Foursider - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

Advantages: A couple of excellent songs
Disadvantages: The rest of the album is dispensable and on the slushy side

.... Of course, she started out as a drummer, and by all accounts would rather have continued drumming than become a lead vocalist, great though she was. Onto the less good tracks: “Let me the one” and “Sometimes” are both OK ballads. Only OK. You also have “One love”, and “For all we know”, both verging on the sickly sweet but pleasant enough. And then we have the awful tracks (in my opinion, that is): “Saturday” has Richard on lead vocals, (well, let’s face it, Karen was the only choice for vocalist in the Carpenters) and sounds like it would fit in well on a cheesy 70s TV show, although it would sound dated even then, and it would be filler. The brass sound always reminded me of Herb Alpert – which I later realised makes perfect sense – Alpert was the man who signed them up (their label, A&M, is his label, named after Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss... Read review

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Advantages: All the hits on one Album, Easy Listening, Value for Money
Disadvantages: Addictive

...celebrities to have a Mexican Divorce included: Marilyn Monroe, Katherine Hepburn and Richard Burton. This song obviously tells the story of a 1960's fad, not such a song of the times today. 16. (THERE GOES) THE FORGOTTEN MAN - JIMMY RADCLIFF (1962) 17. BLUE ON BLUE - BOBBY VINTON (1963) 18. THE EMPTY PLACE -THE SEARCHERS (1964) 19 LET THE MUSIC PLAY - THE DRIFTERS (1963) 20. ANYONE WHO HAD A HEART - DIONNE WARWICK (1963) * 21 A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME - BROOK BENTON (1964) 22. YOU'LL NEVER GET TO HEAVEN (IF YOU BREAK MY HEART) - THE STYLISTICS (1973)* 23 ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK A HEART - GENE PITNEY (1962) 24. ANY DAY NOW (MY WILD BEAUTIFUL BIRD) - CHUCK JACKSON (1962) 25. CASINO ROYALE - HERB ALPERT & THE TIJUANA BRASS (1967) I couldn't possibly write a review of every song or I would be here forever and my tummy is rumbling however. I have... Read review

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Advantages: Wonderful, classic Bowie album
Disadvantages: Song for Bob Dylan

...reading "for small Z". The song is shamelessly dedicated to David's son, Zowie (now known as Duncan), who was born shortly before Hunky Dory was recorded. All the ingredients for an unmitigated disaster are here: a doting father of his first child writing a song for him; a trumpet section that recalls Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass and a plinky piano that comes straight out of a Western saloon bar. This song could have ruined the album but mercifully it doesn't. How does Bowie pull this off? I think it's the combination of honest enthusiasm, humour and a tune that's just full of joy; it's a song that makes me feel happy and what can be wrong with that? And who can resist lines like "And if the homework brings you down Then we'll throw it on the fire And take the car down town" 6. Quicksand (5.08) In the days when albums came on vinyl... Read review

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