Howdy Folks! Welcome to The UnEarthed In The Atomic Attic album blog! Here you will find a wide variety of unusual Space Age Vinyl finds that feature good quality cover scans, jacket notes and audio samples for you to enjoy. I'm here to have fun and hope you will share in my process of discovery!
Amorcito
Florecita
La Pekinesa
Te Odio Y Te Quiero
Asombro
Espuma De Champangne
La Burbuja
Total
El Taconazo
Orgullo De Mujer
Lluvia
Disco, Tocame Aquella Pieza
The "New" Old Refrain
Dick Kesner And His Magic Stradivarius
Coral Records CRL 57360
1961
From Billboard - February 20, 1961: Kesner, of Lawrence Welk fame and his violin are nicely showcased here on a group of old tunes by Fritz Kreisler and others of his era – Carrie Jacobs Bond, Victor Herbert, Dvorak, etc. Rich, romantic wax with fine performances by Kesner.
The Old Refrain
I Love You Truly
Liebesfreud
Just A Wearyin' For You
Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life
Liebeslied
Stars In My Eyes
Songs My Mother Taught Me
Toyland
Might Lak' A Rose
Caprice Viennois
A Perfect Day
From the back cover: Dear Julie: Perhaps you can help me put down this kaleidoscope of impression tha tens through my mind as I listen to the final assembly of this, your newest and truly most magnificent album...
I hear the relaxed self-assured musician that you have become, and a wonderful nostalgia takes me back to the beginning of our association. Those first sides, "Cry Me A River", etc., that set an easy-singing stylist into the minds of the listener, then constantly being bombarded by a bevy of 'belters' and 'shouters'. Pure sincerity and desire, Julie, were the ingredients, plus a candid, applaudable courage that carried you beyond the confines of the "frightening" microphone and into the hearts of all of us that were lucky enough to be there from the beginning.
Did you know you are now singing a good third lower than those first efforts?... Perhaps this is indicative of the mellowed confidence that you have attained with each new album release.
And in "Julie!" you practically launch a new Julie. Long have we suspected that your roots were embedded in jazz -- here is proof positive. Impeccable as is the intonation and phrasing, none of the famous London approach of a basic honesty is sacrificed. And, Julie, to my mind this bespeaks true artistry. No matter how great the mood, how swinging the beat, we believe each word that you tell us.
Fortunately, when this idea was launched, a young man with ideas as fresh and fertile as your approach was available and more than eager to lend his talents to the project... Jimmy Rowles. Heretofore he has been recognized as one of the leading pianists of our time; but these arrangements backing you, I'm sure, will establish him in the forefront of modern conductor-arrangers. And a great deal of credit is due his side-men, some of the greatest purveyors of jazz in the world.
Bug, back to you, Julie – this album is a triumph! To my mind is relaxed jazz at its very best. I'm full clear up to 'here' with good feelings; your the best... what more can I say!
With Love – Si Waronker
From Billboard - May 26, 1958: Soft-voiced Julie London works up a fine romance here with a nice set of relaxed jazz standards, showcased perfectly by unobtrusive but well-done backings by Jimmy Rowles' ork. Her sultry off-beating on "Daddy" is enough to make any red-blooded deejay race to his turntable, and the cover shot of leggy Miss London relaxing in a wire chair in a set of Baby Doll pajamas, will play havoc with masculine blood pressures.
Somebody Loves Me
Dream Of You
Daddy
Bye Bye Blackbird
Free And Easy
All My Life
When The Red, Red Robbin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along
Midnight Sun
You'er Getting To Be A Habit With Me
Don'cha Go Way Mad
Indiana
For You
Available from online vendors so I will not be posting a sample. Presented here to share the cover art.
From the back cover: About the picture on the cover… Stimulating, isn't it? Well, just between us, those aren't real ice cubes – but, rest assured, the intoxicant is full proof. That obviously cool chick (ice cubes or no) pointedly portrays the true essence of this albums. It's her way of promising you an intriguing concoction of heady ingredients poured out in fascinating form.
Also from the back cover: In this case the Mix Master is Bob Thompson. He is the ingenious young man who picked the songs, arranged and conducted the orchestra and voices, and who composed the original selection, On The Rocks, to give us a fitting title and idea for the album. Bob is recognized as one of the most skilled and highly inventive talents in Hollywood today. He was born in San Francisco and studied at the University of California at Berkeley. He has lived and worked in Paris and the Far East, perhaps the source spring for his fresh approach to composing and arranging. He returned to California not to long ago where he has won acclaim for his ability to distill a light-hearted, intoxicating brand of music. – Lee Zurro, The Billboard From Billboard - July 11, 1960: A bright swinging album that is hip and easy to listen to, would be an apt description of this new set by the group with chorus. Thompson, one of the new arranging lights on the West Coast, arranged all of the tunes and he conducts them with style. Selections range from "There's a Small Hotel," to "Jersey Bounce." All of the songs have that light-hearted, infectious flavor. Strong wax here for deejay programming.
There's A Small Hotel
June Is Bustin' Out All Over
Happy Talk
Breezin' Along With The Breeze
Just You, Just Me
Almost Like Being In Love
On The Rocks
Jersey Bounce
I'll See You Again
The Little Black Box
Always
All The Things You Are
Rhythm And Blues In The Night
Featuring Connie Bennet, Bill Smyth And The Harlem-Aires
Hollywood Records LPH 30
Many of the Hollywood albums that I collect, up here in The Atomic Attic, sport colorful covers but not all feature well rounded, foot tapping sets. This LP bundles together a range of 50s vocal group sounds, a gospel track and the samples you hear above posted so that you can hear what the vocalists sound like. It is an assumption on my part that there are only two vocalists and the singers I've selected are the artists credited on the cover.
Call Me Darlin'
I'm Gonna Live For Today
Don't Cry Darlin'
Steady Roll
Tell Me Pretty Baby
Featherweight Baby
Rain, Rain, Rain
Mister Blues
I Want To Rock Till I Drop
I Don't Hurt Anymore
If You Believe
Honey Love
Come To Me Darlin'
When My Heart Beats Like A Hammer
Lawrence Of Arabia
And Other Great Themes
Frank Chacksfield And His Orchestra
London LL 3298
1963
Lawrence Of Arabia
The Stripper
La Ronde
Inn Of The Sixth Happiness
Small World
Route 66
Diamond Head
Gone With The Wind
A Taste Of Honey
Gone With The Wind
A Taste Of Honey
Moulin Rouge
David And Lisa
So In Love
Calendar Girl Julie London Orchestra Conducted By Pete King Arrangements By Pete King Producer: Bobby Troup Engineers: John Palladino and John Kraus Cover Photography: Gene Lester Liberty Deluxe Series Liberty SL-9002 Recorded in Hollywood during May of 1956
From the inside notes: The essay on Julie London won't plead the apparent. It won't cite her good looks, nor argue that she is structurally sound. And it's unnecessary to comment on her voice. A lot of people have heard it and reported kindly. So, these notes will deal mainly with the album. – Richard Breen (One of Hollywood's most distinguished screen writers).
"Structurally sound?" You bet! " This is another fine London/Liberty album, I report to you in a "kindly" fashion.
Presented here to feature decent "true color" scans of the cover.
Carlsbad Caverns (Electronic sounds created by Otto Leuning and Valdimir Ussachevsky)
Music From Wide Wide World
Composed By David Broekman
David Broekman And His Orchestra
RCA Victor LPM-1280
1956
From the back cover: All of the music heard on Wide Wide World (NBC Television documentary series that ran from November, 1955 to May, 1958 ) is the work of an amazingly flexible craftsman, David Broekman, a composer and conductor who has worked in Hollywood's film studios, on radio and in television for the past thirty years. These media are all noted for the pressures they impose on their creative talents, but Broekman views his assignments on Wide Wide World as the greatest challenge he has ever had.
John S. Wilson (well-known jazz reviewer for High Fidelity Magazine/The New York Times) continues, in depth, to explain aspects of the "ominous deadline" Broekman faced.
As a collection of "soundtracks" from the documentary, this album plays through like a fine mid-50s orchestrated "concept" album. The tone is familiar, yet unpredictable. Even the cover, by today's standards, seems "abstract", although the image is simply clean 50s design. The cover sets the tone and music takes you on a lush "wide world trip".
This is really good stuff. Additionally, the record starts and finishes in a dramatic fashion by featuring a touch of that good old mysterious 50s style soprano vocals by Louis Winter.
As a side story, you might want to click through to wiki to read about electronic music pioneers Broekman used on the sample above. Broekman wrote "...against and around this electronic core."
Wide Wide World
Cable Car San Francisco
Palm Beach Waltz
God' Own River
Intermezzo For A Day In May
Carlsbad Caverns
Grandma Moses
Samba Of The Orchids
Texas Cowboy
Dialog For Lovers
Autumn In Nebraska
Down To The Sea
Grand Canyon Music
Wide Wide World Concerto
