Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 10/30/2007
The two 1968 albums anthologized on this disc --
Gazpacho and
Only Love -- represent the last new material that
the Brass Ring would release during their short but prolific stint on
Lou Adler's
Dunhill Records. While the label was based in Los Angeles, bandleader
Phil Bodner headed up what was in essence the East Coast's answer to
Herb Alpert's
Tijuana Brass or
Julius Wechter's
Baja Marimba Band.
Gazpacho is a dozen-song sonic carnival that gives props to Spanish and Latin-flavored compositions, such as
"Granada," "Yours" (also known as
"Quiereme Mucho"),
"Adoro," and
"This Afternoon I Saw It Rain," the latter pair having been written by Mexican composer
Armando Manzanero. Another tip of the sombrero goes to
Alvaro Carillo, whose
"Yellow Days" offers the quintessence of what
the Brass Ring are all about -- music for elevators, lobbies, and/or "on-hold" telephone fodder. Comparatively more enjoyable is the original
"Little Sea Shells" -- inked by none other than
the Brass Ring's own
Stanley Webb, recalling the carefree bounce of the aforementioned
Tijuana Brass classics
"Whipped Cream" and
"Spanish Flea." However, fans of so-called "space-age bachelor pad" kitsch should seek out
Gazpacho for
"The Girl from Ipanema," as it is the subject of an unwitting sonic satire of the entire easy listening genre. For their final LP,
Only Love,
the Brass Ring find inspiration on the big screen and the pop charts -- or both, as in the case of
"Mrs. Robinson" from the motion picture
The Graduate. Similar cinematic selections worth hearing are the intimate theme to
For Love of Ivy, a very funky wah-wah guitar-fused rendition of
"The Odd Couple," and the haunting yet ultimately melodic
"Rosemary's Baby," from the motion picture of the same name.
Burt Bacharach and
Hal David supply the laid-back
"This Guy's in Love with You" and equally ersatz
"Do You Know the Way to San Jose," although each comes off as milquetoast. Similarly, any interest that
Paul Mauriat's
"Love Is Blue" incorporated in the noir harpsichord-driven hit reading is drowned out by an ineffectual acoustic guitar.
~Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide