If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em!

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em!
Studio album by Gerry Mulligan
Released	1965
Recorded	July 22, 26, 27 & 28, 1965
Studio	Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California
Genre	Jazz
Length	33:46
Label	Limelight LS 86021
Producer	Jack Tracy
Gerry Mulligan chronology
Butterfly with Hiccups (1964) If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em! (1965) Feelin' Good (1965)

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em! is an album by American jazz saxophonist Gerry Mulligan featuring performances recorded in 1965 and first released on the Limelight label. ^{[1] [2]}

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]

AllMusic awarded the album 3 stars and its review by Ken Dryen states, "Many jazz musicians were frustrated with the public's focus on rock & roll and pop music in general at the time this recording was made. So Mulligan, like many other jazzmen, decided to take a few of the hits and recast them in a jazz setting. ...of borderline interest to serious fans of Gerry Mulligan, due to the uneven material and a supporting cast that is not up to the level one expects on the baritone saxophonist's records". ^[3]

Track listing

1. "King of the Road" (Roger Miller) - 2:32
2. "Engine, Engine No. 9" (Miller) - 3:53
3. "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte" (Frank De Vol, Mack David) - 4:02
4. "I Know a Place" (Tony Hatch) - 3:25
5. "Can't Buy Me Love" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) - 3:34
6. "A Hard Day's Night" (Lennon, McCartney) - 3:51
7. "If I Fell" (Lennon, McCartney) - 3:12
8. "Downtown" (Hatch) - 2:30
9. "Mr. Tambourine Man" (Bob Dylan) - 3:17
10. "If You Can't Beat 'em, Join 'em" (Gerry Mulligan) - 3:30

Personnel

• Gerry Mulligan - baritone saxophone
• Pete Jolly - piano
• Johnny Gray - guitar
• Jimmy Bond - bass
• Hal Blaine - drums

References

1. Gerry Mulligan Discography Archived 2012-04-22 at the Wayback Machine accessed February 22, 2016
2. Mercury Records Catalog: Limelight series accessed February 22, 2016
3. Dryden, Ken. If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em – Review at AllMusic . Retrieved February 22, 2016.