Los Cinco Latinos

Tren De Carga - Freight Train

Los Cinco Latinos

Columbia DCA-89

1959

I wasn't able to find English language information online for Los Cinco Latinos.

They appear to be a pop group from Argentina who formed in 1957 and continued to entertain fans for at least the next several decades.  Their wiki page discography indicates this LP was their third release.

I couldn't find an example of this cover online. The album has a nice cross-over vibe from 50s doo-wop to 60s light pop.

All Ears

Honey Bee

All Ears

10 New And Original Song Hits With A CB Theme
Realistic 50 - 6002

David Rose Happy Heart

Aquarius

David Rose
Happy Heart
Capitol ST-393

Somewhat obscure David Rose LP featuring easy listening or very light pop.

Read about Rose on his wiki page.

Route 66 Theme And Other Great TV Themes - Nelson Riddle

Route 66 Theme And Other Great TV Themes
Arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle
Capitol ST 1771
1962

Available on a combo CD with Riddle's follow-up album titled More Hit TV Themes. So sorry, I will not be posting a sample.

Riddle arrangements of period TV themes are unexpectedly cool. The album holds up well against other space age efforts and the music still seems fresh today. The engineering is very good.

Read more about Riddle on his wiki page.

The Best Of '70 - Terry Baxter And His Orchestra

Whole Lotta Love

The Best Of '70
Terry Baxter And His Orchestra
36 Of Today's Most Popular Songs
Columbia Musical Treasury

P38 5454

I kick back in my olive green vinyl recliner. I turn two of the three lights on the tree lamp off to set the mood and because the plastic shades start to smoke a bit if I leave them turned on too long. I take a sip of my highball and return it to the faux wood grain TV tray next to me. I browse through an old issue of Playboy. They are starting show all the girl parts. I like that. I wish that I had the money to buy one of those vans with a Viking airbrushed on the side so that I could go show all the other guys how cool I am.

This is a three record box set so I had the time to write that fine copy block above.

If you are into very light easy listening flavored with 70s cheese, this is a great set. And then... there are a few "dynamic" tracks thrown in just to wake you up (a shock to the system comparatively speaking).

I might also recommend The Gunter Kallmann Chorus for some really fab 60s/70s AM easy listening sugar.

Smooth & Swinging Jazz

Whyte & Mackay Blended Scotch Whiskey Presents Verve's
Smooth & Swinging Jazz
Verve PM 12

Nice bad habits cover to add to my collection. Apparently the Dude is the only person on this date that is going to get loaded.

This is a promotional album for Whyte & Macay's. I do not know how the album was distributed.

Speaking of smoking and drinking... there is a smoking cover of Caravan by Bobby Brookmeyer to enjoy on the album along with a wonderful smoky vocal on I've Got The World By A String by Anita O'Day.

How To Belly Dance For Your Sultan

Missourlu

How To Belly Dance For Your Sultan
ELAY Records 2789

I think this LP may be a follow-up to Ozel Turkbas's album titled How To Make Your Husband A Sultan. The album sparked a resurgence for belly dance in the early 1970s and sold 150,000 copies in the U.S. The LP has been re-released on CD. This record came with a "instruction" booklet that was apparently included with both albums.

The record itself features great folk music arranged with a 70s vibe.

How To Make Your Husband A Sultan
Belly Dance With Ozel Turklas
Elay Records 2687

This album is available for purchase/download so I will not be posting a sample, sorry!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - Rite Record Productions

Truck Drivin' Son-Of-A-Gun

Haulin' Dynamite

The Land Rovers Truck Drivin' Son-Of-A-Gun
And Other Songs Of The Road
Diplomat DS 2367

Obscure early trucking album featuring a Johnny Cash sound-alike.

Songs about how horrible truck driving is set to country music. Makes me wonder why anyone would want to drive a truck because if the prostitutes, broken down trucks, bad food, lack of exercise, sleep and traffic tickets won't kill you... the day your truck explodes in a ball of fire will.

Sing Along With The Busy Beavers

Whoopie Ti Yi Yo

Sing Along With The Busy Beavers
Golden Tone C4052

Once upon a time, boys and girls, an adult developed a recording technique that made real voices sound incredibly annoying. However, it was soon discovered that the youth market LOVED this contrivance. The children demanded more... much more!

In a jiffy other adults trampled on the original creator's rights to make sure the children were happy and well supplied with similar annoyances featuring a wide variety of cartoon characters.

And so ends our story of thinly veiled but yet shameless theft of intellectual property.

Almost no one lives happily ever after.

Thee end.

Bonjour Paris - Michel Legrand And His Orchestra

Bonjour Paris
Michel Legrand And His Orchestra
Columbia CL 947
1957

Available by purchase/download so sorry, no sample!

The one thing that annoys me about the "digital age" in music is the fact that albums are available by-the-song by purchase/download. This album is the perfect example of why I don't particularly like "digital". Any one track found on this album may not be considered a "great" song in fact, some tracks may seem "odd" when taken out of context. Some tunes sound like samples from a soundtrack album. I think Legrand was painting a "picture" of Paris and you have to listen to the entire album to get it. It's a concept album of sorts. The musical story will capture and hold your attention if you listen to it from start to finish. Buying this album in parts is silly.

Many albums, some more so than others (Jackie Gleason albums come to mind), need to be listened to in their entirety.  Vinyl forces you to consume the art in a linear fashion, the way it was created and meant to be hear.

Dance Dance Dance

Star Wars

Dance Dance Dance
By Dynamic Sound
T.E.J. Records 2009
1978

Here's another total budget covers album by T.E.J. However... there is something about disco... budget or not... it pretty much sounds the same to me.

Funny thing about these albums... someone out there will find this post and remember that they worn the album out as a kid.

Maybe someone can tell me where the bought the album. I'd like to know how T.E.J. distributed their product.

Enjoy what is probably the one millionth disco cover of Star Wars.

Hawaiian Holiday In Hi-Fi - Jack La Delle

Hawaiian War Chant

Blue Hawaii

Hawaiian Holiday In Hi-Fi
The Genius Of Jack La Delle
Design Records DLP 53
1957

Wow! If nothing else, the model on the cover makes the album worth collecting. Jack La Delle has a very nice voice. You might hear a touch of Bing Crosby. The jacket notes actually make the reference to La Delle sounding like Crosby.

I found only a few mentions of La Della online (sometimes spelled Ladelle). The one mention I found for Ladelle and this album was in the December 23, 1957 Billboard. Ladelle is mentioned as a "radio personality".

The back cover mentions that La Delle plays every instrument (32 instruments) on the album. Apparently he was registered with the musician's union on every one of them. Basically the entire album was created by La Delle in the studio. Multitrack recording like this in 1957 must have been some feat! So the label "genius" on the cover suddenly makes sense.

Electronic Music From The University Of Illinois

Underworld

Electronic Music From The University Of Illinois
Hellodor
MGM Records HS-25047
1967

From the March 11, 1967 issue of Billboard: A far-out disk of selections by five contemporary composers with appeal to devotees of sound as well as electronic music. Herbert Bruen's "Futility" with Marianne Bruen as speaker proves a dramatic experience. Two short tape selections by Kenneth Gaburo are delights while Salvtore Matirano's "Underworld" is weird and fascinating.

You know that when you have forced a reviewer at Billboard to use words like "experience" and "weird"... that you've done something right.  I chose the track titled Underworld for my sample. If Frank Zappa wrote an electronic piece... it may have come out a bit like this. What great fun!

The album features many great tracks including, Machine Music, a piece by the Experimental Music Studio Founder, Lejaren Hiller. You can read more about the school on their website.

Hair - The Ray Bloch Singers

Hair

Hair
The Ray Bloch Singers
Ambassador S98084
1969

From the back cover: The Ray Bloch Singers "groove" with the mother earth sound of this "American tribal love-rock" musical with these songs of today's involvement... HAIR is a broadway smash! A continuous happening – love and humanity is "what it's all about". Throwing off the shackles and conformity of a hypocritical society. "HAIR" is the tremendous vitality and enthusiasm of the youth of today!

Oh man... when I found this record I wondered what would happen if a group of easy listening singers and the session musicians who backed them went for a swim in a vat of LSD... The results are simply hard to believe!

I mean... these folks had no idea how to blend what they knew how to do and what they thought was the sound of "the youth of today". This LP sounds like a group of kids making a high school musical. Don't get me wrong... this record is incredible and I will be adding it to my stack of all time strange music favorites.

Cool Coleman

Cool Coleman

Westminster WST 15001
1958

Small combo jazz featuring pianist Cy Coleman, bassist Aaron Bell and percussionist Charlie Smith. Coleman wrote the majority of the tunes on the album.

This is a great, and somewhat obscure jazz album. There is a CD floating around out there... but both the CD and the album are a bit hard to find. None-the-less, I'll have to pass on posting a sample. Sorry!

One of Coleman's popular tunes, Witchcraft appears on this album. He also wrote Playboy's Theme which became the signature music of Playboy television features.

Coleman soon moved on from work such as this to assume a career composing for Broadway shows such as Wildcat which marked the debut of comedienne Lucille Ball.

Read more on Coleman's wiki page.

Isaac E. Crary Junior High School 1974-75

Amy's Theme

Isaac E. Crary Junior High School 1974-75
Symphony And Stage Band
Gerald K. Spry - Conductor
Mark Custom Records MC-1123

Only the coolest kids got to play lounge music in Junior High School!

Western Christmas - Cactus Jim and The Wranglers

Just As The Sun Went Down

Western Christmas
Cactus Jim and The Wranglers
Diplomat Record X 1017
1960

Budget label, Diplomat, spent some money on this cover. The shapes in the white portion of the ornament shape are embossed. I love it that Santa once carried a pistol.

How a tune about soldiers dying on battlefield will put a child into the Christmas spirit... I do not know.

The Lower Southeastern District Band

Statement

The Lower Southeastern District Band
Pennsylvania Music Educators Association
Phonenixville Pennsylvania Area High School
Franford Wayne Recording Labs. FW 10515
1973