TRINI LOPEZ – Trini Lopez in London – (Reprise) – 1967

I feel like some Trini Lopez. I can almost hear the groan from some of you out there.

I don’t care … I like Trini and it’s my time.

By 1966, and this album seems to have been recorded in very late 1966, Trini’s big chart success’ were a thing of the past. After his breakout #3 US Pop hit in 1963, “If I had a Hammer”, he placed only three other songs into the US Pop Top 40. He was, however, in the upper regions of the Adult Contemporary charts and a frequent performer on TV. His albums weren’t huge hits but they were consistent sellers, especially with the slightly older crowd.

At the same time the British rock “invasion” of the US music charts was at its peak, and many less overtly rock ‘n’ roll acts from the Isles who appealed to older crowds, like Tom Jones and Petula Clark, were also having chart success in the US.

Perhaps that’s why he, or more likely the label, decided to have him record this album at Pye Studios in London. Or, rather, perhaps they took advantage of his London stay. Trini had a supporting role and was filming “The Dirty Dozen” in England so why not fly his producer Don Costa and use local musicians and see what happens?

Maybe some of the British invasion success would rub off. And to make sure he even covered some British pop and rock tunes along with recent songs (or recently revived songs) which would have been familiar to audiences.

He, also, as was his want threw in a couple of originals. Trini wasn’t adverse to writing a couple of snappy tunes.

Of course Trini puts his stamp on everything … his go go guitar and his occasional whoops are unmistakable and  given that he has his normal arranger and producer in London it begs the question … do you meed to be in London to do this?

This could easily have been done in Hollywood and no one would have noticed the difference.

A local producer and some more obscure English pop could have made the album more distinctive, but, having said that, there is a little more of an international pop flavour on this album, something which Trini would explore on later albums, and he is, clearly, having fun.

The album failed to set the world on fire but at least Trini got a (working) holiday out of it.

And it was swinging London and all that … and Trini had already been swinging for four years with his go go beat.

I’m sure he taught them a thing or two,

Tracks (best in italics)

Side One

• Takin’ The Back Roads – (Morrison, Andersom, Harvey) – I don’t know much about this song or it’s songwriters. It sounds a little like a film theme song. It’s light but quite pleasant, and catchy, and ultimately memorable.
• Strangers In The Night – (Kaempfert, Singleton, Snyder) – the often recorded magnificent song forever associated with Trini’s label mate and label owner (Reprise) Frank Sinatra. Frank had a hit with this in 1966 (#1 Pop. #1 UK) at the height of rock ‘n’ roll and the “British Invasion”. Quite good but not a patch on the original. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strangers_in_the_Night
• Love Letters – (Heyman, Young) – a often record trad pop classic. Ketty Lester had a #5 US Pop hit with in 1961. The intro is different and the beat is faster but I can hear some Elvis, who charted this in 1966(US #19, UK #6), in the vocals. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Letters_(song)
• Happy – (Kusik, Lopez) – a Trini original. Co-writer Larry Kusik was a reasonably busy pop songwriter in the 1960s and70s. This is great sin-a-long type of pop song.
• Mame – (Herman) – The Broadway musical “Mame” was a Broadway hit in 1966 and Bobby Darin had a #53 US Pop hit with it in the same year. Not bad but you really need a “big” voice like Darin.
• Your Ever Changin’ Mind – (Snyder, Sonnenberg) – First done by English pop singer Crispian St. Peters in 1966 (#106US). A very contemporary (1966) song. It’s strange hearing Trini singing this type of song but he does it well and it is catchy.

Side Two

• Gonna Get Along Without Ya’ Now – (Kellem) – Often recorded Patience and Prudence had a US #11 in 1956. In 1964  Tracey Dey (#51) and Skeeter Davis (# 48) charted the song in the US. Quite a gentle groovy song. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonna_Get_Along_Without_Ya_Now
• Lady Jane – (Richards, Jagger) – The Rolling Stones hit (US #24 1966). Trini does this as a trad pop standard and it works. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Jane_(song)
• It Had To Be You – (Kahn, Jones) – A Trad Pop often recorded (hundreds of times) inculcating a version by Ray Charles on his “The Genius of Ray Charles” album of standards from 1959. Also done by Fabian (1960) and notably Bobby Darin in 1961. Trini does this as a Trad Pop with a beat (much like Chris Montez was doing at the time). Excellent. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Had_to_Be_You_(song)
• Fever –  (Cooley, Davenport) – Little Willie John’s song from 1956 (#24 US, #1 R&N US) though Peggy Lee’s version from 1958 (#8 US, #5UK) (with reworked lyrics by Lee herself) is, perhaps, more famous. Elvis Presley released a near identical version to Lee’s for his 1960 album, “Elvis is Back”. There have been many other versions. The tempo is increased so the “fever” isn’t a sultry sexual one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fever_(Little_Willie_John_song)
• I Wanna Be Around – (Mercer, Vimmerstedt) – There is a fascinating back story to this song. Tony Bennett had the big hit with it (#14 Pop, #5 easy listening in 1963) and it was covered many times most notably by Bobby Darin (who he is channeling) and Jackie Wilson in 1965. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Wanna_Be_Around
• That’s What Makes The World Go Round – (Henry, Lopez) – co-writer Robert H. Hensley was a singer, songwriter (as Jericho Brown) and actor and songwriter (as Bob Henry). A contemporary (1966) mid tempo big pop song. Great fun.

And …

No earth shaker but this undeniably fun and quite “groovy”. An underappreciated album …. I’m keeping it.

Chart Action

US

Singles

Three singles were released but only one charted on the pop charts

1966 Takin’ the Back Roads

1966 Your Ever Changin’ Mind  #131 (cashbox industry charts)

1967 Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now #93 Pop, #23 Adult Contemporary

Album

1967 #114 Pop

England

Singles

1967 Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now #41

Album

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Sounds

Takin’ The Back Roads

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtKgahoGi88

Strangers In The Night

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25cBvmMePEI

Love Letters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63sBNAE3SWc

Happy

Live

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPnyOOzqShg

Mame

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42EqXURE-gs

Your Ever Changin’ Mind

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUQqE5c0F7U

Gonna Get Along Without Ya’ Now

mp3 attached

Lady Jane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktOOyq3mVCw

It Had To Be You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rx1Ucbr6LXM

Fever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8sXI7VquO8

I Wanna Be Around

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH430oF6ZKM

That’s What Makes The World Go Round

mp3 attached

Others

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaKrnbBE4s0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2IX4yKX2OE

Review

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Bio

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trini_Lopez

https://markguerrero.net/14.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Costa

Website

http://www.trinilopez.com

Trivia

• According to Jim Brown’s autobiography, “Trini Lopez’s part was supposed to be larger, but he demanded that his part be even bigger, or he’d walk off the movie, which you don’t do to director Robert Aldrich. The next day the question was asked, “Where’s Jimenez? (Trini’s character is Pedro Jimenez),Charles Bronson said “He got hung on an apple tree. Broke his neck.” An obvious jab at Lopez’s hit song “Lemon tree.”” That perhaps explains why his character dies off-screen during the parachute jump before the final action sequence. He did get to release a two songs related to the film: The Ballad Of The Dirty Dozen b/w The Bramble Bush (1967, Reprise). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061578/trivia