Offered for sale is an original U.S. blue vinyl stereo pressing of High Noon Cha Cha Cha by trombonist Si Zentner.
About this copy: This copy of High Noon Cha Cha Cha is a 1959 U.S. stereo pressing on the short-lived Bel Canto label. As far as we know, Bel Canto issued all of their stereo LPs on colored vinyl, with all but one being blue.
The cover is VG+, with a small tear in the front cover slick at the top left hand corner. Aside from that, there is no wear on the cover and no splits or writing.
The blue vinyl stereo disc is M-. We saw two very faint hairlines on side one, and side two has no marks at all. There are a few spindle marks on the labels. Clean disc!
A nice copy of a scarce Jazz LP.
Background: Released in 1959, High Noon Cha Cha Cha was the third album by American trombonist Si Zentner.
One of the more unique Julie London recordings, Send for Me finds the ultra-lounge chanteuse mixing it up on 12 blues-based swingers. Far afield of the guitar and bass minimalism of the deservedly famous Julie Is Her Name recordings, Send for Me goes widescreen with full band and chorus charts by pianist Jimmy Rowles. While certainly no Dinah Washington, Londo… Another in a long line of fine albums London made for Liberty between the mid-’50s and early ’60s.
This item is eligible for PayPal Credit financing by PayPal. U.S. customers may choose to pay later at checkout, and may receive up to six months financing with no interest. Click the banner below for more information. (opens in a new window)
Offered for sale is a U.S. stereo pressing of Hypnotique, the fifth album by Martin Denny.
About this copy: This copy of Hypnotique is a 1960 U.S. stereo pressing on the multi-colored Liberty label of an album that was originally released in 1959.
The cover is VG+, with light general wear, but no splits.
The disc is VG++, with a couple of light marks on each side. Clean disc!
A nice copy of a terrific (and well-recorded) exotica LP.
Background: Released in 1959, Hypnotique was the fifth album by American pianist Martin Denny.
The pinnacle of Denny’s career, Hypnotique earns a place in history for its achingly beautiful jacket design alone. The same photo shoot also yielded the cover photo for the Denny-produced “Exotic Dreams” by singer Ethel Azama. The music of Hypnotique is just as compelling, producing an effect that certainly must be described as hypnotic, if not occasionally feverish…. Hypnotique is incredibly strong from start to finish, one of the first records one should pack in that slim, proverbial “desert island” suitcase.
Offered for sale is a U.S. stereo copy of The Charlie Parker Story #1 by Charlie Parker.
About this copy: This copy of The Charlie Parker Story #1 is a 1961 U.S. rechanneled stereo pressing on the Verve label of an album that was originally released in 1957 in mono only.
The cover is VG, with moderate general wear, but no splits.
The disc is VG+ and close to VG++ with a couple of light hairlines on side one and a couple of faint sleeve scuffs. A name has been written on the side one label.
A nice copy of a classic LP.
Background: Released in 1957, The Charlie Parker Story #1 was the first of three similarly-titled compilation albums by Charlie Parker.
Allmusic.com gave The Charlie Parker Story #1 a 4 1/2 star rating, but did not review the album.
Offered for sale is an original UK stereo pressing of Whipped Cream & Other Delights.
About this copy: This copy of Whipped Cream & Other Delights is a 1965 stereo pressing on the pink Pye label.
The cover is VG with moderate general wear and a repaired 3″ (8 cm) split at the center of the top edge. The cover says “Monaural” on the back, but there is a stereo sticker on the front cover.
The disc is VG++ and close to M- with a couple of faint scuffs. There are a number of spindle marks on the labels, but the album plays very well.
A nice copy of a hard to find first pressing and far and away the best-sounding version of this LP that we’ve ever heard.
Background: Fifty years later, few remember the extent to which Herb Alpert and his Tijuana Brass dominated pop music in the U.S. in the early 1960s. Several of their albums topped the charts, and many of them had high chart rankings simultaneously.
The Latin-flavored brass instrumental pop appealed to both teenagers and adults, and Alpert, who largely recorded alone with the help of the Wrecking Crew, had to actually create a Tijuana Brass band to fulfill performance commitments.
Whipped Cream & Other Delights is often dismissed today as a common album that seems to be ubiquitous in thrift stores, but that’s because the album, which spent nearly two months at #1 on the Billboard charts, was enormously popular in its day, selling some 6 million copies. Those sales weren’t a fluke; it’s a great record as well as a particularly well-recorded album.
Two of the tracks were used on the television program The Dating Game during the 1960s and 1970s – “Lollipops and Roses” and “Whipped Cream.”
The cover of Whipped Cream & Other Delights might be one of the best-known covers in pop history, featuring model Dolores Erickson covered in shaving cream. Numerous covers that spoof this one have also been released over the years, and a few years ago, Whipped Cream & Other Delights was even issued briefly as a picture disc.
Whipped Cream & Other Delights was so popular that it never went out of print, and remained available on vinyl until A&M quit pressing records.
Building upon South of the Border’s (1964) Top Ten success, Herb Alpert dismissed the contingency of Los Angeles-based studio instrumental all-stars, which he had christened the Tijuana Brass. Because there was enough demand for live dates, just like a musical Gepetto, Alpert formed a real Tijuana Brass. The bandleader/trumpeter was joined by Tonni Kalash (trumpet), Robert Edmondson (trombone), Pat Senatore (bass), John Pisano (guitars), Lou Pagani (piano), and Nick Ceroli (drums). Ostensibly, the personnel wasn’t a primary consideration as Alpert and company had already begun making serious inroads on the pop music scene. Not bad, considering the market was being heavily infiltrated, if not practically dominated by the British Invasion. With Whipped Cream & Other Delights (1965), they would take that momentum to new heights — including three Grammy Awards alone for the update of the Bobby Scott and Ric Marlow-penned theme to Shelagh Delaney’s play of the same name, “A Taste of Honey.”
Offered for sale is a still sealed original stereo copy of the electronic/psych LP The United States of America by the United States of America, with the record still sealed in the plastic inner sleeve.
About this copy: This copy of The United States of America is a 1968 U.S. stereo pressing on the “360° Sound” Columbia label.
The cover is VG+, with slight wear on the back near the top left corner. The words “DEMONSTRATION NOT FOR SALE” are stamped on the back cover. The cover is still in shrink wrap; the wrap may not be original. Aside from the one spot with wear, the cover is very clean, which is unusual for this title.
The disc is still sealed in the original plastic inner sleeve. The sleeve is fully intact, with no rips, tears, or holes. The disc is a stock copy. While there were white label promotional copies of this album, they were all pressed in mono. Stereo promotional copies, such as this one, were stock copies of the album with covers that were marked as promotional copies.
A beautiful copy of a rare electronic/psych LP and the first copy (in any condition) that we’ve had since the 1980s.
Background: Released in 1968, The United States of America was the only album by the band of the same name.
Originally released on Columbia in 1968, The United States of America is one of the legendary pure psychedelic space records. Some of the harder-rocking tunes have a fun house recklessness that recalls aspects of early Pink Floyd and the Velvet Underground at their freakiest; the sedate, exquisitely orchestrated ballads, especially “Cloud Song” and the wonderfully titled “Love Song for the Dead Che,” are among the best relics of dreamy psychedelia. Occasionally things get too excessive and self-conscious, and the attempts at comedy are a bit flat, but otherwise this is a classic.
You can listen to the single “The Garden of Earthly Delights” here:
This item is eligible for PayPal Credit financing by PayPal. U.S. customers may choose to pay later at checkout, and may receive up to six months financing with no interest. Click the banner below for more information. (opens in a new window)
Offered for sale is an original U.S. stereo pressing of Afro-Desia, the sixth album by Martin Denny.
About this copy: This copy of Afro-Desia is a 1959 U.S. stereo pressing on the black Liberty label.
The cover is VG, with slight ring wear, a small tear at the mouth, and a repaired 6″ (15 cm) split at the top seam.
The stereo disc is M- and appears to have had very little play. Clean disc!
A nice copy of an album that’s quite hard to find as a first pressing, as Liberty changed labels shortly after the album’s release. Great recording, too.
Background: Released in 1959, Afro-Desia was the sixth exotica album by American pianist Martin Denny.
Nominally, this represents Martin Denny’s attempt to evoke the ambience of the African continent, after having done the same for the South Pacific via a series of early albums. Denny does use marimba, vibes, bongos, congas, and timbales — not to mention sound effects of a buzzing tsetse fly and the rain forest. … This is, despite any impressions generated by the title, more exotica music, pure and simple.
Offered for sale is a U.S. stereo pressing of Exotica, the debut LP by Martin Denny.
About this copy: This copy of Exotica is a 1960 U.S. stereo pressing on the Liberty label of an album that was originally released (in mono only) in 1957. The album was re-recorded in stereo in 1958.
The cover is VG+ with light general wear.
The stereo disc is VG+ with a few light sleeve scuffs but no significant marks. It’s a clean disc that plays well.
A nice copy of a classic lounge/exotica LP.
Background: Released in 1957, Exotica was the debut LP by pianist Martin Denny. The album actually inspired a genre of music that bore the name of this album.
The album was recorded only in mono; in 1958, the album was re-recorded in stereo.
Exotica introduced the hit “Quiet Village,” catapulted the ersatz musical idiom of the same name, and brought much attention to the Martin Denny Group from visitors to the group’s base in Hawaii. Even the gorgeous jacket photo — of “exotica girl” Sandy Warner peeking out from a bamboo curtain — is a classic of the era.
Consistently pleasing, Latin Village is the triumph of Martin Denny’s search for a new style, post-exotica. It doesn’t hurt that many of the tunes are bossa novas. Significantly, Robert Drasnin lends his talents as co-arranger.
