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!
The Enchanted Guitars
Play The Songs Of Kris Kristofferson
Pickwick International SPC 3580
1977
Help Me Make It Through The Night
The Silver Tongued-Devil
Me And Bobby McGee
Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)
Sunday Mornin' Down
For The Good Times
Jesus Was A Capricorn
Why Me
Who's To Bless And Who's To Blame
The Pilgrim: Chapter 13 (Hang In, Hopper)
After Midnight With Helen Grayco
Orchestra Conducted by Judd Conlon
Vik - A Product Of Radio Corporation Of America
LX-1066
1957
From the back cover: Let me (Tony Curtis) tell you something about Helen, our talented and decorative red-head. Helen treats each song as an individual emotional experience. Her favorite exponents of this type of musical expression are Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Singing since childhood, it has always been the story in a song and the transmission of its emotional content that have been of the utmost importance to Helen. Certainly this emphasis on getting inside a song makes her lyric rendering the most telling facet of her singing style, and the key to its appeal. You'll gather this, certainly, in her interpretation of Take Me In Your Arms. You'll immediately want to take Helen up on her invitation.
Incidentally, it's amazing to listen to Helen on records, for her voice loses nothing of its intimate, lush, wonderful sounds that so thrilled all of us party fold at my house.
In discussing this album, Helen has informed me that the over-all feeling of the album was given due consideration. "But I mad a point of selecting songs that have a real meaning for me and would, therefore, be more personalized and individual in interpretation," Helen, the craftswoman, explained.
I want to tell you, too, that the arrangements of Russ Garcia provide Helen with comfortable, relaxed surroundings that help to bring out the quality of each particular melody. The instrumentation is slanted toward the soft and mellow and includes alto saxophone (played by Les Robinson), strings and rhythm. The rhythm section is comprised of players active on both jazz and studio levels in California: Jerry Wiggins, piano; Alvin Stoller, drums; Joe Mondragon, bass; Barney Kessel, guitar, and Larry Bunker, vibraharp. Russ utilized the various instruments and sections in relation to the song and the feeling it sets up for him and the singer. On the blue melancholy selections, Mood Indigo and Black Coffee, there is a mood-laden Robinson alto sound. For intimacy, the loose extemporary feeling of just the rhythm section on Glad To Be Unhappy, Midnight Sun, We'll Be Together Again. For wistful, lush background, the predominant use of strings on Last Night When We Were Young. Judd Conlon, who conducts the orchestra on this album, is Helen's vocal arranger, and Helen feels that Judd is largely responsible for her success on records and television. – Tony Curtis
Take Me In Your Arms
Mood Indigo
Glad To Be Unhappy
Every Time We Say Goodbye
While We're Young
Black Coffee
You're My Thrill
Good Morning Heartache
We'll Be Together Again
Last Night When We Were Young
Midnight Sun
You Don't Know What Love Is
Easy Living
Ruth Olay
Cover Photo by Garrett-Howard
Furs by Harry Rosoff, Los Angeles
Diamonds by Marvin Him, Beverly Hills
Mercury Records SR 60069
1959
From the back cover: Born in San Francisco but virtually a native of Los Angeles, having lived there from infancy, Ruth was the daughter of a rabbi and a professional opera singer. Though her mother was responsible for her initiation into into a general interest in music, it was through a group of youthful friends that she was attracted to popular music and jazz by the records of Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman.
Ruth spent three years living a double life as secretary and singer. Around the time when her typewriter chores for the noted screen writer Preston Sturgis got under way at Paramount Studios, she began to take singing lessons from Florence Russell, the well known vocal coach. Later, Ruth took her dictation from F. Hugh Herbert and Cy Bartlett during the day and studied music with tireless diligence during the evenings. At long last she decided the time had come to sacrifice the security of her studio work and concentrate on a singing career. After an appearance at an avant garde club known as the Cabaret Concert she earned a recording contract with a small, since-defunct company. More recently she has been heard around the club circuit of Los Angeles, occasionally venturing as far as Chicago and other cities. It was while she was playing the Little Club in Beverly Hills that she signed a personal management contract with Bill Burton, the man who guided Jimmy Dorsey and Dick Haymes along the road to national prominence. A contract with Mercury Records followed. And now, after TV appearances that brought her acclaim as the "Singing Sensation of the Jack Parr show", Ruth Olay displays her remarkable vocal talents in this second Long Play album.
From Billboard - December 8, 1958: Ruth Olay Gets Paar Send-Off
Ruth Olay, of Mercury Records, was given the vocal guest spot on the Jack Parr "Tonight" show and was accorded the "new star" introduction which has proved extremely helpful to others in the past.
The network exposure, the big plug given her album "Olay," and the three offerings sung by the new jazz stylist will undoubtedly whet the appetite of other TV bookers.
Miss Olay, strangely enough, did a much better job on the songs that were not from her album, songs like "New Orleans" and "Easy Living." The former tune, a ballad was afforded fine vocal treatment along with smart backing by Jose Melis and his ork. "Easy Living," however, was her best number. Miss Olay reminds one of Lena Horne and gives the same deep feeling and sincere projection to each tune. More appearances of this type could stir up attention.
Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'
Hurry-Hurry
Tess's Torch Song (I Had A Man)
Nocturne For The Blues
Undecided
Easy Living
Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
Never Do
Now You Know
Blue Prelude
Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
I Wanna Be A Friend Of Yours
Informally Yours
The Smart Set
Produced by Alvino Rey
Cover Photo: Hal Adams
Warner Bros. Records WS 1258
1959
From the back cover: The selections fit the talent, and they embrace the favorite tunes of a span covering more than thirty years. Frank Loesser and Burton Lane contribute the light and breezy "I Hear Music," taken from the 1941 picture "Dancing On A Dime." From the smash Broadway musical "Brigadoon" comes Alan Jay Lerner's compelling "Come To Me, Bend To Me." The giants of American popular music of the 1930's, George and Ira Gershwin, are represented by "Nice Work If You Can Get It," one of the nation's farvorites ever since Fred Astaire danced light-footed through it in "Damsel In Distress" in 1937. And to wind up the first side, there's the jivy, heart-catching "Five Foot Two, Eyes Of Blue," written by Sam Lewis and Joe Young.
Flip the record over and you have a change of pace: "Lonesome Road," a low-swinging piece that first caught the ear in Rex Allen's picture, "Old Oklahoma Plains." But the blue mood doesn't last long as the Quadling-Howard-Jurgens 1939 hit "Careless" and the silver-lining "Hurray For Love" follow. Oscar Hammerstein II adds his plea of "Lover Come Back To Me." round out a dozen pieces that are ageless: both from the point of view of their popularity, and the listener to whom they appeal.
From Billboard - February 23, 1959: Mildly progressive vocal sound by the Smart Set is heard in listenable advantage on a group of standards. Tunes and tempos are nicely varied. Ork backing complements, and various soloists, Ted Nash, alto; Red Norvo, vibes, etc. are also featured. It's an excellent programming set and for those who like easy-listening albums, this is a good buy. Very charming cover is a displayable item. Fine example of vocal stereo.
The Lonesome Road
Careless (Benny Carter, alto sax)
Hooray For Love (Dick Cathcart, trumpet)
Lover, Come Back To Me (Ted Nash, alto flute)
It's A Lonesome Old Town (Ted Nash, alto sax)
It's All Right With Me
A Sunday Kind Of Love
I Hear Music
Mean To Me (Bob Enevoldsen, tenor sax)
Come To Me, Bend Me
Nice Work If You Can Get It (Red Norvo, vibes; Ted Nash, alto flute)
Five Foot Two, Eyes Of Blue
Up From The Roots
Mongo Santamaria
Recorded at Atlantic Recording Studio, New York, N.Y.
Recording Engineer: Jimmy Douglass
Re-mix Engineer: Gene Paul
Art Direction & Design: Richard Mantel
Atlantic Recording Corporation SD 1621
1972
Personnel:
Mongo Santamaria: Conga Drums
Carter Jefferson: Tenor & Soprano Saxes
Bill Saxon: Alto & Baritone Saxes
Ray Maldonado, Lew Soloff & John Faddis: Trumpets
Felix Watkins: Flute on Para Ti & Sofrito
Papaito Munoz: Conga Drums
Julito Collazo: Bata Drum, Chequere, Conga Drums & Tambourine
Pablo Rosario: Bongos & Bell
Jimmy Johnson plays drums on Jose Outside
Vocals-Solos: Julio Collazo & Papaito
Chorus: Marcelino Guerra, Welfo & Caito
The arrangements on Ebora, En La Habana, Conga, Bata Y Chequere, Me Buele La Muela, Eco Abacua & Pan De Maíz are by Mongo Santamaria.
The arrangements on Para Ti, Virtue, Jose Outside & Forked Tongue are by Marty Sheller.
The arrangement on Sofrito is by Neal Creque
The arrangement on Little Angel is by Eddy Martinez
"Up From The Roots", as a title, probably eludes to the sets creative progression from more traditional "African-folk" arrangements to modern sounding period fusion-jazz arrangements. Therefore, this is one set that should be enjoyed, in order, from start to finish to appreciate the entire concept. Featured above, by-way-of-example, is one of the tracks from the more progressive side, "B".
Ebora (Yeza)
El La Habana (Guaguanco)
Conga, Bata, Y Chequere (Lucum & Mambo)
Me Buele La Muela (Columbia)
Eco (Bembe)
Abacua (Abacua)
Pan De Maiz
Para Ti
Sofrito
Little Angel
Virtue
Jose Outside
Forked Tongue
From the back cover: When you combine beauty and talent plus education, and your performance brings raves from critics, it can be said, "You have everything going for you." Miss O'Lyn Callahan, born and raised in Southern California, is that kind of an artist. The beautiful young lady plays with the light jazz style popularized by the Carpenters, but with the depth and sound heard in a Count Basie big-band recording. Her musicianship and education background allows her to feel comfortable performing a wide range of styles certain to please any age group.
She graduated Cum Laude from California State College in Fresno with a Bachelor's Degree in Music, plus a Masters in Classical Organ Performance. While in college, she was the recipient of scholarships from the American Guild of Organists and the Music Patron Association.
In 1973 she was named West Coast Champion in the Yamaha Organ Festival, going on to the U.S. National Finals. Miss Callahan's list of beauty credits began with her years as a majorette in high school, a Junior Miss representative; and a finalist in the Miss California Pageant, winning the Miss Congeniality award. Her hobbies include skiing and tennis.
2001 Space Odyssey
The Summer Knows
Tie A Yellow Ribbon
This Could Be The Start Of Something Big
St. Louis Blues
Quiet Village
MacArthur Park
Irish Medley
The Hawaiians Photography: Shostal, N.Y.C. Crown Records CLP 5214 & CST 228 1961
If It Happened In Hawaii Hawaiian Light South Sea Island Hawaiian Chant Swinging Hati Coconut Chant Hawaiian Sunset Swaying Palm Trees Hawaiian Serenade Waikiki Hula Lava Lava
