The Tijuana brass sound...

[Palma Rubia]

Why oh why does every charity shop in Britain have The Tijuana brass sound? Can someone explain this anomaly? Has anyone ever bought one? Are any of them any good? Are there any other records that are ever-present in the nation's second hand stores?

Maybe DJ Shadow could use one of them on his new breaks mix, thus increasing the price from 10p to £5 million each. And in the meantime we could go out and buy all these copies and each become multi-millionaires and then take over the whole world and then end world poverty and then, and then......

[bongolia]

not just the UK - the US too. basically after the huge success of Herb Alpert every record label (major and budget) wanted a piece of the action. and some of them are good...

[sport casual]

TJ Brass is great if you wanna get drunk and dance like a student. I just mentioned them in another thread, but Guadalajara Brass - Tijuana Taxi is the one you wanna look for. And they can't give them away on eBay "you should buy this record for the cover alone" But read the back..

"The great wonder is that "Lonely Bull" and "Tijuana Taxi", up-to-date versions for the same type of music that has been the inspiration for the Mexican people for ages, have become million sellers in the United States. Not only that, the sound of the Mexico of yesterday and today is so much in demand that ordinary popular songs are being re-arranged to fit into the pattern of mariachi rhythms."

!!! So that isn't a cover of "Just One Look" , it's the other way round!

Word is born.

[Ian Townsend]

Herb's Whipped Cream Lady Wallpaper

Google 'whipped cream lady'. Go to www.whippedcreamlady for the biography of the foam covered lovely or go to www.franklarosa.com to have her as wallpaper.

Or just fish out the LP and try and work out where the fabric ends and the foam begins.

No fancy 'Photoshop' back then...

Addenda: At www.franklarosa.com you'll find Frank's Vinyl Museum. Head for the bottom of the page and scroll from 'Ali and his Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay' (!!) to 'whipped cream and other delights.'

I lost about three hours of my life meandering this site.....but it was a quiet day in the office.

[Col Wolfe]

....the foam covered lovely

eh??!!??

[Ian Townsend]

eh??!!??

Ohhhh yeahhh...oh that's good....oh yeah.....keep it there......oh....

THAT's getting clicked to my special pictures folder.

[Ian Townsend]

8 mature ladies fail to create a single Victoria Sponge

Apologies for repeating the picture..technically I'm crap.

Then again..scrolling carefully ....I can see 8 NILF's!

And...with this mirror held at a 90% angle to the screen.....

WOW....

Where's that 'nude record orgy' SARGE bloke??

[Lord Thames]

Why oh why does every charity shop in Britain have The Tijuana brass sound? Can someone explain this anomaly? Has anyone ever bought one? Are any of them any good? Are there any other records that are ever-present in the nation's second hand stores?

Yes, I have got one - probably no surprise to anyone who's familiar with my tastes. But I'm not going to turn down anything by Alan Moorhouse, am I? The man's a genius (and Keith Mansfield thinks so too - so there!)

I remember round about 1995 (coincidentally, about the time I got into the Tijuana sound), every charity shop had at least three copies - in an eerie precursor to the Hammond Gold contest that occurred on these very pages, I thought it would be a good idea to buy up every one I saw. Then I realised, no, it'd actually be a stupid idea, and the money would be better spent on records I didn't already have!

Round about that time, the other LP that always seemed to be around was the MFP version of The Sound Of Music with Patricia Routledge, which I don't have (or need, thanks very much!) - don't see either of them very much any more.

Never seen that Frivolous Five LP either......must look out for one!

[Matt Hero]

There's one of those MFP Tijuana Lps that has a pretty reasonable pass at 'Dancing In The Street' with a little break on if, but I can't remember which one it is right now.

[son of stan]

Don't care what you say, "This Guy's In Love With You" is genius.

[Lord Thames]

There's one of those MFP Tijuana Lps that has a pretty reasonable pass at 'Dancing In The Street' with a little break on if, but I can't remember which one it is right now.

Probably 'Tamla Meets Tijuana' - I've got a spare if anyone wants it!

[Ian Townsend]

Tijuana Christmas

[QUOTE=Palma Rubia]Why oh why does every charity shop in Britain have The Tijuana brass sound? Can someone explain this anomaly? Has anyone ever bought one? Are any of them any good?
QUOTE]

Some years ago; freshly excited by Herb Alpert's Tijuana Taxi / Spanish Flea etc. I splurged on a lot on Tijuana but with little luck (excepting Herb's ones of course) .

I think the Torero Band ones as recommended on the main site are about the best.

Liking the Torero's 'Tijuana Christmas' and hoping for similar I bought 'Tijuana Christmas' by the Border Brass (on Hallmark I think?). It was generally lame with what seemed to be loads of harpsichord on it.

More confusing still about this 'Xmas' album was track 4 or 5 on the second side named as 'What Child Is This' but very clearly being 'Greensleeves' done badly

I won't give up hope though! Sorry to be thoroughly unhelpful.

[Ian Townsend]

Don't care what you say, "This Guy's In Love With You" is genius.

Too right! Burt and Hal's inspired writing married to Herb's brilliantly simple and understated rendition.

On the subject of Herb Alpert as A&M head man:
I'm a Carpenters fan (no apologies whatsoever) and read an excellent biography of them (Nick Coleman I think).

Anecdote in it about Herb in the mid-seventies, rounding furiously on some A&M staff who were sarcastically pooh-poohing the Carpenters.

In no uncertain terms he told them they should be ashamed and prostrate themselves before the Carpenters genius which was not only paying their A&M salaries but also bankrolling most of the 'progressive' A&M bands.

Top bloke!

[Lord Thames]

Ah yes, I've got the Border Brass Xmas LP - as you say, Ian, not terribly exciting, but I'm a sucker for harpsichords so I might have to give it another spin!

Speaking of Tijuana albums, if you don't have it already you need 'South Of The Border' by Chico Lopez and Brazilia '70 on Deacon. Syd Dale, Ray Davies and Lew Warburton on composer duties, and Alan Parker, Barry Morgan, Herbie Flowers, Jim Lawless and a bunch of other top sessioneers in the band - if you've not heard 'Trouble Spot', you've really missed a treat!

[Ian Townsend]

Speaking of Tijuana albums, if you don't have it already you need 'South Of The Border' by Chico Lopez and Brazilia '70 on Deacon. Syd Dale, Ray Davies and Lew Warburton on composer duties, and Alan Parker, Barry Morgan, Herbie Flowers, Jim Lawless and a bunch of other top sessioneers in the band - if you've not heard 'Trouble Spot', you've really missed a treat!

Another odd bit of synchronicity here Lord Thames. I'm....er...tracking that one at present on a well-known auction site! I've tracked it before and it never goes very high so fingers crossed.

I note it's also exactly the same line - up of musicians as for the Philarmonics 'Masters In Philadelphia' LP. I gather LDJB sorted that one for you from his out pile? If not PM me. You're right about the 'Ronda'..it does really kick. Great production throughout too.

Also - The Lenny Dee 'Wichita Lineman' you mentioned the other day is on his LP 'Remember When' (MCA 1970). It's also got a fruity 'Help Yourself', a cheesy 'I Gotta Be Me' and ...my favourite and a slow-grower... a really oddly haunting 'Little Green Apples.'

I always read your informed posts with great interest. Thanks again.