a tuned car horn.  Maybe that mixed with a bit of percussive moog.  There is also an ondioline (the ubiquitous ondioline!) on one track, and an electric clavichord on another.  Ondiolines are pretty sick too.  I like just about everything I hear outta them. 

Cover note:  Solid State Records had very similar covers when they were first starting.  This one is mostly white (which I have always loved) and has a picture of an everlasting gobstopper from the original Willy Wonka painting on it.  It’s very eye catching.  Tell me it doesn’t look like this:

Price Paid:  $2.00 from that same record table at the Central Florida Fairground Record show.   I cleaned up that day. 

Bottom Line:  This record won’t change your life, but is great for a sunny Sunday afternoon.  The song list is cool and you may get some different versions of stuff you already like.  If you see it for $1.00-$4.00, snatch it up!