Songs For The Children's Hour

Songs For The Children's Hour
Dr. Fun with the kindergarten kids and friends
Columbia House DS 713

And what little girl or boy would want this record? Look at this cover! Who is Dr. Fun? There is no explanation anywhere on the LP or jacket and look at these unhappy children. They are both holding some strange little plastic bag in their hands… Who is Dr. Fun anyway?

Provocative Percussion Volume 4

With Eyes Wide Open, I'm Dreaming

Provocative Percussion Volume 4
Enoch Light and The Light Brigade
Command Records RS 834 SD
1962

Once again, Enoch Light strikes with super clean engineering (recording chief Robert Fine). The sound is superb! This album is very light bachelor pad jazz. And once again, we are treated to a fabulous cover design by Charles E. Murphy.

Hullabaloo Au-Go-Go!!!

Hullabaloo Au-Go-Go
Design Records
Pickwick International 1962

Great early 60s space age cover.  Budget label but featuring some great songs on this set including Ronnie Dove's I'll Be Around.

Jackie Gleason - Lonesome Echo

Speak Low

Jackie Gleason Presents
Lonesome Echo
Capitol Records W627 (12 inch - 33 RPM)
1955

Jackie Gleason Presents
Lonesome Echo
Part I of a two part album
Capitol Records H 1-627 (10 Inch - 33 RPM)

From the back cover: The nostalgic, lonely quality of this album's music is derived from a novel instrumental concept. For here Jackie Gleason has assembled an exotic string combination: mandolins, 'cellos, and dorms (richer, deeper mandolins), augmented by guitars and marimba. The featured solo instrument throughout is the rare oboe d'amour, whose melancholy tone is hauntingly displayed in each of these favorite selections.

There Must Be A Way
I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)
Deep Purple
Mad About The Boy
Come Rain Or Come Shine
The Thrill Is Gone
I Wished On The Moon
How Deep Is The Ocean
Remember
Speak Low
I Still Get A Thrill
Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup
I'm Always Chasing Rainbows
A Garden In The Rain
Dancing On The Ceiling

One Step Beyond

Music From One Step Beyond
Harry Lubin
Decca DL 78970

One Step Beyond ran for three seasons on ABC from 1959 to 1961. 97 episodes were produced.

Musically, "Fear" the title track and theme song is "one step beyond" featuring Theremin and space age vocals. "Weird", the lead track on the B side is also a nice piece of "exotica" music with space age vocals.

Apparently, there is better "creepy" music to be found in the series. But other than the afore mentioned tracks the rest of the LP slides into somewhat more standard arrangements. There are a few more lush and wonderful tracks, mainly on the B side, but... not "One Step Beyond". None-the-less, the entire album is interesting and Fear and Weird make the LP great fun.

The graphic or illustration is printed on foil with a little embossing. An expensive jacket to produce and a nice addition to your space age record collection.

Voodoo Suite

Voodoo Suite

Plus Six All-Time Greats
Perez Prado
Shorty Rogers
RCA Victor LPM-1101
1955

Excellent set available on CD. Side one is one continuous track that blends hypnotic tribal chanting, ritualistic drumming and big band jazz. The recording has the rare power to transport me to exotica worlds.

Great Afro-Cuban Mambo tracks are to be found on the B side.

Perze Prado is commonly referred to as the "King Of The Mambo". Voodoo Suite was the first LP he recorded for RCA. He recorded for RCA from 1955 through 1965.

Shorty Rogers is also an interesting character and his bio can be found on Spaceagepop.