Howdy Folks! Check out my Atomic Age Vinyl Finds! If there are copyright issues or a problem with any post, just contact me and I will make corrections. I'm here to have fun and hope you will share in my process of discovery!
Percussive Oompah
Hofbrauhaus! Stimmung!
Rudi Bohn and His Band
Phase 4 In Stereo
London SLE 14 400 Ex
1961
A "percussive" Oompah album?
All the London Phase 4 albums I have in the collection come in nice heavy book-fold jackets that feature glossy covers. This jacket is a gatefold, but printed on thin stock in the European style of the period. The disk features a Telefunken label as shown above.
Liechtensteiner Polka
Goodbye
Trink', Trink', Brüderlein Trink'
Too Fat Polka
O Du Lieber Augustin
Pennsylvania Polka
Mack The Knife
Accordion Joe
The Happy Wanderer
Beer Barrel Polka
In München Steht Ein Hofbrauhaus
Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart
The Mystic Moods Orchestra
Extensions
Philips PHS 600-301
1969
This was the 17th "Moods" release. The April 19, 1969 Billboard "spotlighted" the album saying: Their (Moods) revolutionary sound in music will again prove to be another sales giant.
Mystic Moods sets blend natural sound effects, easy listening, 60 pop and quirky arrangements. The albums are like concept projects even though popular tunes are covered. On this album your will find a beautiful cover of The Beatles Norwegian Wood. And there is also a cover of Mac Arthur Park on the B side that is totally outrageous!
Si Zentner And His Orchestra Play Desafinado The Bossa Nova Beat! An S. W. Production Arrangements: Bob Florence Engineer: Dave Hassinger Cover Design: Studio Five Photo: Robert W. Young Liberty LST-7273 1962
From Billboard - November 17, 1962: Bright and tightly swinging performances of a flock of tunes in bossa nova rhythm including the current hit "Desafinado," by the big-sounding Zentner crew. Also included are "Caravan," "Midnight Sun," "Maria" and "Star Eyes." Could move to bossa nova fans.
Desafinado Maria Quizas, Quizás, Quizás (Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps) Speak Low Midnight Sun Bernie's Tune Oso Blanco Come Closer To Me Star Eyes Lisbon Antigua Caravan
Sears Golden Strings
Be My Love & Other Love Songs
SP-212
This is the second Sears produced LP I've found. My first find (Golden Voices In Hollywood) was a bit of a treasure because Sears tried to cover pop songs with studio vocalists. That release was a campy 60s disaster. Sears, however, left the vocals off this release and gifted us with a straight forward and smooth mood set.
Arriba
Edmundo Ros And His Orchestra
London Phase 4 Stereo SP 44080
1966
Here is an album sporting a great cover and excellent Phase 4 Stereo engineering. Musically it a quirky mix of light pop songs, including covers of Get Me To The Church On Time and Hello Dolly.
Heart Of Spain
Santiago & Silver Strings
Coronet Records CX-123
Here's a festive cover on a budget record. The music is straight forward easy listening. Ravel's Bolero has a touch of "rose clenched between the teeth" feel to it, but that's about it.
The Singing Zither
Christmas & Old Time Hymns
Willie Dittrich
Jim Loyd Presents (WMT Radio, Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
Here's a fun private press album found today at one of the thrifts I frequent.
From the back cover: The Singing Zither belongs to Willie Dittrich of the Amana Colonies in Iowa (Homestead, Iowa).
Although none of the venues are named, Dittrich played at least one local restaurant as well as other local venues including "one of eastern Iowa's local television programs."
Arrangements: Tony Mottola, Jeff Hest, Lew Davis & Dick Hyman
Producer: Enoch Light
Associate Producers: Tony Motosa & Jeff Hest
Engineers: Steve Friedman, Don Hahn & Phil Ramone
Mastering: Dave Crawford
Superstar Guitar (4 Channel Stereo
Project 3 Total Sound PF 5062SD (not shown) & PR 5062QD
1972
From the back cover: Tony Mottola is a featured musician on the Johnny Carson Tonight Show and has written many popular television and radio jingles as well as performed on some of America's best selling record albums.
From Billboard - February 19, 1972: "Spanish Harlem" is very exciting in this new version by Tony Mottola, whose guitar takes on a different shade for a blend of both slow and fast music. "Superstar," "Windy," and "Wichita Lineman" also come in for the Tony Mottola easy listening treatment. This is one of Mottola's best packages to date and should prove strong in sales.
Moon Of Manakoora
Lush Strings
Custom Records CM 2006 Monaural
Saul Bihari, head of Crown Records, announced in a 1965 issue of Billboard a "new label" called Custom. Custom would feature his answer to Living Strings and be sold at discount prices ($1.98 or less). Recordings would be made domestically and in Europe.
There are a number of Lush Strings albums out there, including a few with interesting titles such as Spellbound and Ebb Tide.
This album is fully orchestrated mood that features some nice vocal touches to give the music a hint of tropical mysteriousness. However, I picked a nice dramatic cover of Hawaiian War Chant to feature as the sample above.
Ping Pong Percussion
Chuck Sagle And His Orchestra
Conductor: Chuck Sagle
Photo: Don Hunstein
Epic BN 568 & LN 3696
1960
The second jacket variations (above) features the price printed on the cover. The third variation is the Mono cover with a lower sale price printed on the cover.
Personel:
Clarinet – Phil Olivella (tracks: B1, B2, B4, B6)
Clarinet, Oboe, Flute, Piccolo Flute – Phil Bodner (tracks: A1-A6, B3, B5)
Double Bass – George Duvivier
Guitar – Barry Galbraith (tracks: A1-A6, B3, B5), Mundell Lowe (tracks: B1, B2, B4, B6)
Percussion – Archie Freedman* (tracks: A1, A3 to A5, B1, B2, B4, B6), Bob Rosengarten (tracks: B1, B2, B4, B6), Harry Breuer (tracks: A1 to A6, B3, B5), Jimmy Crawford (tracks: B1, B2, B4, B6), Joe Venuto (tracks: A1, A3 to A5), Marty Grupp* (tracks: A1 to A6, B3, B5), Phil Krause* (tracks: A2, A6, B3, B5), Ted Sommers*, Warren Hard, Willie Rodriguez
Piano – Moe Wechsler
Saxophone [Tenor], Flute, Bass Clarinet – Al Klink (tracks: A1-A6, B3, B5)
Trombone – Harry DaVito* (tracks: A1, A3 to A5), Lou McGarity (tracks: A2, A6, B3, B5)
Trumpet – Doc Severinson* (tracks: A1-A6, B3, B5), Johnny Glasel* (tracks: B1, B2, B4, B6)
From Billboard - June 16, 1960: The success of the Enoch Light percussion albums has led to much recording activity in this field. This is in that groove – and it's a mighty good album at that. It features percussion with guitars, played by top musicians and recorded beautifully in stereo. The arrangements by Al Caiola are Smart, and the packaging is excellent. Tunes include "Gone With The Wind," "Just In Time," "Charleston" and Early Autumn."
Who's Sorry NowThe Sheik Of Araby
For Me And My Gal
How Come You Do Me Like You Do
My Honey's Lovin' Arms
When The Saints Go Marching In
Make Love To Me
Cuddle Up A Little Closer
Stars Fell On Alabama
Muskrat Ramble
Someday Sweetheart
High Society
Club 15 was a construct of The Campbell Soup Company. Club 15 was an "exercise club" for teenage girls. A former olympic gymnast and coach, Muriel Davis Grossfeld was contracted through a New York advertising firm, BBD&O to travel the country visiting schools and teach exercises to teenage girls.
I think the album was made in 1968 or 69 or shortly after Muriel did coaching chores for the U.S. Women's Gymnastics Team came back from Mexico City. Read more here.
Sounds Of Terror!
Written by Frank Daniel. Produced by Wade Denning.
Pickwick International SPC-5104
1974
This is a great sound "effects" record! Out of all the "haunted house" albums I've listened to the production values on this record are, by far, the highest. I think kids listening to this might actually get a fright out of it. The tracks are sort of like mini-stories with a brief spoken word introductions followed by a rich blend of sound effects. Your imagination will then take over finish the story of terror. Great stuff.
Rock 'N Roll
Buddy Johnson And His Orchestra
Wing MGW 12005
1958
From the back cover: So don't try to sit back and relax because your feet won't let you and your ears will agree." That's a awkward sentence if I do say so. But you get the drift that this is a rocking album. The cover is misleading, designed to look white in a effort to do crossover sales.
The vocal treatments, by both Buddy and Ella Johnson and Ricky Harper and Gil Askey are smoking.
Music Of Hawaii
Henrhy Mancini
His Orchestra And Chorus
RCA Victor LSP-3713
This album falls about in the middle of Mancini's discography. This album is a bit lighter then his earlier work, but there are still plenty of those Mancini musical twists and turns to keep you engaged.
Hawaiian War Chant, the first track on the B side is especially cool.
Soundtrack by Tony Crombie, an accomplished jazz drummer and composer from the UK. The TV series, starring Richard Wyler, that was purchase by NBC in 1960.
This is very cool space age lounge/jazz that happens to available on CD.
This is a rocking lounge styled record with some pretty peppy electric guitar breaks. Downloads are available online. I Found A New Baby would be the sample track I would download for a listen.
