EASY LISTENING JAPAN 4 CD Set Featuring Al Hirt, Arthur Fiedler, Henry Mancini, Hugo Winterhalter, The Three Suns, Floyd Cramer, and the Grand Fantastic Strings etc.

 

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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THE JUNCTION OF MEMORY LANE AND THE SWINGING SIXTIES: THE READER'S DIGEST THREE PIECE SUITE BOX SET

Imagine: two plush chairs and a sofa make a three piece suite. Add music to match and portraits of the popular music icons of the late 60s and early 70s. Spice it up with layered lines of brown, and a record player to match. Better still leave the LP covers lying around the table legs and sofa to seal the time travel mood…Voila! You dig into the hits on the Reader’s Digest vinyl catalogue! Except that it’s now on Compact Discs…

For fans of Reader’s Digest music, here’s the full title: THREE PIECE SUITE – AN EASY LISTENING TRIP. VARIOUS ARTISTES. RDCD. MADE AND RELEASED EXCLUSIVELY BY READER’S DIGEST UK IN 1996. Catalogue numbers: RDCD 1751, 1752 and 1753 for the three discs respectively.

Think of this set as an extended vacation in easy listening land lined up by Reader’s Digest for both the younger CD crowd as well as faithful collectors of RD record compilations in the preceding decades. This is also not the usual instrumental box collection produced by RD – it captures both the beat and the ballads of the 1960s and early 1970s.  The names of the pop choral acts spell a return to the era of the Ray Conniff sound, or if you prefer, the Alan Copeland singers, the Mike Sammes Singers, the Anita Kerr Singers and others like them. There is a majestic element to reinterpreting a standard pop song with a chorus of what sounds like somewhere between eight to sixteen voices backed by combo and orchestral props. Their tempo is mostly upbeat, except where the original was a ballad. Even then, ballads sung by a choir carry a certain melodic and sentimental charm to them; try ‘Mood Indigo’, ‘Close to You’ and ‘All I Have to Do is Dream’ on this set. Think of classical choral song meeting pop rock passion? But then, there are the mind-blowing gospel-like atmospherics on the cheerier uptempo tracks like ‘My Sweet Lord’, ‘Up, Up and Away’, ‘When a Man Loves a Woman’ and ‘Bridge over Troubled Water’. Occasionally, there are standout vocal solos with discreet choral backing such as the refreshing version of ‘This is my Song’ by crooner Vaughan Monroe, and the spectacular Nelson Riddle backed and arranged bossa nova ‘Desafinado’ by Vic Damone. I never knew ‘Desafinado’ could be sung in that way!

Those of you still preferring purely orchestral moods will not be disappointed either with plenty to choose from such as the tender ballads ‘Voce’ by the Peter Knight Orchestra and the Mozart-like arrangement of the Beatles’ hit ‘If I Fell’ by the Perry Botkin Orchestra.   

The prime highlight of the three piece suite surely has to be the middle selection: Disc Two containing the ‘Golden Melodies of Burt Bacharach’. Bacharach and his writing partner, Hal David, produced a sound that epitomized the 60s beat, spanning the big band jazzy hues, married to beatnik pop, to the downright everyday hum along melodies captured so well by ‘Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head’ sung here in a thoroughly enjoyable offbeat fashion by crooner Jerry Whitman. ‘Walk on By’ swings with the alternating orchestral highs of loud regret and the sweet tones of a flute conveying the dream-like aftermath of failed romance – an emotional contrast that Dionne Warwick’s original captured so skillfully. Then there is the cinematic, movie theme-like ‘I’m a Better Man’ performed so eloquently by the brass section of the Arthur Greenslade Orchestra. Listen out for the open invitation of the sound of a marching band on ‘Do you Know the Way to San Jose?’ signaling perhaps the hope of returning homeward for a fresh start in life – just as Bacharach and David wrote it…and the biggest gem of all is probably the chanteuse Beverly Kelly interpreting a bold brassy signature out of the romantic lament ‘One Less Bell to Answer’. Add in the near faithful interpretation of Herb Alpert by the Les Reed Orchestra on ‘This Guy’s in Love’ and you have a Bacharach tribute that is hard to find anywhere else!

If you can find this box set, make sure you add it to your collection, BECAUSE IT EPITOMIZES THE ORIGINAL LINK BETWEEN GOOD HI-FI AND POPULAR MUSIC, circa 1965-75!



Snapshots of the era of heady anticipation going into a record shop…



Sentimental vistas in the liner notes…

Easily one of the most artistically printed RD disc series…

Finally, the Track listing:

Disc One: Essential Easy Listening Favourites

1. Up, Up and Away – the Marty Paich Decktette

2. Music to Watch Girls By – The Charlie Barnet Orchestra

3. A Taste of Honey – The Harry James Orchestra

4. Java – Bob Crosby and the Bobcats

5. Mood Indigo – The Joe Reisman Orchestra and Singers

6. A World without Love – The Mike Sammes Singers

7. Yesterday – the Dick Grove Orchestra

8. Voce – the Peter Knight Orchestra

9. The Windmills of your Mind – The Johnny Keating Orchestra

10. As Tears Go By – the Hank Levine Singers

11. Something – the Steve Chandler Orchestra

12. Charade – The Charlie Barnet Orchestra

13. Fever – The David Whitaker Orchestra

14. Acapulco 1922 – The Arthur Greenslade Orchestra

15. Baby Elephant Walk – The Les Brown Orchestra

16. This is My Song – Vaughn Monroe (vocal)

17. Scarborough Fair/Canticle – The Joe Reisman Orchestra and Singers

18. Desafinado – Vic Damone (vocal)

19. Harper Valley P.T.A. – The Joe Reisman Orchestra

20. Sapnish Flea – Ray Davies and his Button Down Brass

21. Tequila – The Hank Levine Singers

22. Somethin’ Stupid – The Arthur Greenslade Orchestra

23. The Girl from Ipanema – Ray Davies and his Button Down Brass

24. Michelle – The Hank Levine Singers

25. In the Still of the Night – The Daniel Michaels Orchestra

Disc Two: The Golden Melodies of Burt Bacharach

1. Close to you – The Joe Reisman Orchestra and Singers 2. Walk On By – The Les Brown Orchestra
3. Do You Know The Way To San Jose? – The Romantic Strings
4. The Look Of Love – The Joe Reisman Orchestra
5. This Guy's In Love With You – The Les Reed Orchestra
6. Alfie – The Romantic Strings
7. Casino Royale – The Arthur Greenslade Orchestra
8. I Say A Little Prayer – Perry Botkin Jr. Orchestra
9. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself – The Ken Thorne Orchestra
10. I'm A Better Man – The Arthur Greenslade Orchestra
11. Paper Mache – The David Whitaker Orchestra
12. Wives And Lovers – The Copeland Orchestra and Singers
13. Reach Out For Me – The Arthur Greenslade Orchestra
14.  The Windows Of The World – The David Whitaker Orchestra
15.  One Less Bell To Answer – Beverley Kelly and the Young World (vocal)
16. I'll Never Fall In Love Again – The Joe Reisman Orchestra
17. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head – Jerry Whitman (vocal)
18. What The World Needs Now – The Bill Shepherd Orchestra and Chorus
19. 24 Hours From Tulsa – The Alan Braden Orchestra
20.(There's) Always Something There To Remind Me – The David Firman Orchestra

Disc Three: Sweet Sound of Modern Classics

1. Mrs Robinson – The Good Guys (vocal)
2. The Mighty Quinn – The Arthur Greenslade Orchestra
3. Sweet Caroline – The Young World (vocal)
4. Can't Buy Me Love – The Hank Levine Orchestra
5. These Boots Are Made For Walkin' – The Les Brown Orchestra
6.Bridge Over Troubled Water – The Young World (vocal)
7. If You Gotta Go, Go now – The Arthur Greenslade Orchestra and Singers
8. Unchained Melody – The Mike Sammes Singers
9. Wonderful World – The Perry Botkin Jr. Orchestra
10. Light My Fire – The Joe Reisman Orchestra
11. When A Man Loves A Woman – The Richard Alden Orchestra and Singers
12.I Think I Love You – The Sid Dale Orchestra
13. If I Fell – The Perry Botkin Jr. Orchestra
14. Like A Rolling Stone – The Robinsons (vocal)
15. Let's Stay Together – The Steve Gray Orchestra
16. All I Have To Do Is Dream – The Young World (vocal)
17. Mellow Yellow – The Al Capps Orchestra
18. My Sweet Lord – The Young World (vocal)
19. Proud Mary – The Perry Botkin Jr. Orchestra
20. Weekend In New England – The Romantic Voices
21. Je T'aime Moi Non Plus – The David Whitaker Orchestra

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Natalie Cole in Concert, at the Event Plaza, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore 28 February 2014

Until my next music review in a few days from the date of this post, here are pictures of Natalie Cole in concert in Singapore, 28 February 2014. The setting was unexpected, a semi-open promenade, and an uncovered seating area for three categories of seats. It was unusually breezy in Singapore given the shift in Monsoon winds, but it sure made the evening memorable when Natalie mixed renditions of her father's musical catalogue and her own jazz selections. Her voice had attained a jazzier edge tonight! A story telling quality not heard on the 1991 album that signalled her return to her father's catalogue and the open embrace of jazz. There was something for everyone in this concert whether you call it jazz or not!

First up, Natalie performing the Michael Franks samba-like composition 'Tell me all about it'

And of course, Nat King Cole's musical legacy had to take centrestage with her rendition of 'Unforgettable':

Of course, these pictures are best viewed by playing Natalie Cole's albums in the background :)