Phil Dirt - Reverb Central - PO Box 1609, Felton, CA 95018-1609 USA Collection: The Trini Lopez Show
 | Trini Lopez was quite a phenomenon in his day. His warm folk presentation was infectious. Reprise issued several LP's recorded live at P.J.'s in Hollywood. He was the center piece of a TV special which costarred Nancy Ames and the Ventures. Some of the songs are worse than you can imagine, while others are truly an adventure. The Ventures backed Trini and Nancy on some tracks, and played their single hit "Hawaii Five-0." This review only addresses the tracks the Ventures appear on. So, ladies and gentlemen, may I present The Trini Lopez Show. |
Picks: Twenty Five Miles, Hawaii Five-0, Light My Fire, Land Of A Thousand Dances
Track by Track Review
Twenty Five Miles
MOR (Vocal)
Trini Lopez, Nancy Ames, and the Ventures make MOR nice with this hit du jour. Opening the show, it certainly set the stage for what was to come.
Surf (Instrumental)
When this special was on the tube, "Hawaii Five-0" was on the charts. It's an energetic performance recorded reasonably well given the nature of TV. All the right stuff in all the right places, though not as dramatic as their hit version.
MOR Psychedelic (Vocal)
Trini Lopez sings this Doors hit just like he sang "Jailor Bering Me Water," only with a little less fire. This is easily the most insipid version of "Light My Fire" ever cut. Not a trace of the Doors' psychedelia or spunk. It's so bad, it's great! Now, this is a vocal, but with the Ventures behind him, it almost fits the bill.
Land Of A Thousand Dances
MOR (Vocal)
The Ventures back Trini Lopez and Nancy Ames in their sappy duet, turning Chris Kenner's classic frat party dance monster into a tea party soiree. Even the V-boys at their cover the hits worst couldn't be this far off the mark without help.