Wired For Sound - Current Supplied By Marty Gold

Wired For Sound
Current Supplied By Marty Gold
Vil LX-1054
1956

Available on both CD and by purchase/download so I will not be posting a sample.

I had to post this one because of the fabulous cover art! The cover reflects the nature of the music. This is a great early space age recording.

Sid Ramin worked with Gold on this album. It is noted on the back that both Gold and Ramin also worked together on "...all of the Three Suns and Orchestra albums."

You can hear a touch of The Three Suns more experimental sound on this album.

Limbo Party - Southern Tropical Harmony Steel Band

Caramelos

Limbo Party
Southern Tropical Harmony Steel Band
Audio Fidelity
AFSD 5967
1962

Here we have another fabulous Audio Fidelity album cover. AF understood the value of cover art. AF  printed on the best paper stock The colors still pop.

Also, back in 1962, there was no legal disclaimer to warn buyers not to set fire to limbo equipment in the middle of their living rooms... Ah, the good old days when we could set fire to our dates and not be sued.

Everybody LIMBO!

Electric Love - The Electronic Concept Orchestra

Misty

Electric Love
The Electronic Concept Orchestra
Moog Synthesizer Arrangements by Bob Schiff with Eddie Higgins (Courtesy of Dunwich Productions, Ltd.)
String Arrangements by Bob Schiff
Produced by Robin McBride
Recorded and remixed at Universal Studios, Chicago, Illinois
Engineers: Hans Wurman and Chuck Lishon
Limelight LS-86072
A Product of Mercury Record Productions, Inc.
1969

Personnel:

Robin McBride: Musical Director:
Eddie Higgins: Moog Synthesizer & Fender Rhodes Electric Piano:
Phil Upchurch (Courtesy of Cadet Records): Fender Electric Guitar
Morris Jennings: Drums
Bob Schiff: Moog Synthesizer on "Romeo & Juliet and "Wichita Linemen", Fender Rhodes Electric Piano on "Romeo & Juliet
David Chausow, Sol Bobrov, Elliot Golob, Joseph Golan, Samuel Magad, Everett Zlatoff-Mirsky, Fred Spector, Gary Warvtian : Violins
Harold Kupper, Arthur Ahlman: Violas
Leonard Chausow, Roger Malitz, Philip Blum: Cellos

Goin' Out Of My Head
The Look Of Love
Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus
Misty
Romeo & Juliet Theme
Like A Lover
Wichita Lineman
I'm Gonna Make You Love Me
Stella By Starlight
Love Is Blue
This Guy's In Love With You

Charge! - Enoch Light & The Light Brigade - Quadraphonic

Lonely Days

Charge!
Enoch Light & The Light Brigade

Arrangements by Jeff Hest

Produced by Enoch Light

Associate Producers: Jeff Hest & Tony Mottola

Engineer: Steve Friedman

Mastering: Al Brown
Project 3 - Quadraphonic/4 Channel
1972

Light got help making the LP from old friends and outstanding musicians including Tony Mottola, Vinnie Bell, Urbie Green, Marvin Stamm, Mel Davis, Phil Bodner, Arnie Lawrence, Dick Hyman, Julie Ruggiero, Billy LaVorgna, Phil Kraus, Charles McCracken, Paul Faulise, Walt Levinsky, Bob Rosengarden and The Marilyn Jackson Singers.

Soolaimo

Fire And Rain

Spinning Wheel

Bridge Under Trouble Water

What Have They Done To My Song, Ma?

A Hard Day's Night

Sweet Caroline

You've Got A Friend

Amazing Grace

Lonely Days

Take Me To The Pilot

The Love Affairs Of Don Juan Vol. II

The Love Affairs Of Don Juan Vol. II
Premier Albums

Oddball album, pressed around 1959(?), featuring a few unsavory and abusive adventures of Don Juan.

Meet Mexie Marlowe

One For My Baby

Meet Mexie Marlowe
King 799
1962

The only info I could find, while doing an online search for Mexie Marlowe came from a blurb found in Billboard Magazine, November 24, 1962: Mexie Marlowe is a young thrush with a touch of Nina Simone's unusual style plus a few sounds of her own. She has definite possibilities and she show off her vocal stylings on "I Cover The Waterfront," One From My Baby." I Hade The Craziest Dream" and "All The Way." Worth a listen.

From the back cover: From the age of fourteen, she was advised many times to sing like singers who were in the limelight at the time, but even as a youngster, she refused to mimic or copy any other singer, saying, "If you want to hear me sing, you will have to listen to me, as I will not copy any one else. I will always sing naturally in my own style".

Exotic Percussion And Brilliant Brass - John Evans

An Occasional Man

Full Album

Exotic Percussion And Brilliant Brass
The John Evans Orchestra
Direction Sound/Premier Albums
DS 5006
1961

This line of records was Premier's answer to the success of Enoch Light's "percussion" projects. Premier copied the cover graphic/book-fold look and tried, not always successfully, to capture some of what Light was doing in the studio.

This particular album is good fun if you are a collector of "exotica" Many songs copy Martin Denny/Arthur Lyman style, complete with bird calls. In addition, there are more straight forward Lyman-like Latin/jazz tracks. These tracks carried the album and are nicely executed.

Bad And Beautiful
Temptation
Eso Es El Amor
Mambo Inn
An Occasional Man
Cuban Caper
Quite Village
Caravan
Return To Paradise
Mambo Italiano
Lisbon Antigua
Cool Mambo

Cocktail Time - Ernie Felice

Street Of Dreams

Cocktail Time
With The Ernie Felice Quartet
Capitol T192
1955

Apparently this album is a reissue of Capitol H-192, 1950. This issue features additional tracks and seems to be the more obscure release.

Million Dollar Motion Picture Themes - Richard Hayman

Theme From The Exorcist

Million Dollar Motion Picture Themes
Richard Hayman And His Orchestra
Produced and Arranged by Richard Hayman
Richard Hayman plays The Conn Electronic Organ, The Conn Electric Band & Hohner Accordios and Harmonicas Exclusively
Recorded at Groove Sound Studio, N.Y.
Engineer: Edison Youngblood
Musicor Records MS 3256X
1974

A fun and funky 70s set featuring Hayman's harmonica work on a few tracks.

The Way We Were
Theme From Papillon (Free As The Wind)
Last Tango In Paris
Lara's Theme (from Dr. Zhivago)
Ruby (from Ruby Gentry)
Theme From The Exorcist (Tubular Bells)
Sadie Thompson's Song (The Blue Pacific Blues)
Theme From Serpico
Mame
Theme From 2001 - A Space Odyssey

HI-FI Drums

Tri-Fi Drums - Stan Levey, Alvin Stoller, Irv Cottler with Billy May

HI-FI Drums
Capitol T926
1957

I assume that Capitol collected together the various tracks from a variety of sources to produce the album. The Billy May track above also appeared on a later Capitol album titled Wild Stereo Drums.

Regardless of how the album was produced, all the mix sounds Big Band good.

Hi Hopes

Label by Doris Walker

The Impossible Dream & I Believe In Music

Hi Hopes
By The Students Of Hope School
Directed by Doris E. Walker, Music Teacher, Hope School
Educational Activities, Inc. AR 696

From the back cover: Hope School opened its doors in September, 1969 to serve the trainable mentally retarded of the Anaheim Union High School District, Anaheim, California.

The Hi Hopes recordings have to be among my favorites. Whenever I feel grumpy or blue... I just listen to the Hi Hopes and presto, suddenly the sun is shinning on my sad little world and I'm feeling less crappy! Thank you Hi Hopes!  Besides couldn't we all learn a lesson from The Label song?

A photo autographed by "Lori" came with this LP as well as the 45 shown above. I believe the full audio file of the album can be found elsewhere online, so I'll just post a favorite track, written by the Hi Hopes Music Teacher, Doris Day. As a treat I'll post the entire 45.

Want more? For a really rare Hi Hope LP I stumbled across (Play And Sing) click the link.

Side One

Everything Is Beautiful
Welcome To My World
Label (Doris Walker)
King Of The Road
La Curcaracha
More

Side Two

Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head
Some Day
Candy Man
Ability (Doris Walker)
Miracle (Doris Walker)

KVOO Tulsa OK - 1954 Audiodisc

The Music Maker

Vintage audiodisc recording made for broadcast on KVOO Tulsa, Oklahoma (as near as I can tell from a brief mention of the radio station call letters at the end of the "skit").

Lab '69 - North Texas State University

Hairy Brouhaha

Composer/Arranger, Cal Lewiston

Soloists: Dean Parks, Alto Sax - Cal Lewiston, Trumpet - Ken Maslak - Flute

Lab '69
North Texas State University
Leon Breeden, Conductor
Century Custom Recording

From the back cover: We appreciate the many letters from those who have our albums and recognize the creativity of our writers and performers. It has been an inspiration to all of us – we hope to give you an album each year which will be such that it stands unique on your shelf, completely apart from commercially-produced records, since our goal is aimed at one thing – the presentation of young writers and performers at our school doing THEIR THING!! – Leon Breeden, Director

Live It Up! - Irving Fields

Sweet And Lovely - I Cried Fro You and Blue Moon

Live It Up!
With Irving Fields
King 709

Here's an amazing Irving Fields cover.

Here's the first obscure Fields record I stumbled across titled The Fabulous Fingers Of Irving Fields.

If you are into space age you are probably looking for a copy of Fields popular Bikinis And Bongs and Bagel And Bongos, both of which feature wild cover art.

At the time of this posting I found that Mr. Fields has a website and may still playing about town at the age of 95!

Bang Bang - Xavier Cugat And His Orchestra

Bang Bang

Bang Bang
Xavier Cugat And His Orchestra
Decca DL 4799
1966

The set exactly reflects the space cool vibe of the cover art! What more could you ask for? Cugat, himself said that "I would rather play Chiquita Banana and have my swimming pool than play Bach and starve." And here he is, keeping up with mid-60s Chiquita Banana light pop trends.

The album is great fun all the way through!

Boleros Solamente Boleros - Orquesta Serenata Tropical

Lamento Gitano

Boleros Solamente Boleros
Volumen 4
Orquesta Serenata Tropical
Kubaney
SMT-351

Obscure early 60s import. Outstanding space age Latin.

Lolita - Orchestra Del Oro

Lolita Ya Ya

Lolita
Orchestra Del Oro
Scores by Don Costa
Session Supervision by D. L. Miller
Trans 34 Sonodor MO-SON 105

Budget easy listening with a creepy cover illustration.

Sweet Hot & Blue - The Skip-Jacks

Limehouse Blues

Sweet Hot & Blue
The Skip-Jacks (Stella Stevens, Estelle Mann and Morris Redding)
Orchestration - Sid Bass, Al Cohn and Ray Martin
Produced by Ethel Gabriel
RCA LSP-2200
1960

Obscure vocal album featuring great music by some of the top space age arrangers as noted above.

Apparently the "Skip-Jacks" made at least one other album on RCA title Let's Get Away From It All LSP-2060.