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Saturday, July 16, 2011

The Savage And The Sensuous Bongos - Don Ralke

The Savage And The Sensuous Bongos
Don Ralke
Warner Bros. W1398
1960

Head Hunter
Saoco
Ju-Ju Man
The Mystery Of Yambuya
Voodoo Priestess
Face Beside The Fire
Poison Dart
Black Panther
Zulu Magic
Moon Goddess
Ritual Of The Cobra
Sacrifice Of The Maidens
Safradesia
Mombasa

Friday, July 15, 2011

At The London Palladium - Ted Heath

Fourth Dimension
Ted Heath At The London Palladium
Volume 1
Recorded at Ted Heath's 89th London Palladium Sunday Concert - April 12th, 1953
London LL 802

The Champ
Eloquence
Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me
Pick Yourself Up
Blues For Moderns
Fourth Dimension
Etrospect
Dark Eyes
Solitude
The Hawk Talks
I Got It Bad
Rhapsody For Drums

Thursday, July 14, 2011

My Musical Coloring Book - Enoch Light And His Orchestra

Golden Earrings
My Musical Coloring Book
Enoch Light And His Orchestra
Originated and Produced by Enoch Light
Stereo 35/MM Sound Studio Production
Designed and Art Direction by Charles E. Murphy
Command/Grand Award Record Company RS848SD
1963

From Billboard - March 23, 1960 (apparently the initial release date): A fine instrumental collection by the Enoch Light band with sparkling orchestrations an outstanding aspect. The selections all have some aspect of color in their titles, as with "Yellow Bird," "Ruby," "Green Eyes," " Blue Room," "Deep Purple." etc. The placement of the instrumental choirs emphasizes the stereo effect of course, in a highly commercial manner.

Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White
My Coloring Book
Yellow Bird
Golden Earrings
Over The Rainbow
The Blue Room
That Old Black Magic
Ruby
Green Eyes
Mood Indigo
Red Sails In The Sunset
Deep Purple

Mrs. Mills Knees-Up Party

Mrs. Mills
Knees-Up Party
mfp Music For Pleasure 50230
1975

Mrs. Mills AKA Gladys Mills was a successful British artist whose repertoire included many "sing-along" or "party" records including this LP.

How can you resist the cover? I assume the folks surrounding her were a part of her club act. I want a suit like that!

Read more on Mills wiki page.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Wichita Lineman - Garn Littledyke Sings

Wichita Lineman
Garn Littledyke Sings
Crown Records CST 579

I rarely buy what appears to be a country record unless the the cover has a real vintage look to it. Or... if there is a photo of a hooker on the cover. If you notice... there is a boot in the frame just above her head. I assume that is the Lineman working... while the working girl works.

But the real surprise is the music. Yes, it's a bit country but it can also be a bit folk/psych. The vocalist sounds just a touch like Johnny Cash. The group, for most of the album, is a small three or four piece affair recorded in a simple "lo-fi" way. There is some great guitar work on the LP. The vibe is very cool.

As with most, if not all Crown Records... no matter how obscure... this one is available for purchase/download (what's up with that anyway?). Sorry, I will not be posting a sample! But there doesn't seem to be any examples of the cover art online. So at least I can offer you the visual experience!

The Sweet Sounds Of Tijuana - Hits Of Today By The Border Brass

Aquarius
The Sweet Sounds Of Tijuana
Hits Of Today By The Border Brass
Stereo Gold Award GA-16

Gold Award was a D. L. Miller (Somerset) budget label. You get what you pay for. But you never know... maybe you will find one track that will save you from the rest of the tracks. Aquarius has that budget 60s groove going on and I present it to you for your enjoyment.

Hammond Organ Hits Of 1967 - Ashley Tappin

Music To Watch Girls By
Hammond Organ Hits Of 1967
In The Ken Griffin Style
Ashley Tappin at Piccadilly Gardens in London
Somerset SF-28300

When is a Ken Griffin album not a Ken Griffin album? When Ashley Tappin uses Griffin's name to sell records.

The sample above is as groovy as it gets folks.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

The Fourth Dimension In Sound

The Fourth Dimension In Sound
A Musical Experiment In The Adaptation Of Instruments To Modern Electronics
Stereo Workshop Series
Exploring Uncharted Patterns Of Sound
Shorty Rogers
Warner Bros. Records 1443
1962

With such a collection of titles displayed on the cover and the "hi-tech" graphic design, printed on gold foil I half expected that I was purchasing some early commercial electronica project.

No whiz-bang electronica here, but a jazz album and a fine one. The album is available by purchase/download. The experiment, if you glance at the double truck, was the recording process.

Although far from coming from another dimension, the music does have a nice space age edge to it. And the engineering is excellent.

Session members include Shelly Manne, Buddy Collette, Bud Shank, Paul Horn, Bill Hood, Pete Jolly, Red Mitchell, Emil Richards, George Roberts, Ken Shroyer and Joe Mondragon.

Warm And Mellow - Al Caiola

Watermelon Man
Al Caiola
Warm And Mellow
Unart S 21003
1967

The album is a compilation of tracks from other Caiola albums. The mix or blend is one of easy listening, jazz, Latin and 60s groove.

Art Van Damme Swings Sweetly

Skylark

Art Van Damme Swings Sweetly
Orchestra Arranged and Conducted by Marty Manning
Produced by Ernie Altschuler
Cover Photo: Charles Varon
Columbia CL-1794 & CS 8594
1962

But Not For Me
Skylark
The Nearness Of You
Moonlight Becomes You
Misty
Remind Me
Angel Eyes
Darrylyn
All These Things You Are
There Will Never Be Another You
What's New?
After You've Gone