I was delighted to get hold of this album, which I did via Amazon in the U.S.Playing this Herb Alpert and his hits CD, particularly the sixties inclusions, has brought back much nostalgia and happiness, as his is the sort of music that used to boom out of my mum and dad's tinny transistor radio at home about 30+ years ago when I was a small(very small) child!!
The album is beautifully presented, with reminiscences by Herb on the sleeve notes, about each of the 20 included tracks, and pictures of each HA and Tijuana Brass album they originally came from. Sound quality is first-rate, I assume most of the earlier tunes, being digitally enhanced to suit modern ears?
Like me, I'm sure most Herb Alpert fans will like in particular, the classic 'Mexican Shuffle', 'Tijuana Taxi', 'Spanish Flea', 'A Taste of Honey' and 'Casino Royale' and the beautiful and rare vocalled, by Herb, 'This Guy's in Love with You', written by Bacharach and David and his joint biggest UK hit.
The later stuff on the album is also top class. My favourites including 'Rise' and 'Keep Your Eye on Me' from 1987, one of his last UK hit singles, that also produced a classic video, in the 'Sledgehammer'(Peter Gabriel) special effects mode, that is well worth seeking out. 'Diamonds' his final British hit to-date, has a great vocal by Janet Jackson, and is also included on the album.
Though far from being a really definitive collection, how could it be, from a man who's has been recording for around 40 years?? Herb Alpert's 'Definitive Hits' is complete enough, to give you a real feel of the man and his music. Buy this album if you remember him and enjoyed his music first-time-around. If not, still buy it, and get to know the wonderful instrumentals he and his band produced throughout the 1960's, the odd classic vocal number too, and see how the man evolved with the times, to produce some great late-seventies and eighties dance music.
