The Melachrino Strings: Music & More Music for Relaxation

I Sure Hope You're Stressed Out!


Okay. I don't, actually, but since I said I hoped you were hungry when I posted "Music for Dining" & "More Music for Dining", by The Melachrino Strings, back in April of last year I figured that would be an appropriate sentiment with which to introduce this post.

Continuing with his attempts at Lifestyle Modification Though Music, George Melachrino conducted these two records in 1958 and 1961, respectively. The first is called "Music for Relaxation"and relaxing is what it is, boy howdy! Of course, that's what George did best.

The Melachrino Strings: Music for Relaxation

1. Berceuse de Jocelyn
2. Autumn Leaves
3. While We're Young
4. Star Dust
5. Portrait of a Lady
6. Valse Bluette
7. By the Sleepy Lagoon
8. La Golondrina (The Swallow)
9. La Serenata
10. Moonlight Serenade
11. Vision d' Amour
12. Estrellita

The second is actually posted on a different blog. I had been planning to post it, along with the first of the two, for a while but my copy is in pretty bad shape and would've been very difficult to get a clean rip off of. That problem was solved by our buddy Rich, who posted a beautiful VBR copy of it over on his site, LP's Vinyl Lounge Hut. The link to this record will take you to his original post, but I encourage you to tour around the entire site and check out his other Ultra-Lounge, Easy-Listening, Exotica and other Hard to Find offerings.

The Melachrino Strings: More Music for Relaxation

1. Alone
2. The Champagne Waltz
3. Poor Butterfly
4. Drifting and Dreaming
5. Fascination
6. Among My Souvenirs / Chopin Nocture in E
7. The Four Seasons
8. Paradise
9. Serenade in Blue / Schubert's Serenade
10. Mam'selle
11. Misty
12. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You / Softly, Softly

WARNING!:
Do not attempt to operate a Motor Vehicle, Manned Aeronautic
Craft or Large Countertop Appliances while under the influence of these records.

Various Artists: Badger A-Go-Go

Dat Tooner Melt Got Good Toons, Aina Hey?

If you ever sipped cold water from a bubbler and wished it was PBR, this is one record you're gonna want! It's a compilation featuring bands representing the Milwaukee New Music Scene of the late 80s and early 90s such as Die Kreuzen, E-I-E-I-O, Plasticland and Couch Flambeau.

Liner notes on the back cover read: "15 of the Greatest Sounds. Here's the lp that had to happen. The swingin' sounds of the Badger State that have made it Nationally.

Without a doubt, this lp is a collector's item… representing Contemporary Sounds, R&B, Psychedelic, Rock & Roll, Calypso, Folk Rock, and the Mod Sound.

Not only is this a great lp for listening and dancing… It's a party in itself."

So… Grab yourself a twelver of Pabsts, and few links of Goose Liver Sausage and a wheel of Medium Sharp Cheddar and Get Ready to Get Down!

Various Artists: Badger A-Go-Go

1. Danelectro - Liquid Pink
2. I'm Gonna Emphasize - Plasticland
3. Downer Street - Squares
4. The American Way - Dummy Club
5. K.I.D. - Boy Dirt Car
6. Can't Sit Down - Paul Cebar & The Milwaukeeans
7. Seasons of Wither - Die Kreuzen
8. Helvetica - Couch Flambeau
9. Grievance in F#m - The Blowtorch
10. Mrs. Wilson - Cherry Cake
11. Stop at the Left…Look to the Right - F/i
12. Play with Pain - Appliances-SFB
13. Blood on the Saddle - Brian Ritchie & The Ghostly Trio
14. Gonna Get Gone - E-I-E-I-O
15. My Mother Still Likes Me - Voot Warnings

The Contenders: The Contenders

Repost for Good Reason: They Coulda Been...

I attended a show, this afternoon, by a band called The Belleville Outfit. Go see their blog (at http://www.thebellevilleoutfit.blogspot.com/) and then go buy their new CD at your local (preferably locally owned) Music Store. They were in town to pay tribute to a local hero and are playing in a sold out program this evening that features a larger group of artists paying tribute to the same man.

Walter Hyatt is legendary in these parts (and several others) as the lead songwriter for a band called "Uncle Walt's Band", who influenced songwriters such as Lyle Lovett and Robert Earle Keen while living and performing in Austin, TX. He was killed in the crash of ValuJet Flight 592 in 1996, at the time pursuing a successful solo career.

He was also a member of another band. The Contenders were a group that was put together while Hyatt and fellow "Uncle Walt's" alumn DesChamps Hood were living in Nashville in the 70s and 80s. They released but one album and it is phenomenal. If I thought I could explain the record, or the band, any better than Eugene Chadbourne already has for "The All Music Guide" I would try. I can't, though, so here is what he has to say:

"The Contenders are considered one of the great "could have been" bands from the progressive country scene, featuring several of the brilliant players associated with Uncle Walt's Band in combination with a pair of North Carolina pickers and songwriters. It wasn't the quality of music that kept this group from ever hitting it big, despite the adage "the worse the music, the more the people." But it very well could have been the group's name, since a band that calls itself the Contenders is going to have to compete with a religious cult, a Kinks album, a television series, a film, and an eight-piece Minneapolis ska band, not to mention the category of shreeves running for public office that refer to themselves as "contenders" as well. The Contenders under discussion here originally formed in Nashville in the early '70s. Singer and guitarist Walter Hyatt and Champ Hood, a pro on fiddle as well as guitar and vocals, joined up with Steve Runkle and Tommy Goldsmith. Hyatt and Hood were two of the three members of Uncle Walt's Band, a group that had formed while still in high school in Spartanburg, SC. Drummer Jimbeau Walsh consolidated the Contenders lineup, which boasted a whopping (or horrifying, depending on one's point of view and band politics) four songwriters and lead vocalists.

"Fans of the band tend to feel the wonderful harmonies and ace picking were severely overlooked by the country rock audience. The success of groups in this genre, such as the Eagles, could have been the Contenders'. Yet not a single recording made by the Eagles had the complexity or musical interest of the Contenders, which goes a long way toward explaining one group's popularity and the other's lack of it. Ragtime and swing influences came into the band via Hyatt and Hood, while Goldsmith brought in an authentic old-time country-rock sound that is completely out of the Glenn Frey universe.

"Hyatt and Hood continued on with a re-formed Uncle Walt's Band into the early '80s, followed by solo careers for both and a busy schedule as a fiddle session man for Hood. In 1997, Hyatt died in the awful ValuJet crash in the Everglades. Runkle remained in Nashville as a writer and player, working and recording with artists such as David Olney and Tom House. Goldsmith, on the other hand, became a journalist while Walsh is supposedly in Hawaii doing who knows what. Of interest to song collectors obsessed with American cities would be Runkle's "Greensboro Blues," supposedly inspired by Olney's "Original Greensboro Blues." Other songs about Greensboro include "Greensboro Woman" by Townes Van Zandt and yet another "Greensboro Blues," this one by Bruce Piephoff, the only one of these jokers who actually lives in Greensboro. The Contenders, minus Goldsmith, who was recovering from an operation, backed Olney up on short tours in the late '70s." - Eugene Chadbourne, The All Music Guide

Sadly, the parts left out of this story (which was written, I'm sure, before they took place) are that both DesChamps Hood and Steve Runkle have passed away in the meantime.


This is a great record. It's a bit more laid back than what you usually find here (even moreso than some of the Easy Listening records I've posted) but it has a groove all it's own. Git it.

The Contenders: The Contenders

1. Lean on Your Mind
2. The Lack of Love
3. Walking Angel
4. Hollywood Girls
5. Silver Cup
6. Chain of Emotion
7. Dim the Light
8. Smokey Night Life
9. Whatever Reason
10. Talk
11. Light from Carolina

The Neighborhoods: Reptile Men

There Goes the Tuna Melt!

Let me start off by saying that the first thing that I ever do when it comes to posting any of the rather large number of Power Pop albums that I have is to head over to the Power Pop Criminals blog to see if Angelo has already beaten me to the punch. It's not like I'm worried about stepping on toes (although some bloggers are sensitive to such... as if they own the rights to the records that they pirate) and it's not like I don't think it's possible for me to never post anything that no one else has posted. It's just that I'd rather post things that aren't available elsewhere but that deserve attention.

So anyway... PPC has not posted this record! They did, though, post The Neighborhoods' first two records ("Fire is Coming" and "The High Hard One") back in June. Go here now and Get 'em and remember to say "Thank You": http://powerpopcriminals.blogspot.com/2007/06/neighborhoods-fire-is-coming-1984.html

I'd tell you all about The Neighborhoods if I thought I could. Instead I'll just tell you that you should visit their fine Tribute Website at http://www.thehoodsonline.com/ or go read this article at http://www.rockinboston.com/hoods.htm. They also have a MySpace page (of course) and there's a nice article from Trouser Press at http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=neighborhoods.

What I can tell you is that this Boston Power Pop Trio used to play in a small bar in my hometown on a fairly regular basis and were Amazing! On top of being a great band, they were also three of the nicest guys in the entire world.

If you like Rock & Roll... This is a record you need! If you don't... Please go see a Brain Specialist.

The Neighborhoods: Reptile Men

1. Pure and Easy
2. Modern Cowboy
3. Reptile Man
4. Tommy
5. Dangerous
6. The Man…
7. Peeping Tom
8. Out of Your Reach
9. Wailing Wall
10. Clichés

Fred Lowery: Walking Along Kicking the Leaves

Whistle While You… Well… Whatever.

It's not every day you get to hear music like this anymore. Unless, that is, you live somewhere where they play The Andy Griffith Show on a daily schedule (which is, pretty much, everywhere in the United States) or if you go out of your way to watch videos of The Harlem Globetrotters as often as possible. Even then you don't get to hear this guy (The Andy Griffith Show theme song was whistled by it's primary composer, Earle Hagen, and the Whistled version of "Sweet Georgia Brown" used by the Globetrotters was originally performed by Brother Bones). Still… This fella was The King of the Whistlers.

I've no idea how many albums Fred Lowery recorded over his career but there were a lot (Pop, Gospel, Holiday…)! This was his first solo album and is largely regarded as a masterpiece. Unfortunately the greatest source of information on Whistling Records in the whole world, The Online Guide to Whistling Records (http://www.whistlingrecords.com) is currently under reconstruction. The Space Age Pop site offers a tremendous Fred Lowery biographical sketch here: http://www.spaceagepop.com/lowery.htm

In the meantime I didn't want to hold this one back. It's a kind of music that really doesn't exist in today's Pop Culture. It's a record of someone doing something that we all do just about every day of our lives, but doing it so much better than the rest of us that it demands our attention, our respect and our enjoyment.

Mr. Lowery appeared in an "assembly" program at my High School once. I wish now that we'd shown him more respect and paid a bit more attention to his talent. Even as it was, simply hearing him perform was impressive and I'm glad that I learned who he was that day. It inspired me to buy this record and that's a good thing.

Fred Lowery: Walking Along Kicking the Leaves

1. Walking Along (Kicking the Leaves)
2. Indian Love Call
3. Tennessee Waltz
4. Far Away Places
5. The Moon of Manakoora
6. Sunrise Serenade
7. Happy Hobo
8. Pagan Love Song
9. The Lonesome Road
10. Sleepy Lagoon
11. Moon Love
12. Sentimental Journey

Boxer: Below the Belt

Repost by Request: Under the Radar and Below the Belt

Mike Patto (singer) and Ollie Halsall (guitar) were both members of Timebox, from which the 'progressive jazz-rock' band Patto evolved. After Patto split up, Halsall played with Tempest and The Soporifics while Patto signed on with Spooky Tooth.

The two reunited in 1975 to form Boxer and this was the first record by the group. A second album, "Bloodletting", was released in 1976 and almost immediately withdrawn from the market. Halsall had left before the third and final album, "Absolutely", was recorded.

This record gained immediate notoriety for it's original cover art (the obvious inspiration for Spinal Tap's "Smell the Glove"). The photo featured on it was both sexist and juvenile. I figure it must have seemed pretty clever and creative to some folks back in 1975, but not to the people who mattered. The album was almost immediately yanked from the shelves and repackaged. The album that I have is in the package with the cover that replaced it, and with which the album is most identified with to this day.

In another Comedy Related connection, Halsall played many of the instruments - and supplied the singing voice for Dirk McQuickly - on The Rutle's album (also appearing, briefly, in the accompanying television program as 'Leppo, The Fifth Rutle'). Halsall has also been cited as the primary inspiration for the guitar stylings of XTC's Andy Partridge. Oh, and Mike Patto was a good singer, too.

Quite a bit more on Halsall here: http://www.olliehalsall.co.uk/

Boxer: Below the Belt

1. Shooting Star
2. All the Time in the World
3. California Calling
4. Hip Kiss
5. More Than Meets the Eye
6. Waiting for a Miracle
7. Loony Ali
8. Save Me
9. Gonna Work Out Fine
10. Town Drunk

Various Artists: Hawaiian Paradise

A Cure for the Common Coldness

Okay... Reader's Digest Box Sets have a bad reputation these days. There are several sites (all of which I respect greatly) that go to great lengths to convince potential buyers to Beware the Reader's Digest Label.

In a related entry, the Space Age Pop Music site has this to say about them: "Usually, however distinguished the performers may be, the stylistic effect of the Reader's Digest cachet is deadening. These renditions are almost always performed in a humorously straight-forward manner, avoiding any unusual orchestrations, dramatic attacks, jarring shifts in volume, rhythm, or tone, and individual interpretations. When the box promises a bunch of organ music for people who like organ music, that's what it delivers. A bunch of organ music played essentially anonymously by performers who might as be anonymous for what little personality they are allowed to sneak through."

You can read the entire post here: http://www.spaceagepop.com/rc003.htm

That being said... For the most part the Reader's Digest Sets are deserving of just such trivialization. This particular collection, however, stands out from most of the others in my opinion.

For one thing (and it's an Important one) It's HAWAIIAN MUSIC, for Pete's sake. The music on these records spans the Hapa Haole Spectrum, from passable Exotica to Orchestral Easy Listening. As it was released in 1970 it contains a fair amount of NOW Sound content as well as the more traditional Strings and Percussion. While there is not one single note of Hawaiian Folk or Slack Key Guitar on these five discs, there is an impressive range of musical styles (from Exotica to Easy Listening and NOW Sound Instrumental and Choral arrangements) which possess a tremendous dynamic range and a decent amount of fairly risky originality (check out the included recording of "Bali Ha'i", by Don Kalana & The Tahitians w/ Chorus, which is probably the most upbeat and bouncy rendition of the song that I've ever heard).

In other words... This is one Great Set of Discs!

And, now that it's February, we're probably all suffering from a bit of Cabin Fever (unless, of course, we're in the Southern Hemisphere, in which case we're all runnin' around 'bout butt naked and eatin' ice cream and settling down in the evenings with the Air Conditioners hummin'... You're Time Will Come!!!) and the best cure I've ever found for Dismal Winter Weather is a Tall Cool Rum Drink and Tropical Tunes!

So put on your Aloha Shirts and Muu Muus, mix up a tall cool Zombie or Missionary's Downfall, flip open your copy of "The Book of Tiki" or "Leis, Luaus and Alohas" and give these discs a spin!

Welcome to Hawaiian Paradise!!!

Various Artists: Hawaiian Paradise, Disc 1

1. Hawaiian Paradise - Louie King & His South Sea Islanders
2. Forevermore - Kalua Beach Boys w/ Chorus
3. The Far Lands - Kalua Beach Boys
4. Sing Me a Song of the Islands - Kalua Beach Boys
5. Sail Along, Silv'ry Moon - Louis Nunley & Kalua Beach Boys
6. Flamingo - Kalua Beach Boys
7. Hawaii Calls - Kalua Beach Boys
8. Hawaiian War Chant - Louis King & His South Sea Islanders
9. The Hawaiian Love Call - Kalua Beach Boys w/ Chorus
10. I'll See You in Hawaii - Kalua Beach Boys
11. I Want to Learn to Speak Hawaiian - Don Kalana & The Tahitians
12. Underneath the Blue Hawaiian Skies - Kalua Beach Boys

Various Artists: Hawaiian Paradise, Disc 2

1. Maori Brown Eyes - Kalua Beach Boys
2. Love Letters in the Sand - Louie King & His South Sea Islanders
3. Love Song of Kalua - Kalua Beach Boys w/ Chorus
4. Sea and Surf - Kalua Beach Boys
5. Hawaiian Surf - Kalua Beach Boys
6. Sand and Sea - Jack Kai & His Hawaiian Paradise Orchestra
7. Good Night, Aloha - Kalua Beach Boys
8. Always in My Heart - Don Kalana & The Tahitians
9. Our Love and Aloha - Kalua Beach Boys
10. You Are Beautiful - Louis Nunley & Kalua Beach Boys
11. Hello, Aloha! — How Are You? - Kalua Beach Boys
12. King's Serenade - Don Kalana & The Tahitians

Various Artists: Hawaiian Paradise, Disc 3

1. Lani (Heaven in Hawaii) - Kalua Beach Boys
2. Paradise Island - Jack Kai & His Hawaiian Paradise Orchestra
3. Bali Ha'i - Don Kalana & The Tahitians w/ Chorus
4. Hawaiian Sunset - Hanuani Lei & The Serenaders
5. An Island Calls to You - Kalua Beach Boys
6. My Isle of Golden Dreams - Louie King & His South Sea Islanders
7. Trade Winds - Jack Kai & His Hawaiian Paradise Orchestra
8. Tropic Trade Winds - Jack Kai & His Hawaiian Paradise Orchestra
9. Waikiki - Kalua Beach Boys
10. Here (In This Enchanted Place) - Don Kalana & The Tahitians w/ Chorus
11. Indian Summer - Kalua Beach Boys
12. White Silver Sands - Louie King & His South Sea Islanders

Various Artists: Hawaiian Paradise, Disc 4

1. Hawaii - Kalua Beach Boys
2. Hawaiian Christmas Song - Kalua Beach Boys
3. Hukilau Song - Don Kalana & The Tahitians w/ Chorus
4. There's No Place Like Hawaii - Kalua Beach Boys
5. My Hawaiian Souvenirs - Hanuani Lei & The Serenaders
6. My Hawaiian Song of Love - Kalua Beach Boys
7. Farewell (For Just a While) - Don Kalana & The Tahitians w/ Chorus
8. I Will Remember You - Kalua Beach Boys
9. Across the Sea - Louie King & His South Sea Islanders
10. For You a Lei - Kalua Beach Boys
11. Silver Moon - Hanuani Lei & The Serenaders
12. I'll Weave a Lei of Stars for You - Hanuani Lei & The Serenaders

Various Artists: Hawaiian Paradise, Disc 5

1. Hawaiian Dreams - Kalua Beach Boys
2. Sweet Someone - Hanuani Lei & The Serenaders
3. Ka-Lu-A - Hanuani Lei & The Serenaders
4. One Paddle, Two Paddle - Don Kalana & The Tahitians w/ Chorus
5. Let Me Hear You Whisper - Kalua Beach Boys
6. Honolulu Eyes - Don Kalana & The Tahitians
7. Hawaiian Memories - Kalua Beach Boys
8. Magic Is the Moonlight - Kalua Beach Boys
9. You'll Never Go Home - Don Kalana & The Tahitians
10. On Treasure Island - Kalua Beach Boys w/ Chorus
11. I've Found a Little Grass Skirt - Don Kalana & The Tahitians
12. Beyond the Rainbow - Kalua Beach Boys