Lonely Bull

Herb Alpert, tijuana Brass Herb Alpert | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: A&M
• ASIN: B000002G9F
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #233,119 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Lonely Bull (El Solo Toro)

2. El Lobo (The Wolf)

3. Tijuana Sauerkraut

4. Desafinado

5. Mexico

6. Never On Sunday

7. Struttin' With

8. Maria

9. Let It Be Me

10. Limbo Rock

11. Crawfish

12. A Quiet Tear (Lagrima Quieta)

Editorial Reviews

Digitally remastered edition of this 1962 album from the Pop/Jazz bandleader and his Tijuana Brass. The Lonely Bull was not only Herb Alpert's musical debut, but the first album released on A&M Records. The title track hit the Billboard Top 10, as did the LP, which peaked at #10 and remained on the album chart for three years. The disc also includes the perennial stadium favorite "Never On Sunday," and the intricate, bossa nova-inflected "Desafinado." The cover, featuring Alpert toasting with a tequila glass, began a run of memorable TJB covers. Part of the Herb Alpert signature series, this special edition is presented in a deluxe digipak and includes a 20 page detailed booklet containing a detailed essay with an intro by Herb Alpert. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The very first and still an excellent TJB album, September 17, 2002

By 

Catherine S. Vodrey (East Liverpool, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Bull (Audio CD)

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass' "The Lonely Bull"--their first album, way back from 1962--confirms the astonishing amalgam of talent that made up this seminal instrumental group. Combining as it does trumpets, strong backing rhythms, and the occasional odd instrument like marimbas, vibraphones, and penny whistles, TJB puts their inimitable spin on every song on this must-have album.

"The Lonely Bull (El Solo Toro)" kicks off the album with a bang, showing the TJB's original strongly Mexican influences. "El Lobo" has a brooding, melancholy flavor to it, while still evincing a south-of-the-border flavor with its acoustic guitar and trumpet harmonies. "Tijuana Sauerkraut" was the first of TJB's many songs flavored with a fat and happy German-beer-drinking element. A musical friend has told me that "Desafinado" is a terrifically difficult song to play well because of its continuous switching from major to minor and because of its offbeat rhythms. It seems to have given the TJB no trouble whatever--it's done to perfection here. "Never on Sunday" is a lovely song with long, gleaming trumpet notes and a strong underpinning by the tuba. "Struttin' with Maria" has a contagious marching swagger to it, as does "Limbo Rock" which improbably has both a Mexican and a Mediterranean vibe--listen for the cracking of a whip in the background!

This is a classic for good reason, and a must for any serious fan of jazz brass playing. Alpert and his beloved Tijuana Brass ensemble are masters of their craft, and we are lucky that they recorded as many albums as they did--beginning with this very fine first effort.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great music badly rendered, December 30, 1999

By 

T. J. M. Klerk (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Bull (Audio CD)

Either you like Herb Alpert or you don't. It's that simple. I do. Ever since I heard his "Lonely Bull" theme in the early sixties. I treasure my record albums since most of them are still not available on CD. This album was supposed to be replacing the oldest Alpert LP album in my possession. Finally without any clicks and hiss. Unfortunately not so. The clicks are gone, but a lot of tape hiss was added. A great opportunity lost. I have copied the CD tracks to my PC, removed the constant hiss and re-recorded it. Now *that*'s an improvement. But I think the CD is not near the LP original in quality.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Down Mexico Way, September 24, 1998

By 

W. J. Bernardi (Austin, Tx USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lonely Bull (Audio CD)

Herb Alpert's first album is an excursion into quasi-mariachi music. Trumpet lines in 3rds, mandolins, acoustic guitars, and percussion fills this record. And most of it is pretty good. It also contains a bit of jazz with "Desafinado" (where Alpert trades solos with marimba player Julius Wechter) and "Crawfish", which has Herb playing a hot muted trumpet solo. "Limbo Rock" is calypso romp. "Never On Sunday" is beautifully arranged. And the title tune is mesmerizing. A very good start for Herb and the TJB.