hugo peretti - and so to sleep (1959)

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warning: sound quality ok for 1959 :).
so... harry revel is something of a legend when it comes to experimental music, but this lp is anything but experimental. if anything, this is harry revel tamed for mama and papa's living room, circa 1959 :). when i first tested the lp (you know, sampling bits here and there) i thought mmm, standard 50s, a bit dull but noteworthy at least for it's material, but i must confess that whilst ripping it i have become quite intoxicated by the swirling flutes, harp and odd sleepiness (yes, indeed) of the melodies harry revel composed. i've never been exposed to any of his stuff before, but i must say i love these songs. i will have to investigate mr. revel further!

my immediate favourite is "hypnosis" and in terms of titles "smoke another cigarette" wins hands down! :). and in case any of you were wondering, june winters sings on "voice of the night," phil bodner plays the "moving clarinet solo" on "while the city sleeps", and from the liner notes "the whistling at dawn comes from the puckered lips of dick kuhn." :)

....................

01 - after midnight

02 - while the city sleeps

03 - hypnosis

04 - relaxation

05 - counting sheep

06 - smoke another cigarette

07 - voice in the night

08 - girl on my mind

09 - revel's nocturne

10 - whistling at dawn

11 - the milkman cometh

12 - and so to sleep

....................

..........

MERCURY MG 20179

download hugo_peretti_and_so_to_sleep.rar

nelson riddle - nat (1965)

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nelson riddle is always a treat, and his vast discography spans decades and genres, from the swing and jazz combo sound of his soundtracks in early days, through to the sublime lush seventies string bossa novas of 'communication' and 'changing colours' (my personal favourites.) "nat" is a wonderful lp, creative arrangements of nat king cole songs, many of which nelson riddle himself originally arranged for nat. some of it swings, some of it meanders with style, but mostly it is a collection of beautifully orchestrated songs filled with nostalgia.

i was surprised at how much i recognised, not being a nat king cole fan. my personal favourites are definitely "nature boy," which i find rather spooky for some reason, and "sweet lorraine" which could carry me off on a boat into a sunny afternoon any day...
there is a flaw in the pressing at the end of side a which makes a repetitive noise but i think it's acceptible. it's a great record and did not want to let that problem on one track stop me. hope you all enjoy :).

....................

01 - straighten up and fly right

02 - too young

03 - it's only a paper moon

04 - nature boy

05 - walkin' my baby back home

06 - mona lisa

07 - night lights

08 - pretend

09 - ballerina

10 - sweet lorraine

11 - ramblin' rose

12 - the christmas song

....................

..........

reprise: R-6162

download nelson_riddle_nat.rar

franck pourcel - my paris (10inch, 1957)

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warning: sound quality not great.
another 10inch from the franck pourcel collection i've been lucky enough to inherit at my local shop. i don't know who the previous owner was, but the mystery deepened last night... whilst browsing the definitive www.franckpourcel.com discography i suddenly noticed that the scanned covers of the 1956 10inch covers have a ballpoint pen signature in the top lefthand corner, the name scribbled is 'david gil.' and it's exactly my cover!!! i haven't posted it yet, which means that whoever owned these 10inch's before me (in johannesburg, south africa) must've scanned the covers and sent them to franck pourcel's daughter. either that, or the previous owner bought them from someone abroad. strange, but true :).

sound not great, but rare, so posted anyway...

....................

01 - mandolin - meringué

02 - domani - valse

03 - la cueillette du coton - baïao

04 - toi l'oiseau - fox moderato

05 - adieu lisbon - fado (lisboa antiga)

06 - alors, raconte - fox

07 - toi, je t'aimerai - boléro

08 - l'opéra de quat'sous - fox (complainte de mackie)

09 - la rose tatouée - valse du film du même titre

10 - concerto d'automne - slow

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..........

HIS MASTER'S VOICE DLP 1156

download franck_pourcel_my_paris_10_inch.rar

alfred hause - kiss of fire (1966)

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the more i listen to alfred hause, the more unconventional i find his arrangements. the first track on 'kiss of fire' is too formal for me, but from track two onwards we have mr. hauser on top form with accordeon, harp, flute, glockespiel and pizzicato strings. What is also plentiful on 'kiss of fire' (and perhaps my favourite hauser trademark) is that wonderful device of creating a second melody with strings, and sometimes even a third with accordeon. i think it's called counterpoint. when it's in a minor key and melancholic i get all choked up. the arrangements are so very unexpected. i love it :).

the interweaving strings on 'nostalgias' are fantastic, 'la tanguera' is deliciously lush, and 'queja de bandoneon' is absolute splendour. i think that couple in the rose garden are ready to take their relationship to the next level ;).

....................

01 - mama, yo quiero un novio

02 - la tanguera

03 - el amanecer

04 - sentimiento gaucho

05 - el choclo

06 - felicia

07 - tango militaire

08 - queja de bandoneon

09 - tango pamplona

10 - plegaria

11 - nostalgias

12 - crepusculo

13 - el panuelito

14 - feuerblumen

....................

..........

Polydor SLPHM 184042

download alfred_hause_kiss_of_fire.rar

alfred hause - romantic classics (1969)

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if there was a competition for the most bland looking record in the most ill-begotten genre that still delivers a genuinely pleasing audio experience this one would be a strong candidate. i picked it up because it's alfred hause (suggested by a friend) and i was glad i did. now classics with a beat generally make me run for the hills, but alfred has managed to turn each of these selections into a lush tango with harp, accordeon and lovely arrangements. great for dinner with that special someone :).

it would be fun to have little concurrent post-athons with other blogs...i.e. unhip post-day, wacky post-day, obscure soundtrack post-day etc...

....................

01 - serenade

02 - liebestraum

03 - melody in f

04 - solveig's song

05 - ach so fromm from 'martha'

06 - polovtsian dances from 'prince igor'

07 - piano concerto no. 1, b flat major

08 - barcarole from 'the tales of hoffmann'

09 - hungarian dance no. 4

10 - song of india from 'sadko'

11 - aishu no moscow

12 - etude no. 3, e major

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Polydor 222101

download alfred_hause_romantic_classics.rar

lalo schifrin - che! (1969)

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i found this at my labyrinthian record shop several months ago, and of course i was blown away by the cover and the fact that it's a lalo schifrin soundtrack. the reason i didn't post was because of track 6 quality issues, but i have new software and what the heck, it's a great soundtrack. thanks to my argentinian friend javier, i now know that both che and lalo schifrin were born in his country. i wonder how mr. schifrin felt about che's political beliefs. i'm frankly quite shocked that this movie was made in the states in 1969. i supposed it was an age of protest, but we're talking about castro and che guevara..?

anyway, it's just a record ;) and it's obviously very latin and very folk orientated with flutes and guitar and i find it restful and somewhat mournful at times.

....................

01 - che (orchestra version)

02 - la columna

03 - emboscada

04 - la ruta

05 - charangos

06 - fiesta numero dos

07 - recuerdos

08 - fiesta numero uno

09 - anita

10 - la barraca

11 - tiempo pasado

12 - che (solo guitar version)

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Polydor 277009

download lalo_schifrin_che.rar

ron goodwin - music for an arabian night (1959)

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this must be one of my favourite exotica lps, and i would've posted it sooner but my 1959 copy was not quite up to scratch. i recently found a 1973 greek re-issue where this audio is from. i then saw on amazon that it is now available remastered with a companion album "holiday in beirut" and i cannot wait to get my hands on a copy. i love arabic melodies...the mystery and melancholy of minor scales and ron goodwin has taken these, and woven into them the heady exotic rhythms of a european fascination with harems, hookahs and voluptuous scantily clad women (say, those are always involved in exotica, aren't they :)). the instrumentation is decidedly eastern, particularly the percussion and flutes.

my favourite tracks are "return to paradise" and "the cedars of lebanon."
in case anyone is thinking that i was high on hashish when i edited the cover shot...no, my '59 capitol lp cover was cut just like that, angles and all, so there it is...;).

....................

01 - windows of the east

02 - bazaar

03 - old beirut

04 - wedding dance

05 - return to paradise

06 - arab feast

07 - dancing eyes

08 - come back to me

09 - barefoot girl

10 - the moon and i

11 - desert hero

12 - the cedars of lebanon

....................

..........

CAPITOL ST 10251

EMI REGAL SREG 1032

download ron_goodwin_arabian_night.rar

the fritz maldener orchestrathe voo doo's - studio one 23 (1973)

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this rather exceptional library record comes from my friend waldo in the cape, and is from the familiar "studio one" range. on the a-side we have fritz maldener, who i posted an earlier album of released on mps called "speedy buggy," which kicks ass, but it is the voo doo's on side b that really steal the show. their stuff is a hybrid of totally psyched out guitars and moog woven into tropical african rhythms shamelessly placed in brackets as "african beat", "afro beat" and even, my favourite, "black beat" (oh yeah...) truly, the voo doo's know how to get down several different ways, and their song writing is definitely a notch above library stock. would be interesting knowing what their tracks were finally used for :).

my favourites are "exotic fruit" and "o mané."

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the fritz maldener orchestra

01 - san diego (mambo)

02 - usambara cha cha (cha cha)

03 - coffee time (samba)

04 - caribian sun (latin rock)

05 - argentinian flight (merenge)

06 - senorita margarita (cha cha mambo)

07 - pernambuco samba (samba)

the voo doo's

08 - boo bam bam boo (african beat)

09 - o man‚ (happy african beat)

10 - mungo go go (fast conga beat)

11 - african news (black beat)

12 - tropical nights (afro beat)

13 - exotic fruits (afro beat)

14 - in the city of haiti (afro beat)

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BERRY MUSIC CO. S.0.23

download fritz_maldener_voo_doos_23.rar

francis lai - live for life (vivre pour vivre) (1967)

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this wonderful francis lai soundtrack from 1967 features his classic warm analog sound with, is that an organ? i never know, the way he uses them is ingenius. there's a melancholy edge to this soundtrack apart from "roger's theme" and the two party tracks on side b. "zoom" incidentally was redone by a band called sukia on a french compilation called "pop romantique" - it's a fabulous version, and i'll include it just for fun ;).

for those wondering about the dodgy song titles, i was seriously tempted to retranslate i.e. "theme de catherine" became "theme to catherine" (seriously?) instead of catherine's theme, but anyway...

....................

01 - live for life

02 - theme to catherine

03 - theme to candice

04 - live for life

05 - now you want to be loved

06 - theme to catherine

07 - theme to robert

08 - live for life

09 - all at once it's love

10 - zoom

11 - live for life

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United Artists UAS 5165

download francis_lai_vivre_pour_vivre.rar

download redone track... sukia - zooooom!

roger roger - thrilling (1955)

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warning: sound quality not great.
ok, so this is the second and last post of dodgy sound 50s records i'll be making. i'm making a guess that this one is rare and unposted, which is why i'll go ahead with the audio i got. seems the guy behind the boxes delivered to my record shop not too long ago was a quite a hipster. roger roger is yet another spaceage legend, a frenchman who made his way via mood music starting out in television and radio. this was his first lp, released on mgm as part of a series of mood music. all tracks except "chinese bolero" are roger roger originals. apparently the french national television commisioned him to write a special work called "versailles," to accompany the appearance of m. rené coty, the president of the french republic, and it then became the theme for every appearance of a french president on tv :).

there is apparently one compiled cd released called "grands travaux" - i'd love to hear it...

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01 - small talk

02 - in costa rica

03 - please do

04 - paris waltz

05 - it's you

06 - equador

07 - chinese bolero

08 - thrilling

09 - joke

10 - can can

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M-G-M Records E3201

download roger_roger_thrilling.rar

michel legrand - paris à la hi-fi (10inch, 1956)

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warning: sound quality not great.
dispite the quality i absolutely had to post this one because i love it!!! the first track is my least favourite and quality wise suffers the most, but the rest is wonderful. maybe someone out there has magic software or magic ways or just a great copy of this - if so, please let me know. "merry-go-round" has lovely do-do-do-do girly vocals and makes me think of springtime in paris, and "bonjour, paris", possibly my favourite, has this earily whistled tune with wonderful trumpet - could just be my mood, but it makes me think of 'angel heart' (anyone seen that alan parker movie?) - man, it's a killer track!

i keep finding more reasons to adore and worship mr. legrand. i want to create a shrine for him :), like the wonderful 'les baxter tribute' mr. xtabay put together...

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01 - smile

02 - merry-go-round

03 - bonjour, paris

04 - apollo strings

05 - love theme from 'la strada'

06 - sur le pave de paris

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COLUMBIA CL 2599

download michel_legrand_paris_a_la_hi-fi.rar

the voices of walter schumann - the voices of walter schumann (1952)

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i'm not usually into choral music, but tried this one out purely because it seems to keep good company reputation-wise. on first listen it's pleasant enough, something between music for tv dinners and a civilised version of exotica tribes women (ok, my field of reference for choral is null :)). on second listen i'm bopping my head. not bad. i could get into this.

there are a couple more voices of walter schumann lps at my shop, including one called 'summertime' that i might check out. dating this was a challenge, but ron has found some info dating both mono and duophonic ;) versions to 1952.
thanks ron!

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01 - dream

02 - i'm always chasing rainbows

03 - for all we know

04 - fools rush in

05 - when your lover has gone

06 - love

07 - summertime

08 - moonglow

09 - taking a chance on love

10 - april in paris

11 - far above cayuga's waters

12 - holiday for strings

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CAPITOL DT297

download the_voices_of_walter_schumann.rar

richard marino - out of this world (1961)

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i'm starting to feel like a kid at a zoo who sees a zebra for the first time ever - i can't wait to tell the rest of the world about the AMAZING horse with black and white stripes!!! except i'm the only one who didn't know about zebras :). yet another spaceage classic in the collection from my shop in town, this stunning album is perhaps the weirdest listenable excursion into outer space i now own. it's fantastic! lots of theremin-esque sounds, a lady wailing to the moon, and modulations i can't describe - the otherworldiness of this lp is off the charts without ever making it less than wonderful to listen to. and i cannot believe the packaging was done in 1961! how beautiful is it not?

the cover has four circular holes in it on the front and back, and the inner sleeve completes the images of the outer sleeve - how marvellous. see, the zebra.. (y'all are going, richard marino...yeah yeah :).)

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01 - out of this world

02 - moonlight becomes you

03 - when you wish upon a star

04 - the moon was yellow

05 - stardust

06 - misty

07 - gone with the wind

08 - stairway to the stars

09 - over the rainbow

10 - full moon and empty arms

11 - stars in my eyes

12 - stella by starlight

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LIBERTY LSS 14007

download richard_marino_out_of_this_world.rar

apologies, the tracklisting was originally incorrect.
this has now been corrected - see above.

franck pourcel - petite fleur (10inch, 1960)

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in amongst my lucky finds are a couple of franck pourcel 10 inch records. at first i left them at the shop, at a loss as to what i should do with them, and i think i also feared they'd be old and worn but quite the contrary...they are in excellent condition. and so i thought i'd start with this one, a japanese import from 1960, with wonderful pourcel recordings on it. the packaging is a treat - the little record is so cute, and it's in a lovely little envelope and everything is in such good condition. isn't it strange that mr. pourcel was big in japan even in the late fifties? there's some kind of early synthesizer used on some of the tracks, most notably "venus" - i don't know if it is a theremin or what?

i have some more 10inch pourcels to follow. it's so much fun :). anyway, hope there's a pourcel fan out there who'll enjoy this as much as i do.

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01 - petite fleur

02 - ciao, ciao, bambina

03 - etrange tango

04 - je te tendrai les bras

05 - oui, oui, oui, oui

06 - venus

07 - bim bom bey

08 - tango militaire

09 - chanson d'orphee

10 - ce serait dommage

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ANGEL RECORDS HW 1053

download franck_pourcel_petite_fleur_10_inch.rar

jackie gleason - aphrodisia (1959)

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now i'm not sure if this is out there already, or released on cd. i used to google or blogsearch and that was enough but these days i'm not so sure. in any event, here is jackie gleason's "aphrodisia," certainly more profane looking then the music ever is - in fact, the lp itself is restful and tame, soft swelling strings with a smooth organ in the middle to lull us into pleasurable waves of restful ease and relaxation :).

all the tracks are written by jackie gleason, hence the totally wacked out themed titles, including my favourite "pastel flame." from the liner notes, we read "jakie has keyed many of these selections to hues of love and passion. such titles as blue crystal, pastel flame, violet mist, and dawn desire, suggest that love, though sometimes blind, is seldom color blind." (my goodness) oh, and the back cover (i have on request) has an image of two lovers getting it on underneath a tree - risky, very risky ;).

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01 - seraglio

02 - blue crystal

03 - pastel flame

04 - dawn desire

05 - violet mist

06 - rapture

07 - silver sunset

08 - pink chiffon

09 - perpetual emotion

10 - orange velvet

11 - farewell rendezvous

12 - glamour

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CAPITOL W1250

download jackie_gleason_aphrodisia.rar

sid bass - from another world (1956)

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in the same collection as the michel legrands and the les baxters, i found this spaceage gem. produced by herman diaz jr. it's in a similar vein to esquivel, with big brass pow-wows and xylophones, and makes for a playfull and energetic listen. in between all the tracks are some strange modulations which i assume are from outer space (some are downright disturbing,) and on many tracks there are some seriously trippy echo effects applied to glockenspiel etc that made me laugh and which i enjoyed thoroughly. i'm not sure how well this sold in 1956 but i love it!

the sound was not in mint condition but for its age it is not bad at all. happy listening! silly me...i've just seen on amazon this one has been released on cd already - i was wondering why nobobody seemed interested (grin.)

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01 - from another world

02 - old devil moon

03 - you came along

04 - stormy weather

05 - ill wind

06 - how high the moon

07 - my blue heaven

08 - east of the sun

09 - star dust

10 - the world is waiting for the sunrise

11 - cabin in the sky

12 - beyond the blue horizon

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Vik LX-1053

download sid_bass_from_another_world.rar

les baxter - young pops (1960)

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i scored some seriously cool stuff at my record shop this morning. waking up at 9am was a strain after only getting to bed at 2am (i am after all in my mid-thirties now :)) but it was so worth it. this is the first post, a perky and pleasurable release from les baxter. now when i first began collecting, i bought "the exotic moods of les baxter" on cd and became and instant fan. then I found "sensational!" and "around the world" on lp, both of which were painfully dull (in my humble opinion.) perhaps my tastes have changed and i should revisit them. in any event, "young pops" sounds like the lineup from one of his exotica sessions got shuffled into the recording studio next door for a second session of pop takes, and even then the inflections are at times somewhat sinister and unexpected. lots of harp, xylophones, and fresh lively arrangements. lots of fun for both the young and the old, except before bedtime. i found another record called "...and so to sleep" for that :).

for those interested in les baxter, you should definitely visit the comprehensive "les baxter tribute" blog - see link top right - you can get almost every baxter recording ever released there.

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01 - venus

02 - running bear

03 - let it be me

04 - the battle of new orleans

05 - mister blue

06 - el paso

07 - what in the world's come over you

08 - theme from a summer place

09 - tom dooley

10 - misty

11 - forever

12 - mack the knife

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CAPITOL ST1399

download les_baxter_young_pops.rar

the harry roche constellation - spindrift (1971)

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dr waldo has voted this harry roche constellation version of hawaii five-o to beat the pants off john gregory's and in fact any other we've come across... comments anyone? :) it is an amazing version. spindrift finds harry roche embracing the steady lush sound uk sound of early seventies studio2stereo releases. i have a thing for early 70s studio2stereo. if i was to go back in time i'd be a groupy hanging out there at abbey road studio 2... (not studio 1) hoping to catch a glimpse of the orchestral genius' that all recorded at that wonderful address...john keating, simon park, alan hawkshaw, keith mansfield, mandingo... (well maybe i wouldn't have recognised mandingo in his suit and black-rimmed spectacles ;))

once again i have left the sound mostly untreated as the brass was being clipped by the de-clicker. top notch album by one of britain's lounge greats - "hawaii five-o" and "warm punch" are killer dancefloor tracks.

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01 - hawaii five-o

02 - it had to be you

03 - let there be love

04 - something

05 - spindrift

06 - on mother kelly's doorstep

07 - do you know the way to san jose

08 - theme from love story

09 - begin the beguine

10 - didn't we

11 - (they long to be) close to you

12 - warm punch

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..........

download harry_roche_constellation_spindrift.rar

horst jankowski

- jankowski plays jankowski (1969)

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for those of you who think horst jankowski is a square, well you are forgiven, because his earlier lps are rather subdued and tame. this one however, is mr. jankowski's pet sounds. if i didn't know any better, i'd think maybe somebody spiked his Bier with a little something. this record is on fire! as the title suggests, all ten tracks are jankowski originals, and i think it is this after all what brings all the passion and kick to these killer tracks. thanks again to dr waldo for providing a good copy - this time in upside-down world, the local south african pressing beats the pants of a dull and lifeless sealed canadian pressing i bought (sigh.) so if you wanna get down like it's 1969 and there's no tomorrow, get this now.

for those interested in getting more horst, the "black forest explosion!" cd reissue has many tracks from this lp plus others in this vein (post-tame period, pre-jazz period, i.e. party horst period :))

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01 - any problem now

02 - little old town

03 - pink balloon

04 - like a ruby in the sunset

05 - blow up the piano

06 - dream flight

07 - i feel like a child

08 - a butler's ballet

09 - this is the morning (to end such a night)

10 - the blues, the beat and all that

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..........

download jankowski_plays_jankowski.rar

chaquito

- the big, big sound of chaquito (1970)

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few lps have inspired as much envy as this one did when my friend waldo laid his hands on a copy several years back. having 'discovered' john gregory, and the seventies being my prime era of interest, i of course felt that it was wasted somehow on anyone but me ;)... i would like to say that time assuages all bitterness, but hearing this incredible lp again has just reminded me of why i wanted it so bad! :) ok, so mescalin-crazed banditos aside (and god do they make me smile and wan't to get down...) the brass production and driving rhythms are just insanely infectuous and discoteque danceable from start to finish. john gregory is the king. nobody arranges like he does. every track on this lp kicks ass.

the sound on this recording has been left untreated, as i prefer the brass to be left unchanged. i think this lp may have been originally released in the uk as "revolution," but i'm not sure...

contour 6870 589

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01 - revolution

02 - aquarius

03 - carol of the bells

04 - old devil moon

05 - te quiero dijiste

06 - the good, the bad and the ugly

07 - carioca

08 - tierra madre

09 - desafinado

10 - goin' out of my head

11 - maria elena

12 - the big country

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..........

download the_big_big_sound_of_chaquito.rar

the night strings

- instrumental love machine (1970)

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this lush gem released on the evolution label has been one of my favourites since i picked up a copy from the dumped SABC (state radio) stock back in 1996. i now have two local pressed copies, but it's thanks to a third import from my friend dr waldo in cape town that i am finally able to make this post.

like the other evolution releases round this time (bobby byrne's "shades of brass," "electric hair") there is moog involved, but as the title suggests, this is a darker more lush excursion into the night. there are several tracks that are dying to be used on a compilation (i.e. my compilation i'm working on :)) and these include "black sand and white stars" and "blue stoned eyes."

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01 - god bless the child

02 - black sand and white stars

03 - aquarius

04 - the road to the blues

05 - on days like these

06 - a time for us

07 - oh happy day

08 - sagittarius

09 - honey

10 - blue stoned eyes

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..........

download the_night_strings_love_machine.rar

paul mauriat et son orchestre

- plays standards (1963)

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well the roots of french lounge keep getting stranger. when i first played this record i had to check the label to make sure it was the right lp, and not a xavier cugat someone had slipped in by mistake. this is full-on latin folks, with french vocals to boot. paul mauriat...as in paul mauriat? are we in cuba? the record is not in perfect shape, but i've posted it any way for it's shock, historic, and merengue value :).

how weird is this? i was reading on wikipedia "mauriat was to have his first international hit with chariot, which he wrote in collaboration with friends franck pourcel (co-composer), jacques plante (french lyrics) and raymond lefevre (orchestrator)" - all three of them writing together! oh, and apparently mr. mauriat also used pseudonyms to "better reflect the international flavour of his recordings," and these included "richard audrey, nico papadopoulos, eduardo ruo and willy twist." :).

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01 - fascination

02 - ciao ciao bambina

03 - ay! ay! ay!

04 - love in portofino

05 - parlez-moi d'amour

06 - avril au portugal

07 - amour de saint-tropez

08 - je sais que vous etes jolie

09 - amor amor amor

10 - en avril a paris

11 - le millionnaire

12 - quizas, quizas, quizas

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download paul_mauriat_plays_standards.rar

franck pourcel

- amour, danse et violons no 10 (1958)

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i never used to enjoy the 50s sound much: those sacharin strings in a pretend perfect world...but somehow it has gotten under my skin. yes, it seems the amour series really does go back all the way to no 1. i've actually seen number 6, a small 10 inch disk at my shop. perhaps i'll try it, since i actually have really enjoyed this one. there's a lot of accordeon, glockenspiel, flutes and double base with of course them fifties strings. my favourite track is a pourcel original, "reves de jeunesse," and apparently "dors, mon amour" is the grand prix eurovision 1958 winner (man they got down in 1958...)

i was very surprised to see that track 8, "opera en goguette" is co-composed by franck pourcel and raymond lefevre! how weird that they go back to '58. i wonder if they remained friends or became fierce bitter rivals. in any event, i was happy to find this little gem in pretty good condition. so let's put it on pretend life is peachy (say, isn't it, really? :))

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01 - java paname

02 - marjolaine

03 - la foule

04 - gondolier

05 - reves de jeunesse

06 - dors, mon amour

07 - le pont de la riviere kwai

08 - opera en goguette

09 - histoire d'un amour

10 - sarah

11 - moisson

12 - ca, c'est l'amour

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download franck_pourcel_amour_no10.rar

david rose

- portrait (1972)

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when i first started collecting easy listening lps back in 1996, i got a polydor double-lp compilation called "take it easy." of all the tracks on it, the two i loved best were bert kaempfert's "stoney end" and david rose's "do you love me." inside the gatefold they had little pictures of all the polydor lps where the tracks came from, so portrait became fixed in my mind as a holy grail of sorts. it is for me a dark album, as was "do you love me" when i first fell in love with it. it reminds me of john barry in the seventies, riz ortolani... introspective, deep and lush.

i downloaded this from a friend's blog not too long ago, but for the life of me i can't remember where... i really wanted to post the copy i found on my birthday however, on my site, because i love this album so much.

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01 - where is the love

02 - the first time i ever saw your face

03 - alone again naturally

04 - love theme from spartacus

05 - without you

06 - the miracle

07 - do you love me

08 - if

09 - too beautiful to last

10 - if you could read my mind

11 - i'm lonely for you

12 - cabaret

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download david_rose_portrait.rar

paul mauriat

- theme from a summer place (1972)

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another fine early seventies album from paul mauriat, this one was co-released, interestingly enough, by mgm records and verve records. it was really strange seeing the verve label at the bottom left-hand corner of the record cover. must've disturbed a jazz fan or two in its time :).

high seventies strings and mr. mauriat on top form...

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01 - theme from a summer place

02 - adieu l'ete adieu la plage

03 - quand vient l'ete

04 - rendez vous au lavandou

05 - holidays

06 - apres toi

07 - ebb tide

08 - summer of '42

09 - sur la plage

10 - qui saura

11 - summer memories

12 - day by day

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download paul_mauriat_a_summer_place.rar