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Monday, October 3, 2011

Dick Schory On Tour

Orinoco (Bobby Christian)
Dick Schory On Tour With His Percussion Pops Orchestra
RCA Victor LPM-2806
1964

Recorded live in Chicago's world's famous Orchestra Hall featuring "guest drummer" Joe Morello.

Arrangements and original works by Dick Schory, Mike Simpson, Bobby Christian and Hoyt James.

Approaches include swinging big band, touches of jazz and 60s light pop.

The engineering produced a sound that seems a little "distant" or "flat" to me. But I'm listening to a mono copy. The stereo version of the LP may produce better sound.

The Sound Of Midnight Naked City - Paul Phillips And His Band

Fever

The Sound Of Midnight Naked City
Paul Phillips And His Band
Arranged and Conducted by Joe Harnell
Kapp Medallion ML-7517
1961

From the back cover: An outstanding pianist, arranger, composer and conductor, Joe Harnell has excelled in every branch of music. As a jazz artist, he has appeared with his own groups at several well known Manhattan clubs, delighting audiences with his original and inventive piano styles, while his work in popular music has included musical backing for singing stars Jane Morgan, Jane From an and Bing Crosby, conducting and arranging for Peggy Lee (for whom he wrote the original arrangement at the best-selling "Fever"), and numerous recording and television assignments. Joe's training in classical music encompassed a scholarship to the Trinity College of Music in London, four years with composer Aaron Copland at Tanglewood, and studies with Darius Milhaud, Ernst Toch and Leonard Bernstein. His serious compositions have been performed both here and overseas by major orchestras. This album co-ordinates Joe Harnell's many talents, and is underlined throughout by his genial personality – his fascination for the city, his sparkling sense of humor, and his imaginative ability to create a moody, musical portrait.

From Billboard - February 27, 1961: This is a noteworthy new album in the label's "sound" series and one that will interest stereo and hi-fi fans. The music is arranged brightly for stereo and the orchestra shows off the rhythmic Joe Harnell arrangements via strong performances of the tunes. The songs include "Tenderly," "Harlem Nocturne," and "Fever," and "Route 66," all arranged to show off sounds of the instruments and to test the stereo fan's equipment. Another set made to appeal to the many "sound" record buyers.

Tenderly
Harlem Nocturne
Stardust
I Only Have Eyes For You
Naked City Theme
Fever
Theme From "Route 66"
In The Still Of The Night
I Cover The Waterfront
All Through The Night
There's a Small Hotel
Dancing In The Dark

Witchcraft - Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra

Playboy's Theme
Witchcraft
Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra
Pickwick PC 3007
1965

One of Pickwick's better cover designs. All tracks but Darn That Dream and Blue Safari are tunes  originally found on Nelson Riddle's 1963 LP, Love Is A Game Of Poker (Capitol Records ST 1817).

Witchcraft
Alone Too Long
Red Silk Stockings
It's So Nice To Have A Man Around The House
You Fascinate Me
Playboy's Theme
Indsicreet
Darn That Dream
Blue Safari

Haunted House

Music From The Fourth Dimension
Haunted House
Haunted House Music Co. HHST 10-31 AB
1985

Happy Budget Halloween! Here's a sample from an album that feature very blurry cover graphics.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Steel Drums

Spear Dance Cha Cha Cha
Steel Drums
HiFi Records R817
1959

Live recording, according to the sparse jacket notes: Most of the performances on the drums come off in the village center in the boiling hot sun of day time." What village, located where.. there is no mention.

Promising song titles include: Zulu Chant, La Paloma, Jungle Cha Cha Cha, Native Mambo, Spur Dance, Fire Down Below, Grass Skirt Cha Cha Cha, Mary Ann, Out Of My Dreams and Spear Dance Cha Cha Cha.

Cool song titles and great cover art can't mask the poor way the recording was done, the sameness of all the songs and lack of decent jacket notes.

Steel Drums (Reissue)
The Native Steel Drum Band
Tradition Everest 2064

Ping Pong Percussion Espanol

Cordoba
Ping Pong Percussion Espanol
Spinorama Records S-54

Fun cover art, but another LP in the long line of albums featuring pointless "ping-pong" effects tacked onto or into pre-record orchestrated numbers in an effort to cash in on a trend started by Enoch Light/Command Records.

International Pop Orchestra - 110 Musicians Play

My Blue Gown
Impossible Lovers
International Pop Orchestra
110 Musicians Play
Wyncote SW 9185

How do you top 101 Strings? With 9 more musicians. This would be Wyncote's attempt to cash in on 101 Strings success. Obviously this is an LP featuring an assemblage of music, that at times, sorta kinda of sounds like 101.

The A and B sides are pretty dull, as expected, until the last two tracks when Wyncote threw me a curve ball(s). A few interesting and somewhat unusual tunes.

I Left My Heart In San Francisco

Shangri-La
I Left My Heart In San Francisco
Modern Sound MS 553

Nice cheap and cheesy cover of Shangri-La.

Curious copy from the back cover: San Francisco, like all cities, large and small has its poor, its underpriviledged (their typo), its share of shabbiness and its heartaches, but, these things have been with us down through history in cities of all sizes, both large and small. Still, its a city that has dreams for the future mingled with the pleasant memories of the past, and makes a great theme for an album.

Huh?


The Monterey Brass - Great Songs From Movies

Alla en el Rancho Grande
Living Marimbas
Latin Soul
RCA Camden CAS-2105
1966
Arranged and Conducted by Leo Addeo

50 Guitars In Love - The 50 Guitars Of Tommy Garrett

50 Guitars In Love
The 50 Guitars Of Tommy Garrett
Arrangements: Ernie Freeman
Produced by Snuff Grarrett
Guitar Solos by Tom Tedesco
Engineering: Dave Hasinger
Liberty Premier Series LSS-14037
1966

Available from online vendors so I will not be posting a sample. Presented here to share the cover art.

The Liberty "Premier" series featured expensive to produce jackets like this die-cut book-fold (the area around the title is punched out). For a time Liberty also boasted about the vinyl weight (120 grams) on the covers.

The music is totally space age. The sonic impression is full and rich. The engineering is excellent. The sound that binds the tunes together sounds like mandolin strumming that is run through a bit of reverb. Cool 60s stuff!

From Billboard - September 17, 1966: The pop hits of today take on fresh meaning in this exceptional group of arrangements based upon the guitar work of Tommy Garrett. Package could prove his biggest seller to date. From the opener "Michelle" to the closer, Ernie Freeman's "Dream Theme," a magnificent romantic mood is created.

Michelle
Strangers In The Night
I Left My Heart In San Francisco
Lara's Theme From "Dr. Zhivago"
Our Day Will Come
You Don't Have To Say You Love Me
The Shadow Of Your Smile
Escape To Love
Sure Gonna Miss Her
Moon Guitar
What Now My Love
Dream Theme