Customer Reviews

The Lonely Bull

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In 1962, I was four years old. I wasn't so much into music until after I was 5 or 6. However, after I had heard Herb Alpert & the TJB do "Taste Of Honey", I was completely hooked. Was able to have some 45s bought for me, but my friends had the albums. I may have started with "Whipped Cream and Other Delights", but I did backtrack to Lonely Bull.

I remember having only Mono albums, as our equipment was mono...very few stereo records for what was a pretty cheap stereo that my parents had. I had even worse until I was a teenager, so I got Mono records. I did not hear these albums in stereo at all until another friend from Vegas played me some of his TJB previous CD issues. These few came and went so fast, I never was able to obtain them, and have lived off "Definite Hits" since its release. After the first play of LONELY BULL in beautifully remastered stereo, my wait is over and my favorite intrumental group of all time is BACK with a vengence.

I do agree to an extent with other reviewers where the mono mix and stereo mix versions could have been incorporated. However, not knowing if the public in this day and age will totally jump at having this fantastic music would generate that kind of issue now. This album and SOUTH OF THE BORDER give us a blast from the past, and adding the brand-new LOST TREASURES CD album by itself gives us a taste of what was left in the vaults. If these releases really kick sales-wise, I would think Shout! Factory may go back and combine the Mono and Stereo versions together in "Special Editions" or a box set.

LONELY BULL with SOUTH OF THE BORDER and LOST TREASURES offer a great introduction in this new century to some of the greatest instrumentals recorded in the latter part of the last century.
WHIPPED CREAM comes April 19 with bonus tracks, and more to follow. However, I don't see Volume 2 noted anywhere in the information included with the Booklet. Great liner notes and informational history provided, with comments from Herb, as well.

When this release first was announced, I hastened to put it on my "want" list. I supposed that this re-release would put to rights the mistakes of the past -- instead, it simply repeated those mistakes (albeit in what seems to be superior sound).

By "mistakes" I am referring to the continued use of the false "stereo" version of "The Lonely Bull" (as well as approximately one-half the remaining selections on the album). Allow me to add some perspective. When "The Lonely Bull" first was released, it achieved hit status on the strength of airplay exposure; very quickly, it was released in both 45rpm single format, and then on the eponymous LP. But, those releases were monaural, not stereo. In fact, "The Lonely Bull", its "B" side, and a few other tracks never were originally recorded in stereo (shades of Martin Denny's original recording of "Quiet Village").

"The Lonely Bull" became a hit, and put A&M Records on the map, as a monaural recording. Only after it achieved hit status did Herb Albert and the A&M team decide to produce a "stereo" version. With "The Lonely Bull", "El Lobo" and other selections, this was achieved by re-recording the original mono mix in one channel, while adding new instrumental tracks (trumpet, mainly) in the other channel. The result is odd (some might call it "quaint"), and not at all faithful to the original.

Playing this CD in mono (right- and left-channels summed) does not recreate the sound of the original, mono mix, since there is some phase cancellation.

Unless you absolutely must have a copy of "The Lonely Bull", skip this reissue. We can hope that, at some future date, A&M itself will reissue the original mono recording in its single-channel (and unadulterated) glory: it is worth hearing, and upon hearing it, you immediately will understand why the recording -- the single, the album -- was so successful.

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass scored a major coup with their first album--and the first record on the A&M label--entitled The Lonely Bull. If anyone ever wanted to take a group of polished musicians and infuse great ballads from anywhere in the world, including Latin America, with their personal Latin American or Mexican style, Herb Alpert was the best man to do it--and do it he did.

The CD starts off with the titled track, "The Lonely Bull (El Solo Toro.)" We hear the sounds of the bull fight and a few bars of the "La Virgin de la Macarena;" then the true melody begins. The horns, percussion and guitar all shine to make this melody a very special one; and the backup chorus adds to the greatness of this number. "El Lobo (The Wolf)" follows; again the horns, percussion and guitar carry the melody very well. "El Lobo (The Wolf)" also makes great use of the chimes at the end of this track. "Tijuana Sauerkraut" again uses the horns and drums to bat this traditional German flavored melody straight out of the ball park! The chorus on "Tijuana Sauerkraut" performs beautifully, too.

Other gems on this CD include the bossa nova flavored "Desafinado;" Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass perform this so elegantly. The melody charms you so much that you'll want to jump up, grab your sweetheart and dance--wherever you are! The musicians use the horns and percussion on "Desafinado" very well. In addition, "Never On Sunday" sports a continental flair with a Latin American beat superimposed over it that works very well. The backup chorus only enhances the loveliness of "Never On Sunday." In addition, "Struttin' With Maria" has a relentlessly happy and upbeat feel to it which highlights the joy a man feels as he walks alongside his one true love, Maria.

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass also perform a stunning rendition of "Let It Be Me." The artists slow down the tempo considerably as they use the horns and percussion to make this classic love ballad more romantic than ever. This is truly music for lovers!

"Limbo Rock" sports a powerful upbeat melody as the horns and percussion carry the melody. The cries of the musicians and the male chorus add a very special human, playful element to "Limbo Rock."

The CD ends fittingly with the stately sounding "A Quiet Tear (Lágrima Quieta)." "A Quiet Tear (Lágrima Quieta)" begins with tambourines added to the horns to enhance the stateliness of this number and to infuse it with a Mexican flavor as well. The backup chorus also helps to make this a fine ending for the CD.

The liner notes include commentary by Herb Alpert and the art work reflects good judgment.

Fans of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass will consider this release to be a "must-have" for their collections; and people who enjoy easy listening music from the 1960s will enjoy this CD as well. Moreover, if you like music that emphasizes the role of the trumpet, you can't go wrong with this CD.

¡Olé!

In the era of the Beatles and Beach Boys, my very first ever LP purchse was Going Places. I began backfilling so that The Lonely Bull was my second LP ever. The music on this album has stayed fresh for over forty years. My only complaint is the crude stereo mix which is especially distracting on The Lonely Bull Track. It's not enough of a deficiency to prevent rating this CD as a classic five-star.

I purchased this Shout reissue CD to replace the worn A&M that I purchased years ago. For whatever reason, the only A&M CD's I was ever able to find are the same reissue titles currently available from Shout. I hope their plan for the complete library does not go awry.

It starts out with the roar of a crowd and then we hear the opening strains of "La Virgin de la Macarena". This is followed immediately, without pause, by the title piece, "The Lonely Bull". It captures your imagination from the beginning and then never lets go throughout the entire album. This is the stuff that made Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass famous in the 60s and 70s.

This is a CD release of an old album. The recording quality has held up and it is as enjoyable today as it was when it was first released. That being said, it sounds like a recording from the 60s. The mixes are not the fancy stuff of the modern studio. It seems the old masters have just been digitized and recorded in a digital format. That doesn't bother me. This is what they sounded like back then: at least it's the way they sounded on my old turntable.

The name of the album and, indeed, the name of the band would lead you to suppose that this album has a Latin flavor to it. It does but it is other things as well. "Tijuana Sauerkraut" for example, definitely has the Hispanic feel and influence but that is overlaid on a German style Oomph-Pah style: It can't be pinned down except to say that it is fun. "Never on a Sunday" has a Greek background and a bouzouki can be heard; that does not stop the tune from being in the TJB style. Again, it is fun. Other pieces are less easy to describe but they all demonstrate a dedication to instrumental excellence.

You won't be disappointed.

The Lonely Bull is sort of proto-TJB. Yes, I know the title track started the phenomenon, but their best stuff was yet to come. Still this is a very enjoyable album, nicely remastered for CD.

Too bad it comes in one of those crummy cardboard boxes. Is it too much to ask for a decent box for a CD? Every time you open the box the book falls out, and it's impossible to remove/replace the CD with one hand. A normal CD case works--this doesn't.

Outstanding music I grew up with that will live forever - simple and most enjoyable.

Herb Alpert's south of the border trumpet stylings (he says he was trying to capture the excitement he experienced watching his first bullfight) resulted in a string of hit albums in the sixties. THE LONELY BULL, his debut, peaked at No. 24; and the single of the same name went to No. 6 in 1962. [For authenticity, the crowd noises heard on the single were taken from an acttual bullfight in Tijuana.]

Alpert, who had played the trumpet since age 8, created his distinctive "Ameriachi" sound and by the end of the sixties had thirteen instrumental hits with The Tijuana Brass. It should be noted that Alpert has sold more instrumental records than any artist in history and at the height of his popularity in the mid-sixties had five albums in the Top Twenty simulaneously!

THE LONELY BULL is the album that started the TJB phenomenon, and this newly remastered edition makes it easy to understand why. It is one of his best albums. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

This album started America's love for Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.Listen,think back to the 60's,feel the joy that comes with the first strains of ,"The Lonely Bull".If you even like Herb Alpert a little, you have to own this.

I have fond memories of the music of Herb Alpert! I was introduced to him at an early age as my parents were fans of his records. I didn't hear much of him again until I was coming of age in Wildwood N.J. at the age of 15 when I used to party under the boardwalk with my friends and our girlfriends underneath Hunt's Pier's "El Scrambler" ride. The ride played Herb Alpert tunes non stop! I guess you could say I became a "Man" underneath that pier with my first love listening to the Tijuana Brass. Later in life in my 30's I was taking a break from playing in a band in the local bars,I became a DJ and I would mix Herb Alpert in my mixes and buy shots of Tequila for my fans! To this day when I play these songs at parties we all look for the Tequila bottle! This is a one of a kind sound and if I were stranded on a desert island with only a few albums, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass would be included in that collection! This is an excellent album,but not his best! I no longer own the original records so, I can not say if the new cd's are true to the originals. They sound fantastic to my ear!