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Saturday, July 31, 2010

Crosely Water Heater Song

Crosley Water Heater Song
Years ago, I picked up a stack of translucent red wax Crosley promotional 78s. All the labels look like the sample above.

The side you are listening to is the complete song. The flip side are samples of the song timed for shorter ad slots.

Crosley Refrigerator No. 2 - Shelvadore


Crosley Refrigerator No. 2

Years ago, I picked up a stack of translucent red wax Crosley promotional 78s. All the labels look like the sample above.

The side you are listening to is the complete song. The flip side are samples of the song timed for shorter ad slots.

The second image is a mid 30s Crosley Shelvador Refrigerator featuring a built-in radio. I've only seen a couple of these in private collections. One was working and stocked with beer!

Friday, July 30, 2010

Solid! South Pacific - Bobby Hammack Quintet

A Cockeyed Optimist
Bali Ha'i
Solid! South Pacific
Bobby Hammack Quintet
Liberty LRP 3037 (LST 707 Stereo)
1957

I'm not a big fan of the "Broadway" album. However, when I ran across this set on my favorite label, Liberty, I took the chance that I would dig it.

This record is a great small combo jazz/bachelor pad take on South Pacific.

The 1957 issue of Billboard: Here's an item which may fare better sales-wise in the pop field than jazz. Tasteful, neatly understated instrumental treatments of the great Rodgers and Hammerstein South Pacific score, highlighted by Hamack's aptly self-styled "calculated spontaneity" at the keyboard. Amusing cover adds up to good display art for dealers.

Bobby Hammack made four albums.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Ruth Lyons' Our Best To You

Moon Dust
Ruth Lyons' Our Best To You
Candee 50-51

Ruth Lyons was the name in local Cincinnati, Ohio entertainment for many years. I have several of her WLW 50/50 Club Christmas Album covers posted on my blog.

Due to Lyons popularity, she had access to local talent and her albums are professional sounding. She had a stable of musicians that appeared as regulars on her show. Her albums feature these performers. Ruth wrote a number of songs for the LP and played the organ. She catered to conservative Cincinnati musical tastes, so there are usually no surprises. But the 5th track on the A side of this LP is way different then the easy listening stuff.

The track, Moon Dust is preformed by Eddie Bennett and The Bello-Larks. The Bello-Larks are the boys in the house band having some fun!

Tony Mottola Guitar - A Latin Love-In

I Love You

Enoch Light Presents
Tony Mottola Guitar
A Latin Love-In
Originated and Produced by Enoch Light
Associate Producer: Julie Klages
Arrangements by Lew Davies
Recording Chief: Robert Fine
Mastering: George Piros
Cover Art: Hillary Knight
Project 3 Total Sound PR 5010 SD
1967

Call Me
So Nice
I Love You (From "Mexican Hayride")
All (Theme from "Run For Your Wife")
Noche De Ronda
I Love, I Live, I Love
The World Of Your Embrace
Spanish Harlem
Dream Theme from "Act I"
Samba De Orfeu
La Montana
What Now My Loe

Balalaika Serenade

Songs For Jugoslavia
Balakaika Serenade
The Jugoslavian National Orchestra
Tamburistza Plays Folk Tunes And Dances
Decca Promotional Copy DL 8363
1957

Authentic Cha-Cha & Mambo

Baby Doll Mambo

Authentic Cha-Cha & Mambo
El Borinquen Orchestra
Cover Photo by Zachary Freyman
Note by Joseph P. Muranyi
Paris Sound Laboratories, Riverdale, New York
Album 10
1956

The Paris label is probably a budget label create by Don Gabor. This LP may have been a available only at gas stations and super markets.

Baby Doll Mambo
Moonlight Mambo
Romantic Mambo
Sweetheart Mambo
QuiƩreme Cha Cha
Borinquen Mambo
Paradise Mambo
Express Cha Cha
By Candlelight
Hi-Fi Mambo
Sunrise Mambo

Have Harp Can't Travel

Lost In A Fog
Have Harp Can't Travel
The Stanley Johnson Orchestra
Liberty LST 7118
1959

Featuring the Duo Harps of Dorothy Remen and Catherine Johnk.

This is a well engineered stereo recording by Ray Stanley and Hal Johnson.

Not only do you get beautiful exotic harps, but you also get the fantastic cover. It doesn't get much better then that, does it?

Hawaiian Enchantment For Dancing

Song Of The Island
Hawaiian Enchantment For Dancing
Omega Records OSL-34

Obscure Omega record with no firm date of release to be found online at this time. I'm thinking 1959, 60 or 61.

This record features a collection of very nice exotica tracks. There is no information on the cover to give a hint of who recorded the LP. However, The George Poole Orchestra is credited on the record label.

Poole's name can be found on the internet connected to LPs and projects, but there is no source for bio information.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

101 Strings Hawaiian Paradise

Pagan Love Song
101 Strings
Hawaiian Paradise
Somerset SF-12800
1961

Out of all the 101s I have collected, this LP is one of Somerset's groovier sets.

This cover was also used on a book-fold two record set that included The Romance Of Hawaii (Alshire 2-117) as the second disc. Alshire took the budget road and used all that inside jacket space to print tiny B&W jacket reproductions of what must have been the entire 101 catalog at the time. While less "exotica" or "space-age" than Hawaiian Paradise, The Romance Of Hawaii is still a decent Atomic Attic period "island" mood set.

Hawaiian Paradise

Song Of The Island
Hawaiian Wedding Song
Little Grass Shack
Sweet Leilani
Moon Over Kona
Blue Hawaii
Stars Over Maui
Torchlight
Hawaiian War Chant
Aloha OE

The Romance Of Hawaii

Sleepy Lagoon
The Moon Of Manakoora
Paradise
Pagan Love Song
South Sea Serenade
Sweet Hawaiian Kisses
Hawaiian Bells
Neath Azure Skies
Hawaiian Magic
Aloha Oe



Pagan Love Song

Christmas With The Happy Crickets

The Chipmunk Song
Christmas With The Happy Crickets
Grand Prix Series KX-9
K.M. Corp.

Here's a shot of Christmas weirdness for my friends. Add another record to the children's LP stack that was made by running vocals through the "small cartoon insect doing helium filter". In all honesty, I was anticipating the pitch and speed/tempo shift filters... but the effect is so intense, I thought that my player was set to 45 RPM. I checked the speed and started the record again.

This is a very annoying record and a very funny record! The Happy Crickets do covers of traditional holiday songs which crack me up. The orchestration is actually very good. And then... The Crickets jump in to generate some weirdness.

Possibly as an inside joke, the producers include a cover of "The Chipmunk Song". The song isn't manipulated through the cartoon insect filter. It's great!

Monday, July 26, 2010

Holiday In Havana - Noro Morales

The Children's Merengue
Holiday In Havana
Noro Morales And His Orchestra
Design Records SDLP 86 & DLP 86 (mono jacket with "stereo" sticker, top right corner)
Pickwick
1959

Wonderful cheesecake cover and killer Latin set. Morales use of piano was innovative. He passed away in 1964 at the age of 53 from the effects of chronic diabetes.

Norin Noron Mambo
Latin Dance Party
Noro Morales And His Orchestra
International Award Series
AKS-154

Rudolph Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
Tex Johnson & His Six Shooters
A Product Of Premier Albums, N.Y.C.

Here's a bit of a mystery album. It was apparently released on a label called: Pirouette. The album sported a foil cover with cartoon figures, that are different figures, but drawn in the exact same style as the cover I post here. The Pirouette release is in stereo.

My example is on "Premier Albums" and is a mono release. You can also find the same album with a different cover design, but featuring the same cartoon deer, as a stereo release.

The Pirouette release track list is somewhat different:

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
When Santa Claus Gets Your Letter
Fum Fum Fum
Wait for the Wagon (On Christmas Day)
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Cheyenne
A Merry Merry Christmas to You
Pride of the Prairie Mary
The Night Before Christmas Song
San Antonio
Just as the Sun Went Down
Go Tell It on the Mountain

The track list on my Premier album and the Premier stereo version is as follows:

White Christmas
Jingle Bells
Good King Wencelas
When Santa Gets Your Letter
The Night Before Christmas
Ruldolph The Red Nose Reindeer
Deck The Halls With Holly
Here Comes Santa Claus
Noel, Noel
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.

Possibly, all three releases hit the stores in the same year? Or maybe the Pirouette release came out a year later?  Why the cover designs drew from the same basic artwork and why the track lists varies is a the mystery.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Make Believe - Freddy Martin

Make Believe
Feddy Martin
RCA Camden CAL - 315
1957

Camden was a RCA budget label. Budget or not you can find some very cool cover art on Camden jackets. However, the music does not reflect the cover art and sounds dated for a mid 50s release.

The Night Is Young - Wanye King

The Night Is Young
Wayne King And His Orchestra
RCA Camden CAL 358
1956

Camden was RCA's budget label. Budget or not, Camden featured some very good cover art.

The classy photo on this monochromatic jacket is credited to Howard Graff.

The music doesn't reflect the cover image in my opinion and seems dated for a mid-50s release. The tracks, apparently, were collected together from various earlier recordings.

Lolliwinks

When I Paint The World
Lolliwinks
K-tel International, Inc. NU 9630
1981

Straight out of the seal shrink comes the Lolliwinks on K-tel.

Since this record was sealed I have, in my clutches, the minty fresh Lolliwinks poster. I post it above because I know everyone is dying to see this rarity.

Godfrey And His Friends

Sweet Leilani
Godfrey And His Friends
House Party Series
Columbia CL 2514
1956

This record is a 10 inch 33 rpm LP featuring six tracks that barely consume half the available wax.