They really have. Of course we would all love AAA, rice paper inners and tip on jackets, but these meet the right price point for the expected audience, and us audiophiles can revel in the sounds, and simply resleeve the records if desired. I cleaned all of these on the VpI and put them on Vinyl Storage Solutions sleeves.
I live at the beach. These Matin Denny reissues provide the perfect listening and visual environment. The sea glass looks awesome spinning on my turntable. Everyone who sees it wants to buy it!
Perfect! What a great backdrop for this kind of music. Yeah the sea glass color is spot on and my favorite. The dark red lava is very cool too. The tiki green was ok but a little less inspired. Glad you're enjoying Exotic Percussion!
Hey Scott, a wonderful video installment. I have a number of Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman lps. Some were gifted to me by my late father-in-law who was friends of both Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman and he was a big fan of exotica and all things Hawaii. Great music like this has largely been forgotten but i still love it and will pick up a few of the Jackpot reissues. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and nostalgic look back at these records.
Thanks so much for watching and sharing that great story! How cool is that! I think you'll be pleased with what jackpot has done here. Very good sound in an eye popping and fun visual presentation.
I've purchased all of Jackpot's bundles so far, and they've each opened up a new world for me. In this case, I didn't know anything about "exotica" until I played them a couple days ago. The minute I heard it, it sounded familiar and I loved it! So far, with everything from Jackpot, the sound reproduction is flawless and the records quiet. The thing I've always loved about collecting vinyl, us there's always something to discover, and Jackpot for me is a reliable tool in my every expanding archeological toolkit. I always look forward to your posts, Scott. Another great one!
What a wonderful comment, thank you so much for all the information and direct experience with the Jackpot label and these Exotica reissues in particular. I too am proud to have these in my collection. I agree, the sound quality can't be beat, and I was very pleased with the pressing quality as well. Everyone should have at least a couple of Exotica records, and these are great choices!
I'm of an age that I remember hearing M Denny and A Lyman when first on the radio. Always impressed with that genre. More importantly, however, was hearing, in 1966, 'Quiet Village' being played on a 4-Track, in-car tape player. What a revelation to hear full stereo come from car! Since that time, I've strived for great music in my cars. Really enjoying your channel.
Thank you so much for your kind words! I didn't realize or recall this music being on the radio. I was a little too young to know I suppose. So this in-car tape player, was it an open reel or some kind of cartridge? Were they 5 track 7.5ips reels? I'm doing a video on those shortly!
Thank you! Some very interesting instruments on these records. A fun diversion once on a while. These nice sounding reissues of pretty rare titles are a great reason to reacquaint myself with the music!
Great video Scott, I can imagine dining at Trader Vic’s with these in the background. More conventional but also evocative of the era are the many Jackie Gleason orchestral albums. Excellent Capitol sound. Quite a few on tape I believe.
Thank you Frederic, Yes, groups like these did play at resorts and large restaurants and bars. It's interesting that you are one of several viewers who have mentioned Jackie Gleason. I have many of his records, but haven't given them a reappraisal. I'll have to do that and maybe do a short video on him Thanks for watching!
HOORAY!!!! I’ve been waiting for you to do a new exotica review... In my family we had Tamboo! (1955) by Les Baxter, predating Exotica (1957) and not to be confused with Taboo (1959) by Arthur Lyman... Sadly we never had any Martin Denny records, so this was good to see... Hope you can do one on Baxter at some point (if you haven’t already), he was early on this... In any event keep up the great work!
No you're not! I'm definitely into the genre and you'll be seeing more in some other facets of it soon! Thanks for checking out this video and for your comment!
It's great to have original! I remember when I found each of mine. .For the ones that are hard to find, these really fit the bill. They sound great, look nice and it's great to have a clean quiet new record.
Thank you! There's an Amazon link to my store and individual titles in the description box. If you click Exotic Percussion it will take you to the Amazon listing. Currently $30.98
Hi Scott, I streamed two of these a few years ago and didn't "get it." Your video has prompted me to give them another listen, listening more carefully and with a much more open mind. Thanks also for providing the historical context, which I didn't pay attention to the first time I listened to Denny. Since taking lit classes in college, I've appreciated classic novels much more when I understand the context in which they were written, the personal or social circumstances of the author's life, etc. So it's no shock that I would enjoy a record like this more, it's like a time capsule, when thinking about the historical context. At the time, films were showing American audiences other parts of the world that were very different and exciting, but as you importantly noted, travel to these places was out of reach to most people. Thanks! Oh, do you know if Jackpot will be giving the same treatment to the original Exotica LP?
Interesting: According to Wikipedia and TIDAL's album dating, Denny put out 3 or 4 records per year, every year from 1958 through 1966, then maybe 1 or 2 per year for the next few years.
In case you haven't read Wikipedia's page on Denny, I recommend it. Here's a fascinating sample: "During an engagement at the Shell Bar, Denny discovered what would become his trademark and the birth of "exotica". The bar had a very exotic setting: a little pool of water right outside the bandstand, rocks and palm trees growing around, very quiet and relaxed. As the group played at night, Denny became aware of bullfrogs croaking. The croaking blended with the music and when the band stopped, so did the frogs.[10] He thought it was a coincidence at first, but when he tried the tune again later, the same thing happened. This time, his bandmates began doing all sorts of tropical bird calls as a gag. The band thought it nothing more than a joke. The next day, someone approached Denny and asked if he would do the arrangement with the birds and frogs. He agreed. At rehearsal, he had the band do "Quiet Village"[11] with each doing a bird call spaced apart. Denny did the frog part on a grooved cylinder and the whole thing became incorporated into the arrangement of "Quiet Village". It sold more than one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[12]"
@roncronovich9095 He was very prolific! I think they did Exotica in one of the first batches, and it's not currently available. Hopefully it gets repressed again. In regard to not getting it the first time around, it's something that has a narrow appeal. It doesn't fit into any genre, it's really its own genre! I think today it's a novelty, a campy thing that might appeal to audiophiles, but to keep expectations in check. A little goes along way!
I love them. They sound great. Its time to update my Ortofon just to be particular. I ordered Primitiva on amazon. They sent me a used original. I wanted the Jackpot, but now i feel weird to send back because its original 1958. I think Ill keep and just find the Jackpot elsewhere.
I think they sound great too. I hope they repress some of the earlier titles. I don't think I've ever seen an original Primitiva. Might want to keep it if it's in nice shape. It's funny I used be be browsing all the time and the only ones I saw in years of looking were Quiet Village, Exotica, and one time for Enchanted Sea, the one I own. The rest are pretty uncommon.
Job well done Scott! Those reissues seem legit! I am not 100% sure I love the color vinyl part but if you say that does not detract from the sound quality, then I can confidently overlook that and support this effort. Everyone should have a little Exotica records in their collection!
Oz, these sound really nice. For a standard press on color vinyl, I thought they did a nice job. I gave them a good cleaning, and they are quiet for a non audiophile pressing. Some harmless fun, and a few audio thrills along the way!
I have some original pressings on Liberty and a couple of Jackpot pressings and they are so much fun. Now, if Jackpot wants to sublease the Esquivel music from BMG, that would be interesting.
Yo Mr SW… Mr Denny is not in my wheelhouse, but very good, comprehensive thoughts on the music! Some of it does sound pretty good sonically though. TTYL.
Well John, It does take a listener of sophistication and discernment to fully appreciate the Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny 🤣 That it can be enjoyed on a sound quality level is a nice bonus!
Hi Scott, excellent and informative video as usual. I’d love to find some of these originals but they seem pretty scarce over here in the UK. I love this aesthetic of a time long gone by….I have to be careful there as I was born in ‘57 and I’m making it sound like the Stone Age 😄.
Hi Robert, Thank you for your comment. These titles in original form are rare here too. It really does take you back to what seemed a simpler time, and an interesting genre in our recorded history. I am just a handful of years after you 😀
@@ThePressingMatters I think I may have mentioned before that I picked up a couple of George Shearing originals and whilst probably not exotica as such they have the ‘cheesecake’ photos on the cover. Aside from that though they do put many recent releases to shame with their sound quality.
Enjoy this genre with both Martin Denny and Les Baster.. find it interesting/strange that Jackpot has Liberty on the outside/sleeve but not on the label.
You've got a good point there! If they could license the logo design for the front cover, why not the label? Still it gives a nice vintage look. Fun stuff, and surprised it was done as well as it is. After cleaning, the vinyl was pretty quiet, the sound was natural, and the presentation pretty thoughtful.
Those are very pretty. Have seen tons of used Martin Denny LPs but really have no sentimental attachment to this artist, and was only mildly interested in the Polynesian music scene overall. I have to applaud companies though, that will go out on a limb to re-issue vinyl albums like these that are not difficult to find in used condition that most listeners would find tolerable. For those who would be overjoyed to score a new, mint condition disc of these Exotica oldies, you just hit the Jackpot. heh heh.
Hi, my friend! Thank you for watching and commenting, even though you are not particularly a fan of this music. I found a few of the titles all the time and most of these rarely or never. Exotica and Quiet Village in particular are most common. I thought they did a nice job bringing these back for fans old and new.
Looks as though I might have to check out two of those Jackpot releases, noticed the odd one while browsing through new releases at various record stores but as I have around 10 original titles of Martin Denny did not think of purchasing but considering the rarity of one most likely will buy it. Some other albums of the genre I found that might be of interest: " Toragee - The Romantic Music Of Asia " Epic BF 19042, " The Call Of The Tropics " Gene Rains and His Group - Vocalion VL 73785, " The Sound Of Exotic Island " The Turfmen - Somerset SF 105, and " Rapture - Hawaiian Moods " The Outriggers - Warner Bros. WS 1224. One store had a section of albums such as these so I think it is time to have a revisit. Still quite a few spinoffs of that genre during the period mentioned.
Hi! Definitely worth picking up a rare title, I think you will like them. You've mentioned some very rare titles as well. I don't think I've ever seen any of them!
Now you're really getting into the unusual in the midst of the usual. I've seen a lot of Martin Denny records around over the years and just thought of them as being boring mood music, so I didn't buy one that I can recall. They come from a time when the album cover was really made to make the product appealing. Too bad the music wasn't always as great as the album covers were. I may have a Martin Denny album just because I found the cover to be interesting. I don't remember who did the music, but I have a Hawaii themed album with a really nice cover that comes with a beautiful, thick booklet. The package was so unusual, so I just had to get it to see if the music was as good as the overall package. Julie London was another artist who recorded for Liberty Records in the '50's and '60's. I have some of her albums from that era, and the covers could be provocative for the time. Her Cry Me A River hit song from 1955 is quite memorable and is a great example of her sultry jazz singer style. ❤
Welcome back! Thank you for watching and commenting. It's is a topic I've always wanted to cover on the channel. The music might not be in the realm of masterpieces, but the records and genre certainly had the public's attention for a short while. I see the exotica records as a cultural phenomenon, something that could only happen at that particular place and time. It's interesting that it had a second life in the 90's with the revival of interest in bachelor pad music. It's for all these reasons and the interesting sounds on these records that I gave it its own episode. The fine Jackpot reissues were the perfect reason to go ahead! Now back to your regularly scheduled audiophile program 😀
Of course I first knew Liberty records because of Julie London! I haven't gotten to reviewing Her Name Is Julie, but I surely will at some point. I love that record!
@@ThePressingMatters Yes, I agree. They are a product of their time. It's a time that will never exist again. When I reorganize my collection, I'll see if I have any of those albums. I'm finding records in my collection that I bought many years ago and didn't remember having them. To my delight, I just found a second issue 10" record of the Jackie Gleason Songs for Lovers Only album. It's in terrific condition. I didn't remember having it. 😻
@@ThePressingMatters I'm not at all surprised that you know Julie London. She's quite good. Here's a really really cool version of Cry Me A River from a 1956 film clip: th-cam.com/video/mjW6qcgT1bg/w-d-xo.html. I don't know the name of the movie, but I must find it and see it. Notice the record player and London albums. This one is a bit haunting, kinda ghostly. 😻
@@audiophileman7047 oh yes, I've seen a couple of those 10" Jackie Gleason records in my life. There are so many interesting things from this era to talk about, really the whole history of record collecting is fascinating.
The colored vinyl and raw paper inner sleeves are not attracting me but it’s so tough to find a clean original of these now days. I’d love to be pleasantly surprised on these. Curious the wording they use in regards to “cutting” from or “sourced” from the original tapes.
I'm sure they are a digital capture of the original master. They would trumpet all analog if they were AAA. However, considering how rare they are to find in originals, I can recommend them. I have 1 color vinyl pressing in my collection so I was wary too but they are quiet enough. The sleeves are normal for an under $30 record. A good cleaning and they sound really comparable to originals. I will ask my contact there to confirm the transfer.
@@ThePressingMatters I was assuming just that - a high-res digital transfer... Still a bargain for a clean and quiet pressing of these classics. Thanks for your thoughts!
The Command Enoch Light albums of this style are good too, and they had some super musicians like Doc Severinsen. But I feel these Martin Denny LPs have a more authentic feel of the island / Polynesian sound.
Oh for sure I think these Martin Denny records are interesting musically. I happen to be listening to a lot of Command records in preparation for an upcoming video. There are great musicians throughout the label, but they are often unsatisfying beyond the sound. I'll be picking some gems to highlight.
Thank you for this review! I'm very glad to hear that Jackpot has seemingly taken the time and effort to do these right!
They really have. Of course we would all love AAA, rice paper inners and tip on jackets, but these meet the right price point for the expected audience, and us audiophiles can revel in the sounds, and simply resleeve the records if desired.
I cleaned all of these on the VpI and put them on Vinyl Storage Solutions sleeves.
I think I saw you had uploaded some of the music?
I live at the beach. These Matin Denny reissues provide the perfect listening and visual environment. The sea glass looks awesome spinning on my turntable. Everyone who sees it wants to buy it!
Perfect! What a great backdrop for this kind of music. Yeah the sea glass color is spot on and my favorite. The dark red lava is very cool too. The tiki green was ok but a little less inspired.
Glad you're enjoying Exotic Percussion!
Hey Scott, a wonderful video installment. I have a number of Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman lps. Some were gifted to me by my late father-in-law who was friends of both Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman and he was a big fan of exotica and all things Hawaii. Great music like this has largely been forgotten but i still love it and will pick up a few of the Jackpot reissues. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and nostalgic look back at these records.
Thanks so much for watching and sharing that great story! How cool is that!
I think you'll be pleased with what jackpot has done here. Very good sound in an eye popping and fun visual presentation.
I've purchased all of Jackpot's bundles so far, and they've each opened up a new world for me. In this case, I didn't know anything about "exotica" until I played them a couple days ago. The minute I heard it, it sounded familiar and I loved it! So far, with everything from Jackpot, the sound reproduction is flawless and the records quiet. The thing I've always loved about collecting vinyl, us there's always something to discover, and Jackpot for me is a reliable tool in my every expanding archeological toolkit. I always look forward to your posts, Scott. Another great one!
What a wonderful comment, thank you so much for all the information and direct experience with the Jackpot label and these Exotica reissues in particular. I too am proud to have these in my collection. I agree, the sound quality can't be beat, and I was very pleased with the pressing quality as well. Everyone should have at least a couple of Exotica records, and these are great choices!
I'm of an age that I remember hearing M Denny and A Lyman when first on the radio. Always impressed with that genre. More importantly, however, was hearing, in 1966, 'Quiet Village' being played on a 4-Track, in-car tape player. What a revelation to hear full stereo come from car! Since that time, I've strived for great music in my cars. Really enjoying your channel.
Thank you so much for your kind words!
I didn't realize or recall this music being on the radio. I was a little too young to know I suppose. So this in-car tape player, was it an open reel or some kind of cartridge? Were they 5 track 7.5ips reels? I'm doing a video on those shortly!
Great review! I have a number of Martin Denny original releases.
Thank you! Some very interesting instruments on these records. A fun diversion once on a while. These nice sounding reissues of pretty rare titles are a great reason to reacquaint myself with the music!
Hi Scott, great job!
Your best work so far 😊
Thank you Joey,
You are too kind. I wish the vid would catch fire but it's just simmering at this point!
This was GOOD!
It is so good to hear that! I'm glad you liked it. I wasn't sure how many fans are out there.
Thanks for always watching and commenting!
@@ThePressingMatters 🤘😎
Great video Scott, I can imagine dining at Trader Vic’s with these in the background. More conventional but also evocative of the era are the many Jackie Gleason orchestral albums. Excellent Capitol sound. Quite a few on tape I believe.
Thank you Frederic,
Yes, groups like these did play at resorts and large restaurants and bars. It's interesting that you are one of several viewers who have mentioned Jackie Gleason. I have many of his records, but haven't given them a reappraisal. I'll have to do that and maybe do a short video on him
Thanks for watching!
HOORAY!!!! I’ve been waiting for you to do a new exotica review... In my family we had Tamboo! (1955) by Les Baxter, predating Exotica (1957) and not to be confused with Taboo (1959) by Arthur Lyman... Sadly we never had any Martin Denny records, so this was good to see... Hope you can do one on Baxter at some point (if you haven’t already), he was early on this... In any event keep up the great work!
Hi John! I'm glad you enjoy this subject! I have a couple of Les Baxter at least! I'll get to him as well! Arthur Lyman too!
I'm delighted to see these are being re-released. I guess I'm not the only weirdo who loves the old space-age bachelor pad music :)
No you're not! I'm definitely into the genre and you'll be seeing more in some other facets of it soon!
Thanks for checking out this video and for your comment!
LOVE Martin Denny. Have lots of his albums. One on Liberty red vinyl.
It's great to have original! I remember when I found each of mine.
.For the ones that are hard to find, these really fit the bill. They sound great, look nice and it's great to have a clean quiet new record.
😀😀😀😀
Another winner. I have a large collection of this music and have done several videos. I have never seen that Exotic Percussion before. Price ?
Thank you!
There's an Amazon link to my store and individual titles in the description box. If you click Exotic Percussion it will take you to the Amazon listing. Currently $30.98
Hi Scott,
I streamed two of these a few years ago and didn't "get it." Your video has prompted me to give them another listen, listening more carefully and with a much more open mind. Thanks also for providing the historical context, which I didn't pay attention to the first time I listened to Denny. Since taking lit classes in college, I've appreciated classic novels much more when I understand the context in which they were written, the personal or social circumstances of the author's life, etc. So it's no shock that I would enjoy a record like this more, it's like a time capsule, when thinking about the historical context. At the time, films were showing American audiences other parts of the world that were very different and exciting, but as you importantly noted, travel to these places was out of reach to most people.
Thanks!
Oh, do you know if Jackpot will be giving the same treatment to the original Exotica LP?
Interesting: According to Wikipedia and TIDAL's album dating, Denny put out 3 or 4 records per year, every year from 1958 through 1966, then maybe 1 or 2 per year for the next few years.
In case you haven't read Wikipedia's page on Denny, I recommend it.
Here's a fascinating sample:
"During an engagement at the Shell Bar, Denny discovered what would become his trademark and the birth of "exotica". The bar had a very exotic setting: a little pool of water right outside the bandstand, rocks and palm trees growing around, very quiet and relaxed. As the group played at night, Denny became aware of bullfrogs croaking. The croaking blended with the music and when the band stopped, so did the frogs.[10] He thought it was a coincidence at first, but when he tried the tune again later, the same thing happened. This time, his bandmates began doing all sorts of tropical bird calls as a gag. The band thought it nothing more than a joke. The next day, someone approached Denny and asked if he would do the arrangement with the birds and frogs. He agreed. At rehearsal, he had the band do "Quiet Village"[11] with each doing a bird call spaced apart. Denny did the frog part on a grooved cylinder and the whole thing became incorporated into the arrangement of "Quiet Village". It sold more than one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[12]"
@roncronovich9095 He was very prolific!
I think they did Exotica in one of the first batches, and it's not currently available. Hopefully it gets repressed again.
In regard to not getting it the first time around, it's something that has a narrow appeal. It doesn't fit into any genre, it's really its own genre!
I think today it's a novelty, a campy thing that might appeal to audiophiles, but to keep expectations in check. A little goes along way!
Fascinating stuff, and explains why Quiet Village is the one I saw most often over the years!
I love them. They sound great. Its time to update my Ortofon just to be particular. I ordered Primitiva on amazon. They sent me a used original. I wanted the Jackpot, but now i feel weird to send back because its original 1958. I think Ill keep and just find the Jackpot elsewhere.
I think they sound great too. I hope they repress some of the earlier titles.
I don't think I've ever seen an original Primitiva. Might want to keep it if it's in nice shape. It's funny I used be be browsing all the time and the only ones I saw in years of looking were Quiet Village, Exotica, and one time for Enchanted Sea, the one I own. The rest are pretty uncommon.
Its in great shape. The cover has a little shelf wear but no rings. I thought it was new until I opened it, if that says anything.
@slewiscurious Yes, that cover is "suitable for framing!"
Job well done Scott! Those reissues seem legit! I am not 100% sure I love the color vinyl part but if you say that does not detract from the sound quality, then I can confidently overlook that and support this effort. Everyone should have a little Exotica records in their collection!
Oz, these sound really nice. For a standard press on color vinyl, I thought they did a nice job. I gave them a good cleaning, and they are quiet for a non audiophile pressing. Some harmless fun, and a few audio thrills along the way!
I have some original pressings on Liberty and a couple of Jackpot pressings and they are so much fun. Now, if Jackpot wants to sublease the Esquivel music from BMG, that would be interesting.
Yo Mr SW…
Mr Denny is not in my wheelhouse, but very good, comprehensive thoughts on the music!
Some of it does sound pretty good sonically though.
TTYL.
Well John,
It does take a listener of sophistication and discernment to fully appreciate the Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny 🤣
That it can be enjoyed on a sound quality level is a nice bonus!
Hi Scott, excellent and informative video as usual. I’d love to find some of these originals but they seem pretty scarce over here in the UK. I love this aesthetic of a time long gone by….I have to be careful there as I was born in ‘57 and I’m making it sound like the Stone Age 😄.
Hi Robert,
Thank you for your comment. These titles in original form are rare here too. It really does take you back to what seemed a simpler time, and an interesting genre in our recorded history.
I am just a handful of years after you 😀
@@ThePressingMatters I think I may have mentioned before that I picked up a couple of George Shearing originals and whilst probably not exotica as such they have the ‘cheesecake’ photos on the cover. Aside from that though they do put many recent releases to shame with their sound quality.
Oh I love the George Shearing albums. I think I have Velvet Carpet and Blue Chiffon lol. Are they all named after luxury fabrics, lol??
@@ThePressingMatters 😄well mine are Latin Lace and also Velvet Carpet so you may have a point!
Enjoy this genre with both Martin Denny and Les Baster.. find it interesting/strange that Jackpot has Liberty on the outside/sleeve but not on the label.
You've got a good point there! If they could license the logo design for the front cover, why not the label? Still it gives a nice vintage look. Fun stuff, and surprised it was done as well as it is. After cleaning, the vinyl was pretty quiet, the sound was natural, and the presentation pretty thoughtful.
Those are very pretty. Have seen tons of used Martin Denny LPs but really have no sentimental attachment to this artist, and was only mildly interested in the Polynesian music scene overall.
I have to applaud companies though, that will go out on a limb to re-issue vinyl albums like these that are not difficult to find in used condition that most listeners would find tolerable. For those who would be overjoyed to score a new, mint condition disc of these Exotica oldies, you just hit the Jackpot. heh heh.
Hi, my friend!
Thank you for watching and commenting, even though you are not particularly a fan of this music.
I found a few of the titles all the time and most of these rarely or never. Exotica and Quiet Village in particular are most common.
I thought they did a nice job bringing these back for fans old and new.
Looks as though I might have to check out two of those Jackpot releases, noticed the odd one while browsing through new releases at various record stores but as I have around 10 original titles of Martin Denny did not think of purchasing but considering the rarity of one most likely will buy it.
Some other albums of the genre I found that might be of interest: " Toragee - The Romantic Music Of Asia " Epic BF 19042, " The Call Of The Tropics " Gene Rains and His Group - Vocalion VL 73785, " The Sound Of Exotic Island " The Turfmen - Somerset SF 105, and " Rapture - Hawaiian Moods " The Outriggers - Warner Bros. WS 1224.
One store had a section of albums such as these so I think it is time to have a revisit. Still quite a few spinoffs of that genre during the period mentioned.
Hi!
Definitely worth picking up a rare title, I think you will like them. You've mentioned some very rare titles as well. I don't think I've ever seen any of them!
Now you're really getting into the unusual in the midst of the usual. I've seen a lot of Martin Denny records around over the years and just thought of them as being boring mood music, so I didn't buy one that I can recall. They come from a time when the album cover was really made to make the product appealing. Too bad the music wasn't always as great as the album covers were. I may have a Martin Denny album just because I found the cover to be interesting. I don't remember who did the music, but I have a Hawaii themed album with a really nice cover that comes with a beautiful, thick booklet. The package was so unusual, so I just had to get it to see if the music was as good as the overall package. Julie London was another artist who recorded for Liberty Records in the '50's and '60's. I have some of her albums from that era, and the covers could be provocative for the time. Her Cry Me A River hit song from 1955 is quite memorable and is a great example of her sultry jazz singer style. ❤
Welcome back! Thank you for watching and commenting.
It's is a topic I've always wanted to cover on the channel. The music might not be in the realm of masterpieces, but the records and genre certainly had the public's attention for a short while. I see the exotica records as a cultural phenomenon, something that could only happen at that particular place and time. It's interesting that it had a second life in the 90's with the revival of interest in bachelor pad music. It's for all these reasons and the interesting sounds on these records that I gave it its own episode. The fine Jackpot reissues were the perfect reason to go ahead!
Now back to your regularly scheduled audiophile program 😀
Of course I first knew Liberty records because of Julie London!
I haven't gotten to reviewing Her Name Is Julie, but I surely will at some point. I love that record!
@@ThePressingMatters Yes, I agree. They are a product of their time. It's a time that will never exist again. When I reorganize my collection, I'll see if I have any of those albums. I'm finding records in my collection that I bought many years ago and didn't remember having them. To my delight, I just found a second issue 10" record of the Jackie Gleason Songs for Lovers Only album. It's in terrific condition. I didn't remember having it. 😻
@@ThePressingMatters I'm not at all surprised that you know Julie London. She's quite good. Here's a really really cool version of Cry Me A River from a 1956 film clip: th-cam.com/video/mjW6qcgT1bg/w-d-xo.html. I don't know the name of the movie, but I must find it and see it. Notice the record player and London albums. This one is a bit haunting, kinda ghostly. 😻
@@audiophileman7047 oh yes, I've seen a couple of those 10" Jackie Gleason records in my life. There are so many interesting things from this era to talk about, really the whole history of record collecting is fascinating.
The colored vinyl and raw paper inner sleeves are not attracting me but it’s so tough to find a clean original of these now days. I’d love to be pleasantly surprised on these. Curious the wording they use in regards to “cutting” from or “sourced” from the original tapes.
I'm sure they are a digital capture of the original master. They would trumpet all analog if they were AAA. However, considering how rare they are to find in originals, I can recommend them. I have 1 color vinyl pressing in my collection so I was wary too but they are quiet enough. The sleeves are normal for an under $30 record. A good cleaning and they sound really comparable to originals.
I will ask my contact there to confirm the transfer.
@@ThePressingMatters I was assuming just that - a high-res digital transfer... Still a bargain for a clean and quiet pressing of these classics. Thanks for your thoughts!
@NotedArchived I just sent a message to my contact there and asked for an official statement. I'll add it to the description if he replies.
The Command Enoch Light albums of this style are good too, and they had some super musicians like Doc Severinsen. But I feel these Martin Denny LPs have a more authentic feel of the island / Polynesian sound.
Oh for sure I think these Martin Denny records are interesting musically.
I happen to be listening to a lot of Command records in preparation for an upcoming video. There are great musicians throughout the label, but they are often unsatisfying beyond the sound. I'll be picking some gems to highlight.
They could have done better than that cheap paper sleeve.
Sure, but remember the retail in the website is $21.95. Anyone getting these will probably clean and resleeve.