Magical work by one of the greatest harmony groups ever! The record is a truly magical album that has the group's voices supported on a brace of electric guitars, which makes for a really cool sound! The Freshmen harmonies are as perfect as ever – gliding along the electric strings on tunes that include "The More I See You", "Rain", "Invitation", "Nancy", "It All Depends On You", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", and "This October". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite sides by this excellent 50s vocal group – a tightly swinging batch of tracks with a really moody, modern edge! Half the set is arranged by the great Pete Rugolo, in the manner of the group's famous "trombones" session, done earlier with Pete – and the other half of the set is arranged by group member Dick Reynolds, following closely in Rugolo's style. The whole thing's great – with a nice brace of west coast saxes backing up the vocals – and titles include "For All We Know", "I May Be Wrong", "East Of The Sun", "Liza", and "This Can't Be Love". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

The Kirby Stone Four took the jazz vocal harmony style of groups like the Four Freshmen or The Hi Los, and they punched it up a bit, adding in a bit of humor and showmanship, in a mode that made them very popular with the live audiences in the Nevada clubs that were often their home turf. LP, Vinyl record album

The Kirby Stone Four were not always as right-on as other vocal quartets of their time, like the Four Freshmen or Hi-Lo's – but this album is one of their best, and features the group grooving in a tight harmony sound, with little of the "comedy" that sometimes mars other albums. Includes their classic hit recording of "Baubles Bangles & Beads", which is a mighty groover, plus jazzy vocal readings of standards like "Rain", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Swingin Down The Lane", and "Bidin My Time". Also includes a great reading of "Fugue For Tinhorns" (from Guys & Dolls)! Very jazzy, groovy, and wow wow wow! LP, Vinyl record album

The album that first launched the Beach Boys on an unsuspecting 60s scene – and a record that really raised the bar for rock and roll at Capitol Records! Although based around their early "Surfin Safari" hit, the album already shows that the group's got way more to offer than filler between the singles – a rich approach to their music that takes the 50s harmony styles of The Four Freshmen, and turns it on even more youthful, yearning themes – sometimes with a gimmick, sometimes with a surprisingly upfront sense of emotion. Titles include "Heads You Win Tails I Lose", "Cuckoo Clock", "Moon Dawg", "The Shift", "Ten Little Indians", "Chug A Lug", "Surfin Safari", and "Little Miss America". LP, Vinyl record album

Dreamy harmony jazz from the great Hi-Los – one of the hippest groups of the 50s, with a sweet quartet approach similar to The Four Freshmen, and which had a huge effect on pop in the 60s! The tunes on the set feature the group working with Frank Comstock – in an amazing style that turns just about any song into a unique little affair, voices sliding and colliding, running together with incredible richness that really opens up the tunes. Titles include "Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries", "Stormy Weather", "Basin Street Blues", "Brahm's Lullaby", "My Sugar Is So Refined", "I Married An Angel", and "Love Walked In". LP, Vinyl record album

A really heft collection of unreleased live recordings by this great Brazilian vocal group – one that almost seems to double their catalog of albums from the 70s! MPB4 got their start in the 60s, at a time when Brazil was really in love with harmony styles borrowed from American groups like The Hi-Los and Four Freshmen – and while many of the other Brazilian groups used the vocal modes in a bossa style, MPB4 were always able to take things one step further – often going for musical modes that brought a different sort of complexity to their harmonies, which only increased as the group moved into the 70s! You'll hear plenty of that here – as the live recordings mostly just feature their voices with a bit of light percussion and acoustic guitar – leaving plenty of space for their amazing vocal interplay right up front in the mix. The set features five full length concerts on CD – two recorded in Peru, one in 1973 and one in 1974 – plus sets recorded in 1975 and 1976. CD

Groovy vocals from 70s Japan – a very hip male quintet, and one with the same harmony sound as The Four Freshmen or The Hi-Los! Given the date of the record, the tunes are a bit more contemporary – but still swung by the group with a very jazzy style, one that often has sweet small combo backings stepping along with the vocals! There's a bit of a bossa influence going on with the instrumentation – especially on the percussion, and the album's use of flute and organ – and titles include "Windows Of The World", "Call Me", "The Look Of Love", "The Girl From Ipanema", "Yesterday", "Strangers In The Night", and "Theme From Un Homme Qui Me Plait". CD

A pretty groovy little album from Dinah Washington – at first glance a set of older standards, but at second glance a date that features some wonderfully swinging arrangements from Quincy Jones! The Q really helps Dinah break from the usual mode here – providing here with an upbeat, tightly snapping sort of groove – that sweetly syncopated Quincy Jones sound that really helped some singers hit new heights in the 60s. And as an added delight, The Dells make a key appearance on a few tracks – singing in a harmony group style that's similar to their one album on Vee Jay – almost more in Four Freshmen modes, but in a really great way! Titles include "Am I Blue", "Tears & Laughter", "If I Should Lose You", "I Just Found Out About Love", "Wake The Town & Tell The People", and "Wee Small Hours". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic Christmas sounds from the mighty Capitol Records – served up here in a package that has a very strong focus on the first two decades of the label! There's certainly some classics here, but there's also some overlooked gems – and most numbers are vocal tunes that reflect the excellent array of singers that Capitol was using at the time. Titles include "Silver Bells" by Al Martino, "Away In A Manger" by Louvin Brothers, "Jingle Bell Rock" by Wayne Newton, "Christmas Waltz" by Nancy Wilson, "Christmas All Alone" by The Lettermen, "Jingle Bells" by Dinah Shore, "Marshmallow World" by Ray Anthony, "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" by Molly Bee, "What Are You Doing New Years Eve" by Lena Horne, "Do You Hear What I Hear" by Sonny James, "Love Turns Winter To Spring" by Four Freshmen, "Count Your Blessings" by Gordon MacRae, "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" by Wayne Newton, "Winter Wonderland" by Johnny Mercer, "Old Toy Trains" by Glen Campbell, and "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm" by The Starlighters. LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Ray Anthony, Nat King Cole, the Four Freshmen, Sauter-Finegan Orchestra, Buddy Morrow, Ella Fitzgerald with Leroy Kirkland's Orchestra, the Mills Brothers, Sarah Vaughan with the Percy Faith Orchestra, Woody Herman & more. CD