Sounds Fantastic!

Bye Bye Blues

Sounds Fantastic!
RCA Victor
PRS-210
1966

Here's a promotional tool RCA created to help sell the portable stereo as pictured on the back jacket.

Promotional albums can be a sad hodgepodge of styles in the effort to create universal appeal. RCA didn't approach this set in that fashion. This is a decent space age light pop album. The tunes seem to work pretty well together, so they don't seem to be cobbled together from a variety of sources. In other words... it's seems as though these songs may have been recorded just for this album.

The example above is credited to the following artists Al Hurt, Frankie Randal, Living Guitars, Three Suns and Esquivel.

Themes From Great Films - Richard Hayman And Hugo Montenegro

Charade

Themes From Great Films
Richard Hayman And Hugo Montenegro
Time Records 52112
1963

Here's another album usually left in the thrift store bin because of lackluster cover. But you can almost bet the recording is going to be interesting if you see Montenegro's name on the cover (even if the credit is found on the back cover).

Notable names appearing in the credits include Al Caiola - guitar and Phil Kraus - drums.

This aren't a lot of quirky space age tracks, but this is a decent set that features better sound than the quality of the cover graphic implies.

Hayman plays his harmonica on the last track, Mutiny On The Bounty.

Joanna - Arthur Greenslade

Some August Day

Joanna
Arranged and Conducted by Arthur Greenslade
20th Century Fox Records
S4202
1968

I bought this one at the thrift hoping for a little 60s groovy. The soundtrack probably serves the movie well, but the approaches are many, so don't expect cohesion. There are a number of tracks that do feature a nice 60s lounge vibe.

Doing My Thing - Paul Mauriat

Hey Jude

Cent Mille Chansons

Doing My Thing
Paul Mauriat And His Orchestra
Philips PHS 600-292
1969

Mauriat LPs are usually passed over in the thrift record bin. Granted some of the Mauriat cover art doesn't jump out at you. But more often than not you'll find the recordings worth the price if you are into mood with a touch of that space age vibe. This title/cover promised to deliver a little heavier groove but the album follows the typical Mauriat formula.

Hey Jude seems a little underpowered for Mauriat, but the second sample above (I believe Mauriat wrote this one) is pretty trippy stuff.

Pipe Organ Plus - Monty Kelly

Tibia

Pipe Organ Plus
Monty Kelly
With Buddy Cole
Audio Spectrum AS-601

One of at least two Pipe Organ Plus albums produced by D. L. Miller on this label. Mony Kelly did good work as a house arranger for 101 Strings and he is credited with writing the sample above. This album manages to blend the organ with a mild space age sound to create a better than average pipe organ LP.

Passport To Romance - Pipe Organ Plus

Brazil

Passport To Romance
Pipe Organ Plus
Monty Kelly Orchestra
Guest Organist Bob Hunter
Audio Spectrum (Alshire) AS-610

I found few references to this album online. One reference dated the album to 1973, but graphics in the front and back cover look more early 60s.

I found two "Pipe Organ Plus" albums, so there may be more in the series. I picked it because Kelly was a very good house arranger for D. L. Miller (who wrote the liner notes for this album). Kelly arranged some good stuff for 101 Strings. Also, three space age staple tunes are covered, including Brazil, Granada and Midnight In Lisbon. This album, even though the cover suggests the record is a passport to "Dullsville"... has it's perky space age moments.

Permissive Polyphonics - Enoch Light

Scarborough Fair

Pass, And I Call You

Permissive Polyphonics
Enoch Light And The Light Bridgade
Produced by Enoch Light
Co-produced by Jeff Host, Tony Mottola
Arranged by Dick Hyman, Dick Lieb
Engineer: John Earole
Mastered by Phil Austin
Mixed by Chuck Irwin
Project 3 Total Sound Stereo PR 5048SD & Realistic (Allied Radio Shack) 50-2019
1970

The 4 channel Stereo label on the cover is a sticker.

Marrakesh Express
Let It Be
Easy Come, Easy Go
Puppet Man
Prelude For Young Lovers
It Was A Very Good Year
Mas Que Nada
Monday, Monday
Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay
Scaborough Fair
Michelle
Pass, And I Call You

Love Is Blue

Whiter Shade Of Pale

Love Is Blue
Academy Award Orchestra
Somerset SF-29900

This is the second budget album on Somerset I've found featuring the same photo, promoting the same studio group. See Gold Award Hit's 67.

The music is cobbled together from other sources. I recognized a tune titled Malibu Sun which is found on Guitars Galore and credited to Monty Kelly. Even though the record appears to be a collection and reissues from 101 Strings LPs it's sort of fun.

Polynesian Percussion

Tahitian Festival

Polynesian Percussion
Chango And The Polynesians
Directional Sound
Premier Albums DM 5012
1962

Budget book-fold album jacket styled based on the minimalist a design trend created by Enoch Light's label, Command. Easy on "space age" percussion, none-the-less energetic and fresh sounding  "island" music.

Marcelle A Havine
Tamure
Minoi, Minoi
Vana Vana
Tahitian Festival
Tanga Tika
Papio
Wavine Anamite
Cafe Au Lait
Maruru A Vaw

Impelling Dances Of Our Times - Enoch Light

Goldfinger

And I Love Her

Impelling Dances Of Our Times
Enoch Light And His Orchestra
Command ABC RSSD 979-2
1973

Here's a two record set released on Command after ABC purchased Light's label and started to cheapen the product. The jacket is a single pocket with the two records inside rather than the fancy book-fold normally produced by Command. The title is lackluster, especially for the early 70s and the cover art is dull and pointless. The music is probably reissued (Re-Produced for Two-Fer's by Don Thorn). However, all of the tunes play as though they were recorded together for this release, rather than cobbled together from various projects.

With all that said, the music is very good. As heard in the samples above, the collection features that 60s light pop Enoch Light touch that anyone who collects his works knows and loves.

A1Dream Lover
Down By The Riverside
Tintarella Di Luna
Hello, Dolly!
If I Had A Hammer
C'mon And Swim
Night Train
I Want To Hold Your Hand
And I Love Her
Ya Ya
Lemon Merengue
Watermelon Man
Want To Be Happy
Love Potion Number Nine
Downtown
Sha-La-La
Too Many Fish In The Sea
The Girl From Ipanema
Come See About Me
Feel Fine
Goldfinger
Eight Days A Week
The Jerk
Easy Baby, Go Easy Baby
Any Way You Want It
La Bostella