Enoch Light: Big Band Bossa Nova: The New Beat From Brazil (1962) Command Records RS33-844 MONO Vinyl Transfer

The legendary audiophile, record producer and band leader Enoch Light released this Bossa Nova-influenced big band record on his very own Command Records in 1962. Light had built a reputation as one of the first true audiophiles in the era of recorded music by going to extreme lengths to achieve what he would later call "total sound", an attempt to replicate the experience of actually listening to music live in person. He used cutting edge studio technology and top of the line microphones, and was one of the first producers to explore the possibilities, and limitations, of stereo sound.

This album found Light, who was in his 50s at this point in his life, dabbling in Bossa Nova, while still keeping true to his Big-Band roots at the same time. The result is a fun, bold and brassy record, perfect for hot summer evening drives. The songs, a mix of traditional Brazilian jazz tunes and Light originals, are performed superbly by Command Record's staff musicians, the Command All-Stars. The blasting trumpets are crystal clear along side the thick sax lines and the crisp guitar playing of Tony Mattola. The rhythm section stands out in particular though, with the All-Stars using all the slappy, echoey percussive tools they could get their hands on.

The sound quality of the recordings is obviously fantastic. But the mix of this record I'm presenting here is the rare mono edition of record, which was printed in smaller numbers than the stereo mix due to Light's desire to show off his proficiency at mixing sound in the newly developed stereo format. And while Light was certainly a pioneer in the field of stereo recording, he often mixed things so hard left and right that it makes for a sometimes clumsy listening experience, especially on headphones. This mix proves Enoch's productions sounded just as fantastic in a mono mix as it did in stereo. The thing that stands out the most to me about the mono mix, this sucker is one LOUD record. But despite the volume, the clarity remains intact, a very impressive feat, especially for the era in which this was recorded. A very satisfying, and fun, listen. Highly recommended for fans of the Exotica and Space Age Pop music genre's.

Ripped by EAC's .WAV editor and converted in to 320vbr .mp3 with dbpoweramp using LAME 3.97.
Enjoy: http://www.mediafire.com/?xxxdo909x34gdwh

-Casey

Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass: Whipped Cream & Other Delights (1965) MONO MIX Original A&M Records Vinyl Transfer

The definitive Easy Listening album, this record swept the nation in 1965 with it's provocative cover art and breezy, brassy pop songs. This album also transitioned Alpert away from the faux mariachi sound he had developed with the early Brass, and more toward an LA studio-pop sound that Herb's label, A&M, would soon be so known for. The songs here are as lightweight, and as fun, as they come. Alpert's punchy trumpet is responsible for carrying most of the songs summery, Latin-esque melodies and the rhythm section does an excellent job of adding just the right amount of swing to the proceedings. Highlights are the sweeping samba numbers "A Taste of Honey" and "Bittersweet Samba", and the haunting "Tangerine" with it's laid back groove and Spector-like percussion. But it's the drop-dead gorgeous "Ladyfingers" that steals the show here, with it's sorrowful, lilting melody, delicate vibraphone playing and ghostly strings. The most stunningly beautiful song the Brass ever did.

This mix I'm presenting here is the original mono mix which has been out of print for over forty years. I found a decent copy at my local record store recently and wanted to share this now rare mix of this classic record. There are some noisy spots, but overall it's a nice way to hear the mono version. For the audiophiles out there, if this record is too noisy, I would recommend checking out your local record or thrift store for a copy of it, it sold in the millions back in the 60s and is easy to find in the bargain bins.

Ripped from vinyl to .mp3 @ 320vbr (this one is mono so LAME ended up encoding it around 200kb/s in actuality) using EAC's .WAV editor and LAME 3.97. Enjoy: http://www.mediafire.com/?y4voszvcf3ahp0e

-Casey

Burt Bacharach: Reach Out (1967) Original A&M Records Vinyl Transfer

Burt Bacharach's first album for A&M was Reach Out released in 1967, it mostly contains jazzy, orchestral instrumental arrangements of songs that he had written prior to releasing this record for other artists or for film soundtracks and plays. Don't let the Easy Listening tag fool you, this album is full of sophisticated and exquisite moments, lots of time changes, different movements within songs and gorgeously clear production. The soulful opening number "Reach Out For Me" is an immediate highlight, a blast of orchestral pop amid the serene and jazzy chord changes, with a fantastic instrumental blend including clarinet, piano, strings, trumpets, harpsichord, booming drums and the sultry "Bacharach Singers" (who sound like a more adult version of the Ronnettes). The record's best moments are in a similar vein, "Bond Street" turns from a bouncy jazz tune to a string laden, symphonic jewel in a matter of minutes. The arrangement of Bacharach's most famous song "What The World Needs Now Is Love" is absolutely brilliant. The unmistakable piano chords ring out loud and clear among Bacharach's orchestral and horn arrangements as the song suddenly takes a turn in to a be-bop styled jazz number mid-way through, only to return to the crashing and thunderous chorus with a Spector-esque touch.

This record is very different from the other material I've posted here. It's probably the music farthest removed from rock 'n' roll I've shared on the blog, and it's probably the most "adult oriented" music as well, as this music was not intended for the teen audience, or even the young adult audience. Some may find it bland, but it's anything but, Bacharach's arrangements are truly remarkable and always interesting. This copy is ripped from an original A&M Records vinyl pressing @ 320vbr using EAC's .WAV editor and LAME 3.97. No EQing, no pop removal, just a flat transfer. Enjoy: http://www.mediafire.com/?3qodb2f8d154bai

-Casey

Spanky & Our Gang: Without Rhyme Or Reason B/W Anything You Choose (1969) Original Mercury Records Vinyl Transfer

This record really surprised me. I had only given Spanky and the Gang a few listens, mostly from my 45s of the Sunshine Pop hits "Sunday Will Never Be the Same" and "Sunday Morning". I hadn't ever really dove into their LPs though, for some reason I kinda assumed they were mostly full of filler padding their hits (I was wrong). But I did some research on their 3rd LP, Without Rhyme Or Reason B/W Anything You Choose, and was really intrigued by the reviews I'd read. So, being the vinyl junky I am, I went out on the inevitable hunt for the album, and after rummaging through a couple record stores, I managed to find a nice, near mint copy.

The record is substantially better than I imagined it would be. Essentially, this album is a concept record, except with no real concept, much like the Harpers Bizarre's The Secret Life, or Boyce & Hart's It's All Happening on the Inside. But it flows much like a concept album with each song flowing in to the other with some very clever editing and even, on a few occasions, excerpts of dialogue, not unlike the Monkee's Head. However, the music is really where the album shines. Like a shot of adrenaline, the first track "Leopard Skin Phones" bursts out of the speakers at a frenetic pace, a scintillating piece of psych pop with big harmony vocals, a fuzz guitar solo and really cool stereo sound effects. The song quickly disintegrates, the next track "But Back Then" is a dialogue excerpt of an old time jazz cat talking about how things used to be in the music world when suddenly the conversation ends and "Mecca Flat Blues" an appropriately bluesy New Orleans style Ragtime tune takes center stage. The title track, "Without Rhyme or Reason" is a more updated sounding song, an equally jazzy but more contemporary LA styled soft-pop tune with lush vocals and instrumentation. "Jane" is a bouncy folk influenced bossanova-esque sunshine pop tune with a sparkling acoustic guitar pattern and jaunty flute runs. The jazzy theme continues with the haunting, orchestral conclusion to side one, "Since You've Gone", with ethereal "ba-baa" harmonies and a beautiful string arrangement.

Side 2 kicks off with the other title track, "Anything You Choose", a rocking, brassy R'n B number, done Spanky style, with some folky guitar work and broadway harmonies. The next track "And She's Mine" is definitely a standout tune, one of the more straightforward tracks on the record, just a simple sugary folk-pop melody dressed up with the Gang's big vocal arrangements and dreamy production. But I think the most  obvious highlights come in the last 2 or 3 tracks of the album, starting with "Hong Kong Blues", an eastern flavored retro-pop tune with great tack piano, a fantastic horn section and frantic vocals from the whole Gang. The track segues into finale "Give a Damn", a grandiose slice of psych-folk, with more big brass, airy harmonies and a gorgeous and dreamy jazz fade-out that signals the close of the record.

Very good album, I'd say side one flows more as conceptual piece, whereas the songs on side 2, while they still flow together, stand out more on an individual basis. One of the better LP statements by a Sunshine Pop band, the speed at which this record flies by is very impressive, clocking in at around 40 minutes, it feels like it goes by much shorter. The heavy pop-jazz accents are very tasteful and suit the band very well.  Highly recommended for fans of Harpers Bizarre, Roger Nichols and the Free Design.

I believe some of these songs are available on various compilations but the album has never been re-issued in it's original form, outside of a Japanese CD issue that is long out of print. The vinyl has obviously been OOP for over forty years, so I thought I'd share it here, as we wait for a proper reissue. I transferred my clean, original vinyl record, issued on Mercury, to .mp3 using EAC's .WAV editor and dbpoweramp (using LAME 3.97) @ 320vbr. No EQing or pop-removal, just a flat transfer. I did not seperate the tracks individually, as this album is intended to be listened to from start to finish by the listener. I know that's not the most convenient way to listen, but it's certainly the most effective way to get the most enjoyment out of this record. http://www.mediafire.com/?jh9d18soyx0g9z2

-Casey

Russ Giguere: Hexagram 16 (1971) Original Warner Bros. Vinyl Transfer

Russ Giguere, one of the key cogs in the Association's sun-drenched harmony blend, had always stood out from the rest of the group. Probably the biggest "folky" of the band, his precise, wavering vocal delivery was unmistakable and he was one of the Association's best in-house songwriters, although he wasn't the hit maker that Terry Kirkman and Jim Yester were. In 1971, as the Association were in a full commercial and critical decline, Giguere must have known his band wouldn't be around too much longer. Smartly, he decided to venture out on his own, secured a deal with WB and teamed up with the Associations then-current producer, John Boylan, to make a record.

The result, Hexagram 16, is surprisingly good, and at times rivals some of the Association's finest moments, although Russ's sound does differ a good deal from the band's. Most of the music here is rooted in a folk/country soft-rock sound, with lite-psychedelic accents sprinkled throughout. The very first track on the album, the Giguere original "Now We Begin" is a haunting and sparse folk number. The harmonies that you'd find on an Association record are nowhere to be found here, it's just a delicately picked dreamy acoustic pattern, some echo-y guitar (especially at the fadeout) and one of Giguere's best ever vocals he committed to tape. One of the top tracks on the record. But there are other equally gorgeous moments. Russ's take on Judee Sill's "Ridge Rider" is a blissful country-pop trot, with an ethereal harmonica accompanying the gentle melody and Giguere's acoustic. Giguere, and maybe John Boylan, must have been listening to what the Byrds had been putting out at this time (particularly the Untitled album), as the soft country-rockers "Let it Flow" and "Rosarita Beach Cafe" are perfect examples of that early 70s twangy and breezy pop/rock that had become ubiquitous in LA around this time and they end up being two of the best tracks on the album.

There are some heavier and even psychedelic moments on the album too. The Bill Martin penned "My Plan" and the Jules Alexander composition "Pegasus" are almost prog-rock in their epic scope, with the former sounding like an organ-heavy Moody Blues number and the latter employing a massive, swirling symphony to accompany Alexander's mystical lyrics. For me, these two tracks probably don't play to the strengths of either Giguere, Boylan, and the session musicians on the record, many of whom at had played on the Association's better known material. Although the instrumentation is nice, these two songs are just a bit too..."clunky", if that makes sense. These songs lack the melodic precision of the other material and instead maybe focusing to heavily on the grandiosity of the production and stick out like a sore thumb in contrast with the soft-pop on the rest of the album. But, thats just my take on it, you guys might find these songs to be great (I hate to sound like a music critic).

Overall, a pretty great record, and a very obscure one. Never been re-issued and still isn't that well known, even among Association fans. I found a pretty clean copy of the album at a local record store and transferred it to .mp3 @ 320vbr using EAC's .WAV editor. Compressed to .mp3 using dbpoweramp and LAME 3.97. No EQing, no pop removal, just a flat transfer as always. Enjoy: http://www.mediafire.com/?en7oa0299nv198d

-Casey

UPDATE: Harpers Bizarre: As Time Goes By (1976) SOURCED FROM ORIGINAL VINYL @ 320VBR HQ SOUND W/ SCANS

Remember that bootleg CD of that Harpers Bizarre album I uploaded a few days ago? Remember how I said original vinyl copies are almost impossible to find? Well, apparently I was wrong. I nearly had a seizure trying to contain my excitement as I stumbled upon a promotional copy in excellent condition at my local record store for an absurdly cheap price. Needless to say, I got home and immediately slapped it on my turn table and ripped it to .mp3. And as I expected, the sound quality on this original LP is vastly superior to that of the bootleg issued by Century Records in Japan, much less hiss and artificial volume boosting, this rip is just pure warm analog sound. This is a big find and is now the definitive way to enjoy this album, outside of owning your own an original vinyl pressing, and I'm really proud to be able to share it with everyone. I'm going to copy and paste my old review below in quotes. You can download the brand new rip here, ripped by EAC's .WAV editor and converted into high quality .mp3 @ 320vbr using dbpoweramp and lame 3.97. As always with my vinyl uploads, no EQing, no pop removal, just a flat transfer. I advise everyone who has enjoyed my previous upload of this record to re-download this as the sound quality here is just so much more pure (although there is a bit of surface noise at the very beginning of the intro, but it quickly ends before "Cowboy" begins): http://www.mediafire.com/?c5g69gq3007g90a

Original review:

"In 1976 the original line up of Harpers Bizarre reunited for one last album, this time without co-lead singer/songwriter Ted Templeman. I'm guessing Templeman was busy with his other projects, as he had become a successful staff producer at Warner Bros. Records in the 70s and was producing acts like the Doobie Brothers, Van Morisson and Van Halen. You'd think with the absence of Templeman and their original producer Lenny Waronker, who was very instrumental in shaping their sound, that this album would be a bit of a dud. But you'd be wrong.

It's as if the Harpers had seemingly picked up where they had left off in 1969 as this album retains that classic retro-pop sound infused with old timey Americana, albeit updated with some 70s production values, that the Harpers were known for. Dick Scoppetone, the other vocalist and songwriter from the original lineup, takes over as the leader of the group here and sings lead and harmonies on every track and does a fine job. As far as I know, the only studio musicians that played on this record were the brass, string and keyboard sections, which is a big change from their 60s period, where studio musicians played most of the instrumental parts (with the exception being the '69 album Harpers Bizarre 4).

The material chosen here is fantastic, and perfectly suited to the Harper's tastes and abilities. The lead off track "Cowboy" is an exceptional song, the best on the album. It's a rollicking ride across the old west, with a big bold trumpet section, flutes and a fantastic vocal performance from Scoppetone. Other highlights are the Ragtime throwbacks "Society Strut" and "Down at Papa Joe's", the Spector-meets-Nilsson tropicalia vibe of "Banana King Louie" and the stunningly mellow and jazzy "Speak Low". The band didn't write any of the material here, mostly choosing songs from old movie soundtracks and lesser known songs from contemporary songwriters, but again, it's stuff that suits this band perfectly.

Another thing that is interesting about this record, is that it's the first time you can definitively make out Dick Scoppetone's voice, as their older material was sung by Templeman and Scoppetone in unison making it hard to distinguish whose voice was whose. Scoppetone's voice, which really remains intact from the early Harper's era of the 60s, even almost a decade later, immediately reminds me of Curt Boettcher's voice, particularly later era Curt. The album also reveals that Harpers Bizarre were much more of a real band than history would have you believe, as the material and arrangements and focus on early Americana are pretty consistent with what they were doing with Lenny Waronker, who was seen as the puppet-master of the band, so to speak."

By the way, I learned a little bit more about the Forest Bay Record company from inspecting the liner notes. It was a local Santa Cruz label (the Harpers hometown) and was run by James Scoppetone, who I can only assume was either the father, cousin or brother of the Harpers lead singer Dick Scoppetone. Don't know if they released an other material or if it was just used this once as a way for the band to have more control over their music and money. Interesting stuff nonetheless. Enjoy.

-Casey

Tommy Roe: Phantasy (1967) Original ABC Mono Vinyl

After the success of his early pop-rock singles like "Sweet Pea", "Sheila" and "Hooray For Hazel", Tommy Roe felt like doing some a bit more...adventurous, so he teamed up with the Our Productions crew and recorded two psychedelic bubblegum classics in 1967. Who were the Our Productions crew?  Simply put, they were wheeler -and-dealer Steve Clark's music production company, that could be hired by any record label to record an artist. This differed from the more typical approach to production, where labels would usually have an assemblage of staff producers under contract to record music specifically for that label. In '65/'66 Steve Clark, who really was more of a businessman than anything, tapped the then relatively unknown Curt Boettcher to be the "in house" producer for Our Productions. Rounding out the company were some of Curt's cohorts, including song-writer Sandy Salisbury and session musicians and Jim Bell, Ben Benay, Toxie French, Michele O'Malley, Dotti Holmberg and Lee Mallory, who all went on to record on Curt's other projects like the Ballroom, the Millennium and Sagittarius.

Curt was first teamed up with Tommy Roe on the chilly '67 psych-pop record It's Now Winter's Day, which was Roe's first foray in to more experimental territory, spearheaded mostly by Boettcher's wildy unorthodox production. The album's title track was a minor hit, but didn't quite compare chart wise to Roe's previous singles. Nevertheless, the album sold relatively well and ABC had to have been at least somewhat pleased with the performance of the single, so Our Productions were tapped once again to record the follow up LP. There were problems though, according to certain sources, there was something in Curt Boettcher's contract with OP that basically did not allow him to receive royalties and even credit for his work as producer (the production credit for It's Now Winters Day, while actually produced by Boettcher, was given to Steve Clark). Not surprisingly, Boettcher and Clark parted ways after the release of Winters Day and it was the last time Curt would record for Clark's company. 

So who would produce the follow up record? Steve Clark of course, presumably with more than a little help from some talented engineers (Gary Paxton maybe?). Luckily though, the session musicians Curt used on the Winters Day record came back to record on this album. And oddly enough, as strong an album as Winters Day was, Phantasy ended up being the best of the two albums. Curt's heavy emphasis on psychedelia and studio trickery employed on Winter's sounded very unique and often quite good, but at times clashed awkwardly with Roe's straight ahead bubblegum melodies and song structures.

On Phantasy, Clark gives Roe's crystal clear sugary melodies more room to breathe, unlike on Winter's Day, where they were often buried underneath Boettcher's relentless percussion and intense multi-layered and intricate harmony vocals. Most of the material here is written by Roe, the exception being the two extraordinarily sweet and bouncy bubblegum numbers "Goodbye Yesterday" and "These Are The Children", which were written by the aforementioned Sandy Salisbury. Roe's songs range from the sun-kissed and introspective on "Visions", to the flower-poppy and beatles-esque on songs like the leadoff track "Paisley Dreams" which comes complete with a full orchestral treatment, sitar runs and spacey harmonies. "Plastic World", a statement on the "phoniness" of modern society, strikes a perfect balance between the power-bubblegum Roe was soon to be known for and the arty experimentation that was in vogue at the time, showcasing found sounds and dramatic tempo changes between verse and chorus. Roe also delivers some material reminiscent of his early teeny-bopper rock 'n' roll with songs like "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Mystic Magic", albeit with a dash more of sugar and perhaps a bit of marijuana smoke thrown in for good measure. "The You I Need" may be the highlight of the record though, as Roe delivers one his most earnest vocals ever along with one of the most sublime melodies he ever penned on this uptempo baroque-bubblegum charmer.

Unfortunately, and somewhat suprisingly, this album tanked completely when it came to chart action, as no singles charted and the album itself went almost unnoticed by the public and music industry. Roe wasn't out of action for too long though, as two years later he would release the smash hit "Dizzy" that came to define him as one of bubblegum's most successful artists.

This record was given a bootleg treatment by Fallout Records a few years ago, their CD version is an obvious needle-drop that had the life sucked out of it in the mastering process. The songs here are also available on Rev-Ola's compilation called Paisley Dreams (which I recommend you purchase if you like my upload), which also includes tracks from the Winters Day album. But as far as I know this record has never been re-issued in it's original mono format. So, I present to you my personal vinyl rip, flat transferred from an original MONO vinyl copy with zero EQing and zero pop removal. I've never heard Rev-Ola's compilation so I'm not sure whether the sound on that is any good, but I can definitely say that my rip blows Fallout's out of water. This is the best way to listen to this record. Ripped using EAC's .WAV editor and converted into high quality 256 kb/s .mp3's. Download it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?0gi3ykzka8q236x

Enjoy.

-Casey