London LL 1041
This is a graphically appealing, if somewhat odd album cover which features what looks like Chacksfield on the cover pointing at something. What? Maybe the Ebb Tide which was the first British instrumental to hit number #1 on the U.S. charts.
I'm having trouble fitting this release into Chacksfield's Wikipedia discography. Ebb Tide, the first composition on the list, was released as London LL 1408 (although a 1956 issue of Billboard lists this London album catalog number as a release by another artist). This album isn't listed on Wikipedia and appears to be earlier.
The back cover is stamped May 27, 1955 and if you read the notes you might think that this record was released sometime around 1953. "In 1948, he began conducting for the BBC in association with the orchestra of Henry Hall and Geraldo and in the next five years rose amongst the most sought after maestri in Britain." But in 1953 Chacksfield was signed with Decca. His first release for Decca featured "Limelight" which is also on this record.
As for the music, Ebb Tide on this pressing is spiced with an ocean lead-in and out sound effects and a track titled Golden Violins features what must be an early example of reverb which gives the tune a neat space age edge. Both tunes can be the downloaded from online vendors.
Nice cover! Very Atomic in feel. Love the color scheme.
ReplyDelete