The Best of the Brass Ring

by The Brass Ring

Overview

The dozen cuts on this compilation are gleaned from the Brass Ring's succinct but profuse tenure on Dunhill Records. Under the direction of Phil Bodner, the New York City-based ensemble issued seven albums that essentially provided an easier listening alternative to their West Coast contemporaries, the Herb Alpert-led Tijuana Brass. However, one major difference between the two combos is the comparative dearth of original material. Instead, Bodner's forte was recasting familiar standards, show tunes, and the occasional concurrent pop songs into ersatz "Space Age Bachelor Pad" music. As their name suggests, the instrumentation prominently features a horn section that is often juxtaposed with the robust swirl of a Hammond organ or the delicate precision of acoustic guitars. Suitably, the first selection is one of their two Top 40 hits, the light and charismatic title track to the Brass Ring's debut album Love Theme from the Flight of the Phoenix (1966). The slightly Latin-tinged lilt and catchy melody were a surefire success for those too old to rock & roll, but too young to, well, you know. Their other significant chart entry -- "The Dis-Advantages of You" -- is memorable as the incidental music behind a series of humorous mid-'60s TV ads for (gasp!) cigarettes. Among the remaining mid- to up-tempo remakes that quite literally epitomize the easy listening genre are "Music to Watch Girls By," "I Will Wait for You," and the breezy Brazilian "Samba de Orfeo." Although the Brass Ring's back catalog boasts numerous contrasting ballads and more dramatic scores, the haunting "Adoro (Don't Tempt Me)" and Burt Bacharach/Hal David's "The Look of Love" are the only ones that compilers saw fit to include here. That initial oversight can be rectified by interested parties wishing to delve into the Brass Ring's discography. In 2007 Collectors' Choice Music reissued six of the "classic" Dunhill Records long-players onto a trio of two-fer CDs offering Love Theme from the Flight of the Phoenix (1966) together with Lara's Theme (1967), The Dis-Advantages of You (1967) and the Now Sound of the Brass Ring (1968), as well as Gazpacho (1968) with their final LP Only Love (1968). ~ Lindsay Planer

Product Details

Release Date:	07/07/2023
Label:	Classics
UPC:	5000850008220
Rank:	99332

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Brass Ring   Primary Artist