S.R.O. (album)

The album includes work by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, as well as the band's cover of "Mame" (from the hit musical of the same name), one of the first of the group's recordings to include vocals by Alpert; he and the group sing the chorus in the middle of the otherwise-instrumental rendition. Released as a single, "Mame" reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in November 1966. "The Work Song", which features the "ping" sound effect of a hammer or pickaxe hitting rocks or other solid objects, reached No. 18 in July, and "Flamingo" peaked at No. 28 in September. The album reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart.

S.R.O., an acronym for standing-room only,[4] is a reference to the group's frequently sold-out concerts.[5]

"Bean Bag" became famous in the UK as the theme song of the popular long-running game show It's a Knockout, and as a prize cue for the game show The Guinness Game.

The Dixieland-inspired "Wall Street Rag" was not the Scott Joplin song of the same name, but was composed by Alpert associate and Baja Marimba Band member Bud Coleman.

"For Carlos" was covered by jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery as "Wind Song".[6]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[6]

In his retrospective review for Allmusic, music critic Richard S. Ginell wrote "The arrangements are very tightly knit and don't allow much room for spontaneity, but they still sound fresh and uninhibited, and Alpert often allows the flavor of jazz to come through more clearly... Though S.R.O. only went to number two on the LP charts, Alpert's creativity and popularity were still peaking."[6]

Along with Alpert, the musicians pictured on the album cover (excepting Julius Wechter) are:

• Nick Ceroli – drums
• Bob Edmondson – trombone
• Tonni Kalash – trumpet
• Lou Pagani – piano
• John Pisano – guitar
• Pat Senatore – bass
• Julius Wechter – marimba, vibes