A long-overdue collection of the brilliant work of German easy composer Berry Lipman! Lipman was the hipster monniker of bandleader Friedel Berlipp – a pseudonymn that Berlipp used for a series of dreamy and groovy easy listening albums in the late 60s and 1970s, records that were a blend of European tropical fantasies with some of the easy grooves that were coming out of American labels like A&M. Lipman's style is heavy on the horns – in a manner that's a bit like Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass, but with a smoother 70s sound. Imagine the Love Boat soaring through some easy bossa island – trumpet in the lead, groovy TV singers in the background, with soaring strings and the slightest touch of funk from time to time – and you've only got part of the picture! The set's put together with a lot of care – and it includes some English notes and photos of Lipman looking very groovy in the 70s. Titles include "Concerto For Young Lovers", "Night Fever", "Wives & Lovers", "Bonita Carmencita", "Beach Party In Santa Cruz", "Hey Du", "I Like It", "Easy Drummin", "Helicopter Power", "Girl Talk", "The Girl From Ipanema", and "Saludos Amigos". CD

Four full albums from the great Martin Denny – presented here with bonus tracks too! First up is the initial Exotica album – the birth of a sound and the birth of a legend – Martin Denny's first album in the Exotica series, and a record so great it named an entire genre! Denny certainly didn't invent the tropical style of easy listening that came to be known as "exotica" in the 50s – but with a record like this, he delivered the goods better than anyone else – by taking away all the too-sweet styles of Hawaiian music, and serving up a stripped-down, jazzy kind of sound! The album features Denny's classic original quartet – with Arthur Lyman on vibes and Augie Colon on bongos – and titles include "Stone God", "Jungle Flower", "Busy Port", "Lotus Land", and his hit recording of "Quiet Village". Exotica 2 is the second album in Denny's legendary Exotica trilogy – a set of records that provided the extreme definition of the small sub-genre that today has become the stuff of legend! Denny's still working here in his classic format – a small group with heavy piano lines, playful percussion, and some birdcalls sung by the members of the group! The set's a mix of strange songs from strange sources, all given the sublime Denny twist – and titles include "Singing Bamboos", "Escales", "August Bells", "Ebb Tide", "Rush Hour In Hong Kong", and "Soshu Night Serenade". Exotica 3 is sublime late 50s work from Martin Denny – his third album under the Exotica banner, and almost a deeper and weirder album than the other two! The sound here is extremely haunting – even more freed from conventional melody than the rest, and very fixated on the tonal possibilities that could be produced from Denny's unique grouping of percussion, piano, bass, and vibes. There's few tricks or gimmicks on the set – just a spare and other-worldly approach to music that's totally great! Titles include "Manila", "Mama Iti E Papa E", "Bamboo Lullaby", "Ringo Oiwake", "Moon Of Manakoora", "Congo Train", and "Beautiful Kahana". Quiet Village is an undisputed classic in the exotica genre – and the record that yielded Martin Denny his biggest hit! The title track "Quiet Village" was originally written by Les Baxter, but it was Martin Denny's approach that really managed to send the tune over the top – using spare percussion, rhythmic piano, and just the right amount of vibes and bird calls to give the track a really haunting feel. That approach is echoed throughout the set – with shifting instrumentation that includes celeste, bongos, marimbas, and marimbula as well! Titles include "Quiet Village", "Paradise Found", "Sake Rock", "Martinique", "Tune From Rangoon", and "Pagan Love Song". CD features bonus tracks too – "Llama Serenade" and "The Enchanted Sea" and more. CD

Sublime late 50s work from Martin Denny – his third album under the Exotica banner, and almost a deeper and weirder album than the other two! The sound here is extremely haunting – even more freed from conventional melody than the rest, and very fixated on the tonal possibilities that could be produced from Denny's unique grouping of percussion, piano, bass, and vibes. There's few tricks or gimmicks on the set – just a spare and other-worldly approach to music that's totally great! Titles include "Manila", "Mama Iti E Papa E", "Bamboo Lullaby", "Ringo Oiwake", "Moon Of Manakoora", "Congo Train", and "Beautiful Kahana". LP, Vinyl record album

Pre-moog work from Hugo Montenegro – but a set that's still pretty darn groovy! The Beach Boys reference in the title is very well put, as Hugo's using some cool harmony vocals for the record – a chorus that definitely takes some of its inspiration from Brian Wilson, singing here both with lyrics, and some wordless modes – not on every track, but used enough to give the record a really Sunshine Pop sort of appeal! Other instrumentation is great too – electric bass underneath fuller strings, offbeat woodwinds, fuzzy guitar, and even a bit of whistling – which has a cool sort of electronic feel. The blend of sounds is amazing – very unique, and already showing that Montenegro's one of the hippest talents of the 60s. Titles include "Classical Gas", "Rosemary's Baby", "Night Rider", "Lady in Cement", "A Future Left Behind", "Tony's Theme", and "Good Vibrations". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest records ever cut by Brit easy maestro Harry Roche – and a set that's got plenty of sweet 70s touches in the mix, at a level that really opens things up in a great way! The set's got some key Fender Rhodes from Alaln Branscombe, who has a very unique touch on the instrument – and in addition to Harry's own work on valve trombone, the record also features Ray Swinfield on flute, Chris Pyne on trombone, and Roy Wilcox on soprano and alto sax. There's plenty of other jazz players in the mix too, grooving to sweet arrangements from David Lindup, Derek Cox, Pete Moore, and others – on titles that include "Superwoman", "Pinball Wizard", "Good Morning Heartache", "Lay Lady Lay", "Ludmilla's Theme", "That's Living", and the 10 minute title track, "Spiral" – a mighty nice number! (Sound Library, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album