First, the cover – a beautiful model for beautiful music – reminiscent of the 1960s such as the 1966 LP ‘Michelle’ by Caravelli and his Magnificent Strings which I have put here just for artistic contrast.
Under review is an exotic collection titled ‘EASY LISTENING 100’ (4 Discs), featuring various artistes, catalogue no. BVCM 38070/3. Made by BMG Japan and released in 2009 in very small quantities only in Japan. As it is the case with Japanese CD releases, the production year printed on the discs and information booklet is 2008, the year before the disc becomes commercially available. (The information booklet has titles printed in English inside! Description is in Japanese though.) This collection is very different from the majority of EZ listening compilations produced in the Japanese market because it selects tracks from artistes in the RCA Vinyl catalogue from mostly the 1960s, with a sprinkling from the 1970s, the rest of what is now known as the consolidated BMG music company catalogue. Those of us who are instrumental collectors of ‘the vinyl sound’ will adore this collection which features 100% original analogue recordings tuned to typically exacting Japanese standards of remastering. Although a handful of tracks reveal a trace of the ‘MONO’ recording format typical of the early 1960s, the majority are faithful to the fully STEREO format that caught on from the mid-1960s onwards. Leaving these technicalities aside, this box set is pure enjoyment from start to finish. It is more than nostalgia, the dynamics of these trumpeters, pianists, trios, grand orchestras, symphonies and pops orchestras will leave you in awe of what Vinyl-based stereo remains truly capable of. Pick any of the four discs to start your musical journey with and you’ll be enthralled, especially if you play the discs in chronological order from tracks 1 to 25, since the compilers have taken care to start with a rousing exuberant mood in the first two to three tracks before gently landing you onto a romantic mood in the middle and closing with a breezy melody. Artistes include: Hugo Winterhalter & his orchestra; the accordion quartet The Three Suns; Chet Atkins & Los Indios Tabajaras on guitar; Perez Prado; Henry Mancini; Ralph Flanagan and his orchestra; the New Glenn Miller Orchestra; Morton Gould & his Orchestra; Al Hirt on lush trumpet; Floyd Cramer on piano; Johnny Douglas and his Orchestra; Michel Legrand conducting his own orchestra; Artie Shaw’s big band; Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops; Hugo Montenegro & orchestra; rarities like Castello Rivo on guitar, Juan D’Arienzo y su Orquesta Tipica, AND to me, hard to find remasters of the CD-4 LP sound of the ‘Grand Fantastic Strings’ which were popular on the easy instrumental radio format in the early 1970s. You can’t put a price on nostalgia from the BMG-RCA vaults of instrumental treasures from a fabulous decade! Here’s a track listing for fans of instrumental easy from the golden decade of the 60s:
DISC 1
1 .AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS – HUGO WINTERHALTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
2.UNDER PARIS SKIES – THE THREE SUNS
3.BLUE TANGO – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA
4. STAR DUST – LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS
5. CEREZO ROSA – PEREZ PRADO AND HIS ORCHESTRA
6.SUZUKAKE NO MICHI – SHOUJI SUZUKI
7. MYSTERY MOVIE THEME – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA
8 .THEME FROM 'THE PROUD ONE' – THE THREE SUNS
9 . THEME FROM 'COME SEPTEMBER' – CHET ATKINS
10. 13 JOURS EN FRANCE – GRAND FANTASTIC STRINGS
11 .THE PINK PANTHER THEME – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA
12. JOHNNY GUITAR – LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS
13. I CAN'T STOP LOVIN' YOU – FLOYD CRAMER
14. DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA
15. CANADIAN SUNSET / HUGO WINTERHALTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
16. L'ECLISSE – COLLETO TEMPIA & ORCHESTRA
17.THEME FROM 'LOVE STORY' – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA
18. BABY ELEPHANT WALK – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA
19. SONG FROM MOULIN ROUGE(WHERE IS YOUR HEART) – THE THREE SUNS
20. SPANISH HARLEM – CHET ATKINS
21.NEVER ON SUNDAY – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA
22. MOON RIVER – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA
23. IN THE MOOD – THE NEW GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA
24. RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN' ON MY HEAD – THE GRAND FANTASTIC STRINGS
25.SINGING WINDS – RALPH FLANAGAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA
DISC 2
1. THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT – MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
2. THE ENTERTAINER – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA
3. THE HAUNTED GUITAR – THE THREE SUNS
4. MOONGLOW - THEME FROM 'PICNIC' – MARTY GOLD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
5. THE SHADOW OF YOUR SMILE - FLOYD CRAMER
6. FASCINATION – HENRI RENE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
7. PATRICIA - PEREZ PRADO AND HIS ORCHESTRA
8. LOVE THEME FROM 'ROMEO AND JULIET' – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA
9. SONG OF THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA - HUGO WINTERHALTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
10. MARIA ELENA – LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS
11. ANNA (EL NEGROS ZUMBON) – HUGO WINTERHALTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
12. LA PLAYA – CHRISTIAN CALVI AND HIS ORCHESTRA
13. DOWNTOWN – FLOYD CRAMER
14. LOSS OF LOVE – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA
15. BUGLER'S HOLIDAY – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA
16. ORANGE BLOSSOM SPECIAL – CHET ATKINS
17. QUE RICO EL MAMBO – PEREZ PRADO AND HIS ORCHESTRA
18. I'VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN – MORTON GOULD AND HIS ORCHESTRA
19. MISTY – THE NEW GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA
20. TEA FOR TWO – SHOUJI SUZUKI
21. SWEET CAROLINE – GRAND FANTASTIC STRINGS
22. COTTON CANDY – AL HIRT
23. STRANGERS ON THE SHORE – FLOYD CRAMER
24. WONDERLAND BY THE NIGHT – AL HIRT
25. EBB TIDE – JOHNNY DOUGLAS & HIS ORCHESTRA
DISC 3
1.SELZNICK INTERNATIONAL TRADEMARK MAIN TITLE:DIXIE,MAMMY,TARA,RHETT – CHARLES GERHARDT CONDUCTING THE NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
2.THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN – LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS
3. THE TOUCH(LE GRISBI) - THE THREE SUNS
4. AUTUMN LEAVES- MICHEL LEGRAND & HIS ORCHESTRA
5. WHATEVER WILL BE,WILL BE (QUE SERA,SERA) – CHET ATKINS
6.BAMBLE BOOGIE – FREDDY MARTIN & HIS ORCHESTRA
7. STRANGER IN PARADISE – AL HIRT
8. SECRET LOVE – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA (& CHORUS)
9. A MAN AND A WOMAN – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA
10. A WHITER SHADE OF PALE – LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS
11. MONA LISA – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA
12. WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA
13. THE SOUND OF SILENCE – CHET ATKINS
14. SLEEPY LAGOON – AL HIRT
15. THEME FROM 'A SUMMER PLACE' – HUGO WINTERHALTER AND HIS ORCHESTRA
16. TWO GUITARS – LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS
17. LAST DATE – FLOYD CRAMER
18. YOU AND YOU ALONE – THE THREE SUNS
19. CHEROKEE – CHARLIE BARNET
20. OVER THE RAINBOW – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA (and Chorus)
21. HIGH NOON(DO NOT FORSAKE ME) FROM THE STANLEY KRAMER PRODUCTION 'HIGH NOON' –THE THREE SUNS
22. HARBOR LIGHTS – THE THREE SUNS
23. MICHELLE – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA
24. THE PEANUT VENDOR(EL MANICERO) – PEREZ PRADO AND HIS ORCHESTRA
25. JEUX INTERDITS – CASTELLO RIVO
DISC 4
1.PETER GUNN – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA
2. BEGIN THE BEGUINE – MICHEL LEGRAND & HIS ORCHESTRA
3. MY SHAWL – XAVIER CUGAT & HIS ORCHESTRA
4. AL DI LA – AL HIRT [one of the best versions of this classic Italian love song accompanied by guitar and lush strings]
5. LA CUMPARSITA – JUAN D’ARIENZO Y SU ORQUESTA TIPICA
6. COME BACK TO SORRENTO(TORNA A SURRIENTO) – PEREZ PRADO AND HIS ORCHESTRA
7. ANDALUCIA – XAVIER CUGAT & HIS ORCHESTRA
8. A TASTE OF HONEY – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA
9. LA RAGAZZA DI BUBE – LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS
10. LOVE IS A MANY SPLENDORED THING – HENRY MANCINI & HIS ORCHESTRA (with Chorus) [More than uplifting…the hills are singing the sound of love J]
11. MUSIC TO WATCH GIRLS BY - CHET ATKINS
12. HANG 'EM HIGH – HUGO MONTENEGRO AND HIS ORCHESTRA
13. CHARADE – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA
14. L'ISOLA DI ARTURO – THE ELIO BRUNO ORCHESTRA
15. FLY ME TO THE MOON – KENNY DREW
16. EL CONDOR PASA – LOS INDIOS TABAJARAS
17. SEXY TRUMPET – MARCELLO GIOMBINI ORCHESTRA
18. THE LOOK OF LOVE – FLOYD CRAMER
19. EL CHOCLO - JUAN D’ARIENZO Y SU ORQUESTA TIPICA
20. FRENESI – ARTIE SHAW
21. AOZORA – GRAND FANTASTIC STRINGS
22. LES PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG (I WILL WAIT FOR YOU) / MICHEL LEGRAND & ORCHESTRA
23. YESTERDAY – FLOYD CRAMER
24. MOONLIGHT SERENADE – THE NEW GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA
25. FANTASIA ON 'GREENSLEEVES' – ARTHUR FIEDLER & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA
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