WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS? (2023, doc)

March 23, 2023

Greetings again from the darkness. “What goes up, must come down” … those are the opening lyrics to “Spinning Wheel”, a huge hit for the brass-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears. The lyrics are meant to convey the cycles of life, but they also reflect the meteoric rise and fall of the band itself. John Scheinfeld is a knowledgeable and passionate documentarian behind profiles of such acclaimed musicians as Herb Alpert, Brian Wilson, Sergio Mendes, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Bette Midler, Rick Nelson, Rosemary Clooney, John Coltrane, Andy Williams, and Dean Martin. He’s a natural choice to provide the answers to the titular question.

A 9-piece jazz-rock band hitting the charts big time is not something that could have been predicted in the late 1960’s. Scheinfeld opens the film with clips of the band live on stage in Bulgaria in 1970 as David Clayton-Thomas belts out “Spinning Wheel”. We learn they were the first American rock band to perform behind the Iron Curtain, and we also learn there is more to the story. Much more. At the time, the United States was in the Vietnam War and social and political unrest and upheaval were occurring regularly. There is every indication that the State Department invoked a strategy of using a popular band to ease tensions in communist countries. It was the legal and visa issues of Canadian singer Clayton-Thomas that provided the opening the State Department needed to pressure the band to undertake the tour with the goal of softening the U.S. reputation as a bullying military force.

Ultimately, it was a tour that turned most everyone on all sides against the band. Romanian concert goers initially enjoyed the ‘freeing’ aspect of the band’s music, but soon the police used dogs to break up the crowds and end the celebration. When the band returned home, the counterculture couldn’t forgive them for the tour in communist territory, and the conservative right couldn’t forgive them for being against the Vietnam War. Everyone was upset at Blood, Sweat & Tears.

We get a bit of the band’s history in that it was founded by Al Kooper in 1967 when they introduced a new sound, however, after the first album, it was determined a new singer was preferred and a very brief audition from Clayton-Thomas secured the job for him. The rest of the band consisted of Jim Fielder on bass, Bobby Colomby on drums, Steve Katz on guitar, Dick Halligan multiple instruments, Jerry Hyman on horns, Fred Lipsius on sax, and trumpeters Chuck Winfiled and Lew Soloff. For the most part, the band members were not politically outspoken. The exception was Steve Katz who was adamantly opposed to the foreign land tour. It was the band’s second album that changed everything. Three huge hits – “And When I Die”, “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy”, and “Spinning Wheel” – helped them win Album of the Year over the now classic Abbey Road from The Beatles.

Scheinfeld solves another mystery when he explains why, listed as headliners, the band was not featured in the “Woodstock” documentary. Not surprisingly, the answer involves money, and of course, the band members now look back on their manager’s decision with some regret. But there is more to the story of the band’s faded glory than the communist block tour. An early Las Vegas residency, though a much sought-after gig these days, garnered the label “square” for the band … this despite performances at the Fillmore and MSG. Although the band never regained the popularity of that second album, they did have subsequent hits that included “Hi-De-Ho” (written by Carole King) and “Go Down Gamblin’”. Perhaps most shocking is that more than 65 hours of concert footage was shot on the Iron Curtain tour, yet the State Department shelved the documentary project, likely for political reasons given the police and military activity against concert goers. Bonus points to Scheinfeld for solving a couple of long-term musical mysteries here, and also for including some “Bullwinkle” clips.

Abramorama will release the film in theaters beginning March 24th. 

WATCH THE TRAILER

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Posted by David Ferguson

HERB ALPERT IS … (2020, doc)

October 1, 2020

 Greetings again from the darkness. Herb Alpert’s music was played frequently in my home as I was growing up, so I became a fan early on. His impact on the music industry seems not to be celebrated or remembered today the way it should, and documentarian John Scheinfeld seeks to change that with this thorough and detailed look at the man and his career. By the time the end credits roll, we are in awe of not just the musical accomplishments, but also the humanity of Herb Alpert.

The film’s opening sequence shows Alpert working the canvas with a brush. For those who know him only as a trumpet player, this might catch you off guard. In fact, Alpert is quite an accomplished abstract painter, sculptor, musician, producer, businessman, and philanthropist. He’s also consistently described as “humble”, “gracious”, and “kind”. Such is the Herb Alpert we come to know during this nearly two hour profile.

An exploration of his life includes a timeline of events accompanied by interviews with those who know him well: songwriter and composer Paul Williams, Sting, QuestLove, Producer Lou Adler, Burt Bachrach, and journalist Bill Moyers. Additionally, we hear directly from Herb (now 85 years old) and his wife of nearly 50 years, singer Lani Hall. In fact, Ms. Hall-Alpert serves up one of the most insightful descriptions of her husband when she says, “He doesn’t work creatively. He lives creatively.”

Alpert was a working musician from an early age, and things really took off for him after he and Jerry Moss co-founded A&M Records (Alpert & Moss) in 1962. He explains his approach as a record label executive: he listens with his soul, and the music must touch him. That approach made A&M hugely successful, signing such popular and talented acts as Cat Stevens, Carole King, The Carpenters, Peter Frampton, Quincy Jones, Janet Jackson, and The Police, among others.

Beyond that gut instinct, Alpert’s career as a musician was remarkable. He won 9 Grammy’s, had 15 Gold and 14 Platinum albums, and sold over 72 million records. We learn that his Tijuana Brass band outsold the Beatles two to one in 1966, and of course we get to hear such megahits as “The Lonely Bull” (1962), “A Taste of Honey” (1965), “Tijuana Taxi” (1965), “This Guy’s in Love with You” (1968), and “Rise” (1979). We see clips of the band on The Andy Williams Show and The Ed Sullivan Show, as well as some of their early music videos.

Director Scheinfeld has made a nice career of profiling talented folks like: John Coltrane, Harry Nilsson, Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Bette Midler, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and the Marx Brothers. However, I’m not sure any of his subjects have had the many talents and passions of Herb Alpert. We learn of his commitment to making a positive impact on the world each and every day, and his work as a philanthropist includes resurrecting the Harlem School of Arts, and inspiring those students to reach new heights.

The sale of A&M Records in 1990 to Polygram for $500 million combined with his successful music career has allowed Alpert to continue with his philanthropic pursuits, yet he remains one of the most humble superstars you’ll ever find. In an early sequence, he jokes about sneaking maple syrup into his oatmeal – he says it’s “cheating” his strict diet. We see some early home movies, and Alpert revisits both his childhood school and home, which contrasts with his own show at an elite art gallery. Alpert recounts stories involving Sonny Bono and the great Sam Cooke, and goes back to the old campus of A&M Records (once a movie studio where Charlie Chaplin worked), now the home for the Jim Henson Company.

I’d be remiss in not mentioning (and thanking) Herb Alpert for the greatest album cover of all time: “Whipped Cream and Other Delights”, a visual favorite of so many throughout the years. Herb Alpert had his music played by the Apollo VIII crew, and he recalls with pride that the great Miles Davis once remarked, “You hear 3 notes and you know it’s Herb Alpert.” Despite all the brilliance he’s displayed in his life, Herb is noted for always being “humble and gracious” … and he’s still “the coolest guy in the room”. Not many can supply the soundtrack to their own life story! The film ends with Alpert himself saying he is “very grateful”, and we can only hope he knows that we are the grateful ones.

In theaters and VOD October 2, 2020

watch the trailer

 
 

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Posted by David Ferguson