In an age in which absolutely everything is owned by ghastly private equity firms, it's difficult to imagine a time in which companies were headed by people who actually liked what they were selling. The car industry was once run by automobile enthusiasts, bakeries were run by bakers and so on. While this didn't necessarily guarantee higher quality, competition in a capitalist system (in which the deck wasn't stacked against virtually everyone who wished to be involved) generally produced results.
According to Wikipedia, there were twenty-four record companies that began operating in 1962. There's not much to say about the bulk of them. Dimension Records out of New York City released Little Eva's worldwide hit "The Loco-Motion" while Thelma made an unsuccessful attempt to be a Detroit-based competitor to Tamla Motown. But by far the biggest label to emerge that year was A&M Records.
A&M's distinctive logo featured a trumpet which must have made the public assume it to be a jazz label. In reality, however, it was the instrument that Herb Alpert excelled at and he was the 'A' in A&M. (His partner Jerry Moss, the 'M', didn't seem to have much of a musical background) While it would be the home to such notable acts as Bryan Adams, The Carpenters and Janet Jackson, one of their first big signings was the Tijuana Brass led by the very same Herb Alpert. Their hits such as "The Lonely Bull", "A Taste of Honey" and "Spanish Flea" are kind of charming in their own way but a little of them goes a long way. In truth, Alpert would be more at home in the seventies where he could dabble in easy listening, disco, funk and jazz fusion (sometimes all at the same time). The American Hot 100 chart topper "Rise" from 1979 is an excellent example of his enjoyable if unspectacular sound.
Unfortunately, Alpert's trumpet playing takes a backseat to his singing on his one and only Canadian number one hit "This Guy's in Love with You". Like Richard Harris on "MacArthur Park", it displays a talented individual on sabbatical from his day job. I'm sure there are professional lounge singers scattered throughout the world who have less characterful voices but they also don't have fifty percent stakes in record labels to give them a much needed boost. Yet, the biggest knock against it is that it's so incredibly boring and unmemorable. Somehow it was the first American number one for composers Burt Bachrach and Hal David when I'm not so sure that even the dramatics of Dionne Warwick or the vulnerability of Cilla Black could have helped it much. Fittingly, the highlight is a very brief trumpet solo which is the only part of the song that actually feels truly laid back.
Happily, "This Guy's in Love with You" would be Alpert's one and only major hit that he sang on. While his instrumental music would never be challenging or adventurous or unique, he was practically the epitome of the all right middle-of-the-road artist — a trait he would share with many of the acts signed to his label. I wouldn't go out of my way to hear some Herb Alpert but neither would I rush to turn his music off — with one glaring exception.
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