White Satin - George Shearing

White Satin
The George Shearing Quintet And Orchestra (conducted by Billy May).
Capitol T1334
1960

I added this nice Shearing album to the collection today. I've been collecting Shearing's graphically popular "Capitol" covers for a while now. You can check out all of the cover in the collect in this post.

This is the mono release. Once again, the music is smoky smooth and sweet.

Highly recommended.

Nostalgia - David Rose

Nostalgia
David Rose And His Orchestra

M-G-M Records E3134
1954

This is an unusual album cover for 1954. In my opinion, it is graphically ahead of its time compared to other covers of the period.

The first song establishes a soft moody palette of sound. The tracks that follow continue paint a wonderful lush audio landscape. I might compare this work to the many of the Jackie Gleason's LPs I own. It is thematically consistent from cover art to the last track. More of a complete vision than a collection of songs.

The music can be download from iTunes.

Midnight On The Cliffs

Midnight On The Cliffs
Les Baxter And Orchestra
High Fidelity Recording T843
1957

Let's start with the stunning cover. Love it!

The title track, the first song on the A side, Midnight On The Cliffs is a wonderful and dramatic piece. The next track is sort of a light pop vocal piece titled Wake The Town And Tell. The song is a jarring transition from the dramatic mood of the first track. Some of the vocal tracks seem out of place on this LP. The instrumentals work best helping to reinforce the "mood" the album cover sets.

This is some sort of mix that Capitol glosses over on the back cover. A mix between soundtrack titles from the movie "Julie" and some of Baxters other work.

Pipe Organ And Percussion - Pirouette

Song Of India

Fabulous Sounds Of The Pipe Organ And Percussion
Pirouette Records RFM 64

Here's another fun "percussion" pipe organ record I found yesterday on the obscure budget label, Pirouette.

The record could have also been call "Ping Pong Percussion". The audio and minimalist cover graphic "style" was copied from a trend started by Enoch Light on his label, Command. This album was probably released in 1961. The engineering isn't as good as a Command record, but Light was always ahead of the pack. The percussion for the most part, is coming out of the right channel and the organ out of the left. Light actually bounced sound back and forth with regularity, his recordings where crystal clear and his pressings were high quality.

There is a lot of filler copy on the back cover. The copy mentions that "one of the very best organs still in existence in the U.S. was employed"... but they do not say what organ or where the recording was made. Nor is there any mention of who the organist or percussionist is.

Still, I think you'll find this record to be an exotica/percussion organ LP that you will be happy to add to your collection.

Fantasy Pipe Organ And Percussion

A Stereo Fantasy In Pipe Organ And Percussion
George Montalba
Somerset SF-8400
1958

This is a great vintage organ album that contains music that reminds me a lot of Korla Pandit's work.

Featured here are two versions of the stereo release. At this time, I have no idea why there are two different covers.

Apparently George Montalba was really Robert Hunter, an arranger who worked on Broadway for a time. Sometime later around 1989 The High Priest of The Church of Satan, Anton Lavey claimed to be the real Montalba. Which, of course, he wasn't. All of this is outlined in a booklet that comes with a CD reissue of this LP. The CD is hard to find, but you can download the album from Amazon. The several reviews of the CD I found online complain about sound quality issues.

Who would have thought The High Priest of The Church Of Satan would be into exotica organ and percussion records?

Que Mango! - 101 Strings & Les Baxter

Que Mango!
Les Baxter
101 Strings
Alshire S-5204
1970

Now I know that all 101 Strings albums don't suck. I actually own several 101s now that are very cool and I'm looking for Astro-Sound 2000 to add to the collection. I was surprise today to find this LP with Les Baxter's named printed on the cover. Of course Baxter is one of the king pins of the exotica music form, inspiring the likes of Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman. Baxter was a prolific artist and more can information can be found on his wikipededia page.

The record is a wonderful blend of the Baxter and 101 Strings sound.

Here's the other early 101 Strings album I own that doesn't suck.

1969 Northern Kentucky Select Bands Vol. II

Incantation and Dance

1969 Northern Kentucky Select Bands

Nice, but average fair is presented on this LP, with the exception of the sample track I've posted which has a nice vintage TV "theme" show vibe to it. Incantation and Dance was written by John Barnes Chance when he was composer-in-residence at the Greensboro, North Carolina public school system as a part of the Ford Foundation Young Composers Project between 1960 and 1962.

Little Boy Who Couldn't Find Christmas & The Story Of Chrismas

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans
The Ranch Hands
Mitchell Miller And Orchestra
R198

6 inch yellow vinyl 78 rpm record.

As always, let me know if there is a problem with any post and I'll attempt to make corrections.

Doin' The Dopey & The Drawf's Yodel Song

Doin' The Dopey Dance & The Dwarf's Yodel Song
From Walt Disney's Snow White
Churchill-Morey
The Sandpipers
Mitchell Miller And Orchestra
Original Voices Of The Seven Drawfs
RD29A

An obscure 6 inch yellow vinyl 78 rpm.

Viscounts - Dig - Flashback

The Viscounts
Dig & Harlem Nocturne
Flashback Records No. 29

I found this 45 today at the thrift. Little seems to be known about The Viscounts, although a CD of their music can be found online. And I've posted a video of them preforming below a video which features an awesome cover of Harlem Nocturne.

I post this 45 because I couldn't find another image of this release on this neat looking "Flashback" label.

Muffin Man - Farmer In The Dell - Picture Disk

The Record Guild Of America 3001P

7 inch cardboard encased in clear vinyl 78 rpm record.

Ros At The Opera

Martha - Soft And Pure

Ros At The Opera

Edmundo Ros And His Orchestra

London LL 3104

Apparently Ros was the Latin King in post-war U.K. He was a prolific recording artist. This album is one of his earlier works. I can't find a release date. The cover is one of my favorites.

Since this is my first Ros album it might be premature for me to say that I prefer Cugat. Cugat is my measuring stick for space age Latin. There is a nice, somewhat soft (the sample is the most "quiet" track on the LP) space age feel to this recording that appeals to me. There are interesting instruments employed on a few songs including an oboe, a harmonica and bells. Nice.

As always, let me if there is a problem with any post and I will attempt to make corrections.

Meyer Davis Album Covers

Meyer Davis
Plays Redhead For Dancing
RCA Victor LPM-2039
1959

Wonderful cover. The music isn't as hot as the redhead.

Meyer Davis
Dancing With The Smart Set
RCA Victor LPM-1756
1958

Another lovely cover featuring models in smart attire.

Meyer Davis
On With The Dance
ABC- Paramount ABC 197
1958

All three of these LPs try to rise above what I would consider to be mainstream easy listening, Lawrence Welk-ish fare. This album is the best of the three... but I'm gonna put Jackie Gleason wax on the turntable now, if you know what I mean...

Get Along Little Dogie & Polly Wally Doodle & Arkansas Traveler & Red River Valley

Peter Pan Records
Sung By Jack Arthur
Directed By Vickie Kasen
L-18

7 inch rusty red 78 rpm children's record

Blue Tail Fly & Clemenitine

Peter Pan Records
Sung By Jack Arthur
Directed By Vicky Kasen
L-20

7 inch rusty red 78 rpm children's record.

Marching Songs

Marching Songs
Sung By Jack Arthur
With The Peter Pan Players
Directed by Vickie Kasen
L-19

7 inch, rusty red 78 rpm children's record.

Rudolph - The Red Nosed Reindeer & Silent Night

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer & Silent Night
Arizona Cliff Martin
Music Hall Orchestra
V601

7 inch 78 rpm red vinyl record. The B side, Silent Night is not credited.

Organ Grinder Man

Organ Grinder Man
The Tiny Town Trio with Ray Black Orchestra
Record Guild Of America 723
1954

7 inch red vinyl, 78 rpm record.

Hey! Mr. Banjo & The Berry Tree

Golden Records
The Sandpipers
Mitchell Miller And Orchestra
R216

6 inch yellow vinyl 78 rpm record

Home On The Range & Ten Little Indians

Story Time
Home On The Range & Ten Little Indians
Ed Lewis & Wally Russell
1948

7 inch red vinyl 78 rpm.

I Love A Little Pussy & Other Children's Songs With Less Suggestive Titles

Peter Pan Records
Jack Arthur and the Song Spinners
Directed By Dan Cope
118

7 inch rusty red vinyl 78 rpm.

Little Red Engine

Little Red Engine
Record Guild Of America
Tiny Town Trio with Guild Orchestra and Sound Effects
721A

7 inch red vinyl 78 rpm children's record.

Misty - J. J. Jones

Louie Louie

Misty
J. J. Jones
Wyncote SW-9170
1967

Somewhat obscure album and artist. From the back cover notes, this was J. J. Jones' first album. This album was released just before Wyncote went out of business.

The LP has a nice funky "60s" vibe. The cover (model) image was used on another Wyncote album, Organ Fascination W9083

SLAVE 1-E-241 - John Noble

SLAVE 1-E-241
John Nobel

I was very pleased today to stumble across this rare and obscure autographed copy of SLAVE 1-E-241.

Noble spent his life, after having survived the horrors of the worst socialist systems of modern times, warning people against traveling down the "red" carpet. This recording was made sometime after the release of his book: I Was A Slave In Russia.

Noble's words are as insightful and relevant today as when he made this recording sometime in the 60s. Life is a never ending struggle for freedom and just because you are not in a slave camp today, doesn't mean that you aren't oppressed by socialist policies or that slave camps could never happen in America. Read history and vote for freedom!

Noble passed away in 2007.