Music To Paint By

Music To Paint By
RCA Victor PRM-208
1966

Here's an interesting oddball project. The record was "Prepared expressly for Celanese Coatings Company by RCA Victor. Celanese brand paints included Devoe, PeeGee and Treasure Tone.

All the tracks on the LP have something to do with "color".

No expense was spared to include excellent music on this LP, including, my favorite tracks, Green Eyes by Tony Martin and a killer version of Over The Rainbow by Peter Nero.

I resist posting a sample, because I'm sure these two tunes are still available and under copy protection.

This LP smacks of space age pop. It's really cool.

My question is, how was this LP distributed? Since it was prepared for a "paint" company was it a hand out or sold in stores that distributed their products?

For The Love Of Benji

Doberman Chase

For The Love Of Benji
Mulberry Square Productions 1977

Everybody remembers Lassie... Rin Tin Tin, Bandit, the cartoon dog from Jonny Quest! Even BEN and Ben wasn't a dog but a rat! Who remembers poor little Benji?

Who remembers Charlie Rich?

I remember Benji! I do not, however, remember Charlie Rich.

Enjoy a rocking 70s movie chase number!

The Magic Of Movement

The Magic Of Movement
Activities Designed With The Senior Citizen In Mind
Melody House Records MH-768

A surprise treasure!

The narration is done by Dr. Betty Sue Benison.

Exercise #5: Eye Exercises. Whatever you do... don't STRAIN yourself!

Enoch Light and the Brass Menagerie

Aquarius

Enoch Light and the Brass Menagerie
Volume 2
Project Total Sound Stereo PR 5042 SD1969

Enoch Light had a way making albums (everything I've ever heard) unique and fun to listen to. Even brass... which I can usually take only in small doses. This is a cool LP with enough campy 60/70s flourishes to keep the tracks interesting.

Light understood the value of interesting cover art, (see examples of his "minimalist" abstract graphic period on his own label, Command Records). His later records, like this effort, can sport cheesy covers. But, hey... they weren't dull in 1969 and they are collectible now because they are cheesy. I mean... who came up with the idea of shooting this chick with a whip behind these horns? Of course... he means taming the "sheer lusty animal power" of the horn section. Sure... Spank me Whip Girl!

Light was also an EXCELLENT engineer and his records have always been ear candy for me.

It is interesting to note that this jacket is a gatefold. On the inside we have Enoch's standard description of every song. I noted one online resource claiming that he abandoned this approach after he sold Command. But this is the second example I've found.

The arrangements are credited to Dick Hyman. Hyman worked on piles of pop projects including many on The Command Label.

Enjoy!

Romantic Piano

Romantic Piano - After Dark Piano Favorites
Somerset/Alshire Production
Budget Sound, Burbank, CA SF-27900 1967

Low budget press with bachelor pad cover. Easy listening. The only way you are going to get hot drunk women to look at you is if you can play the piano with full orchestra back up. But the hot women are all here at the lounge with their mobster boy friends... so even you, Mister Romantic Piano Playing Pansy Man are out of luck and probably going to get your hands smashed in the alley by the put out boy friend.

Sorry, real life is never as dreamy as the world swirling around the Romantic Piano.

Peitor Dero actually gets a mention on the back cover as the artist.

The Going Thing 1970

Hey Jude

The Going Thing 1970
Ford Promotional LP

See my post for the introduction of The Going Thing group as featured in a 1969 recording that was apparently only distributed internally.

This album is the follow-up LP, which may have been distributed to the public (a hand out at dealerships, or at car shows or sold somehow?). The back cover is completely blank with the exception of The Ford Logo.

In my earlier post I suggested that Ford was out of touch with the youth market of the day. And this project proves it. It's a disaster! This record is full of amazingly bad covers of songs that young people might... well... have actually enjoyed. Then again... some of the song choices are horrible.

Maybe Ford will trade me a new 3/4 ton truck just to take this album off the streets? Make that a 4 x 4... thanks!

Treasure Alert! Enjoy!

The Going Thing 1969

The Going Thing 1969
Produced By Ford Division

Here's a rare album. Printed on the LP label is: "CONFIDENTIAL FOR FORD PERSONNEL ONLY". 

Apparently Ford management felt like connecting to the youth market with an exciting, fresh and contemporary idea... a brand new singing group, THE GOING THING. ...Then a song was written that captured the spirit of the cars. And to top it all off, a search began for a group of young people who would symbolize "The Going Thing" concept.

Is this is how Ford management viewed the 1969 youth market? Apparently the idea worked for Ford because the kids were back in 1970 with another LP.

The jacket notes go on and on about who is in the group, where they came from and talk about their musical credits. One of the kids: Steven Flanagan was born and raised in the slums of Watts, California. A mixture of Irish, Indian and Negro, he was immediately accepted for the glee club in high school. The jacket notes also goes as far to state: THE GOING THING GROUP promises to be a welcome addition to the field of today's contemporary music.

Ford was out of touch with their target market. The 1969 Mustang was way cooler then The Going Thing!

As I listen to this LP I can't help think that this record was created for investors and potential investors. It seems constructed to sell stock rather then appeal to the youth market. What follows the clip I posted above is a summation of Ford's marketing plan for the coming year. Or maybe this was a way to pump up middle management? I'm not sure who the target was or how the LP was distributed.

The Magic Islands

Sweet Leilani

The Magic Islands
Alfred Newman and his Orchestra with the Ken Darby Singers
DL 79048 196?

I can't pin point the date of this project. Decca invested a lot of money into the album jacket. I suspect Decca decided that is was time cash in on the "Tiki" craze (which began in the late 50s) with a big splashy project.

The jacket is a gate fold with a die-cut. The die-cut is through the white cover, the rectangle shape around the model's head. This is very expensive to do. There are a number of full color spreads on the inside of the gate fold with bleed. Also expensive. A very elaborate press job.

The music, by Alfred Newman is all at once, exotica, easy listening and soundtrack. Newman is known for scoring numbers of well known soundtracks. The music has that nice melting otherworldly exotica flavor, but the vocals, in my opinion, do not "fit" the music and seem "old fashion".

The Sound Of Tomorrow Today!

The Sound Of Tomorrow Today!
Soundproof
Ferrante and Teicher
Westminster Records WP 6014 1956

No hidden treasure of course. But I wanted to pile on and say this is a great space age pop record! From the cover (the photo is "courtesy MGM Pictures – producers of Forbidden Planet") one of my all time favorite movies and soundtracks.

I can't find any back story on how Ferrante and Teicher came to acquire rights to the cover image while not having any direct connection to the film. Could be as simple as ask and you shall receive!

Great space age pop flavor, but there are nice touches of exotica on this LP as well. The cool thing is that you feel like you are sitting in the studio while they play through these songs. The sound is very natural and very human-like for "space" music.

My favorite tune is on side B: Dark Eyes. A very haunting piece that is very exotica.

The Exotic Sounds of Arthur Lyman - Taboo Vol. 2

The Exotic Sounds Of Arthur Lyman
Taboo Vol. 2
HIFIRECORD R822 1952

I was very excited today to run across this MINTY fresh copy of Lyman's follow up to Taboo (1958).

The record has been released as a CD, so I won't post a sample here.

The record is a wonderful example of Tiki/Exotica and I loved it from start to finish... and how can you resist a cover like this. Especially considering it was produced in 1959! Very cool stuff my friends!

The Great Imposters

The Great Imposters
You Asked For It
Live
A Triple Crown Production GI 2027
Recorded Live at The West Omaha Holiday Inn

When a cover is worth more then the music. What do I need to do to buy a suit like this?

You're thinking... 70s disco group? No... think SHA NA NA and 50s covers.

And they don't, much to my dismay... suck. 70s haircuts and Elvis suits? Where is my horrible music?

Oh well... the cover is great!

At Home WIth Bob Ward

Star Dust

At Home With Bob Ward At The Hammond Organ
Encores - Music To Live By
Continental Records Of California

As far as I can tell, this artist and record company is lost to history.

I bought this album for the great cover art. The image smacked of "space age bachelor pad" art. The LP is pressed on a great translucent yellow plastic which also gives the package a "high-tech" look.

But I'd be completely wrong to assume a "space age" look is what they are going for here. The album notes indicate that the photo was actually taken in Bob's home in Monterey Park, CA. The notes go on to list, by full name, all the folks in the photograph... including the people in the mirror reflection! This photo is a simple snap shot of Bob, the ladies man, in his living room. Pass around the Highballs folks! Let's get this party started.

Side A will most likely put the party on the couch. The B side will then lull the party to sleep. Sleep is a part of life and this is "music to live by".  The last track is a medley of songs titled "Let's Get Dreamy". See... it was OK for me to say this album will put you to sleep!

KAPU (Forbidden)

KAPU (Forbidden)
Exciting Sounds Of Milt Raskin
Crown Records CLP 5110 1959

From Billboard Magazine, June 15th, 1959: Program music describing various Hawaiian legends inked by Johnny Mercer's partner. Raskin himself is heard on cocktail-style piano, celeste and bongo box. Four other percussionists take turn at 16 kinds of percussion instruments. For good measure, there are also bass, organ harp, flute and more. The exotic effects are employed, disk should be sold more for quiet listening and dancing than for sound.

I'm not sure what the reviewer meant by "sound".

This album is a great exotica and one of my favorites.

It's A Bird! It's A Plane! It's SUPERMAN

It's Superman

It's A Bird! It's A Plane! It's SUPERMAN

Selections From The New Musical Smash

By The Superman

Premier Albums Inc., NY, NY M-175 1966

This is a great album filled with fun and cheesy 60s pop ear candy. There is only one track with a vocal treatment: It's Superman

Wikipedia: The 1966 Broadway musical It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman!, starring Bob Holiday, was scored by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams. The script was written by David Newman and Robert Benton, who would go on to write the second draft of the screenplay for the first Superman film (1978).