The Three Suns - The Sound Of Christmas - 1955

I first became acquainted with The Three Suns back in the 90's when the whole lounge music thing saw a resurgence.  I bought a bunch of different lounge music compilations and then over the years I have picked up many of those artists on vinyl.  The Three suns have a bit of a cheese factor that is the product of the 50's.  They have applied a layer of that same cheesey goodness to some Christmas standards.  What I love about their approach is that even though this are songs you have heard a thousand times before, they put in plenty of surprises in their arrangements.  The music is playful and keeps you guessing.  I think their versions of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" are a good example of this.  This is a record I just picked up this year and it has already worked its way into some regular rotation.  I won't be surprised if one or two of these tracks end up on a Christmas mix in the future.


Enjoy!

The Sound Of Christmas

Password - sapmusic2013

"Bald" Bill Hagan and his Trocaderons - Music To Strip By - 1966

Looking for some saucy music to spice up your love life? How about some music to strip by? I find it funny that back in the day there were complete records devoted to strip music. There are the two classic albums by David Rose which are pretty popular and quite enjoyable. Then I have this one which I love not only for the music, but because Bill Hagan has "Bald" in front of his name. I'm not sure what it is, but "bald" and "stripper" makes me laugh inside. The songs are all in the classic burlesque style, which by today's standards seems almost quaint. I actually throw records like this on anytime because they are fun. In all honesty they may not spice up the love life as much as make for a humorous love life. So maybe if you are looking for a laugh with your lover this could be just the right mood maker.

The most disturbing title of the record has to be the last track, "My Heart Belongs To Daddy." Not exactly the kind of thing I would think that you would want connected to stripping in my opinion. I would think daddy and daughter are a couple words and images you would want to keep far away from the strip show or the boudoir. Might not set the most romantic mood. Take the title away and the song is just a fun stripper track.

Enjoy!

01 A Pretty Girl Is Like A Melody
02 Bumps And Grinds
03 Frankie And Johnnie
04 G-String Twist
05 Temptation
06 Night Train
07 The Stripper
08 Party Time
09 Bedroom Blues
10 Second Honeymoon
11 Girdles Aweigh
12 My Heart Belongs To Daddy

Side 1 - Mediafire
Side 2 - Mediafire

Jan Davis - Flamenco Funk - 1969

This morning I ventured off to Van Nuys Blvd in search of things of which to take pictures. The street has lots of flavor and there were a few interesting things to shoot. There are also several thrift stores and I thought I would check one out to see what the record selection was like. Because it is a different demographic than Burbank I wondered if I would find some different records. Boy was I in luck. This store had hundreds of hip-hop records from about 10-13 years ago. Clearly a DJ dumped his entire collection in there. I picked up a bunch of records that will eventually make it here. However this record made this list for the first record to digitize. The moment I heard the opening track of Walk Don't Run done with a Flamenco guitar I knew this was going to be the first record up. The whole record is an interesting mix of jazz and funk mixed with Flamenco guitar. You don't hear that every day. On the liner note on the back of the jacket the write writes, "If you think that doing the Frug, Jerk, Watusi or Pony to flamenco guitar music sounds utterly ridiculous; a few weeks ago I would have agreed. Not so anymore." So yes this is a one of a kind type of thing. So hopefully you'll enjoy it.

I do want to apologize that there is a low frequency hum on the rip. I may re-rip it. After getting this all up and done I think I figured out what the problem was with my stereo. In the mean time...

Enjoy!

01 Walk Don't Run (Flemenco)
02 Aquarius
03 Muddy River
04 Flamenco Therapy
05 The Bullfight Song (La Virgen De La Macarenas)
06 International Love Process
07 Flamenco Funk
08 In The Year 2325
09 Flamenco Soul
10 Funky Concerto

Jan Davis - Flamenco Funk.zip

Addendum: Here are the re-ripped tracks without the hum.

Jan Davis - Flamenco Funk - Re-rip.zip

Pat Suzuki - Looking At You... - 1960

I guess it is about time I post this record. I have three albums by Pat. The first I posted way back in 2008. The second was in 2009. They have been very popular requests since I took down the links. Usually I share this record with folks as well even though I had not posted it yet.

So what can I say about this record. Pat is great... of course. The songs are classics. She's cute as a button on the cover as well. If Pat Suzuki is new to you, this is a good introduction, though my favorite record is still "Broadway '59". If you are interested in hearing that record, send me an e-mail.

The video below is an extra bonus I just discovered. It is Pat singing one of my favorite songs also found on "Broadway '59", "I Enjoy Being A Girl". Another cool thing for me is to actually see video of Peter Filichia. I don't really know this guy, but he spells his last name the same as mine and so I've seen his name pop up over the years on the internet. He's a reporter and so I've seen articles written by him. Anyways, it is by pure coincidence that I finally get to see what he looks like because he introduced Pat.




Here is another vintage clip of Pat.



And this is a nice montage put together with lots of great images.



Enjoy!

01 Looking At you.m4a
02 Small World.m4a
03 Cheek To Cheek.m4a
04 He's My Guy.m4a
05 My Funny Valentine.m4a
06 You Better Go Now.m4a
07 You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me.m4a
08 I See Your Face Before Me.m4a
09 I Didn't Know About You.m4a
10 Easy Living.m4a
11 Don't Look At Me That Way!.m4a
12 Let Me Love You.m4a

Pat Suzuki - Looking At You.._.zip

Tito Puente - Dancing Under Latin Skies - 1958

Today is the first record to be posted that has undergone some audio clean up. I purchased ClickRepair finally and used it to get rid of some of the pops and extra noise. I must say I am quite pleased with the results. There is still a little bit of vinyl sound on there, but I like that. It still feels like a record, but without sounds that stand out.

I picked this record up just a few months back in a thrift store. I have a couple Tito Puente records already in the collection so I was already pretty sure I wouldn't be disappointed. Other than a little dust, which I did my best to clean off, the record was in pretty good condition. I think it was the first record I threw on the turn table the afternoon I purchased it along with some other records. Right off the bat, from the first horn blasts I knew I had found a gem.

If you like some of those lounge compilation discs that were so popular in the late 90's, you'll love this record. This is bid band easy listening lounge music at its finest. Playing this in the house really sets a nice mood when you want to relax. I also was playing the record in the car this morning on the way to work and it made the morning, that much brighter. I'm so happy I've digitized it now and can have it with me on the go.

As a bonus I've found this clip on YouTube of Tito on The Simpsons.



Chances are that this was my first exposure to Tito. Certainly I had heard the name as a kid, but I think this was the first music I had ever heard from him. Thank you Simpsons. That is really my only personal story or experience with Tito Puente.

More info on Tito of course can be found on Wikipedia.

Enjoy!

Tito Puente - Dancing Under Latin Skies.zip

01 Brazil
02 Perfidia
03 Acapulco
04 Yours
05 Dancing Under Latin Skies
06 Tampico
07 Frenesi
08 Port-au-Pleasure
09 Chattanooga Choo Choo
10 Juanita
11 Sand In My Shoes
12 Cuban Pete

Sergio Franchi - Broadway... I Love You - 1963

Been pretty busy these past weeks. Haven't even had much time to devote to thinking about this post. All I can think to say is Sergio is has a great voice and I love show tunes. Here is a great selection of classic musicals.

Enjoy!

Broadway... I Love You Side 1.zip
West Side Story: Tonight
No Strings: The Sweetest Sounds
Oliver!: As Long As She Needs Me
The Music Man: Till There Was You
Do Re Mi: Make Someone Happy
Camelot: If Ever I Would Leave You

Broadway... I Love You Side 2.zip
Stop The World - I Want To Get Off: What Kind Of Fool Am I?
The Sound Of Music: The Sound Of Music
The Most Happy Fella: Somebody, Somewhere
Carnival: She's My Love
My Fair Lady: I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
Milk And Honey: Shalom

Johnny Kay - Italian Sing Along

I'm not really sure who Johnny Kay as or is. My basic google search just turns up Johnny Kay singer for Steppenwolf and this certainly isn't him.

I picked up this record because I like a bunch of the Italian songs on this record. I have to admit that every song on here that you may know from Dean Marin or Al Martino or some other Italian American singer is probably superior to the versions on this record. However the songs aren't offensive. They can set the mood for an Italian evening and provide a little variety to hearing the same versions time and time again.

Enjoy!

01 Volare.m4a
02 Mamma Mua Che Vo Sape.m4a
03 Diciten Cello Vuie.m4a
04 Funiculi Funicula.m4a
05 Serenade Of Roses.m4a
06 Siciliani.m4a
07 Lolita.m4a
08 That's Amore.m4a
09 La Cancion D'Amore.m4a
10 Chiribiribin.m4a
11 Drigo Serenade.m4a
12 Toselli's Serenade.m4a

Johnny Kay - Italian Sing Along.zip

Sergio Franchi - Wine And Song - 1968

I love this record. It has some of Sergio's best performances. It also has a great jacket. I love the cover. It makes me wish I was at this dinner party. I love the clothes, the food on the table, the faces of the people. I love it all. Then you flip the record over and you get Sergio in the studio with a gigantic sub sandwich. Classic.

Pretty much every song is great. Listen to the whole thing. Side two with the medley's is particularly fantastic.

Enjoy!

Side 1
01 A Man Without Love (Quando M'Innamoro)
02 Time Alone Will Tell (Non Pensare A Me)
03 The Girl From Ipanema
04 To Give
05 Statte Vicino A Mme
06 C'est Magnifique
Side 2
07 I Wrote A Son For You (Canzone Per Te)
08 If I Were A Rich Man/To Life (Fiddler On The Roof Medley)
09 The Impossible Dream
10 Oui Marie/Di Nome Si Chimava Ronda (Italian Medley)
11 Al Di La

Wine And Song Side 1.zip
Wine And Song Side 2.zip

Johnny Pineapple - Hawaiian Holiday - 1960

Since we are in the middle of the holidays I thought maybe a record with holiday in the title might be nice and it might be nice to have something that isn't Christmas music. I'm sure many are tired of the Christmas music blitz. No Christmas songs here, but plenty of relaxing Hawaiian tunes. If you are in one of those snowed in states or regions, this might be just the thing to transport you to a tropical paradise. Join Johnny Pineapple as he croons some island classics for you.

Enjoy!

01 Paradise Isle.m4a
02 Hilo March.m4a
03 My Hawaiian Kula La Ni.m4a
04 Na Ka Pueo.m4a
05 I Hear Hawaii Calling.m4a
06 Pretty Mermaid Of The Southern Sea.m4a
07 Maui Chant.m4a
08 Aloha Oe E Kuu Lei.m4a
09 My Tane.m4a

Johnny Pineapple - Hawaiian Holiday.zip

VA - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Repost

Just got a request to repost this record. Here is last year's post.

01 Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Frank Sinatra
02 O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Jo Stafford
03 A Vision of Sugar Plums - Billy May
04 What Child Is This - The McGuire Sisters
05 The First Noel - Keely Smith
06 Deck The Halls - The Hi-Lo's
07 Jingle Bells - Sammy Davis Jr
08 Medley Go Tell It On The Mountain/How Should I Send Thee/Carol Of The Bells/Joy To The World - Les Baxter's Balladeers
09 Away In A Manger, Hark The Heral Angels Sing - Mavis Rivers
10 Adeste Fideles - Lou Monte
11 Cantique De Noel - Nelson Riddle
12 It Came Upon A Midnight - Rosemary Clooney
13 Peace On Earth and Silent Night - Dean Martin

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.zip

Music For Babysitters

I'm not sure why these artists and songs were chosen for this record. I don't know that they are just for babysitters. Am I to take from this that this album is for teenage girls? Or is this a record for babysitters to use while baby sitting? Maybe it isn't for teenagers, because the woman taking care of the children on the cover doesn't look too, too young. I can't really get a handle on the point of this record. I guess that is why I bought it.

The cover photos are fun as well. I love the idea that the babysitter does her job in a strapless dress. Very practical when little kids are grabbing at you.

For you children of the 80's you might want to take a listen to track 11 "Istanbul". This was covered by They Might Be Giants and was a big hit for them. This is the original from 1953.

Enjoy!

01 Tony Bennett - Rags To Riches.m4a
02 Percy Faith - And This Is My Beloved.m4a
03 Johnnie Ray - To Ev'ry Girl - To Ev'ry Boy.m4a
04 Dan Terry - Teen Ager.m4a
05 Jerry Vale - For You, My Love.m4a
06 Belmonte - Arthur's Mambo.m4a
07 Guy Mitchell - Sippin' Soda.m4a
08 Dan Terry - Seventeen.m4a
09 Frankie Laine - Answer Me.m4a
10 Dan Terry - Saddle Shoe Shuffle.m4a
11 The Four Lads - Istanbul.m4a
12 Paul Weston - Stardust.m4a

Music For Babysitters.zip

Carl Stevens - African Sounds - 1965

If you have any love of exotica this record will be right up your alley. Though not exactly exotica, because it's not trying to sound like music from the South Pacific or South America it is making some vague attempt at being African. I use the term African very loosely. The sound is actually decidedly Western or American. The real plus of this record is that the production is fantastic. Recorded on 35 mm film, no expense was spared. This copy that I have is also quite great in my opinion, which has made for a pretty clean rip.

The jacket art is also pretty good. Very colorful and fun.

The record starts off with the classic Baby Elephant Walk. This track always makes me think of Homer Simpson. I've forgotten exactly why. I'm sure it was featured in an episode of the Simpsons way back in the day. It's been long enough that I've forgotten the specific scene or context. Whatever the case, it makes me think of Homer.

"Afrikaan Beat" is another great one. It starts off with a rhythm on a triangle or some other metal instrument. The rhythm of it reminds me of I think the Baretta theme. If I'm mistaken on that it's another 70's cop show like Swat or Starsky and Hutch. Give it a listen and tell me which it is. Now don't get excited thinking this is going to turn into a funky 70's riff, because it doesn't. The song stays pretty mellow, but still has a charming groove to it. In fact there is a liberal use of guitars throughout the record that are quite "groovey".

Then there is "Lion Sleeps Tonight", which I believe I may have featured here before by another artist. This is another fun instrumental of that song.

If you try out just these first 3 tracks you'll get the flavor for the rest of the record. I personally love every track on here. There is an irony to the happiness in the songs when put in the light of today's knowledge of all the tragedies that are going on in Africa. Maybe that will put you off. It is kind of a sad thing to think about, but then again if you start to get down, the music will pick you right back up again.

Enjoy!

Carl Stevens - African Sounds.zip

01 Baby Elephant Walk.m4a

02 Afrikaan Beat.m4a

03 Wimoweh (The Lion Sleeps Tonight).m4a

04 Botha-Bothe.m4a

05 Jolly Jika.m4a

06 The Call Of The Jungle.m4a

07 Skokiaan.m4a

08 African Waltz.m4a

09 Wa-Chi-Bam-Ba (Valley Of A Thousand Hills).m4a

10 King Kong.m4a

11 Tsetse Fly.m4a

12 Tiana-Tche (The Jungle Roars).m4a

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

This is a fairly easy record to find. My copy is pretty crackly. Most are. I figure it is because they got a lot of play around the holidays and maybe were even left on the turntable collecting dust for days as a time. I'm making this assumption because the record is just chock full of great holiday standards. Just review the artists and you'll know that his is a 1st class record. Wish I could share a better copy, but this will give you a taste. Now go to your local thrift store and find a better copy.

The best track hands down for me is track 8 by Les Baxter's Balladeers. This song just cooks and leaves everything in the dust.

Enjoy!

01 Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Frank Sinatra.mp3
02 O Little Town Of Bethlehem - Jo Stafford.mp3
03 A Vision of Sugar Plums - Billy May.mp3
04 What Child Is This - The McGuire Sisters.mp3
05 The First Noel - Keely Smith.mp3
06 Deck The Halls - The Hi-Lo's.mp3
07 Jingle Bells - Sammy Davis Jr.mp3
08 Medley Go Tell It On The Mountain/How Should I Send Thee/Carol Of The Bells/Joy To The World - Les Baxter's Balladeers.mp3
09 Away In A Manger, Hark The Heral Angels Sing - Mavis Rivers.mp3
10 Adeste Fideles - Lou Monte.mp3
11 Cantique De Noel - Nelson Riddle.mp3
12 It Came Upon A Midnight - Rosemary Clooney.mp3
13 Peace On Earth and Silent Night - Dean Martin.mp3

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.zip

Herb Alpert - Christmas With Herb Alpert And The Tiguana Brass - 1968

You knew it had to eventually show up after posting all the knock offs. Here's the real deal. The brass that set the standard. You can find this on CD so buy it if you like it. Check it out on Amazon.

Enjoy!

01 Winter Wonderland.m4a
02 Jingle Bells.m4a
03 My Favorite Things.m4a
04 The Christmas Song.m4a
05 Las Mananitas.m4a
06 Sleigh Ride.m4a
07 The Bell That Couldn't Jingle.m4a
08 Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow.m4a
09 Jingle Bell Rock.m4a
10 Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring.m4a

Herb Alpert.zip

Vince Guaraldi Trio - A Charlie Brown Christmas

Simply one of the greatest Christmas records ever. Not really sure why I'm posting it because you can find this on CD I'm sure. This is of course ripped from LP. It's kind of dusty and crackly and not in the best condition, but that just adds to the flavor for me. This record is so great that you can really listen to it any time of year. It is just good jazz.

Enjoy!

01 O Tannenbaum.mp3
02 What Child Is This.mp3
03 My Little Drum.mp3
04 Linus And Lucy.mp3
05 Christmas Time Is Here.mp3
06 Christmas Time Is Here.mp3
07 Skating.mp3
08 Hark, The Herald Angels.mp3
09 Christmas Is Coming.mp3
10 For Elise.mp3
11 Christmas Song.mp3

Vince Guaraldi.zip

Wishing You A Merry Christmas

The record cover is kind of deceptive. It is pretty drab and dreary and gives no indication of the goodness inside. The record contains traditional classics all done pretty well. Doris Day on the first track is great. There are some fine instrumentals on the record as well. Production is all top notch.

"Go Tell Is On The Mountain" by Ray Coniff and his chorus is really fun. I think it is the highlight for me. I also like "Coventry Carol" which couldn't be more different. It is really an old fashioned traditional tune, but quite pretty.

The Brothers Four track reminds me of the singing statues in Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. I'm sure that seems like a strange reference, but give it a listen and see if you don't think the same.

The last song by the Glad Singers has some great backing music. It reminds me of music from a 60's British crime film. It sounds like it could accompany a heist or the fancy get away after the heist. Images of "The Italian Job" come to mind.

Enjoy!

01 Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Doris Day.mp3
02 Oh Tannenbaum - Percy Faith.mp3
03 Medley - Norman Luboff Choir.mp3
04 What Child Is This - Eileen Farrell.mp3
05 Go Tell It On The Mountain - Ray Conniff.mp3
06 The First Noel - Ed Sullivan Orchestra & Chorus.mp3
07 Coventry Carol - E. Power Biggs.mp3
08 God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen - Brothers Four.mp3
09 Ave Maria - Liberace.mp3
10 We Three Kings Of Orient Are - The Glad Singers.mp3

Wishing You A Merry Christmas.zip

Mexicali Brass - Christmas With The Mexicali Brass

Another fine record in the tradition of Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass. It's a simple formula. Just replace Tijuana with Mexicali and pray people won't know the difference and buy the record.

So the honest assessment is that the record is good and serviceable, but it isn't as good as Herb would have done or even the Border Brass record I posted earlier. "The First Noel" is pretty good, though. I suggest that above the other tracks first. It made an appearance on my Christmas mix in 2006. Maybe some day I'll share that mix, but probably not this year. I've go too many other records to write about.

Enjoy!

01 Jingle Bells.mp3
02 O' Little Town Of Bethlehem.mp3
03 The First Noel.mp3
04 Hark, The Herald Angels.mp3
05 God Rest Ye Merry Gentle.mp3
06 White Christmas.mp3
07 O' Come All Ye Faithful.mp3
08 Deck The Halls.mp3
09 Joy To The World.mp3
10 Silent Night.mp3

Mexicali Brass.zip

Arthur Lyman - Bwana A: More Exotic Sound Of Arthur Lyman - 1958

I think it has been a while since I dove into the exotica records for the blog so I thought is was time again. I've been spending a lot of time in the 80's in recent weeks. To be honest my ipod has spent a lot of time in the 80's recently as I've been building a big ole 80's playlist. It's been fun.

Anyways, that project is kind of done for now and I think a venture into something completely different is called for. This is an Exotica record from the 50's much in the same vain as Les Baxter or Martin Denny. There are bird calls and exotic sounding rhythms and instruments. It really lays out a lush tapestry and I think this is near the top of my limited list of records of this sort. I certainly enjoy it as it takes my on some sort of fictitious Disney-esque journey to some foreign land that doesn't really exist. It's like travelling to the Lost Worls to go looking for King Kong and cannibals. Oh what fun.

Tracks that stand out for me are "Bwana A", "South Pacific Moonlight", "Waikiki Serenade", "La Paloma", "Otome San", "Canton Rose" and "Colonel Bogey's March". The real attraction of all these songs are the mellow vibes. So soothing. What a great instrument.

Enjoy!

01 Bwana A.m4a
02 South Pacific Moonlight.m4a
03 Moon Over Ruined Castle.m4a
04 Waikiki Serenade.m4a
05 La Paloma.m4a
06 Otome San.m4a
07 Canton Rose.m4a
08 Blue Sands.m4a
09 Malaguena.m4a
10 Vera Cruz.m4a
11 Pua Carnation.m4a
12 Colonel Bogey's March.m4a

Bwana A_ More Exotic Sounds of Arthur Lyman side 1.zip
Bwana A_ More Exotic Sounds of Arthur Lyman side 2.zip

Liberace - As Time Goes By/Liebestraum 7"

I don't have much to write here. I kind of just wanted to get this one out of the way and out of the system. I can't believe I own a Liberace record. I think I'm more interested in the man than the music. I think his piano style just never really appealed to me with all those fills and runs. Anyways, this is an example of the kind of stuff he was doing that helped make him famous. I'm sure you may find like me that it wasn't necessarily the music that kept audiences enthralled. I also apologize because the quality of this record isn't too great, but I figure you'll probably be okay with it since you probably won't listen to it again after the first time.

Enjoy! (the unenjoyable)

01 As Time Goes By.m4a
02 Liebestraum.m4a

Richard Hayman - Havana in Hi-Fi - 1957

This record is good on all accounts. Great cover. Excellent condition as far as how it sounds. The music is top notch as well as far as easy listening music with a Latin flare goes. This is from 1957. The 50's were a great time for this big production easy listening records that were made to really show off your new stereo hi-fi. This of course is one of those records and as you can see has "hi-fi" in the title.

Richard Hayman does a great job here conducting and arranging. Richard Hayman is famous for conducting the Boston Pops for over 30 years.

Highlights are "Rhapsodero", "My Hopeful Heart", "Tropical Merengue" and "Love And The World Loves With You", at least those are my highlights.

Enjoy!

01 Rhapsodero.m4a
02 My Hopeful Heart.m4a
03 Cordoba.m4a
04 Tropical Merengue.m4a
05 Maria-La-O.m4a
06 Caminito.m4a
07 La Comparsa.m4a
08 I Won't Stand In Your Way.m4a
09 Love And The World Loves With You.m4a