Taste Of Honey - Tijuana Style

The Lonely Bull

Taste Of Honey
Tijuana Style
The Toronadoes
Design Records DLP-248
1965(?)

There are some fun "Tijuana brass" albums out there. I have a few that entertain me so I pick them up on chance that they  might have a bit of 60s weirdness going on. This album starts out with a reasonably engaging cover of A Taste Of Honey. But then, for the next three tracks, the album goes weirdly into... like 40s ball room easy listening before it tries to get back on theme with a standard Mexican flavored tune.

Side two kicks off with a good cover of Zorba The Greek and stays on theme until the third track at which point the music slides into a big band swing thing.

The group's name is hidden in the lower left hand corner of the cover. It sounds like Design didn't have enough "Toronadoes" material and filled the album with some stock music. And the sample tune I posted, the best track on the album, sounds weirdly different as if Design had that tune sitting on the shelf and used it as fill.

Smile - The Funnies

You've Got A Friend

Wanted

Smile
Sung And Played By The Funnies
Pickwick SPC-3288

Gosh darn it! I know I blogged this gem some time ago but I can't find the sucker anywhere up here in The Atomic Attic. This image is way more minty fresh than the first copy I found. Yes... I bought more than ONE copy!

This is a great bubble gum Partridge Family exploito album. In really small type on the jacket is printed "Sung and Played By The..." just so you know, if you can read it, that you aren't getting the original songs.

From the back cover: We put it all together for just one dollar and change, which is another reason to smile. Smile! It's catching!!

You can't see me... but I'm smiling... no... really I am! Because it is still worth $1 at the thrift.

In defense of record companies taking advantage of the buying public, several comments have been left that suggest that very young children could be entertained for hours and not know the difference. But I was just wondering if permanent brain damage could have been caused by Jim Croce cover?

I'm just kidding! Come on! Smile!

Roman Guitar Volume Two - Tony Mottola

Scalinatella

Roman Guitar Volume Two
Tony Mottola
Command Records RS 836 SD
1962

This is another good space age recording with that Command light pop touch and outstanding engineering.

Charles E. Murphy is once again responsible for the stylish cover design.

Big Noise From Winnetka - Bob Haggart And His Orchestra

What's New

Big Noise From Winnetka
Bob Haggart And His Orchestra
Command Records RS 849 SD
1963

Advertised on the cover as the "logical development for the 1960s of the great bands that made Swing Era swing in the 1930s and 1940s".

Big and bold and intimate, smoky... cool. And a good copy of this LP will deliver that outstanding Command sound through your speakers like few other labels can do.

Outstanding.

Sir Julian - A Knight At The Organ

The Breeze And I

A Knight At The Organ
Sir Julian (Julian Gould)
Producers: Hugo & Luigi
Recorded at Criteria Studios, Miami, Florida
Recording Engineer: Ernie Oelrich
RCA Victor LPM-2591
1962

From the back cover: Sir Julian has been a power on the organ scene for some time. At the age of fifteen he was the instrumental mainstay of a group known as The Swingsters which featured one Frank Sinatra. This was in 1935. A year later, Sir Julian was ensconced as master of the mighty Wurlitzer at the Orpheum in Los Angeles. Despite his early start, his training included instruction under such outstanding organists as Lausenberg and Wischner; he earned his master's degree in music from U.C.L.A.

Next time you're in Miami, drop into the Playboy Club there. The light-fingered gent at the keyboard is none other than Sir Julian. He's director of music for the fabulous funhouse. Or if you can't make it to Miami, put this disc on your turntable and discover on of the reasons why the organ is so much in demand on records these days.

Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
Swingin' Down The Lane
Do You Ever Think Of Me
The Breeze And I
Time On My Hands
April In Paris
Bye Bye Blackbird
Can't Help Falling In Love
Satin Doll
Isle Of Baton
I Love Paris
Lullaby Of Birdland

Percussion In The Sky - Werner Muller And His Orchestra

The High And The Mighty

Percussion In The Sky
Werner Muller and His Orchestra
Phase 4 Stereo
London SP 44008
1961

From Billboard - December 4, 1961: The most interesting new developments in the album market last week were the growing strength of Lonon's "Phase 4" stereo packages and the phenomenal impact of the current Twist fad on Chubby Checker's Parkway LP sales.

Three more London's "Phase 4" LP's broke into BMW's best selling stereo album chart this week – "The Percussion Twenties" by Eric Rogers ork (No. 38); "Bongos From The South" by Edmundo Ros (No.49) and Percussion Around The World" (No. 50).

Thus 7 out of the label's 12 "Phase 4" albums are on the Top 50 Stereo chart and another Werner Muller's "Percussion In The Sky," is showing some regional movement, although not yet on the "New Action" list.

In addition to the packages listed above, the stereo chart this week features London's "Pass In Review" by Bob Sharples (No. 20); Ted Heath's "Big Band Percussion" (No. 39), and Ronnie Aldrich's "Melody And Percussion For Two Pianos," (No. 28). Also on the the chart, but not a "Phase 4" package, is London's "Music From Exodus and Other Great Themes" by Mantovani.

Your Are My Lucky Star
The High And The Mighty
Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes
I've Got The Sun In The Morning
Blue Moon
Look For A Star
Moonlight Becomes You
Over The Rainbow
I'm Sitting On Top Of The World
The Moon Was Yellow
Stairway To The Stars
When You Wish Upon A Star

The Best Of India's New Motion Picture Music

The Best Of India's New Motion Picture Music
Twelve Exotic Songs From The Finest Recent Soundtracks
Capitol Records ST 10500

I can't pin down the date on this album. If I had to guess, from a partial Capitol discography I found... mid 60s.

The album was prepared for U.S. release by Bill Miller.

Watch the clip from the movie!

Bol Radha Bol

From the film: Sangam

Gypsy - Richard Hayman And His Orchestra

Golden Earrings

Gypsy
Richard Hayman And His Orchestra
Mercury MG 20875

I believe this album was released in 1962 with a different cover (same photo of the instruments) but pushing Mercury's 35mm magnetic tape technology. This copy is a mono release.

Soloist credits include: Leonid Bolotine - violin, Dick Marta - Cymbalum, Al Cailo and Don Arnone - Guitars and Dominick Cortese - Accordion.

My favorite Hayman album is still Voodoo followed closely by Cinemagic Sounds. This is album is a nice mild space age update on "gypsy folk".

Ted Heath's First American Tour!

Ted Heath's First American Tour!
London Records LL 1564
1957

This album is available as a combo CD with Ted Heath At Carnegie Hall. But you don't get this fun original cover art with the CD. I thought someone might like to see it.

This album was recorded in remembrance of Heath's band's American Tour in 1956.

From wikipedia: In April 1956 Heath arranged his first American tour. This was a ground breaking reciprocal agreement between Heath and Stan Kenton, who would tour Britain at the same time as Heath toured the U.S. The tour was a major negotiated agreement with the British Musicians' Union and the American Federation of Musicians, which broke a 20 year union deadlock. Heath contracted to play a tour that included Nat King Cole, June Christy and the Four Freshmen that consisted of 43 concerts in 30 cities (primarily the southern states) in 31 days (7,000 miles) climaxing in a Carnegie Hall concert on May 1, 1956.[13] At this performance, the band's instrument truck was delayed by bad weather. The instruments finally arrived just minutes before the curtain rose. The band had no time to warm up or rehearse. There were so many encore calls at the Carnegie Hall performance that Nat King Cole (who was backstage, but not on the bill) had to come out on stage and ask people to leave.

Dynamica - Ray Martin And His Orchestra

Dynamica

Ray Martin And His Orchestra
Stereo Action
The Sound Your Eyes Can Follow.
RCA Victor LSA-2287
1961

This album is available on CD. Although, one (Amazon) review states that the CD was produced from a MONO source. I can't imagine why RCA would have released a mono version of Stereo Action... but they did.

So, I will not be posting a sample. And too bad! This is a fabulous space age recording in the Stereo Action series of records. The jackets are heavy white cardboard with some type of die-cut that allowed abstract art printed on the cardboard sleeve to show through.

Some stereo "demonstration" records needlessly bounce audio from one channel to another. The Stereo Action on this record also bounces and rolls from right to left channel and back again. However, the over-the-top technique works well here to support the Martin's super space age music. The music is like easy listening/light pop meets Sputnik.

Nutcracker Suite - Ritual Fire Dance

Ritual Fire Dance

Nutcracker Suite
The New London Symphonic Orchestra Conducted By Lionel Atkins
Golden Tone C 4007

No date to be found. The release looks like a late 50s production. I post what is essentially a classical music album here in The Atomic Attic because Golden Tone apparently tried to create a package that might appeal to folks interested in period exotica trends. Popular tunes associated with the exotica trend that appear on this album include: Russian Dance, Arabian Dance, Chinese Dance and Ritual Fire Dance.

Golden Tone albums, like this one, could feature simple but colorful cover art. Not a bad release from a budget label... but Golden Tone was fooling themselves if they thought that they could fool a Martin Denny fan into thinking this was exotica without featuring a vibraphone and few bird calls!

An Astromusical Odyssey Sounds Galactic

Round Trip Mars

An Astromusical Odyssey
Sounds Galactic
Arranged by John Keating
Producer: Ray Richardson and Tony D'Amato
Design: John Kosh
Engineer: Arthur Bannister
Photography by Ethan Russell
Phase 4 Stereo Spectacular
London SP 44154
1971

Expensive book-fold jacket featuring almost no copy.

Nice mood/easy listening blend of "space" sound effects including non "computer" related effects such as flanging. The effects seem a bit "shoe-horned" into the arrangements. One of the more beautiful sounding tracks, Clair De Lune, features no effects at all.

Round Trip Mars, the last track on side 2, is the more cohesive blend of orchestral and sound effects.

Theme From '2001'
Spinning Wheel
Aquarius
Nocturne
Across The Universe
Up Up And Away
Good Morning Starshine
Telstar
Clair De Lune
Round Trip Mars

10 Jubille Hits 77

Taxi Kal Raat Sadak Pe Ek Ladki

10 Jubilee Hits 77
Polydor Of India 2392 151
1978

This record appears to have been imported because of the English title. The songs are from India movies.

The sample is credited as follows: Taxi Kal Raat Sadak Pe Ek Ladki – Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle and Chorus, Mukerji Bros. "Chhailla Babu" Music: Laxmikant Pyarelal Lyric: Anand Bakshi

Of course, you can supplement your audio experience with a film clip from the actual movie:

Dick Kesner And His Magic Stradivarius - The Music Of Hawaii

Bird Of Paradise

Dick Kesner And His Magic Stradivarius

The Music Of Hawaii
With Orchestration By Charles Bud Dant
Coral CRL 57352 and 757352 (stereo)

The first Kesner album I stumbled across and blogged was Amor Latino. I discovered that very little was to be found online about Kesner. He was first violinist with The Lawrence Welk Orchestra and he also worked with The San Francisco and Chicago Symphonies, The American Broadcasting Company and The American Conservatory Of Music.

Kesner made a number of records that all seem to be somewhat obscure. And his "Welk" pedigree isn't inspiring. That is to say... if you look for exotica and interesting lounge (atomic age) recordings you would probably pass Kesner's LPs based on that information. Much to my surprise Kesner's obscure Amore Latino is now one of my favorite exotica records. I can't say that this album features the "experimental" flourishes of Amor Latino, but the set is a terrific exotica or lounge styled "Island" record. For the most part the tone is soft as Kesner blends his Stradivarius with Charles Bud Dant's Orchestra. The songs are more than his violin laid on top of an orchestra backup, they are well rounded arrangements.

I think this album made have just preceded Amor Lation (1962). Kesner obviously had much more going for him than just his bread and butter Welk gig!

Blue Hawaii
My Little Grass Shack In Kealakekua Hawaii
Legend Of The Rain
Beyond The Reef
Sayonara
Hawaiian Medley
Lovely Hula Hands
The Hawaiian Wedding Song
Bird Of Paradise
The Hukilua Song
Nalani
Forevermore

Super Hits Volume 7

Goodbye To Love

Super Hits
Volume 7

Played & Sung Like The Original Hits
Pickwick SPC 3908
1972

From the back cover: Oh yeah, here we go again, with another batch of the biggest, baddest, best of the the chartbusters! Superhits No. 7 is here and smokin' with the sounds you've been askin' for......... The Who lead off with Join Together... The Bee Gees, another English super group, give us the sensitive RUN TO ME, Godspell opens our eyes with Day By Day... Bread is bakin' again with THE GUITAR MAN, here is BLACK AND WHITE by Three Dog Night, Gilbert O'Sullivan, a most charming dude, has ALONE AGAIN (Naturally) Check Out Bill Withers, Looking Glass and those beautiful Carpenters, The O'Jays seem to be cuttin' up the music scene with BACK STABBERS. All these great songs are sung by our group Kings Road and I know They're into it!!!! Gotta split now... hope you can really get into these sounds... some soft... some solid, but all... real nice'n together. – Love and Peace Keith Wood

Join Together

Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)

Lean On Me

Back Stabbers

Alone Again (Naturally)

Black & White

Run To Me

The Guitar Man

Day To Day

Goodbye To Love

Lara's Theme - The Fabulous Five

Golden Earrings

Lara's Theme

The Fabulous Five
Organ And Percussion
Ed Turley
Power Records Apple Honey Vocal DS406

The Untouchables - Skip Martin And His Prohibitionists

The Untouchables

Skip Martin And His Prohibitionists
Somerset SF-12900
1961

Available as purchase/MP3 download. The Untouchables "theme" (the title track) from the TV series packs some punch, but the album lacks the "gritty" or "underworld" sound as suggested by the cover illustration (artist: Will Dressler). Especially considering this is a 1961 release that would be competing with other darker/cooler private eye/detective TV soundtrack work. Brief environmental sound lead-ins on some tunes make little sense.

If you are looking for some New Orleans flavored blues, you might find this record enjoyable.

Playgirl- Three Prophets

Heartbreak Avenue

Playgirl

Three Prophets
KAPP KS-3596
1969

This set is a curious blend of Psych, Easy Listening/Lounge and Bubble Gum. On the back cover, the fellow that wrote the notes, Don Brown - WGY Schenectady, NY compared the Prophets to The Buckinghams, Cream and Vanilla Fudge.

They look somewhat bored holding on to that Playgirl!

Organ Moods In Hi-Fi With Buddy Cole At The Pipe Organ

Poinciana

Organ Mood In Hi-Fi With Buddy Cole At The Pipe Organ
Columbia Records CL 874
1956

From the back cover: One of the most delightful sounds in the world is a find, full-throated theater organ in the hands of a top-flight musician, and that is precisely what is presented in this collection. Buddy Cole, the soloist heard here, is one of the most admired musicians in popular music, and his program presents the nightly console in a variety of moods and colorings thought the medium of a dozen of our finest popular songs.

Well-known as a pianist and the leader of his own group, Buddy Cole in this program is not only the organist, but the arranger, recording engineer and editor as well. In the recording of this collections, when he was not at the organ itself, he was orchestrating, tuning and regulating, arranger the microphones and finally missing the sound and editing the tapes resulting from all the other activities. The summation of his labors is thoroughly music, and will provide a handsome exhibition piece for hi-fi machines, as well a delightful listening for other record collectors, whose main interest is entertainment.

The instrument Buddy Cole plays was originally built for a theater in Iowa at just about the time sound movies displaced the silents. The organ was therefore returned to Los Angeles and installed in the studios of United Artists, where it was used in the recording of many movie scores and in radio broadcasts. Some time after that it was installed in a radio studio, and in 1947 was removed to Buddy Cole's home studio. The organ was dismantled and reinstalled under the guidance of Henry Pope, one of the finest of the few remaining organ specialists.

From Billboard - August 25, 1956: Cole did about everything in the making of this LP except the actual pressing, and has presented a very listenable package of 12 tunes, all standards or recent hits. Arrangments and sensitive playing plus the actual recording sound makes this a natural for hi-fi fans. Should go well in stores and as late-hour programming.

The Breeze And I
The Nearness Of You
Orchids In The Moonlight
Ebb Tide
That Old Black Magic
Tenderly
The Continental
Laura
Poinciana
Autumn In New York
The Moon Of Manakoora
The Hour Of Parting