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Just to get things straight: Ann's the Beauty and Al's the Beard – and they're paired together in this surprisingly tasty set that stands as one of Ann's jazziest albums for RCA! Part of the strength is from arranger Marty Paich, who has Al's trumpet and Ann's voice working with a small group that includes Red Norvo on vibes and Al Hendrickson on guitar. Tunes are a bit laidback, especially for Ann – and titles include "Mutual Admiration Society", "Personality", "My Baby Just Cares For Me", "Little Boy", and "The Best Man".

Groovy pop instrumental versions of Donovan's hits, including "Catch the Wind", "There Is a Mountain", "Sunny Goodge Street", "Jennifer Juniper", and "Hampstead Incident". The sound is very Brit now sound, with a lot of electric bass, and jumpy orchestrations banked in strings.

A pair of 60s albums from one of the more dynamic bandleaders at RCA! Something Special For Movie Lovers has Marty Gold taking on a host of movie themes from the early 60s – numbers by Ennio Morricone, Henry Mancini, Johnny Mandel, and others – all given a twist that's somewhere in the territory of some of Marty's earlier hi-fi material, but which also respects the sensitivity of the original soundtracks as well. There's some inventive arrangements on the set – just what we'd expect from Gold – and titles include "Sylvia", "Goldfinger", "Funny World", "Polly's Song", "A Heart Must Learn To Cry", and "Emily". Suddenly It's Springtime features lush strings mixed with occasionally dynamic touches – definitely one of the mellower albums that Marty Gold ever cut, but a set that's still got a wonderful sonic range overall! Titles include "The Story Of My Love", "Portrait Of Jennie", "I Wish You Love", "Don't Take Your Love From Me", "Smile", and "Suddenly It's Springtime".

A pair of instrumental classics from Marty Gold – back to back on a single CD! Sounds Unlimited is filled with soaring sounds from RCA maestro Marty Gold – maybe not the totally unlimited record you might expect from the title, but definitely a key 60s entry in the genre of bachelor pad hi fi records! There's a fair bit of horns in the orchestrations, with solos by Don Butterfield, Joe Wilder, Phil Bodner, and Mel Davis – all of whom help to color the tunes with lots of nice jazzy tones – giving the whole thing a bit more depth than the usual instrumental outing. Titles include "Alone Together", "When I Fall In love", "Ballerina", "Skylark", "The Donkey Serenade", and "Tonight". For Sound's Sake has Marty Gold really pushing the needle into the red – using lots of jazzy inflections to expand the dynamic range of the instrumentals on the set – with key solo work by players who include Phil Bodner and Jerome Richardson on reeds, as well as Joe Wilder on trumpet. Titles include "Mood Indigo", "Memories Of You", "Yesterdays", "All The Things You Are", "I Love Paris", "El Cumbanchero", and "Baubles Bangles & Beads".

A surprisingly nice little record by Henry Mancini – one that's quite different than other albums of Hawaiian tunes! The record is much more a soundtrack than anything else – slightly exotic soundscapes arranged by Hank, and featuring the Baldwin harpsichord on many tunes. That instrument's not really one we'd associate with Hawaii, which is why we dig the record so much – and it gives the whole thing a really spooky feel, especially as odd instruments and voices drift into the mix. Titles include "Quiet Village", "The Moon Of Manakoora", "Pearly Shells", "Driftwood & Dreams", "Tiny Bubbles", and "Beyond The Reef".

The tinkling piano of Peter Nero – heard to great effect on these two 60s albums for RCA! On Impressions, the sweet piano of Peter Nero takes on the music of Burt Bacharach – all with results that are every bit as groovy as you might expect! There's a bit more punch to the record than some of Nero's other 60s outings – possibly from the arrangement help from Frank Hunter, but maybe just from the original tunes themselves – which seem to allow for a syncopated punch that really brings out some of Peter's boldest work on piano. The whole thing's great – an overlooked 60s easy gem – and titles include "Wives & Lovers," "Walk On By," "Who Is Gonna Love Me," "Alfie," "This Guy's In Love With You," and "Look of Love." Love Is Blue really soars with great arrangements from Frank Hunter – an artist who often knows how to bring in a subtle soulful feel to the music – an aspect that really helps Peter Nero mature a bit on records like these, and come across with a really groovy sound! The tracks are mostly late 60s numbers – and titles include "Love Is Blue", "The Happy Time", "Sunny", "Windy", "The Glory Of Love", "Theme From The Fox", and "I Say A Little Prayer".

Groovy sounds from the great TV maestro!

Great work from this famous Italian maestro – sweeping, soaring instrumentals – but also a bit funky at times too! Ettore brings a real soundtrack approach to most numbers – fitting, given that most tunes here are film themes – and he uses full strings, plus some nicely isolated instrumentation at points, especially a bit of tinkling piano. Things are mostly straight, but there's a great funky break on his version of "The Godfather (part 2)" – and some sweetly gentle funk on "Once Is Not Enough" – another great warm number. Other titles include "The Big Hunt", "The Saddest Thing Of All", "Sheila Levine", "Incontro", and Stratta's own great "The Beginning Of Our Life".

Totally excellent album that remixes a number of great tracks from Nilsson's albums Pandemonium Side Show and Aerial Ballet. The record features some killer stuff – like a remake of his original version of "Without Her", with an even better sound than the original! Other tracks include "One", "Bath", "Sleep Late, My Lady Friend", and a different version of "Everybody's Talkin".

A classic bit of Esquivel, with a genius summed up perfectly in the cover image – a photo that features Juan Garcia gazing into a telescope, looking at the stars and contemplating his next musical direction! The sound here is great – a hard-swinging blend of dynamic orchestrations, wordless scatting vocals, and other instrumentation that feels like it seeped out of some spaceship that was just passing by! There's some nice percussion touches at times, and the interplay between all instruments is quite lively – never nearly as sleepy as other easy albums from the time. Titles include "My Blue Heaven", "My Number One Love", "All Of Me", "Spellbound", "Whatchamacalit", "La Ronde", and "Bella Mora".

The genius of Juan Garcial Esquivel is turned towards a host of tunes from a variety of global sources – including "Dark Eyes", "Hungarian Rhapsody No 2", "Torna A Sorrento", "In A Persian Market", "Tico Tico", "April in Portugal", "Cielito Lindo", and "Oye Negra". A Latin groove dominates most numbers, natch – and the piano of Esquivel is soaring over the top in fine hi-fi form!

A classic LP by Guy Warren, an enigmatic figure who skated around between the jazz and lounge worlds, and who did really have a faithful dedication to African drumming. He hung with Monk, and yet also had his "sounds" group record masterpieces of exotica like this album for RCA. The album has a very driving feel, with a number of percussionists, and solos by Lawrence Brown on trombone. Titles include "Waltzing Drums", "Lady Marie Drum Suite", and "Blood Brother".

A lost Burt Bacharach treasure – a bit later than classic vintage, but a wonderful album from the mature maestro – and sometimes overlooked, due to its status as a soundtrack! The work here is totally great – that mellow, easy-flowing style that Burt really perfected around the time of Living Together – served up here in a batch of sweet instrumental tracks, plus a few key vocal numbers with lyrics sung by Jackie DeShannon, Libby Titus, and Michael McDonald – all of whom slide down more into the Bacharach ethos than stand out as their usual selves – and we mean that in a good way! Titles include "I Don't Need You Any More", "In Tune", "If We Ever Get Out Of Here", "On The Beach", "I've Got My Mind Made Up", "Find Love", "Luisa", and "I Think I'm Gonna Fall In Love".

The 101 Strings organization matches up with a groovy percussion ensemble, for a sound that's like some of the good RCA percussion bachelor pad LPs from the 50's. Tracks include "Voodoo Moon", "Ski Run", "Dizzy Fingers", "Roller Coaster", and "Bats In The Belfry". We think you get the picture!

An obscure US album that presents some late 50s work recorded by Parisian easy maestro Andre Popp! Popp's had a strong reputation for years as being the Esquivel of the other side of the Atlantic, and this album's a perfect illustration of that point – very much like the earliest Esquivel work at RCA, a mixture of older romantic easy listening styles with some stranger twists and odd instrumentation – a bit less electric and spatial than Esquivel's own albums, but definitely with that "pushing the envelope" sound that was shifting the mood music era at the time. Tracks include "La Bardinette", "Sexy Sax", "La Pendule", "Musique Mechanique", "Du Vent Dans Les Voiles", "Melodie Du Sud", and "Tunisia Waltz".

Mindblowing music from this ultra-cool musician – nearly three albums packaged on one CD! First up is Stones – a very groovy set of tunes that we'd rank right up there with Hal Blaine's Psychedelic Percussion for sheer nuttiness! Emil Richard plays a range of percussion instruments – as on other albums from the time – vibes and lots of mallet and percussion instrument – but he's also working with a really noisy moog, handled by Paul Beaver, and some weird "22-tone-to-the-octave" instruments that give the album an other-worldly tone that we really love. The whole thing bubbles and bleeps and grooves – with plenty of jazz still in the mix, as befits Richards' roots in the LA scene of the late 50s. 12 tracks in all – all named after birthstones – with titles that include "Garnet", "Moonstone", "Emerald", "Topaz", "Opal", and "Ruby". Next up are 6 tracks from New Time Element – one of the grooviest albums to come from the godlike hands of Emil Richards! This album's got a bit more punch than some of Richard's more jazz-based sessions – with Emil playing a wide range of percussion instruments, plus vibes and marimba – all backed by some incredibly groovy work on organ and piano by Dave McKay! Arrangements are by Tom Scott and Paul Beaver – and the record's got the jaunty, swinging quality of some of Scott's best early work of the time – particularly his early gems for Impulse! Titles include a great version of Tom Scott's oft-recorded "Blues for Hari", a very groovy number with a great 60s eastern feel – plus "Hot Fudge Sundae", "Happy Together", "Jimmy", and "Georgy Girl". And last but not least are 8 tracks that comprise Journey To Bliss – a fantastic bit of "Eastern" tinged jazz – and a real musical Journey To Bliss on its own! Vibist Emil Richards has always been totally groovy in our book – but he really outdoes himself here – working in an exotic mode that features lots of weird percussion over choppy modal grooves from keyboards, guitar, and drums – all in a wild blend of rhythms and grooves played by Richards and his Microtonal Blues Band. Players include Tom Tedesco and Dennis Budimir on guitar, Dave MacKay on keyboards, and Joe Porcaro on drums – but all players handle a variety of instruments, as does Richards, who must play dozens of different percussion elements on the set! Side one of the album features some great short groovers – like "Maharimba", "Bliss", "Mantra", and "Enjoy Enjoy" – all of which are in a tripped-out LA guru hippy mode that's simply wonderful! Side two features the extended "Journey To Bliss" suite, which has some spoken bits and a much wilder sound – but also the same sort of groovy pop-Eastern sound as side one!

One of the most fantastic albums of mood music that RCA ever put out! A whole suite of underwater soundscapes, played by Leo Diamond on his spooky harmonica. Side one is non-stop music, with Murray Kellner leading an orchestra while Leo Diamond solos. Side two's got shorter cuts, but the same spooky underwater feel. All this, and there's a great cover with an underwater topless mermaid!

A killer soundtrack from Henry Mancini – a record that's got both the terror promised in the title, and some sweeter moments that are pure Mancini all the way! Instrumentation is relatively jazzy overall – with some tight horn passages that shift between swinging saxes and lighter woodwind moments – a mixture of west coast cool and grittier elements that really does a nice job of marking the generation of the score. Players aren't listed, but we're betting they're some of Hank's hippest associates – and titles include "Flutter's Ball", "Kelly's Tune", "Tooty Twist", "Teen Age Hostage", "White On White", and "Down By The Wharf".

A very weird one – as Henry Mancini pays tribute to the work of John Philip Sousa! As you'd expect from Sousa's marches, most of the work has a parade band military sound – and Mancini, despite his grooviness, hardly breaks format to change the style of the work. The approach has touches of some of Mancini's more military soundtrack work – and the recording quality definitely has a classic Hollywood approach – but overall, it's still Sousa. Titles include "The Gladiator", "Washington Post", "National Fencibles", "The Thunderer", and "Drum Corps".