We'll be honest with you – we're NUTS about Burt Bacharach, and can't get enough of his genius! And sure the hits are great, and his work with other singers is important – but in our opinion, the time when Burt really shined was when he was recording as a solo act for A&M – a label that really let him go with his own musical vision! Burt's first work for the label was recorded in 1967, and then unfolded over the course of some increasingly-ambitious studio albums over the next 12 years – filled with joy, live, sex, and soul. This brilliant set brings all those records together back to back – starting with Reach Out, and moving through Make It Easy On Yourself, Burt Bacharach, Living Together, Futures, and Woman – and also including the full genius soundtrack to Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid, and the rare Burt Bacharach In Concert album from 1974! And if that's not enough, the set also features some earlier work that Burt recorded for the Kapp label in the mid 60s, plus rare singles for Liberty, and a few more choice soundtrack bits! The whole thing's beautiful too – packaged like a hardcover book, with full color notes and images of Burt – and full details on all the tunes in the set. A masterpiece that finally does justice to the work of the maestro! CD

John Morales has a wonderful talent for taking a funky track and making it sound even funkier – which he does beautifully here in this killer collection of old school tunes! Many of the numbers are vintage clubby soul from the late 70s and early 80s – and Morales has this great way of crystalizing all the best elements in the songs, and pulling them to the forefront – but all without ever ruining the integrity of the tracks that sounded so great in the first place! In other words, the work here isn't the imprint of some young DJ trying to overstate his presence – but a true music maestro who really knows what makes a club track great – a vibe that takes us back to the brilliant edits of the early NYC scene. All titles here are previously unreleased – and this 2LP set features four titles that include Morales mixes of "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby" by Barry White, "You Got Me Running" by Lenny Williams, "Mind On You" by Level 42, and "Vertigo/Relight My Fire" by Dan Hartman. LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet 80s groover throughout – the only album we've ever seen by this keyboard-heavy quintet, served up in a flurry of catchy catchy tunes! Keys on the set are handled by producer/arranger Michael Stokes – who's very clearly in charge of the voices of the group – giving them real focus on the album's mix of uptempo groovers and a few mellower cuts, sometimes even underscoring things with a groove that's verging on electro! Stokes also handles the keyboards, but Patrice Rushen is on the set on piano – warming things up nicely – and titles include the great midtempo stepper "Give Me Your Love", plus "Bottom Line", "Rise Up", "Keep On Rockin", "My Sunshine", "Coo Coo Kachu", and "I Never Thought I'd Love Again". CD also features a bonus extended mix of "Give Me Your Love". CD

... 12-inch, Vinyl record

A really sweet riff on western soundtrack styles by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, though still in Herb's breezy 60s style – wonderful stuff, and a set that's a bit overlooked in his classic A&M canon! The way the bright and sunny Herb Alpert jazzy pop instrumental style melds so nicely with chugging western sounds, and rustic nylon string guitars blend with soaring orchestral pop strings really makes for a heck of a groovy record! It's a whole lot of fun, and unique in the Albert catalog. Titles include "The Brass Are Comin' (The Little Train Of Caipira)", "I'll Be Back", "Anna", "You Are My Life", "Robbers & Cops", "Country Lake", "The Maltese Melody", "Anna", "Moments", and "Good Morning Mr Sunshine". LP, Vinyl record album

From Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass ; "The Lonely Bull", "Mexican Shuffle", "Whipped Cream", "Lollipops And Roses", "A Taste Of Honey", "Spanish Flea", "Tijuana Taxi", "Zorba The Greek", "What Now My Love", "So What's New?", "The Work Song", "This Guy's In Love With You", "Casino Royale", and from Herb Alpert ":Route 101", "Fandango", "Rise", "Rotation", "Diamonds", "Keep Your Eye On Me", and "Making Love In The Rain". CD

A whole new level of genius for Herb Alpert – a record that's light years away from his earlier work with the Tijuana Brass, and which has the trumpeter stepping strongly into the world of smooth jazzy fusion! The title track here went platinum the minute it was released – and became an end-of-the 70s instrumental anthem that seemed to drift out of speakers around the country. The rest of the album's pretty great too – built on the modes explored by Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard, and other soulful fusion players of the 70s – but cast out with a bit more drama overall. Titles include the seminal jazz dance classic "Rotation" – plus "Rise", "Street Life", "Aranjuez (Mon Amour)", "1980", "Angelina", and "Love Is". LP, Vinyl record album

Herb Alpert's definitely Going Places by the time of this set – and his trademark Tijuana Brass sound proves itself to be a great fit for just about any sort of number! The album kicks off with the wonderful "Tijuana Taxi", a sublimely jaunty tune that almost takes Herb into Bacharach territory – and which is followed up by the even-greater "Spanish Flea" – an ear-popping anthem that's one of the greatest bits of 60s instrumental pop ever recorded! And over and above those two tunes, the album's still got plenty more to offer too – a wonderful array of tracks all given the Tijuana touch, with titles that include "More & More Amor", "Mae", "Walk Don't Run", "Felicia", and "Cinco De Mayo". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Herb Alpert's first-ever album – a runaway hit that was the birthplace of so many groovy things – not just the start of the Tijuana Brass sound, also the birth of A&M Records! The album's the first to feature Herb's trademark take on the Mexican band style – done here with a bit more "jaunty" pop stylings than in later years, including a "rocking" electric bass that kicks along nicely at the bottom of some of the more chart-oriented tunes. The first full album on A&M – and the beginning of an empire – with titles that include "The Lonely Bull", "El Lobo", "Desafinado", "Mexico", "Never On Sunday", and "Struttin With Maria". CD

Genius, pure genius – a wonderful collection of 22 rare numbers by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – all recorded during the group's years at A&M Records, and including a number of previously unreleased tunes! The sound here is completely sublime – way more than just the simple themes that you might expect from the TJB at the time, especially since there's a fair bit of numbers from Herb's late 60s years, when he was really opening into a wider range of modes explored by A&M Records on their Bacharach, Brazilian, soundtrack, and singer-songwriter releases. The whole thing's a key treasure in our 60s collection of instrumental pop – one that fills in a space we didn't even know we had! Titles include "Alone Again (Naturally)", "Julius & Me", "Happy Hour", "Promises Promises", "Whistlestar", "Killing Me Softy", "Chris", "Popcorn", "Flowers On The Wall", and "Up Cherry Street". CD

Herb Alpert's going South Of The Border again in another marvelous set of modern mariachi tunes – taking that wonderful Tijuana Brass sound, and turning it towards a number of familiar hits of the day! There's equal parts 60s instrumental pop and Latin groove in the mix – and the punctuated yet compressed Alpert production really hits some sublime moments. Herb's really finding his own sound here – not just the one that would be used on other Tijuana Brass albums, but also on the genius to come from A&M! Titles include "Girl From Ipanema", "Up Cherry Street", "Mexican Shuffle", "El Presidente", "All My Loving", and "Numero Cinco". CD

A standing room ovation in the A&M Studios – certainly the kind of reception we'd imagine Herb would get during these glory years of his career! The set's one of the most no-nonsense Tijuana Brass sessions of the 60s – a tightly crafted album that has a bit more jazz than usual sneaking in on some of the tunes, but still enough of that snapping, punchy rhythmic approach that makes Herb and the group so great! As usual, the fluidity here is the strongest point – as the A&M touch takes a sound that should be hokey, and flips it into something really really groovy through warm use of compression in the studio. Titles include "Blue Sunday", "Bean Bag", "Work Song", "Our Day Will Come", "Mexican Road Race", and "Freight Train Joe". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic record from the late 60s years of Herb Alpert – a time when the trumpeter was really opening up his sound, and starting to hit some of the same cool styles of his other great acts on the A&M label! Gone are the trademark Cali-Mex arrangements of the early Tijuana Brass records – and in their place are these soaring, soulful styles that draw heavily from the late 60s changes in Brazilian music, American soundtracks, and jazz! Shorty Rogers helped a bit with the charts, and you can definitely hear his cool touches in the mix – and the trumpet solos are nicely changed up from previous records too. Herb does a great job with Nilsson's excellent cut "Without Her", and the band grooves nicely on Brazil cuts "The Sea Is My Soil" and "Zazueira", plus "Pretty World", "To Wait For Love", "Sandbox", "Marjorine", and "The Continental". LP, Vinyl record album

Trumpety magic from Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – a record that's known not only for its classic cover of a model dipped in whipped cream, but also for it's tremendously groovy groove! The Tijuana sound is very firmly in place by the time of this set – Mexican-inspired, but compressed down into a sweet little LA groove in that magical A&M way – never too over the top, done in a way that takes a previously-hokey brassy sound, and smoothes it out for the Now Sound generation! Titles include the hit single "Whipped Cream", plus "Taste Of Honey", "Green Peppers", "Bittersweet Samba", "Lemon Tree", "Ladyfingers", and "Butterball". LP, Vinyl record album

Trumpety magic from Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – a record that's known not only for its classic cover of a model dipped in whipped cream, but also for it's tremendously groovy groove! The Tijuana sound is very firmly in place by the time of this set – Mexican-inspired, but compressed down into a sweet little LA groove in that magical A&M way – never too over the top, done in a way that takes a previously-hokey brassy sound, and smoothes it out for the Now Sound generation! Titles include the hit single "Whipped Cream", plus "Taste Of Honey", "Green Peppers", "Bittersweet Samba", "Lemon Tree", "Ladyfingers", and "Butterball". Includes the bonus tracks "Rosemary" and "Blueberry Park". CD

Nice one from Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass – working with arranger Quincy Jones! You Smile – The Song Begins comes at a pretty interesting point in which Herb was still working in the Spanish-inflected, jazzy instrumental groove of earlier years – but in a fresh way after a few quiet years. He's also starting to bring in the tighter, soul-based rhythmic sensibility he would more fully explore in the years to come! Bright, wonderful work – with a Bacharach arrangement on "I Might Frighten Her Away", Lani Hall vocals on "Save The Sunlight", and loads of great tunes including "Fox Hunt", "Legend Of The One Eyed Sailor", "Promises, Promises", "Last Tango In Paris", "Alone Again (Naturally)", "Dida" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The first album by Atlantic Starr – a tight set of modern soul tunes with a very different feel than their later work! Part of the credit goes to Bobby Eli – who arranged and produced the set, giving it a feel that's almost late Philly – tight, sophisticated, and right on the money at all the best points! There's a number of sweet mellow ballads with lead vocals by Sharon Bryant, and other tracks that groove in an uptempo way that points towards more of the group's 80s work – a great mix of modes that makes for a really well-developed album right out of the gate. Titles include "Gimme Your Lovin", "The Love I Never Had", "Visions", "Keep It Comin", "Stand Up", "Where There's Smoke There's Fire", "We Got It Together", and "Being In Love With You Is So Much Fun". CD features a bonus track – "Stand Up (single version)". CD

The title's certainly right on this one – because Atlantic Starr serve up a really brilliant blend of electro funk and mainstream soul – balanced with that near-perfect sound that made them one of the best groups of their generation! Despite the size of the combo, the sound is relatively lean – a very focused balance of basslines, keyboards, and some tightly snapping 80s groove rhythms – served up with vocals that warmly cascade over the tops of the tunes, but usually take a second seat to the extremely compelling instrumentation. The sound is polished, but never too slick – and the group are a great example of how well soul from this time could sound when done just the right way! Titles include "Love Me Down", "Sexy Dancer", "Circles", "Love Moves", "Your Love Finally Ran Out", and "You're The One". LP, Vinyl record album

Insanely wonderful work by Bacharach – in a way that we can hardly begin to describe (but we'll certainly try!) By the time this one was recorded – 1971 – Burt's reputation as a songwriter and arranger were so firmly established that he had an incredible amount of freedom in the studio. Here, working with tunes that were mostly well-worn, plus a new one or two – Burt comes up with an amazingly complex set of arrangements, opening up his tunes like little flowers, focusing on a particular instrumental tendril, and drawing it out into incredible lines of melody and color. Proof of this is the album's extended version of "Wives & Lovers", or its suite for orchestra, entitled "And The People Were With Her". All tracks are great – from Burt's intimate vocal on "Hasbrook Heights", to the jangly instrumentation of "Freefall", to the completely recast versions of hits like "One Less Bell To Answer", "April Fools", and "Mexican Divorce". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic! We love Burt Bacharach in so many ways that it's easy to forget the genius of these early A&M sides – but going back to them is always a treat, and it's wonderful to hear the way that Burt lays down his own work when given the chance! You know the tracks – "House Is Not A Home", "Bond Street", "Reach Out For Me", "Are You There", "Windows Of The World" – but you may not know the arrangements, which are superb – quite different than the more famous vocal versions you've probably heard ad infinitum, and recorded at a level that brings a whole new magic and majesty to 60s pop! An essential record for any fan of all things groovy – and an album of new pleasures each time we hear it! LP, Vinyl record album

More nutty stuff from Julius Wechter, Herb Albert, and the Baja Marimba Band – sort of a percussive vibes-driven counterpart to Albert's Tijuana Brass. Tracks include "Brasilia", "Walk On By", "Guacamole", "More", "Juarez", and "Goin Out The Side Door". LP, Vinyl record album