Spotlight: BLOW YOUR OWN HORN (SP-4949)

[Captain Bacardi]

Herb Alpert
BLOW YOUR OWN HORN
A&M SP-4949

Released 1983

Format: Vinyl/Cassette/CD

Albums Chart: #120 Pop Album, #13 Jazz Album, #49 Black Album
Singles Chart: "Red Hot" - #77 Pop Single; "Garden Party" - #81 Pop Single, #14 Adult Contemporary Single

Songs & Musicians:

• 1. Red Hot (Howard Massey) - 4:45
  • Produced and Arranged by Herb Alpert, Randy Badazz and Andy Armer
    Engineered by Don Hahn, Benny Faccone and Paul McKenna
    Andy Armer - Piano and Emulator
    Randy Badazz - Vocals, Tambourine and Wood Block
    Mike Lang - Wurlitzer Piano
    Abraham Laboriel - Bass
    Tommy Tedesco - Acoustic Guitar
    Chris Pinnick - Electric Guitar
    Steve Gadd - Drums
    Ernie Watts - Tenor Sax
    Mike Baird - Tom Tom
    Herb Alpert - Vocals and Percussion Effects
    Herb Alpert, Randy Badazz and Andy Armer - Party
    Tom Tom 84 - String Orchestration
  
  2. True Confessions (Brian Holland/Edward Holland/Harold Beatty) - 4:04
  • Produced by Herb Alpert and Holland-Dozier-Holland
    Arranged by John Barnes
    Engineered by Don Hahn
    John Barnes - Acoustic Piano, Rhodes, Moog, Prophet, Fairlight and DMX
    Paulinho DaCosta - Percussion
    Mike Baird - Simmons Drums
    Eddie "Bongo" Brown - Conga and Bongos
    Nathan East - Bass
    Paul Jackson, Jr. - Guitar
  3. Blow Your Own Horn (Lamont Dozier/Brian Holland) - 3:45
  • Produced by Herb Alpert and Holland-Dozier-Holland
    Arranged by John Barnes
    Engineered by Gabe Veltri, Don Hahn and Benny Faccone
    John Barnes - Acoustic Piano, Rhodes, Moog, Fairlight, DMX and Prophet
    Eddie "Bongo" Brown - Bongos
    Lamont Dozier - Vocals
    Paul Jackson, Jr. - Guitar
    Randy Badazz and Herb Alpert - Party
    Herb Alpert - Vocals
  4. Gently (Suavemente) (Sergio Gustavo Andrade Sanchez) - 4:13
  • Produced and Arranged by Herb Alpert
    Engineered by Jim Cassell
    Bill Cuomo - Prophet and Chroma
    Sergio Andrade - Acoustic Piano
    Nathan East - Electric and Synthesized Bass
    Paul Jackson, Jr. - Guitar
    Herb Alpert - String Ensemble and Linn Drum
  5. The Midnight Tango (Andy Armer/Randy Badazz) - 4:14
  • Produced and Arranged by Randy Badazz and Andy Armer
    Engineered by Clyde Kaplan and Paul McKenna
    Andy Armer - Clavinet, Bass and Jupiter 8
    John Robinson - Drums
    Tim May - Guitar
    Randy Badazz - Vocals, Bongos, Moog Drum, Emulator and Tambourine
  6. Garden Party (Eythor Gunnarsson) - 5:16
  • Produced by Herb Alpert
    Adapted by Herb Alpert and Greg Mathieson
    Engineered by Ryan Ulyate, Don Hahn and Benny Faccone
    Bill Cuomo - Moog Bass
    Nathan East - Bass
    Paul Jackson, Jr. - Guitar
    Neil Larsen - Rhodes, Acoustic Piano and Organ
    Carlos Vega - Drums
    Paulinho DaCosta - Percussion
    Randy Aldcroft - Trombone
    Ernie Watts - Sax
    Lenny Castro - Percussion
    Herb Alpert - Voice
    Greg Mathieson - Rhodes
    Randy Badazz and Herb Alpert - Party and Percussion Effects
    Greg Mathieson and Michael Boddicker - Synthesizer and Emulator
  7. Paradise Cove (Lee Ritenour) - 4:17
  • Produced by Herb Alpert
    Arranged by Lee Ritenour and Herb Alpert
    Engineered by Don Hahn and Benny Faccone
    Lee Ritenour - Guitar
    Carlos Vega - Drums and Simmons Drums
    Bill Cuomo - Chroma, Yamaha and GSI
    John Gilson - Programmer for Simmons Drums
    Steve Foreman - Percussion
    Herb Alpert, Randy Badazz and Andy Armer - Party
  8. Latin Lady (Juan Carlos Calderon) - 4:12
  • Produced by Herb Alpert and Jose Quintana
    Arranged by Bill Cuomo
    Engineered by Jim Cassell
    Bill Cuomo - Moog Bass, Chroma, Rhodes, Linn Machine and Acoustic Piano
    Carlos Vega - Drum Effects
    Herb Alpert, Randy Badazz, Bill Morgan, Paul McKenna and Andy Armer - Clappers
  9. Oriental Eyes (Juan Carlos Calderon) - 3:55
  • Produced by Herb Alpert and Jose Quintana
    Arranged by Bill Cuomo and Herb Alpert
    Engineered by Jim Cassell
    Bill Cuomo - Moog Bass, Prophet, Chroma, Rhodes, Acoustic Piano, Effects and Linn Machine
    Steve Lukather - Guitar
    Randy Badazz - Tom Tom
  10. Sundown (Rafael Perez Botija) - 3:20
  • Produced by Herb Alpert and Jose Quintana
    Arranged by Rafael Perez-Botija
    Engineered by Howard Wolen and Ryan Ulyate
    Freddie Washington - Bass
    Tim May - Guitar
    Michel Colombier - Piano
    Carlos Vega - Drums
    Herb Alpert - Snaps, Tom Tom and Piano
    Bill Cuomo - Synthesizers
    Paulinho DaCosta - Percussion
  
  All Trumpets played by Herb Alpert

Recorded at A&M Studios... A, B and D
Remixed at A&M Studios and Westlake Studios
Remix Engineer: Bruce Swedien
Assistant Engineers: Matt Forger, Dennis Jones and Magic Moreno
Mastered by Bernie Grundman at A&M Studios

Art Direction & Design: Chuck Beeson
Photography: Annie Leibovitz

THIS ALBUM IS DEDICATED TO MY LATE FRIEND...KAREN CARPENTER



Capt. Bacardi

 

[toeknee4bz]

Here's an album which has previously, and recently, received mixed reviews. However, I suspect that if it were as popular as RISE had been, the reviews would have been more positively biased.

As RISE was viewed as a 'mixed bag', or a 'potpourri', BLOW YOUR OWN HORN was seen by others as an album of 'leftovers'. One reviewer said that Herb was "treading water". Though a few tracks were undoubtedly intended to be earlier releases (most notably "Latin Lady", "Oriental Eyes" and "Sundown"), one must admit that they blend much better in this set. The three tracks co-produced with Jose Quintana would have ruined the mood on FANDANGO, whereas BLOW YOUR OWN HORN is not necessarily as conceptual an album. It's just a variety of songs and styles, and obviously, the variety of different producers and their vision. And I'm sure that most of Herb's fans would agree that the remixed version of "Red Hot", featuring enhanced reverb and Ernie Watts' revved-up saxophone solo, is much more interesting than the original BEYOND mix.

I personally liked every song on this album (some moreso than others), as well as the two alternate tracks on it's Latin counterpart, NOCHE DE AMOR. But I have to say that of any of these, "Latin Lady" takes the prize. I know it's heavily synthesized and I know that most old-school, die-hard TJB fanatics will dismiss it with whatever negative crititicism they can imagine. My answer: Listen to the melody. Listen to the once-again haunting echo of the trumpet. Listen to the blatantly Spanish-textured chord structure. Then listen to it in the car while driving. I can't think of any other Herb Alpert recording (no, not even "Route 101", sorry) that gets my blood pumping while going down the freeway.

Jazzy-funk. MOR '80s instro-pop. Soulful BGVs. An oriental ballad. And a finale which shifts between the serene and the insane of tempo. One thing's for certain... You won't be bored with BLOW YOUR OWN HORN. 5 stars.

Tony

 

[Captain Bacardi]

This is an album that I really wanted to like more, but it's just too "80's" for me. My favorite song is "Garden Party" - it has a great groove, a nifty trombone solo and is a nice little party tune. "True Confessions" is another fave, and I love the closing vamp with the trumpet lines. "Paradise Cove" is originally titled "Starbright", which can be found on Lee Ritenour's On The Line album. It's another nice tune. Admittedly, I wasn't too crazy about some of Herb's horn work on some tunes, such as "Blow Your Own Horn" (a song I otherwise like) and "Midnight Tango". Too many electronic doodads mess up tunes like "Gently", which could have been a really nice tune, and "Oriental Eyes".

I'm not entirely convinced that some of these songs are "leftovers". For example, the three tracks produced by Herb and Jose Quintana sound absolutely nothing like the Fandango sessions. Just a guess on my part.



Capt. Bacardi

 

[Captain Bacardi]

For those who haven't seen the video for "Red Hot" you can see it at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nuAIP08y9A



Capt. Bacardi

 

[DAN BOLTON]

I opted for SUAVAMENTE...the interplay between the synth and Herb's horn is a great study in contrasts for me. It may seem like Gershon Kingsley meets the TJB to some, but the tempo and mood shanges really work for me. It's a matter of choice, I guess; but it works well for me. I keep seeing a guy trying to be romantic, trying to get his date to dance, and she just doesn't quite want to.


Dan

 

[toeknee4bz]

"Paradise Cove" is originally titled "Starbright", which can be found on Lee Ritenour's On The Line album. Admittedly, I wasn't too crazy about some of Herb's horn work on some tunes, such as "Blow Your Own Horn" (a song I otherwise like) and "Midnight Tango".
I'm not entirely convinced that some of these songs are "leftovers". For example, the three tracks produced by Herb and Jose Quintana sound absolutely nothing like the Fandango sessions. Just a guess on my part. Capt. Bacardi

OK. This is getting dangerous. We're just agreeing too much here. "Blow Your Own Horn" and "Midnight Tango" are both listenable tracks, but both pale in comparison to the two tracks offered on the Latin counterpart, NOCHE DE AMOR. And you're probably right about the Alpert-Quintana productions (truth be told). Where we differ, of course, is that I grew up in the '80s, and (naturally) was more open to these arrangements. I could never call this album "too '80s".

It was also nice to see your mention of Lee Ritenour. I actually preferred Herb's version of "Starbright"/ "Paradise Cove" over the Rit version. But it wasn't until 1985 that I started discovering Rit's music.

Tony

 

[Nathan Strum]

I had to go with "Garden Party" on this one, just because it was the most fun to listen to back-in-the-day and I have fond memories of it. I was in the "this is an album full of leftovers" camp as well though when "Blow Your Own Horn" came out, since I didn't see the point of putting "Red Hot" on another album except as filler (I do like the track - but not when it takes away a spot where another new song could have gone). However, after not having listened to it for years, I now think the album is overall much more solid than I originally thought. Still, it's a step backwards from Fandango.

My second place would have to go to either Latin Lady or Sundown. Probably the latter, since it was just such a good closer for the album.

 

[Harry]

I like a lot of the tracks on BLOW YOUR OWN HORN, and always considered it a pretty decent followup to FANDANGO. I recall being initially intrigued with the "Karen Carpenter" line in the dedication, but soon realized that this was indeed a Herb Alpert album with very little to do with anything "Carpenters"-related.

Initially, I probably would have picked the title track as a favorite, but over the years I've become more fond of the "Te Quiero Asi" track (called "Latin Lady" here).

Harry

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I have this album on CD but haven't listened to it in full for quite a while - I should do that again. I really enjoy the song "Red Hot" in either version - I'm not partial to either one, but I hesitate to pick it as my favorite here before giving the record another listen.

My least favorite thing about this album is the cover photo - "shirtless Herb" seems kinda pointless. It's my least favorite among his solo covers, along with BULLISH. (I still think that album would've sold more with a better cover.)

 

[Captain Bacardi]

My least favorite thing about this album is the cover photo - "shirtless Herb" seems kinda pointless.

For those who have the LP of this album, it's interesting to see the little drip of saliva coming from Herb's mouthpiece, as well as the engraving of Herb's name on the mouthpiece.



Capt. Bacardi
...who clearly needs to get a life online...

 

[Mike Blakesley]

Yeah -- those are another two things I didn't know about until I joined the Corner. (That'd make a good thread -- Fun Facts you didn't know until you joined the Corner!)

 

[jazzdre]

I remember this album when it came out-still have it-1983...I was 17, and life was good back then..but I digress. My godmother bought it for me, and I automatically fell in love with it. I was just beginning to become a jazz fan, and all the album sounded jazzy enough to me!

I remember really liking the RED HOT remix, because it sounded very "80s"-ish to me, with a strong R&B undercurrent , rather than the outdated disco version from BEYOND. TRUE CONFESSIONS has a very strong "adult contemporary" sound, not really jazz, but still not really R&B, either;"middle of the road", so to speak.BLOW YOUR OWN HORN: well, for me, here's where things get kinda murky. I've spoken about this on another thread here on the forum, and I'll speak about it again.1983 was a terrible year for A&M fans around the world, because Karen Carpenter had just passed away. I remember reading in the Carpenters biography that when Herb heard the news, he was in his office, and he broke down crying, and automatically went to his piano, and composed a song for her.

However, the sadness probably turned into anger for Herb, anger at probably losing Karen at such a young age, so BLOW YOUR OWN HORN(the song)is where I feel that he let loose his anger. There is a dark undercurrent on the song, and towards the end of the song, Herb and the chorus go "SHHHHIII--"!When my friend and I were listening to it, we had to play it 3 or 4 times to see if Herb really said what we thought he said! Not just this song, but it seems the whole album has a very moody, dark undercurrent of sadness combined with anger and loss.

The next song, SUAVEMENTE conveys the feeling that I was talking about, but now with loneliness and longing added to the mix.MIDNIGHT TANGO sounds just for what the title intended: a song to be played at midnight for loving couples only.But there is a bit of humor where this song comes in(at least for me, that is):when my friend and I were listening to this album, in the middle of the tune, it sounds like the sound effects of a spceship rising into the sky;like something out of LOST IN SPACE. When I picked up the album, and saw the credits that Andy played a Jupiter 8 synth, we both fell out laughing! Jupiter 8-Jupiter2(the LOST IN SPACE spaceship-get it? Well, I guess you don't)

GARDEN PARTY is back to happy go lucky Herb, that really does sound like a party is happening in the studio, and what exactly is Herb saying in the interlude? PARADISE COVE has a late Saturday afternoon vibe; sort of 'let's go get drinks at the cocktail bar' feel to it, and Rit's playing(on his own tune, yet!) has a very calming, relaxed feel to it.LATIN LADY is an uptempo groove oriented number and Herb's playing is very passionate on this one. ORIENTAL EYES has the stereotypical "asian motif" setting, but surprisingly Herb and co. manage to rise above this and create something jazzy and unique.For me, the best cut on the album is the last one, which is SUNDOWN, and it a tune that I can indeed see listening to when the day ebbs out. It also has a "cat and mouse" type of arrangement, like something out of a theme from a spy movie.

All in all, IMO, given the circumstances under which this album was recorded, I believe this to be Herb's most jazziest recording (even a bit moreso than MIDNIGHT SUN) ever, for what else is jazz but allowing the artist to go deep inside himself and create something personal and meaningful? I give this album three and a half stars.

 

[toeknee4bz]

I just remembered something odd about my copy of this album. It had a sticker on the shrinkwrap which read: "Includes GARDEN PARTY, ORIENTAL EYES & RED HOT" and underneath, in smaller font,: "This album is pressed with KC 600 Audiophile Vinyl."

Huh??? Why in the world would this be advertised on a promo sticker? What is KC 600? After 25 years I'm still trying to figure out the significance of this, if there is any. The only characteristic I know is that if you hold the LP up to the light, it looks purple in color. This is the only LP I have, by any artist, which specifies this. What's the deal? Is this supposed to be an "Audio Master Plus" type? Any one who knows extra info on this matter, please chime in.

Thanks,
Tony

 

[Mike Blakesley]

"This album is pressed with KC 600 Audiophile Vinyl."

Huh??? Why in the world would this be advertised on a promo sticker? What is KC 600? After 25 years I'm still trying to figure out the significance of this, if there is any.

This album came out during the time when complaints about LP quality were at their peak. People would return eight or nine copies of an album in search of one that didn't contain clicks, pops, noise, etc. So, some record companies started using better-quality vinyl to help reduce the quality complaints.

This was also the time of the peak of "audiophile" labels like Mobile Fidelity, which used high-quality vinyl to make their records. "Regular" labels like A&M were anxious to line themselves up with the high-quality labels for their higher-profile releases. (Of course Herb being the owner of the company, it was easy for him to get that treatment.)

I have no idea what "KC-600" means - I'm sure it was just a trade name for the vinyl they used.

 

[toeknee4bz]

Stands to reason... IIRC this was also the first Herb album to go digital right from the get-go in '83. My AM+ Series CD copy looks somewhat different from that of the other A&M CDs which would follow (font on the track titles, etc.).

Thanks for the input.

Tony

 

[Mr Bill]

Yes. A&M was the first mainstream label to upgrade to cleaner vinyl They ended up using it for ALL releases in a short time. Even 12" promos were pressed on the new vinyl, identifiable by holding it up to the light and seeing it wasn't opaque black but a translucent purple (or brown in some cases).

--Mr Bill

 

[Captaindave]

I have this album, but never really liked it much, and in the absence of a turntable, don't really miss hearing it nowadays.

Just don't like the overall sound very much.