Herb Alpert – Whipped Cream

Artist: Herb Alpert

Title: Whipped Cream

Label: Shout Factory

Rating: 8/10

Lounge hipsters and thrift-store hounds rejoice—your wait is over! Yes, the king of kitsch is back and sounding better than ever with this new reissue. To commemorate the 40th anniversary of this seminal album, indie label Shout Factory! has done a bang-up job at restoring and remaking it to include bonus tracks, and deluxe packaging. There is also a 20-page booklet featuring an intro from Alpert himself, and a poster. Known for its provocative album cover and swinging’ sounds, the album transformed Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass into international superstars, spending eight weeks at the top of the charts.

Featuring the Grammy-winning hit “A Taste Of Honey,” and “Whipped Cream,” the theme from the TV show, THE DATING GAME, all of the album’s original 12 tracks revolve around a culinary theme. To the uninitiated, Alpert’s signature music took modern jazz and added a serious pop element to it, making it highly accessible, as well as infectious—it’s hard to shake the tasteful melodies of the jumping “Green Peppers” upon hearing. Mixing in originals with distinctive versions of classic standards, Alpert played the magic trumpet, enlisting top session players such as Leon Russell on piano and Hal Blaine on drums.

The album was not only famous for Herb’s era-defining music, its iconic album cover also caused quite a stir. The saucy image of model Dolores Erickson strategically covered in whipped cream only served to provoke more interest in the group—especially from adolescent males. In reality, Miss Erickson was three months pregnant and draped in shaving cream (nevertheless, she still looked sweet in her evocative pose).

Aside from “Whipped Cream,” Shout Factory! has also reissued the rest of the band’s catalog. Now, you can collect the whole series, including THE LONELY BULL, GOING PLACES!! and WHAT NOW MY LOVE. As always, the label goes the extra mile to preserve the integrity of the original albums as well as including bonuses for the serious collector. Well done.

+ Jim Kaz