Album Essentials: Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass - 'Whipped Cream and Other Delights' (1965)
By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor
Have you ever been to a thrift store? Goodwill, Salvation Army, and so on? Chances are, you have been, and chances are, you have seen this record there. At any given time, over any selected year over the past several decades, Herb Alpert's classic 'Whipped Cream and Other Delights' can be found practically every thrift store and record store in the USA. I'm not kidding. It might be a law somewhere on the books. 'Whipped Cream,' 'the soundtrack to 'The Music Man,' and 'The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart' were always to be found.
In the early 1960s, it became a novelty for homes to have a 'hi-fi stereo' with a handful of LPs, almost as conversation pieces. Popular soundtracks from Broadway and films, a comedy record or two, perhaps something exotic like Martin Denny or Webley Edwards doing Hawaiian music and Tiki themes, and the ever-present Herb Alpert.
Throughout 1960, Herb and the Brass released thirteen albums, only two of which missed the Top 20, while nine made the Top 10, with five of those hitting number one! Truth be told, that's pretty incredible. People were just drawn to that sound, and it was the perfect background music for parties, gatherings, a lazy afternoon, or an energized evening. Herb was everywhere.
One thing about Alperts style was it was instantly recognizable! There were imitators and other horn players who tried to steal the spotlight, but it was all about Herb and the Brass. After releasing a handful of singles between 1958 and 1961, Alpert was going nowhere, so at that point, he took matters into his own hands and started A&M Records with his friend Jerry Moss. At the same time, Herb had been inspired by the event of a bullfight and the way the music played a part, and decided to record a song called 'The Lonely Bull.' it was to be the first release on the new label, setting the stage for so much to follow. Released in the summer of 1962, 'The Lonely Bull' shot up to #6, introducing the world to this new talent.
Over the next few years, more singles and albums hit the radio and record store shelves with varying degrees of success, and they all followed a similar template. The Beatles and the rest of the British invasion were happening. Still, Herb had his niche, so it was no surprise when, in 1965, his fourth LP, 'Whipped Cream and Other Delights' hit number one with the hit single 'A Taste Of Honey,' a cover of the title song of the play and a song which the Beatles had recorded on their 'Please Please Me' album. Pop culture was truly a living and breathing thing, working on various levels back then! Wrecking Crew regulars like Hal Blaine on drums, Carol Kaye on bass, and Leon Russell on piano provided the music.
Part of the phenomenon of this particular LP, however, had as much to do with the cover art as it did with the swingin' sounds inside. The legendary sleeve features a photo of model Dolores Erickson wearing chiffon, shaving cream, and nothing else. As the story goes, she and her husband were friends of Alpert. She was 29 and three months pregnant, so she was well covered with shaving cream, used due to slower melting time rather than actual whipped cream. Though she was fully covered, the shot maintained a sexy allure that people seemed fascinated by. She was paid $1500 for the modeling gig and a lifetime of notoriety that followed.
"Whipped Cream," "A Taste Of Honey," "Lemon Tree," "Tangerine," and others all contributed to a classic LP of the era, one that has had a life all its own in the 60 years since then. After its initial release in April 1965, it remained in the Billboard Top 10 for 61 weeks.