A Ding Dong Dandy Christmas - The Three Suns

White Christmas

The Three Suns
A Ding Dong Dandy Christmas
RCA Victor LPM-2054
1959

Out of the million or so Christmas albums released to the world, I think that I have discovered my favorite. From the suggestive cover, to the inventive music, this holiday set actually got me into the ding dong dandy holiday mood!

Each song is a cool little experiment.

From Billboard - November 2, 1959: The Three Suns offer a different sound in this bright holiday package, utilizing chimes, bells, an oboe and two tubas. Here you have an exotic version of "White Christmas," plus amusing versions of other seasonal fare, including "The Chipmunk Song," "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Winter Wonderland." Good off-beat programming for jocks in search of something new in yule wax.

Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
Skaters Waltz
The Chipmunk Song
White Christmas
Ding Dong Dandy Christmas
The Christmas Song
Russian Sleigh Song
Jingle Bells
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Jingle Bell Rock
Sleigh Ride
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Winter Wonderland

The Colonel's Mandolin Band

Love Lifted Me

The Colonel's Mandolin Band
Favorite Old Church Hyms For The Glorification Of Christ
Grant Enterprises, Louisville, Kentucky

Here's an obscure KFC collectible. Making this record was a pet project for Sanders.

From the back cover: This was easy to do because the children live only a few miles from The Colonel's home, Blackwood Hall, which is a landmark in the Shelbyville area. Also, the Colonel has helped the children to make this record and plans to place 30,000 of these LP records in Canada alone. Because the Colonel is a famous Kentuckian, we were honored to have the band incorporated as The Colonel's Madoline Band.

Why, the curious line about sending 30,000 copies to Canada?

The record plays like most good unusual vanity press gospel recordings. The mandolin gimmick isn't over sold and David Arnholter, the vocalist, is just too cute!

The Sound Of Bold

Bold Man & The Most Beautiful Wash In The World

The Sound Of Bold

Betty Clark

Annabelle And Susie

Mrs. Jones And Mrs. Smith

Window Washer

Butch And Mrs. McGullicuddy

Big And Little Sister

Madame Lemieux At Madame Beauchamp

Grande et Petite Souer

Boldman

The Most Beautiful Wash In The World

Husbands Trio

Roommates

Angels

Sweatshirt

Housekeeper Soliloquy

Cousins 

Circus

Lee Evans In Concert

If I Should Lose You

Lee Evans In Concert
The Concert Touch
New And Exciting Popular Piano Arrangements
Command Records RS 33-858
1963

The cover features another wonderful Charles E. Murphy cover graphic. Often copied, Enoch Light/Command is known for a slew of fine minimalist jacket designs.

This Command release was originated and produced by Enoch Light. The "A" side does have a touch of that "concert hall drama" to it. The B side, a little jazz and light pop. The project seems to lack real direction and folks in the know were likely to pass up this album for a Shearing release.  And, in my opinion, the engineering just isn't up to Light's excellent standards.

I can't find much info on Evans other than he made several records on the Command Label in the 60s. There are copious jacket notes that essentially state that Light "discovered" Evans playing in a "trio" and serving as musical director for Carol Channing.

The Secret 7 Raymond Scott

The Secret 7 Raymond Scott
The Unexpected
Top Rank Records RS 635
1960

This was an "unexpected" find in the discount bin today. First, what do you make of a jacket cover like this with a mysterious title and a guy sitting behind a microphone like he was about to do the nightly news in the 60s? I looked over the back cover notes and the album appeared to be music, which it is.

The first few tracks are bouncy jazz tunes and then the third track, The Cow Jumped Over The Moon, started playing and I heard high pitch voices. I thought that I had been listening to the record at 45 instead of 33... but no... There are "Martian-like" vocals on this track. Wonderfully odd.

After reading Scott's wikipedia profile I found that he was an "early electronic music pioneer and adventurous sound engineer". Scott apparently recorded futuristic compositions for television and radio along with Soothing Sounds For Baby (1964) which today sounds uncannily similar to the ambient work of Tangerine Dream or Brian Eno.

He developed his own (synth) machine that he dubbed "The Electronim" (spending 11 years and close to a million dollars working on) and patented a large number of consumer electronic products such as telephone ringers, alarms, chimes and sirens.

Can you say genius?

The wikipedia article goes on to say that Scott became reclusive and secretive about his inventions in the late 60s. He eventually did do some work for Jim Hendson (Muppets) under the name Ramond Scott.

Later still he was hired by Motown to serve as their electronic music and research department head. However no Motown/Scott inventions have yet been publicly identified.

My growing collection of El-Bakker Albums

Port Said
Music Of The Middle East
Mohammed El-Bakkar And His Oriental Ensemble
Audio Fidelity AFLP 1833
1957

The cover model is credited as Nejla Ates, dancing star of "Fanny". Read about her colorful life.

Port Said

Music Of The Middle East

Mohammed El-Bakkar And His Oriental Ensemble

Audio Fidelity AFLP 1833

1958

Sultan Of Bagdad

Music Of The Middle East Vol. 2

Audio Fidelity AFSD 5834

1958

Music Of The African Arab

Mohammed El-Bakkar And His Oriental Ensemble

Vol. 3

Audio Fidelity AFSD 5858

1958

Dances Of Port Said

Mohammed El-Bakkar And His Oriental Ensemble

Vol. 5

Audio Fidelity AFSD 5922

1960

Here is volume 5 sporting another cheesecake cover. In this case, the model was actually topless when photographed. The "pasties" were added in production (cut and paste).

Exotic Music Of

The Belly Dancer

Mohammed El Bakker & His Oriental Ensemble

Audio Fidelity SFSD 6154

1966

Music For A Belly Dancer

Audio Fidelity Records AF 2411

1973

This is a gatefold jacket 2 record set repressing of AFSD 5895 The Magic Carpet and AFSD 5834 Sultan Of Bagdad.

An Arabic Party With Mohammed El-Bakkar

Orient SLPO161

Rashid Sales Co., Brooklyn, N.Y.

1979

The Versatile Henry Mancini

Flamingo

The Versatile Henry Mancini And His Orchestra

Producer: Si Waronker
Engineer: Ted Keep
Cover Design: Pate/Francis & Assoc.
Liberty Records LST-7121
1959

The Versatile Henry Mancini

An S. W. Production

Cover Design: Studio Five

Liberty Records LRP-3121

1959

From the back cover: Henry Mancini is one of the arranger-composer stalwarts at Universal-International Studios. He is best known for his background music to the Peter Gunn television series and his score for The Glenn Miller Story.

Surrounding himself with a noteworthy crew, Mr. Mancini chose as his first mate the brilliant guitarist Laurindo Almeida, literate and unique interpretations of the tropic mood. The boatswain is one of the world's top accordionists, Dominic Frontiere. His impeccable musicianship is well displayed in "Driftwood And Dreams" and "The Breeze And I." Lulu Jean Norman adds spice and warmth with her beautiful obligatos on "Flamingo" and "Moon Of Manakoora."

Bob Bain's bass guitar and Lou Maury's tasty organ stylings join Mr. Mancini to create some wonderful moods.

To those who long for balmy tropic breezes and gently swaying palms, this album is dedicated.

From Billboard: July 13, 1959: This is a new Mancini. Unlike the "Peter Gunn" jazz-oriented material for which he's best known currently, this is lush, almost ethereal music that suggests the languorous tropics. Included in the group are Dom Frontiere, accordion, the great Laurindo Almeida on guitar, Lou Maury on organ, Bob Bain on bass guitar, and the high soprano voice of Lulu Jean Norman. "Bali Hai," "Poinciana," "Return To Paradise" are samples. Splendid mood music in the relaxed setting. Mancini name will also add sale potential.

Poinciana
Bali Hai
Flamingo
The Whispering Sea
Return To Paradise
The Naked Sea
The Breeze And I
Driftwood And Dreams
Moon Of Manakoora
Sleepy Lagoon
Ebb Tide
Off Shore

The 20th Century Strings Vol. 1 - Hugo Montenegro

Flamingo

The 20th Century Strings
Volume 1
Arranged And Conducted By Hugo Montenegro
20th Fox SFX 3018
1959

I love much of Montenegro's work, especially his ground breaking work with the Moog. This record pre-dates that period. The music starts off slow, or easy, but works into a nice "60s" light groove which seems to be somewhat ahead of the trend.

Flamingo, the second track on the B side is especially nice, even though it lacks the "light pop" vibe found on the rest of the LP.

One interesting note about the copy I found. Inside the jacket, in a separate sleeve, was a Salesmen's Demonstration Record. This record, complied with a sampling of current recordings, would have been used by a representative of Fox to market records some fashion. Somehow, the record seems like it spent its life in this jacket. Anyway, a neat find.

The New Stars In Action - Various

The New Stars In Action

Oldsmobile Spotlights
The New Stars In Action
RCA Victor PRM/PRS-167
1964

Promotional vehicle "Prepared Expressly for Oldsmobile by RCA Victor"

From the back cover: Sergio Franchi – The romantic tenor-baritone whose voice has displayed its eminence in opera, musical comedy and popular ballads over three continents, the inimitable Franchi here offers More, the internationally acclaimed theme from "Mondo Cane."

Ann-Margret – Hollywood's "Bye-Bye Birdie" girl starred in "State Fair" and the Academy Award TV spectacular with performances that rocked the country. Prophetically, she proclaims The Best Is Yet To Come.

Peter Nero – The most popular pianist in America, spotlighted in "Sunday In New York" as well as clubs and theaters from Miami to San Francisco, Peter the Great concentrated his arranging skill on a "Country Gardens" version of the Beatles hit I Want To Hold Your Hand.

Anthony Newly – Star and co-creator of "Stop The World – I Want To Get Off," this gifted Briton stops the show with perhaps the most worldly performance of Solitude on record, a combination of new and old that is truly extraordinary in sound and scope.

Ethel Ennis – Sensation of the 1964 Newport Jazz Festival and one of RCA Victor's most promising stars, Miss Ennis expounds beautifully in He Loves Me, a variation of the recent Broadway musical title song. She sings in the great jazz tradition of that thoroughfare and its storied side streets.

Dick Schory – Chicago's top percussionist, who has become a national institution in the area of "sound" recordings and stereophony, Schory brings his powerfully creative style to bear on the song smash of the decade, Hello Dolly!

The Womenfolk – Cresting the new wave of folk music from the West Coast to East, this engaging quintet dramatizes the reason for its tremendous impact on records with a live-action performance of Morning Dew.

John Gary – Newly-crowned star of the recording industry, equally successful in clubs, theaters and television, Prince John offers a haunting side opener, Take Me In Your Arms, from his best-selling album that is appropriately entitled "Encore."

Gale Garnett – A folk musician in the most originative sense, Miss Garnett writes what she sings and knows whereof she writes. Her inspired abilities are reflected in a selection taken from high among the hit single-record and album ratings, Prism Song.

Ed Ames – In a blazing new career for one of the finest group singers in recording history – the voice that carried the Ames Brothers to triumph in every musical medium – tenor Ed Ames takes a giant first step in the aptly familiar ballad But Beautiful.

Ketty Lester – One of the most widely featured of rising TV and club performers, Miss Lester exhibits her unique combination of jazz and popular styling in the ballad We've Come A Long Way – which in its way denotes her "arrival" in the fullest sense.

Glenn Yarbrough – Fresh from a triple enterprise of writing, arranging and singing for the great Limeliters' trio, tenor Yarbrough's solo embarkation illustrates the wide versatility of today's new talent. His highly personal approach is typified in the rousing album closer, San Francisco Bay Blues.

Mganaga!

Mganga!

The Primitive Sounds Of Tak Shindo
Edison International SDL 100
1958

Mganga! was the first album released on The Edison International label, according to a June 16, 1958 article in Billboard. The article listed distributors for the new label created by Jack Ames, former V.P. and general manager for Liberty Records. Tak Shindo is mentioned as having "...been active in screen and TV composing and recently received screen credit on 20th Century-Fox and CBS-TV vehicles. He scored "Destination Tokyo" for Fox."

Ames told Billboard that Edison-International's purpose will be to record the unusual in concept and treatment but still retaining commercial appeal.

Ames was one of the partners and co-founders of the Liberty Label in February, 1955.

Liberty, in my opinion, is one of the best labels creating music and especially great exotica in the 1950s. Apparently Ames intended to carry on what he started at Liberty. The cover image suggests that the record might be "tribal folk". But the LP is total Americanized exotica.

This recording is available on CD import as a double release with Ethel Azama's Exotic Dreams. Apparently the CD was mastered from a mono-release of this recording (I have the stereo vinyl release).

Interesting that Mganga! is packaged with Exotic Dreams. I have that album as well and the two, in my opinion do not mix well. I don't consider Exotic Dreams to be a strong release to begin with. A decent stereo release of this album would stand alone just fine I think.

Christmas With Kate Smith

White Christmas

Christmas With Kate Smith
Rondo RX-1

Here we have a wonderful vintage album cover featuring Kate Smith. I think this record may be a re-issue of a 1959 Tops label release with the same title. Rondo didn't release material until 1961 and the Tops release, interestingly enough, has the exact same photo of Smith on the cover superimposed over a different "holiday" graphic.

El Condor Pasa - Paul Mauriat

Melancholy Man

Paul Mauriat And His Orchestra
El Condor Pasa
Produced by Paul Leka for Heather Productions, Inc.
Studio: Les Dames Studios, Paris, France
Mastering: Gibert Kong
Assistant Engineers: Maurice Valencin and Phillppe Lerichomme
Art Direction: Des Strobel
Design: Terry Rose / Bradford-Cout Design
Photos: Stan Malinowski
Philips PHS 600-352
1971
Mauriat creates interest with complex arrangements, unique tempo changes, unusual instruments and subtle well placed electronic effects. Even a cover of "Gentle On My Mind", an "easy listening" song if there ever was one, seems heavier by a deep bass groove.

The engineering is excellent.

Love Story
El Condor Pasa
To Be The One You Love
Melancholy Man
Tonta Gafa y Boba
Black Harlem
My Sweet Lord
Gentle On My Mind
Burning Bridges
Lonely Days
Etude In The Form Of Rhythms & Blues

Shock Music In Hi-Fi

Shock Music In Hi-Fi
Don't Dare Listen To This Music Alone
The Creed Taylor Orchestra
ABC-Paramount ABC-259
1958

The album has probably been blogged 100 times, but here it is again.

It's a lovely trip to the land of "horror exotica". When looking at the image of the cover online, I couldn't have guessed that the photo is of Toni Darnay. The same photo is on the back cover. She is recording some part of this album (apparently a scream) in the studio when it was shot. How times have changed. from the few photos on the back cover, many of the folks in the studio were wearing suits and ties.

I was marveling over how daring the work is. But then I stopped to consider that all of these folks had grown up with radio programing that was loaded with sound effects. So if you combine that experience, musical trends of the day and a new sense of experimentation found in emerging "atomic age art & design" this record might have seemed like the thing to do at the moment... a room full of business suits or not.

Creed Taylor released a follow-up to this album titles "Panic. Son Of Shock". It's cool... but this is the must have.

Merry Christmas From Al Morgan

White Christmas

Merry Christmas
From Al Morgan

Musical Arrangements: Howard Beyer

Vocal Background Arrangements by Junior Bennett and Danny Burton

Vocal Background Singers: Danny Burton, Arvita Maynus and Charlene Burton

Recording Engineer: Junior Bennett

Remix Engineer: Rusty York

Executive Producer: Rusty York

Cover Photo by Rusty York

Concept by Doris Glossing

Album Design by Linda York
Jewel Records, Cincinnati, Ohio JRC 84019
1984

Piano - Ted Rakel, Al Morgan, Danny Burton

Harpsichord and Organ - Philip DeGregg

Bass - Mike Baney and Michael Scharf

Drums - Kenny Bobinger

Percussion - Tim Short

Oh Come All Ye Faithful

Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem

Narration: Touch Of The Master's Hand (Oh Holy Night)

Joy To The World

Away In A Manger

Hark The Herald Angels Sing

Silent Night

C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S.

Toyland

Rudolph The Redness Reindeer

Jingle Bells

It's Christmas Time

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

White Christmas 

Sounds Of Music

Lilt Of The Latin

Sounds Of Music
Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District Non-Marching Band
Joseph Curatilo, Conducting
Century Records Custom Recording Service

Apparently the "Sanitary District Non-Marching Band" is a loose organization of Bay Area musicians who are still non-marching today and more affectionately known as the "Sewer Band".

Stereo Action - It's Magic

I've Got The World On A String

Stereo Action
It's Magic
Marty Gold
RCA Victor LSA-2290
1961

Here we have another installment in the "Stereo Action" series. As with the other releases, this is a double thick cardboard jacket with a die-cut. The square shape in the middle of the cover reveals the colorful space age image found on the gloss record sleeve.

RCA's gimmick was to "wow" record buyers with stereo. The engineers "rolled" the audio from channel to channel. Through my headphones and to my ears, this technique is pointless and annoying. However, a February 1961 "Billboard (Magazine) Pick" review favored the album saying that the technique "...should make the disk a favorite if hi-fi and stereo bugs."  It is also curious that, according to the same Billboard review, that this record was available in "monaural". I don't know if that's a mistake. Who would buy a mono version of this record?

Stereo Action - Leo Addeo

I Found A Million Dollar Baby

Stereo Action
The Music Goes 'Round And 'Round
The Sound You Eyes Can Follow
Leo Addeo And His Orchestra
Produced by Marty Gold
RCA Victor LSA-2353
1961

The record comes in a heavy (double thick) jacket with a die-cut through the front cover (the oval shape revealing the spiral image found on the glossy record sleeve).

The recording was made in Webster Hall. This is a concert hall referred to on many albums I've collected from the period. However, this is the first time the jacket notes have referred to the environment as "...a somewhat garish dance hall...".

There are a number of "Stereo Action" albums to be collected. Additional releases also feature lavish die-cut covers.

Basically, RCA attempted to grab the attention of record buyers by playing up "stereo" as some sort of mystical technique that might actually "visualized". All RCA did, for the most part, was to roll audio from one channel to another. And, frankly, it's a bit annoying (at least listening through headphones). Maybe listening through speakers would be better. Enoch Light/Command and Mercury put stereo to better use during the same time period.

Band On Parade

Band On Parade
30 Years
1946 - 1976
Halker-Flege Post #69
American Legion Band
Reading, Ohio

And now for something completely different.