Search - Nick Decaro :: Happy Heart

Soothing music beautifully arranged

J. B Brent | Oak Ridge, Tennessee USA | 07/10/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nick DeCaro HAPPY HEART was released on vinyl as A&M SP 4176 back in 1969. The title song was a big hit for Andy Williams. This album's arrangement is identical, except there are no vocals. Other outstanding tracks are his own composition "Love is All," "Quiet Sunday," a unique arrangement of the Beach Boys tune "Caroline No" and "Lullaby From Rosemary's Baby." The liner notes on the LP were written by Claudine Longet, for whom he did arrangements on her A&M albums. This was his first album. He recorded another for Blue Thumb label which was not been reissued yet. HAPPY HEART is a definite winner."

Fine period piece that sounds good today

R. Riis | NY | 11/18/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A nice piece of lounge/MOR music, circa 1969. Nick De Caro was a well-known producer/arranger (Claudine Longet & other A&M acts) who stepped out in front of the microphone for this set. The album is mostly instrumental, although De Caro does a pleasant vocal take on the Beach Boys' "Caroline, No". John Sebastian's melancholy "Amy's Theme" is nicely done, too, but the highlight is the last track, "If I Only Had Time", which briefly dented the lower reaches of the pop charts but deserved better. Altogether a nice selection of tunes done nicely and a worthwhile purchase."

That's Nick De Caro, not Julio De Caro.

Mark Hammond | Chambersburg, PA USA | 11/28/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I must admit that I probably purchased this disk for the sole reason that I like the arrangement of John Sebastian's "Amy's Theme." If you are familiar with the Lovin' Spoonful, you may remember it as one of the few instrumentals they recorded. I had tried for years to get Nick De Caro's arrangement, even enlisting the services of a friend who worked at a radio station to try to find it. My difficulty was because this disk was released in Japan and had not been available in the US.My family and friends have had different reactions to this disk. One person with whom I work said some of the music reminded her of Paul Muriat; my son remarked that there were a lot of "covers" of 1960's hits (including "Hey, Jude", "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", and "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me"; and the woman who runs a local coffee house thought it was good "coffee house" music. I can't really say that I remember the Lullaby from Rosemary's Baby, but I find it to be a delightful slow waltz. I can dance to that. My over all experience with this disk has been positive. It is not a disk for everybody. Consider it more of the "songs for aging children." Yes, I am pleased with the purchase."