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Arthur Lyman in 1966 – heard here on two albums from that year, packaged together on a single CD! Lyman 66 has Arthur still working strongly in the vibes/percussion blend of his start – moving into tunes that are familiar 60s pop numbers, but still done here in a smaller combo instrumental mode – and not the "added orchestrations" style of other exotica players of the time. Vibes are often the dominant instrument, played with a nice sense of tone and color – and titles include "Kon Tiki", "Jungle Cat", "Waimea Cowboy", "Fiddler On The Roof", "Only Yesterday", "Mary Poppins Medley", and "Taste Of Honey". The Shadow Of Your Smile is almost jazzy at times – exotically so, but still with a jazz-based sense of sound, tone, and timing – one that shows that Arthur Lyman's really grown since his days in the Martin Denny combo, and certainly earns all the recording time in the studio given to him during the 60s! Percussion, piano, guitar, and even a bit of electric bass come into play nicely here – and the tunes change up rhythms a bit more than usual, with even a dose of Latin in the mix. Titles include "I'll Remember You", "Moon Over Naples", "Marobi", "Yesterday", "Shadow Of Your Smile", and "Hang On Sloopy".

A very high-art moment for Jack Nitzsche – and a set that prefaces most of his famous soundtrack work to come! The album's completely different than Jack's earlier work in the 60s – and is more of a full-scale orchestral session, done with the London Symphony Orchestra, and featuring some very serious compositions that go way beyond "The Lonely Surfer"! There's a dark complexity here that's really great – a sense of sound that's sometimes slightly off-camera (or off-mic, as the case may be) – brewing and bubbling up from the bottom, and giving a real sense of depth to the record. There's little here that will please fans of Nitzsche's earlier instrumental pop, but if you're a fan of his soundtrack work, you'll find this one to be especially amazing! The work "St Giles Cripplegate" is presented here in 6 movements – all composed and orchestrated by Jack!

Great work from this cool European sextet – a vocal group that features three gals and three guys – or pals, as their name might indicate! Their style's a bit like the Double Six, in that it's rooted in harmony jazz – but given the choice of material here, and the overall execution, there's more of a Sunshine Pop feel in place on most numbers – which is plenty darn great for us! The tunes are all Burt Bacharach numbers, but they're done here in really fresh ways – not simple copycats of familiar Brill Building hits, but often arranged with unusual twists that make the most of the group's multi-voiced style, and which throw in a few unique instrumental touches as well. Titles include "Walk On By", "Wishin & Hopin", "Blue On Blue", "Close", "Cross Town Bus", "My Little Red Book", "Anyone Who Had A Heart", and "Here I Am".

An incredibly groovy album – filled with instrumental tracks that shift between funky big band and groovy 60s soundtrack – all arranged by Mike Nesmith and Shorty Rogers! The feel here is like that of some of Rogers' other groovy late 60s instrumental one-off albums – like his hot rod, dune buggy, or surf-orchestra sides – and Nesmith brings in a slightly cynical tone that manifests itself in the choice of some of the instrumentation for the tracks, and the overall setting of the record. Think Monkees instrumentals gone groovier, and you've got part of the picture – but there's also plenty of snippets of Sunset Strip hip and Warner Brothers longing for the past too! Titles include "While I Cried", "Don't Cry Now", "Tapioca Tundra", "Nine Times Blue", "Carlisle Wheeling", and "You Told Me".

One of the greatest Brigitte Bardot albums you could ever buy – some of the grooviest, sexiest work the famous French actress ever cut! The album's overflowing with excellent original material written by Bardot by Serge Gainsbourg and Francis Lai – two of our favorite French composers of the 60s, and both a very good choice to work with Brigitte! Bardot sings in a sexy, whispery style that's a bit like Jane Birkin, but somewhat different too – and the arrangements are by Michel Colombier, Paul Pio, and Christian Gaubert – three talents who definitely keep things groovy. There's a few instrumentals mixed in with the vocal tracks – but that's totally fine with us, because they're all pretty great – and there's plenty of moments with a nice groove and a bit of funk. Titles include "Harley Davidson", "Ay Que Viva La Sangria", "Gang Gang", "David B", "Mister Sun", "Paris", "On Demenage", and "Contact" – plus the excellent "Marseillaise Generique" instrumental – used to great effect in Austin Powers!

One of the funkiest albums ever from Henry Mancini – a brilliant reworking of hit 70s cop show themes, put together with a really jazzy groove! The group's a big one – filled with hip players who include Clare Fischer on organ, Artie Kane on electric piano and harpsichord, Don Menza on tenor, Lee Ritenour on guitar – all instruments that are used strongly to help kick things nicely on the set, with a vibe that's right up there with the best funky 70s soundtracks. Harvey Mason is on drums, bringing up the bottom a bit more than usual for Mancini – and the choice of material really makes the record cook – with tracks that include "Kojak", "SWAT", "Police Woman", "Rockford Files", "Hawaii Five O", "Streets Of San Francisco", "Bumper's Theme", and "Baretta's Theme".

The grooviness continues! This set's a wonderful mix of obscure soundtrack grooves – plus a few other choice Latin bits – with an out-of-this world groove that's totaly excellent! The Mood Mosaic series is one of our favorite-ever – as they really go out of their way to pull together excellent little bits from rare sources, blending each volume with a thematic intensity that makes each individual track sparkle in the mix! Titles include "Jungle Fever" by Sheba, "Ape Shuffle" by Lalo Schifrin, "Willie Escapes" by JJ Johnson, "Crack Shot" by Max Harris, "Moneyrunner" by John Schroeder, "Free Tarrant" by Roy Budd, "Man With The Golden Gun" by London Royal Orchestra, "Galaxy A Go Go" by Jerry Goldsmith, "Dope Bust" by Flora Purim & Buddy De Franco, and "Mini Manhunt" by David Shire.