I feel like almost
every vinyl collector has a few Herb Alpert records in his or her collection. And rightly so, Herb’s music is so easy to
dig that it’s easy to see how it became such a phenomenon. It’s light hearted, but complex. It’s airy, but not light weight. It sounds great in the background, but doesn’t
disappoint when you get the headphones on. It is also the kind of vinyl that is extremely
easy to find. You seriously can go to
almost any thrift store in America and find a copy of something he released. Not all of it though.
“The Brass Are
Comin’” was the last album Herb did with the Brass before he took a much needed
break. He had done a ton of work and had
a ton of success, but the Brass was losing a bit of steam in terms of sales. As a result, this record is harder to find
than much of his earlier work. It’s
quite delightful though, and has a lot of songs and rhythmic feels that show
Herb trying to expand his ever expanding sound.
The opening number
“The Brass are Comin’” is one of my Top 5 Herb Alpert songs. The combination of the snare drum mixed with
the banjo and trumpet is titillating. It
sounds like nothing I have ever heard. I
have expressed in the past my love of fast songs that are played softly, and
this only deepens my love for them. The
doubled trumpet has a few notes at the end of the phrases where the notes don’t
match up perfectly. Herb probably didn’t
mean for them to fall out of sync at the end, but I am glad he did. It makes the concept of a doubled horn part
played by one man seem much more human. For you music nerds out there, there is a
bridge that has an interesting line based on the whole tone scale (one of my
favorites). After this, the song
suddenly pauses and then when it returns, it doesn’t do so with a large cymbal
crash. The entrance back into the verse feels
more like the letting go of a deeply held breath.
“Good Morning, Mr.
Sunshine” has all the elements of a great Herb Alpert song, but also includes a
delightfully woody sounding string section.
Dig how the melody is played at first by the trumpet, then by the
strings, then by both. Some superb
trombone counterpoint can also be heard if you concentrate.
Another gem which
shows up is “Country Lake.”
It has an intriguing solo that sounds like it is played on a B-Bender
Telecaster. I cannot confirm it, but I
would bet my wristwatch that it is Clarence White playing the solo. A B-Bender guitar was first used by Clarence
in his work with the Byrds. It is a very
distinct sound that he was known for. He uses it here to great effect over some well
placed chord changes. While looking for
Clarence’s name in the huge list of
names on the inside, I also saw that Carol Kaye (most famous for playing bass
on “Pet Sounds”) is listed. I met her
once, and she was just about the kindest, most open person I have ever met. I’ll give you the full story on her another
time though.
When I heard him
start to sing “Sunny,” I thought Herb was going for another “This Guy’s In Love
with You.” To be 100% honest with you, I
never really liked "Sunny," and when I heard how slow he was taking the pace,
I was a bit nonplussed. However! Herb came through for me. The vocal only starts the song. Then, the drums kick in and pick up the pace
in a major way. The song really
cooks. The melody is played (once again)
by the classic doubled trumpet, but you can also hear a non lyrical vocal by
Herb underneath it. I have always liked
the sound of Herb’s voice even though it isn’t a super strong one. He never tries too hard, and as a result,
never overextends himself or shows off.
It’s just good old Herb, walkin’ down the street singing a little tune
and enjoying life. I actually think this
is one of the best songs on the album, and the melody, when treated this way,
is infectious. I even like the beginning
vocal now. If I was "nonplussed" when I
first heard it, then now I am just good old fashioned "plussed". Ya did it, Herb. Ya won me over on “Sunny.”
Tones: I wouldn’t say there are
a ton of new tones that have never been heard on his other records. You get the standard trumpet, marimba, brass,
and guitars that are up to their usually high standards. There is a cool sounding electric piano/harpsichord
on “Country Lake,” but I am not sure what it is. It’s sort of a muffled popping chime. Anybody
know what that is? Also, the mixing on
this album is great and offers some great stereo panning that only the late 60’s
can provide.
Cover note: I would describe the overall color scheme as psychedelic sepia. The way the border is colored, kind of reminds me of the marker like inks on the cover of Paul McCartney’s “Ram.” I also love the western outfits mixed with the horns the guys are carrying.
Price Paid: Are you ready? Are
you sure? Here it is. I paid 25 cents for this record at the crummy
bookstore at the library. It was in
almost mint condition except for the fact that all of the paper on the spine
was taken off. How does that even
happen? The bookstore had some
characters in it too. You think record collectors
are strange? Hardcore book readers/seekers
are even stranger.
Bottom line: I distinctly
remember hearing my wife say, “That’s pretty,” as I played this album. I also made a few little videos of my boy
running around while this record was playing in the background. It ended up being a pretty surreal video
scored to this music. My boy seemed
happy as it and he played though. I think
the reason I like this album so much is that it has a familiar sound, but it hasn’t
been overplayed. I’m not sure if this is
rare, but I certainly haven’t seen it often.
It’s definitely worth $5.00 or even a little more. If you don’t have any Herb, this is probably
not the best place to start. However, if
you like Herb, just go for it.
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