Lounge / Exotica
Space age bachelor pad music.
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Johnny Cox and Wayne Cox – Two Of A KindI collect records that feature playing cards on the cover.
I don’t know why, but it’s fun.
Two Of A Kind didn’t look very promising, but check out their oddly progressive interpretation of Harleme Nocturne (sic).
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The Fifth Avenue Buses: Trip To Gotham CityHere’s a fun artifact from the glory days of the exploitation LP. It’s another of the uncountable number of Batman-related releases from the mid-60’s, this one on the Movietone Records subsidiary of ABC Records. With songs written by Billy Page and arranged by Gene Page (father/son team perhaps?), they’ve managed to tap into the offbeat, [...]
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Various Artists: Night Club 68Released on the Czech Supraphon label, “Night Club 68” features not only a way cool mod pop art LP cover, but a nice sampling of the groovy young sounds from hip Prague nightspots. Pavel Sedlacek opens the proceedings by covering a couple of UK beat pop hits — his version of The Move’s “Flowers In [...]
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Bill & Jean Bradway: Gospel HawaiianairesI guess it’s pretty fair to say that as of 2010 I’ve become a bit jaded when it comes to records. The sense of anything being possible I used to feel when walking into a strange Goodwill has all but left me. There was certainly a time when flipping to a dude in a bow [...]
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Warren Kime – Children of TimeWarren Kime may be best known to record collectors for his trio of Brass Impact LPs on the Command label released in the mid-to-late 60’s. An excellent overview of his career and how these LPs came to be can be found here: http://www.spaceagepop.com/kime.htm.
There’s one LP the Space Age Pop overview missed, though, as his “Children [...]
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Soonkay Lisa: What I Want Out of Life / Give Me All Your LoveThis perky little 7″ was one of my choice finds from a guy selling records out of his garage in Cottonwood, Arizona last year. Interesting artist name, pink Hawaiian label, great titles — sounds promising, put it in the pile, it’s worth a try. Didn’t take long after setting the needle down to realize that [...]
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Long John Silver Orchestra: Snow MistThis hypnotic instrumental is hidden on the b-side of a children’s Christmas novelty, “Harvey The Hippo,” released in 1959. I wonder if there are any other recordings of this song. “Snow Mist” was written by George David Weiss, who wrote a number of standards, i.e. “What A Wonderful World.”
[Audio clip: view full post [...]
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Billings West High School: Spring Band Concert 1962‘Nuther school record on the famed Century custom label. To be quite honest this almost completely sucks except for a rather epic exotica workout called “Voodoo”.
[Audio clip: view full post to listen]
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Baligh Hamdy – Love StoryOn this instrumental record, Baligh Hamdy continues in the style that’s also on the earlier EP Gada (featured on Waxidermy). The arrangements combine Western and Eastern instruments, with wild rhythms and Eastern melodies. There’s a drum kit, which you don’t hear that much on Arabian records, plus saxophone and electric guitar. Wild keyboard sounds are [...]
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George Kelly BandOne of my favorite finds this summer was this classy vanity lounge LP on the mysterious SAMHOT label which also boasts the legendary Gordon Thomas. There are some strange similarities between the two men’s vocal styles, and also a persuasion for singing odes to their favorite girls. I decided to post this one [...]
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Relly Coloma: Pretty Baby Cha ChaIf you’re anything like me you’ll buy pretty much any record from a foreign country provided it costs a dollar or less. I suppose this is cheaper than traveling for leisure, but still, it adds up – if only in stacks of embarrassingly bland pop vocal records sung in an exotic tongue. Anyhow, it was [...]
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Tom Carlile & The Craftsmen: Original SoundsTom Carlile would later see some success as a country artist, but this early LP is previously undocumented. Dating from circa 1968, it’s a vanity pressing with a certain amount of money poured into it, as indicated by the prestigious studios where it was recorded. I guess they didn’t have any dough left for a proper artist [...]
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Ella and Leroy: It’s A Good DayYet another selection of such firm mediocrity it seemed only fair to include it in the Waxidermical canon. It definitely has that can’t-quit-put-my-finger-on-it quality that makes it hard to dismiss and harder still to actually compliment. Well, I guess I’m probably leaving out too many of the vitals for you the reader to draw your [...]
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The Sound of Taiwan’s TribesmenWho are these tribesmen the cover speaks of? A record that raises many what, why and when questions.The confusing juxtaposing of Taiwanese villagers and the African savanah is smoothly continued on the record itself. Taiwanese melodies have been given the Daktari treatment with exotic electronic melodies backed by wah wah and cool percussion. “African” grunts [...]
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Dick Hyman & Mary Mayo: Moon GasThere is a distinct possibility that this is the greatest record ever recorded before 1968. Space age bachelor pad music meets concrete music. 1963 was the recording date ! Unbelievable. Strange synths, oscillators and custom made electric guitars with help of the lowrey organ. No words can really describe this [...]
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Erotica – The Rhythms Of Love FAX 1001OG Record Porn from the great people at Fax Records out of Hollywood California. It isn’t dated but I’m guessing its pretty old 50’s or 60’s due to the appearance of the album. Basically you have 2 sides of people having sex on one of those old steel spring mattress. Then for some reason there [...]
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Glenn Derringer: Swingin’ RhythmI don’t really have anything to say about this record but that Lulu cover was seriously starting to freak me out. Anyhow, here’s an MP3
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Johnny Rusk: at the Seattle Airport HiltonThey must have had quite the lounge at the Seattle Airport Hilton because Mr. Rusk turns in quite a juiced up set here. And while it’s your fairly standard Elvis wannabe moves complete with white jumpsuit, the covers are actually well chosen and delivered with a near manic zeal. I especially enjoy his robust version [...]
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Loving CupLounge double lp by these hairy people from Michigan. Like most records of this sort there is a fair amount of totally worthless schmaltz, but unlike most, there’s also a few absolutely jaw-dropping tracks. For instance the version of “Feel Like Making Love” is just amazingly sleazy… complete with seductive moaning. I mean just imagine [...]
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William McCauley – OntarioThis is a nice little obscure 7″ flexi record containing the soundtrack to a film called “Ontario”. I guess it was a promotional documentary of sorts from around 1970, highlighting this and that of the province. Films like that usually ooze loads of period charm and you often wonder where all the nice tunes went [...]