| S.R.O. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1966 | |||
| Recorded | 1966 | |||
| Genre | easy listening, pop | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Herb Alpert, Jerry Moss | |||
| Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass chronology | ||||
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S.R.O., issued in 1966, was the seventh album by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. [1]
The album includes work by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, as well as the band's cover of "Mame" (from the hit musical of the same name), one of the first of the group's recordings to include vocals by Alpert; he and the group sing the chorus in the middle of the otherwise-instrumental rendition. Released as a single, "Mame" reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in November 1966. "The Work Song", which features the "ping" sound effect of a hammer or pickaxe hitting rocks or other solid objects, reached No. 18 in July, and "Flamingo" peaked at No. 28 in September. The album reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart.
S.R.O., an acronym for standing-room only, [2] is a reference to the group's frequently sold-out concerts. [3]
"Bean Bag" became famous in the UK as the theme song of the popular long-running game show It's a Knockout , and as a prize cue for the game show The Guinness Game .
The Dixieland-inspired "Wall Street Rag" was not the Scott Joplin song of the same name, but was composed by Alpert associate and Baja Marimba Band member Bud Coleman.
"For Carlos" was covered by jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery as "Wind Song". [4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
In his retrospective review for Allmusic, music critic Richard S. Ginell wrote "The arrangements are very tightly knit and don't allow much room for spontaneity, but they still sound fresh and uninhibited, and Alpert often allows the flavor of jazz to come through more clearly... Though S.R.O. only went to number two on the LP charts, Alpert's creativity and popularity were still peaking." [4]
Along with Alpert, the musicians pictured on the album cover (excepting Julius Wechter) are:
HerbAlpert is an American trumpeter who led Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss.
Volume 2 is the second album by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, known in this recording as "Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass". It was released in 1963 on A&M Records, and sold poorly upon initial release.
"Spanish Flea" is a popular song written by Julius Wechter in the 1960s with lyrics by his wife Cissy Wechter. The original version was recorded by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. Cover versions of the song have been recorded by dozens of artists worldwide.
Whipped Cream & Other Delights is a 1965 album by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, called "Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass" for this album, released on A&M Records. It is the band's fourth full album and arguably their most popular release.
What Now My Love is the sixth album by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, released in 1966. It remained at #1 on the Billboard Album chart for nine weeks, the longest of any album released by the group.
Going Places is the fifth album by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. It was originally released by A&M Records in 1965 and has appeared in many formats.
Herb Alpert's Ninth is a 1967 album by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. It reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart and spent 18 weeks in the Top 40. Its cover, in addition to containing some still photos from Brass concerts, includes a pop-culture joke: it shows Ludwig van Beethoven appearing to wear a T-shirt bearing Alpert's face at a time when T-shirts bearing Beethoven's face were popular. The title was also a play on Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, though no part of Beethoven's work actually appears in the album tracks. However, the album contains a medley of music from the opera Carmen, centering on "Habanera" and also including portions of some of the group's earlier hits: "Spanish Flea", "A Taste of Honey", "Whipped Cream", "What Now My Love", "Zorba the Greek" and "Tijuana Taxi".
The Baja Marimba Band was a musical group led by marimba player Julius Wechter. Formed by producer Herb Alpert after his own Tijuana Brass, the Baja Marimba Band outlasted the Tijuana Brass by several years in part due to TV producer Chuck Barris, who included the group's music on his game shows in the 1970s.
Julius Wechter was an American musician and composer who played the marimba and vibraphone. He also played various percussion instruments. He composed the song "Spanish Flea" for Herb Alpert and was leader of The Baja Marimba Band.
"This Guy's in Love with You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and recorded by Herb Alpert. Although known primarily for his trumpet playing as the leader of the Tijuana Brass, Alpert sang lead vocals on this solo recording, arranged by Bacharach. An earlier recording of the song was by British singer Danny Williams titled "That Guy's in Love", which appears on his 1968 self-titled album.
Sounds Like... is a 1967 album by the instrumental group Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, the group's eighth.
Christmas Album is a late-1968 album by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. It was the group's eleventh release. The LP edition of the album was issued twice. The original edition had the cover photography filling the front and back sides of the album jacket. For the reissue, the photos were reduced to half size and placed in the center of a white background. Although the Brass' albums were out of print for a good many years, the Christmas Album was released on CD in the 1980s, with annual reappearances in record stores at Christmastime. The album was re-released again on CD by the Shout!Factory label in 2006 as were many of the other Tijuana Brass albums. The Shout!Factory release restored the original artwork to the front cover and featured the original back cover on the included CD booklet. Another CD re-release occurred on October 23, 2015, this time restoring the original artwork to the front and back.
The Beat of the Brass is the tenth album by the popular instrumental group Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, released in 1968. It was the last album by the Tijuana Brass to be released in both mono and stereo versions; all albums afterward would be released in stereo only.
Nicholas Mathew Ceroli was an American jazz drummer.
Although its actual release date was 1986, Classics Volume 1 was the first release of A&M Records' 25th Anniversary Series in 1987. The commemorative series was solely available on digital audio compact disc. Each volume contained the prominent works of a selected A&M artist. Volume 1 was the hits of Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. Tracks ranged from their first single, "The Lonely Bull" in 1962, to "Jerusalem" in 1971. All tracks were originally produced by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss.
Ervan F. "Bud" Coleman was an American guitar and mandolin player, member of Baja Marimba Band, worked with Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, and who wrote the hit track, "Tijuana Taxi".
Fandango is a studio album by American musician Herb Alpert released on A&M Records in April 1982 with catalog number SP-3731.
You Smile – The Song Begins is a 1974 studio album by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, though billed as "Herb Alpert and the T.J.B." It was the group's first regular studio album since 1969's The Brass Are Comin', and was arranged by Quincy Jones.
Summertime is a 1971 album by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. It consists of tracks assembled by Alpert's A&M Records label and was released during Alpert's hiatus from performing that occurred between the albums The Brass Are Comin' (1969) and You Smile – The Song Begins (1974).
Coney Island is a 1975 studio album by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, the second release that was billed as "Herb Alpert & The T.J.B." It followed the 1974 release of You Smile – The Song Begins. Both albums reflected personnel changes from the Brass that was disbanded after 1969's The Brass Are Comin'.
