INTRODUCTION:

Al Martino was born Jasper “Al” Cini on October 7, 1927 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was inspired to become a singer by emulating artists such as Al Jolson and Perry Como, and by the success of a family friend, Alfredo Cocozza, who had changed his name to Mario Lanza. Encouraged by Lanza, he adopted the stage name Al Martino - Martino being the name of his mother's father. He won first place on Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts in 1952. His first hit was “Here In My Heart”. The story behind this song was that it was originally offered to Mario Lanza, but Al Martino pleaded with Mario not to do so in order to let Martino's version have a clear run. The song spent three weeks at No. 1 on the US pop charts in June 1952, earning Martino a gold disc and, later in the year, also reached the top of the UK charts for 9 consecutive weeks, a record at that time.

Al Martino has an amazing charting career: 40 charted singles on Billboard Hot 100 from 1959 to 1977, and 25 charted albums on Billboard 200 from 1962 to 1975. He also played singer “Johnny Fontane” in the 1972 “The Godfather,” as well as singing the film's theme, "Speak Softly Love". He played the same role in “The Godfather Part III” and “The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980.” He later returned to acting, playing aging crooner Sal Stevens in the short film “Cutout.” Martino died on October 13, 2009 at the age of 82.

CONTENT:

This 2 CD set released by Jasmine Records from UK is not a Greatest Hits album. There are hit singles and b-sides, but most of the songs are album tracks, which are hard to come by. There are 58 songs in this 2 CD set. Since there is no song listing in the website, I have written the entire song listing with chart position and year, which is as follows:

Disc 1:
01 Here In My Heart (US 1(3)/1952; UK 1(9)/1952)
02 Wanted (UK 4/1954)
03 Take My Heart (US 12/1952; UK 9/1952)
04 Rachel (US 30/1953; UK 10/1953)
05 When You’re Mine (US 27/1953; UK 10/1953)
06 They Didn’t Believe Me (1952 version)
07 You’ll Never Walk Alone
08 I Surrender Dear
09 I’m Shooting High
10 I’ll Never Smile Again
11 All I Want Is A Chance (uncharted single, 1953)
12 Before (b-side to Sweetheart Of Mine, 1953)
13 Here Are My Arms
14 Sweetheart Of Mine (uncharted single, 1953)
15 You Can’t Go On Forever Breaking My Heart (b-side to All I Want Is A Chance, 1953)
16 I Still Believe (uncharted single, 1954)
17 Love Is Eternal (b-side to The Snowy, Snowy Mountains, 1955)
18 When (b-side to I Still Believe, 1954)
19 A Love To Call My Own (b-side to I’m Sorry, 1957)
20 Close To Me
21 Some Cloud Above
22 Don’t Forget Tonight Tomorrow
23 Whispering
24 If I Give My Heart To You
25 Take Me Back
26 Two Hearts Are Better Than One (b-side to I Can’t Get You Out Of My Heart, 1959)
27 Come Back To Me
28 It’s All Over But The Crying (b-side to Our Concerto, 1960)
29 Mama (uncharted single, 1960)

Disc 2:
01 Little Boy, Little Girl (US 109/1961)
02 My Side Of The Story (b-side to Little Boy, Little Girl, 1961)
03 In My Heart Of Hearts
04 My Belle Amore
05 Hello My Love
06 Time After Time
07 And I Have You My Love (b-side to Mama, 1960)
08 They Didn’t Believe Me (1959 version)
09 My One And Only Love
10 How should I Tell You
11 Con Amore
12 The Memory Of You (b-side to Darling, I Love You, 1957)
13 I Can’t Get You Out Of My Heart
14 Darling, I Love You (US 63/1959; originally uncharted single, 1957)
15 I Sold My Heart (b-side to Summertime, 1960)

SWING ALONG WITH AL MARTINO (Capitol, 1960):
16 Baby, Won’t You Please Come Home
17 All Of Me
18 It Had To Be You
19 Why Do I Love You? (uncharted single, 1960)
20 Three Little Words
21 I’ve Got You Under My Skin
22 When Your Lover Has Gone
23 All Or Nothing At All
24 Without A Word Of Warning
25 Makin’ Whoopee
26 Sunday (b-side to Why Do I Love You, 1960)
27 That Old Feeling

28 Summertime (UK 49/1960)
29 Our Concerto (uncharted single, 1960)

The sound is very well remastered, with no hiss. The accompanied 6-paged booklet is skimpy, but with interesting liner notes.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Al Martino’s catalogue has been neglected, and no complete singles discography is available. The most popular is of course the Best of Al Martino. Other CDs that I have include The Hits of Al Martino (EMI, 1988), The Al Martino Collection (Razer & Tie, 1999) and a CD with 2 albums. I hope someday, Collector’s Choice or Real Gone Music will release a Complete Capitol Singles Collection, with all the a and b-sides arranged chronologically. So far, I have only 7 CDs, but 23 vinyl albums, awaiting my 32-bit/96kHz digital remastering.

This set is not a Greatest Hits collection, thus you will not find the beloved “I Love You Because,””Painted, Talented Rose,””I Love You More And More Every Day,””Tears and Roses,””Spanish Eyes,””Speak Softly Love”, etc. But his voice is oh so soothing, and the entire set is very enjoyable, plus I found some missing songs to fill my own Singles Discography. If you like the songs just mentioned, you will like Al Martino’s voice. Since it is out of stock on Amazon.ca, buying from seller at a much cheaper price is a nice alternative. This set is recommended.

HISTORY:

Epic was an adjective usually applied to productions seen on the big screen before the mighty Columbia label created a subsidiary of that name in 1953. History tells us Epic was one of the most successful labels of the Eighties, thanks largely to Michael Jackson and his mega-selling recordings but, back in the Fifties, it was home to music that was somewhat further from the mainstream – jazz and classical in particular. The early Sixties saw that template expand to include a wider spectrum of music, largely due to overcrowding on the Columbia roster. Columbia would also use Epic as home to many British imports, everyone from the Hollies and Dave Clark Five through to Jeff Beck and Lulu. But for a short while in the early 60s, Epic became associated with young, untried acts. Bobby Vinton was the major star on the Epic label. In my other reviews of other labels, the story usually ended with the folding of the labels. Here, Epic is still very vibrant.

CONTENT:

This 3 CD set covers the period from 1960 – 1962 with 60 original recordings. The selections have great varieties and contain many rare gems. Since there is no song listing in the website, I have included the entire list (with chart position, year and comments) as follows:

Disc 1:
01 Halfway To Paradise – Tony Orlando (US 39/1961)(original version a major hit in UK by Billy Fury)
02 You Can Have Her – Roy Hamilton (US 12/1961)
03 Mr. Lonely – Bobby Vinton (US 1/1964)
04 What Do You Want – Ersel Hickey (uncharted, 1959)*rare gem (cover version of UK’s Adam Faith’s hit)
05 Bad Boy – Marty Wilde (US 45/1960; UK 7/1959)
06 Pow-Wow – The Stringmen (uncharted, 1961)
07 The Girl of My Best Friend – Marty Vine (uncharted, 1960)*rare gem (I still like Elvis’s version better; Ral Donner took it to #19/1961)
08 I’ve Got A Date With Frankie – Andrea Carroll (uncharted, 1961)*rare gem (the original title was I’ve Got A Date With Elvis, but it was changed because she had a crush on Frankie Avalon)
09 If You Don’t Care – The Danleers (uncharted, 1960)*rare gem (their only charted hit was One Summer Night (7/1958)
10 Keep Away From Other Girls – Helen Shapiro (UK 40/1962)*rare gem (I missed her husky voice)
11 Oh What A Day – The Ovations (uncharted, 1960)
12 True Love – Bobby Vinton (uncharted, 1960)
13 Don’t Blame Me – Erma Franklin (uncharted, 1961)*rare gem (Aretha Franklin’s elder sister; sang backup vocal by Aretha; her two charted hits were Piece of My Heart (62/1967) and Open Up Your Soul (107/1968)
14 Trail Of The Lonesome Pine – Link Wray (uncharted, 1960)*rare gem (his charted hit Rawhide should have been included (23/1959)
15 Be Bob Baby – The Confessions (uncharted, 1961)
16 (Got Your Kicks On) Route 66 – George Maharis (uncharted, 1962)
17 Never Take It Away – The Redwoods (uncharted, 1961)
18 Such A Fool Was I – George Torrence & The Dippers (uncharted, 1961)
19 Baby You Know You’re Wrong – The Dappers (uncharted, 1959)
20 Go Little Willie – Rex Garvin & The Mighty Cravers (uncharted, 1961)*rare gem (their only charted hit was Sock It To ‘Em J.B. Part 1 in 1966)

Disc 2:
01 Roses Are Red (My Love) – Bobby Vinton (US 1/1962; UK 15/1962)
02 Bless You – Tony Orlando (US 15/1961; UK 5/1961)
03 Young And Lonely – Andrea Carroll (uncharted, 1960)*rare gem (backup vocal for the Chiffons; her only charted hit was It Hurts To Be Sixteen (45/1963) and she was 16 when she recorded that song; she reminded me of Linda Scott; very cute too)
04 Tijuana – Link Wray & The Wraymen (uncharted, 1961)
05 Little Lover – The Danleers (uncharted, 1960)
06 Another Wasted Day – Ersel Hickey (uncharted, 1960)
07 My Love Is Real – The Dappers (uncharted, 1960)*rare gem
08 Angry – Marty Wilde (uncharted, 1960)
09 I’ll Come Running Back To You – Roy Hamilton (US 110/1962)*rare gem: not found in his Greatest Hits CD
10 Please Be Kind – Debbie Woods (uncharted, 1962)*rare gem
11 Venus – Bill Butler (uncharted, 1962)*rare gem (instrumental cover version of Frankie Avalon’s hit)
12 When You’re Alone – Donnie & The Del Chords (uncharted, 1961)
13 Come To Me – Richard ‘Popcorn’ Wylie (US 109/1962)*ultra rare gem
14 I’ll Never Smile Again – George Maharis (uncharted, 1962)
15 I Can’t Stop Loving You – Bobby Vinton (uncharted, 1962)
16 It’s Over – Erma Franklin (uncharted, 1961)*rare gem
17 Mary Ann – Link Wray (uncharted, 1960)
18 Just Walk Away – Buddy Greco (uncharted, 1962)
19 Run Little Girl – Little Joe & The Thrillers (uncharted, 1961)*rare gem
20 You Don’t Have To Be A Baby To Cry – Fred Neil (uncharted, 1960)*rare gem (original version, later a major hit by the Caravelles in 1963; he later wrote Everybody’s Talkin’ by Nilsson from Midnight Cowboy)

Disc 3:
01 Long As The Rose Is Red – Florraine Darlin (US 62/1962)*ultra rare gem (answer song to Bobby Vinton’s Roses Are Red)
02 Stardust Brought Me You – Ersel Hickey (uncharted, 1960)*rare gem (her only charted hit was Bluebirds Over The Mountain, later covered by the Beach Boys)
03 Little Miss Lonely – Helen Shapiro (UK 8/1962)
04 Rain, Rain Go Away – Bobby Vinton (US 12/1962)
05 Each Night I Cry – Erma Franklin (uncharted, 1961)*rare gem
06 El Toro – Link Wray & The Wraymen (uncharted, 1961)*rare gem
07 Teach Me Tonight – George Maharis (US 25/1962)
08 I’d Never Find Another You – Tony Orlando (uncharted, 1962)
09 No Matter What I Do – Billy Casher (uncharted, 1961)
10 King Or A Clown – Dick Flood (uncharted, 1962)*rare gem (his only charted hit was The Three Bells (The Jimmy Brown Story) 23/1959)
11 Little Girl – Marty Wilde (UK 16/1960)
12 Trouble Is My Middle Name – Bobby Vinton (US 33/1962)
13 Roses Of Picardy – Buddy Greco (uncharted, 1961)*rare gem
14 Earthquake – Roy Hamilton (uncharted, 1962)
15 Half A Block From an Angel – The Danleers (uncharted, 1960)
16 There’ll Be No Teardrops Tonight – Adam Wade (US 104/1962)*rare gem
17 Stormy Horizons – Jim & Jesse (uncharted, 1962)
18 A Girl Named Marie – Larry Stevens & The Three Dolls (uncharted, 1960)
19 Golden Strings – Link Wray (uncharted, 1960)*rare gem
20 Shake Shake Sherry – The Redwoods (aka The Flairs)(uncharted, 1961)

The audio is very well remastered, clean, with clear stereo separation. All these oldies are brought back to life again, with vibrancy and no hiss. One Day Music from UK has done a great job in releasing this series of the best of different labels. Normally, this series was a 2 CD set. I appreciate a 3 CD set with 60 great songs.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I am listening to the entire set as I am typing this review. It is a very enjoyable experience. All the songs, charted and uncharted, brought back many happy memories of the innocent days gone by. There are many rare gems too that I could not find elsewhere. Most importantly, the price is very reasonable and this set has great value. Since it is currently out of stock, buying from sellers at a much cheaper price is an excellent idea. Naturally this set is highly recommended for all music lovers of music of the 60s.

INTRODUCTION:

Paul Revere and the Raiders was formed in Boise, Idaho, originally consisting of Paul Revere (vocals), Mark Lindsay (vocals), Jim Valley (guitar), Drake Levin (guitar), Phil “Fang” Volk (bass) and Michael Smith (drums)(no relation to the late lead vocalist of the Dave Clark Five). They have a total of 30 charted singles on Billboard Hot 100 (Paul Revere and the Raiders, 1961-1965), (Paul Revere and the Raiders, featuring Mark Lindsay, 1965-1969) and the Raiders (1970-1973). They also have 17 charted albums on Billboard 200. Playing on Revere's name, the group wore American Revolutionary War soldier uniforms. They also have their own daily ABC-TV Where The Action Is show.

CONTENT:

In this set, their first 5 charted albums on Columbia Records are featured, although they released two albums previously: Like, Long Hair (Gardenia label) 1961, and Paul Revere and the Raiders (Sande label) 1963. Since the song listing was not included in the website, the entire song listing (with chart position and year) is as follows:

DISC 1:

HERE THEY COME (Columbia 2307)(71/1965):
01 You Can't Sit Down
02 Money (That's What I Want)
03 Louie, Louie (US 103/1963)
04 Do You Love Me
05 Big Boy Pete
06 Oo Poo Pah Doo (b-side to Sometimes, 1965)
07 Sometimes (US 131/1965)
08 Gone
09 These Are Bad Times (For Me and My Baby)
10 Fever
11 Time Is on My Side
12 A Kiss to Remember You By

JUST LIKE US (Columbia 2451)(5/1966):
13 Steppin' Out (US 46/1965)
14 Doggone
15 Out of Sight
16 Baby, Please Don't Go
17 I Know
18 Night Train (b-side to Louie, Louie, 1963)
19 Just Like Me (US 11/1965)
20 Catch the Wind
21 (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
22 I'm Crying
23 New Orleans
24 Action

MIDNIGHT RIDE (Columbia 2508)(9/1966):
25 Kicks (US 4/1966)
26 There's Always Tomorrow
27 Little Girl in the 4th Row
28 Ballad of a Useless Man

DISC 2:

MIDNIGHT RIDE (Columbia 2508)(9/1966)(contd):
01 I'm Not Your Stepping Stone
02 There She Goes (b-side to Hungry, 1966)
03 All I Really Need Is You
04 Get It On
05 Louie, Go Home (US 118/1964)
06 Take a Look at Yourself
07 Melody for an Unknown Girl

THE SPIRIT OF 67 (Columbia 2595)(9/1966):
08 Good Thing (US 4/1966)
09 All About Her
10 In My Community (b-side to The Great Airplane Strike, 1966)
11 Louise
12 Why? Why? Why? (Is It So Hard)
13 Oh! To Be a Man
14 Hungry (US 6/1966)
15 Undecided Man (b-side to Good Thing)
16 Our Candidate
17 1001 Arabian Nights
18 The Great Airplane Strike (US 20/1966)

REVOLUTION! (Columbia 2721)(25/1967):
19 Him or Me - What's It Gonna Be? (US 5/1967)
20 Reno
21 Upon Your Leaving (b-side to I Had A Dream, 1967)
22 Mo'reen
23 Wanting You
24 Gone - Movin' On
25 I Had a Dream (US 17/1967)
26 Tighter
27 Make It with Me
28 Ain't Nobody Who Can Do It Like Leslie Can
29 I Hear a Voice

Raven is a reputable label from Australia. The sound is well remastered with no hiss. There is a 12-page booklet with good informative liner notes, plus many picture sleeves. Unfortunately, no individual album front covers are featured.

PRICES:

Recently, many labels including Sony Music have been releasing Original Album Classics or Original Album Series where 5 original albums were featured with their own individual CDs and cardboard housing, but most importantly, at very reasonable price. This is my latest way to re-collect many of the albums by artists that I like. Here, Raven cramped 5 albums into 2 CDs, while it charges an exuberant high price. This is the only negative point in this review.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Paul Revere and the Raiders have been neglected as far as their releases are concerned. My favourite CDs are ‘The Legend of Paul Revere’, a 2 CD set with 55 songs, released on Columbia in 1990, and ‘The Essential Ride, 63-627’, a single CD on Columbia Legacy with 20 tracks, released in 1995, plus the recent release of the Complete Columbia Singles by Mark Lindsay, on Real Gone Music label in 2012. From the above you will have the complete singles discography of Paul Revere and the Raiders, but a few b-sides are still missing. This 5 album in 2 CDs is a great addition to my library. This set represents the essential core of their Columbia Records output, presenting bold slices of ‘60s rock & roll with a defiant, punky edge. Collectors’ Choice has released a Complete Columbia Singles (a 3CD set with 66 tracks), but available on Amazon.ca for $63, and on Amazon.co.uk for an amazing £30 ($46), and on Amazon.com for US$50!! Wow! This set has been discontinued, thus becoming a collector’s item, hence the high price. My other wish is for future albums by Paul Revere and the Raiders (from 1967 to 1972) to be released in a cheaper format, like Original Album Classics. Although the price is high (one can try the sellers), the above 5 albums are hard to get and their music will bring back many memories of days gone by, and this set is still recommended.

INTRODUCTION:

Johnny Mathis was born on September 30, 1935 in Gilmer, Texas, and raised in San Francisco. He was discovered by George Avakian of Columbia Records. He initially recorded as a jazz-styled singer. Columbia A&R executive Mitch Miller switched him to singing pop ballads, and the rest is history. He has 53 charted singles on Billboard Hot 100. But more amazingly, he has 76 charted albums on Billboard 200. His charting career is mainly on Columbia Record label, from 1957 to 2006. He was briefly with Mercury Records label from 1964 to 1967.

Johnny Mathis has an outstanding 4 CD box set called A Personal Collection, released on Columbia Records in 1993. Collectors’ Choice has released quite a few 2 LPs on 2CDs, but for some unknown reason, this series was stopped. Fortunately, Real Gone Music, an excellent reissue label from UK, now has undertaken to release more of Johnny’s albums, concentrating now on his Mercury releases. So far, 4 sets of 8 albums on 8 CDs have just been released (my reviews elsewhere).

CONTENT:

This 2 CD set, released by Delta Music Group from UK, consists of 45 familiar old standards, done Johnny Mathis style. Since there is no song listing in the website, I have listed all the songs (together with the album source and year):

Disc 1:
01 Fly Me To The Moon (from album The Great Years, 1964)
02 Misty (single, 12/1959; from album Heavenly, 1959)
03 When I Fall In Love (from album Open Fire, Two Guitars, 1959)
04 Embraceable You (from album Open Fire, Two Guitars, 1959)
05 April in Paris (from album Johnny’s Mood, 1960)
06 Maria (single, 78/1960; from album Faithfully, 1960)
07 Secret Love (from album Faithfully, 1960)
08 Everything’s Coming Up Roses (from album the Rhythms and Ballads Of Broadway, 1960)
09 You Do Something To Me (from album the Rhythms and Ballads Of Broadway, 1960)
10 Let’s Misbehave (from album the Rhythms and Ballads Of Broadway, 1960)
11 I Could Have Danced All Night (from album the Rhythms and Ballads Of Broadway, 1960)
12 Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall In Love)(from album the Rhythms and Ballads Of Broadway, 1960)
13 Easy To Love (from album Johnny Mathis, 1957)
14 Street Of Dreams (from album The Great Years, 1964)
15 I Concentrate On You (from album Open Fire, Two Guitars, 1959)
16 You’ll Never Know (from album Open Fire, Two Guitars, 1959)
17 All Through The Night (from album Wonderful, Wonderful, 1957)
18 It Could Happen To You (from album Wonderful, Wonderful, 1957)
19 You Stepped Out Of A Dream (from album Wonderful, Wonderful, 1957)
20 Day In, Day Out (from album Wonderful, Wonderful, 1957)
21 I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face (from album Warm, 1957)
22 It’s De Lovely (from album Swing Softly, 1958)
23 In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning (from album Wonderful, Wonderful, 1957)

Disc 2:
01 My Funny Valentine (from album Open Fire, Two Guitars, 1959)
02 I’ve Got The World On A String (from album Swing Softly, 1958)
03 Tonight (from album Faithfully, 1960)
04 That Old Black Magic (from album Wonderful, Wonderful, 1957)
05 Stranger in Paradise (from album Heavenly, 1959)
06 Too Close For Comfort (from album Wonderful, Wonderful, 1957)
07 Get Me To The Church On Time (from album Swing Softly, 1958)
08 You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To (from album Swing Softly, 1958)
09 Love Walked In (from album Swing Softly, 1958)
10 Moonlight Becomes You (from album Heavenly, 1959)
11 They Say It’s Wonderful (from album Heavenly, 1959)
12 I Have Dreamed (from album The Rhythms And Ballads Of Broadway, 1960)
13 On The Sunny Side Of The Street (from album The Rhythms And Ballads Of Broadway, 1960)
14 My Romance (from album The Rhythms And Ballads Of Broadway, 1960)
15 Dancing On The Ceiling (from album The Rhythms And Ballads Of Broadway, 1960)
16 Isn’t It A Pity (from album The Rhythms And Ballads Of Broadway, 1960)
17 Spring Is Here (from album The Rhythms And Ballads Of Broadway, 1960)
18 Don’t Blame Me (from album The Rhythms And Ballads Of Broadway, 1960)
19 Taking A Chances On Love (from album The Rhythms And Ballads Of Broadway, 1960)
20 Guys And Dolls (from album The Rhythms And Ballads Of Broadway, 1960)
21 Tenderly (from album Open Fire, Two Guitars, 1959)
22 The Party’s Over (from album The Rhythms And Ballads Of Broadway, 1960)

All the songs are original versions. The audio is well remastered with clear warm sound. His smooth, lush, warm singing, widely recognized as the Mathis Sound, is smack in the middle.

There is a skimpy 6 page booklet, with a reasonable well written liner notes.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I am a big fan of Johnny Mathis. So far, I managed to acquire 47 CDs and 51 vinyl albums. I am slowly getting there, but my collection is far from complete. This current set is not a Greatest Hits set. From the song listing above, one appreciates that all the songs are well known ballads from the 40s and 50s, with a distinctive Johnny Mathis’s interpretation. I appreciate the producers trying to group songs from one album together, so that you can easily float from one song to the other. I am listening to both CDs as I type this review. The entire set is very enjoyable, like a Johnny Mathis concert at the height of his career. If you like Johnny Mathis and old standards, this reasonably priced set is highly recommended.

HISTORY:

The Cadence Record label was founded in December 1952 in New York by arranger and bandleader Archie Bleyer, musical director for the Arthur Godfrey Show. The label was initially conceived as a vehicle to promote the career of Julius La Rosa, a resident singer on the Arthur Godfrey Show. The next big signing was the Chordettes. Their first big hit ‘Mr. Sandman’ was produced and arranged by Archie Bleyer who, incidentally, can be heard saying the word ‘yes’ in the third verse. Bleyer later married Janet Ertel, one of the Chordettes. Bleyer himself has a big US hit in 1954 with ‘Hernando’s Hideaway’ a tango tune from the musical ‘The Pajama Game.’ In 1955, Bill Hayes was signed to the label, and immediately has a Number 1 hit with ‘The Ballad of Davy Crockett.’ At the end of 1955, Bleyer signed a new heartthrob solo vocalist from the Williams Brothers singing group. This was, of course, Andy Williams, who had a Number 1 hit in 1957 with ‘Butterfly.’ In 1957, two young brothers from Nashville were signed, called the Everly Brothers, who had no less than sixteen hits on the Cadence Record label. Chet Atkins also played guitar on many of the duo’s songs. Incidentally, Phil Everyly’s wife Jackie was the daughter of Janet Ertel, which made Archie Bleyer Phil’s stepfather-in-law. In 1958, Johnny Tillotson signed to Cadence and his big hit ‘Poetry in Motion’ reached Number 1 in UK. That song featured top session musicians Boots Randolph on saxophone and Floyd Cramer on piano. Cadence also has its fair share of novelty recordings, such as those by Eddie Hodges. Cadence Records shut its doors in 1964, a victim of the British invasion – but, this label represents an importance slice of pop history at the quality end of the musical spectrum.

CONTENT:

This 2 CD set, released by UK label One Day Music, has a total of 50 songs. Since the song listing is not included in the website, for your information, I have listed the entire song listing, with label & number, chart position and year:

Disc 1:
01 Poetry in Motion – Johnny Tillotson (Cadence 1384) US 2/1960
02 Wake Up Little Susie – The Everly Brothers (Cadence 1337) US 1/1957
03 I’m Gonna Knock On Your Door – Eddie Hodges (Cadence 1397) US 12/1961
04 Butterfly – Andy Williams (Cadence 1308) US 1/1957
05 Eddie My Love – The Chordettes (Cadence 1284) US 14/1956
06 Go Baby Go – The Four Top Hatters (Cadence 1255) 1954*rare gem
07 Rumble – Link Wray & His Ray Men (Cadence 1347) US 16/1958*R&R Hall of Fame
08 Cherry Berry Wine – Charlie McCoy (Cadence 1390) US 99/1961*rare gem
09 Without You – Johnny Tillotson (Cadence 1404) US 7/1961
10 The Ballad of Davy Crockett – Bill Hayes (Cadence 1256) US 1/1956
11 A Taste of Honey – Lenny Welch (Cadence 1256) 1960*rare gem
12 Forbidden City – John Buck & His Blazers (Cadence 1359) 1958*rare gem
13 I Love My Girl – The Metronomes (Cadence 1310) 1957*rare gem
14 (‘Til) I Kissed You – The Everly Brothers (Cadence 1369) US 4/1959
15 Blue Doll – Anita Carter (Cadence 1333) 1958*rare gem
16 The Hawaiian Wedding Song – Andy Williams (Cadence 1358) US 11/1959
17 Zindy Lou – The Mariners (Cadence 1278) 1955*rare gem
18 It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin’ – Johnny Tillotson (Cadence 1418) US 3/1962
19 Lighthouse – Ocie Smith (Cadence 1278) 1957*rare gem
20 Drown In My Own Tears – Don Shirley Trio (Cadence 1408) US 100/1962*rare gem
21 (Girls, Girls, Girls) Made To Love – Eddie Hodges (Cadence 1421) US 14/1962
22 You Don’t Know Me – Lenny Welch (Cadence 1373) US 45/1960
23 I’m Here To Get My Baby Out of Jail – The Everly Brothers (Cadence 1429) US 76/1962
24 Do You Mind? – Andy Williams (Cadence 1381) US 70/1960
25 That’s OK – The Wright Sisters (Cadence 1411) 1961*rare gem

Disc 2:
01 Bye Bye Love – The Everly Brothers (Cadence 1315) US 2/1957
02 I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You) – Johnny Tillotson (Cadence 1432) US 24/1962
03 Lonely Street – Andy Williams (Cadence 1370) US 5/1959
04 Mr. Sandman – The Chordettes (Cadence 1247) US 1/1954
05 Hernando’s Hideaway – Archie Bleyer (Cadence 1338) US 2/1954
06 Bandit of My Dreams – Eddie Hodges (Cadence 1410) US 65/1962
07 The Swag – Link Wray & His Ray Men (Cadence 1347) 1958*rare gem
08 45 Men In A Telephone Booth – The Four Top Hatters (Cadence 1268) 1955*rare gem
09 It’s Just Not That Easy – Lenny Welch (Cadence 1416) 1962
10 When Will I Be Loved – The Everly Brothers (Cadence 1380) US 8/1960
11 Chi Chi – John Buck & His Blazers (Cadence 1359) 1960*rare gem
12 The Bibao Song – Andy Williams (Cadence 1398) US 37/1961
13 Gonna Find Me A Bluebird – Joyce Hahn (Cadence 1318) US 84/1957*ultra rare gem
14 Send Me The Pillow You Dream On – Johnny Tillotson (Cadence 1424) US 17/1962
15 Ain’t Gonna Wash For A Week – Eddie Hodges (Cadence 1397)(b-side to I’m Gonna Knock On Your Door, 1961)*rare gem
16 Moon River – Jean Thomas (Cadence 1419) 1962*rare gem (good singing and harmonica)
17 Dear Don – Metronomes (Cadence 1339) 1957*rare gem
18 Tough Chick – The Rockbusters (Cadence 1371) 1959*rare gem
19 Congratulations Baby – Lenny Welch (Cadence 1422) 1962
20 Twilight Time – Andy Williams (Cadence 1433) US 86/1962
21 Eloise – Kay Thompson (Cadence 1286) US 39/1956*rare gem
22 I’m Never Gonna Kiss You – Johnny Tillotson (Cadence 1354) 1958*rare gem
23 Lightning Express – The Everly Brothers (Cadence 1429) 1958*rare gem
24 Water Boy – Don Shirley Trio (Cadence 1392) US 40/1961*rare gem
25 I Saw You, I Saw You – Joyce Hahn (Cadence 1318)(b-side to Gonna Find Me A Bluebird, 1957)*ultra-rare gem

The sound is very well remastered, all original versions, clean with no hiss. Good job!

FINAL THOUGHTS:

One Day Music has done a great job releasing these 50 gems from the Cadence Record label. This set is much better than an earlier 2 CD set released by Varese label in 1996. I am typing this review as I listen to this set – a totally enjoyable experience. The sound is very good. This is also a good way to collect the rare hits by Eddie Hodges. To listen to early Andy Williams, Chordettes, Everly Brothers and then Johnny Tillotson is pure Poetry in Motion. This set is highly recommended.

INTRODUCTION:

Enoch Light (1907-1978) was the conductor of his own orchestra, The Light Brigade, since 1935. He was president of Grand Award label and managing director for Command Records, for whom he produced a long string of hit stereo percussion albums in the 1960s, which were considered as audiophile collector’s items. Enoch’s studio musicians were variously billed as Terry Snyder And The All-Stars, and the Command All-Stars. He was surround by top-notched personnel, including Tony Mottola on guitar, Doc Severinsen on trumpet, Phil Bodner on saxophone and Phil Kraus on percussion.

Enoch Light has 26 charted albums, starting with I Want To Be Happy Cha Cha’s on the Grand Award label, followed by his famous Persuasive Percussion which hit Number 1 for 13 weeks in 1960. There were two very distinctive features: 1) the album covers, which usually featured black round dots (if you have seen the album cover, you will know what I mean), and 2) the ping-pong effect of the first stereo sound.

Enoch Light’s earlier albums are slowly released on CDs by labels such as Varese, Goldies and Sepia, especially those famous Persuasive and Provocative Percussion series. Being a completist, I try to collect as many as possible all the releases of Enoch Light, plus other releases on the Command label, such as Tony Mottola, etc. So far, I manage to have 33 CDs and 35 original albums. When I have time, I shall convert them all into CDs using 32-bit/96kHz remastering.

CONTENT:

This CD contains two albums by Enoch Light, with a total of 24 songs. The song listing (with chart position and year) is as follows:

PROVOCATIVE PERCUSSION VOLUME 3 (Command 821) 1961:
01 Easy To Love
02 April in Portugal
03 The Continental
04 Pagan Love Song
05 Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive
06 El Relicario
07 Far Away Places
08 Let’s Do It
09 Theme From Exodus
10 Adios Mucharchos
11 Provocative Percussion
12 Old Devil Moon

PROVOCATIVE PERCUSSION VOLUME 4 (Command 834) 1962:
13 On The Street Where You Live
14 You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me
15 You're My Desire
16 Comme Si Coome Ca
17 I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good
18 Do-Do-Do
19 Make Someone Happy
20 You're An Old Smoothie
21 Solitude
22 With My Eyes Wide Open I'm Dreaming
23 The Look Of Love
24 I Love You

Sepia Records uses 24 bit Cedar remastering, and the result is vibrant, warm and sexy sound. The stereo separation is clear and crisp.

There is an informative 8-page booklet. Putting the original album covers on the entire front and back covers is greatly appreciated. If Sepia Records also put the album back covers (like Real Gone Music), that will be truly icing on the cake.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

If you are looking for the Persuasive Percussion and Provocative Percussion series by Enoch Light, let me summarize where you can find the whole series:

5 Top-Five Albums by Enoch Light (Goldies):
Persuasive Percussion, Persuasive Percussion Volume 2 and Persuasive Percussion
Volume 3; Provocative Percussion and Provocative Percussion Volume 2 (more value)

Persuasive Percussion by Terry Snyder And The All Stars (Sepia):
Persuasive Percussion and Persuasive Percussion Volume 2 (with the best sound)

Persuasive Percussion and Provocative Percussion (Varese)(incomplete)

If you also have the current set in addition to the above, you will have the entire Percussion Persuasive and Provocative) series. If you like Enoch Light and his music, the above albums were all collectors’ items, and now, they appear on CDs with great sound…FINALLY! Highly recommended.

INTRODUCTION:

‘Skyfall’ is the 23rd Bond movie released during the 50th anniversary of James Bond franchise, and is also the highest grossing James Bond movie. In my review of the audio for the blu ray movie, I gave full marks for the fantastic audio, especially Thomas Newman’s score.

Thomas Montgomery Newman is a member of a film-scoring dynasty in Hollywood that includes his father, Alfred Newman, brother David Newman, sister Maria Newman, uncles Lionel Newman and Emil Newman, and cousin Randy Newman (nominated 20x, but only won 2). His father Alfred Newman was considered one of the three godfathers of movie music, the others being Max Steiner and Dimitri Tiomkin. Alfred Newman won 9 Oscars, and was nominated 45 times, just behind Disney and John Williams. However, Thomas Newman is not too shabby with 11 Oscar nominations so far, but he has yet to win one.

The score by Thomas Newman for 'Skyfall' was at special request by director Sam Mendes. Thomas Newman’s previous scores include ‘The Shawshank Redemption,’’Up Close And Personal,’’The Green Mile,’’Erin Brockovich,’’Finding Nemo,’Wall-E,’ ‘The Iron Lady’ and many more.

CONTENT:

Bad Point: First and foremost, the Oscar winning title song ‘Skyfall’ by Adele is NOT included in this soundtrack. Pity! This fact is not stated on the Amazon promo, although this is clearly stated in small letters at the back cover of the CD, if you are buying this in HMV stores.

Good points: There are a total of 30 tracks. The sound is very well remastered, reproducing the atmosphere and music one hears in the movie. There is also a 16 page booklet with pictures of individual stars.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Being a completist and James Bond fan, this CD is a must-own. Thomas Newman is a great composer, but nobody can be compared to his father Alfred Neman. In this soundtrack, the purposely deletion of Adele’s Oscar winning title song is unforgivable. The song is available separately as a CD single. In this soundtrack CD, the music is good and audio well remastered, and this CD is still recommended for all Bond fans and lovers of soundtrack music.

VIDEO:

‘Les Miserables’ arrives on blu ray with MPEG-4 AVC 1080p 1.85:1 encode. Director Tom Hooper and cinematographer Danny Cohen favour a gritty, and quite often dark, ambience for this film. There is a slow but steady evolution from darkness to light in the film, obviously done intentionally. That means the first part of this film often has a murky, ill defined ambience, though it is to the credit of this high definition presentation that fine detail and shadow detail still remain commendable almost all of the time. Close-ups in fact often offer a staggering amount of fine detail, an aspect which only improves once the film moves into brighter territory. The first half or so of the film has been colour graded fairly aggressively toward the blue end of the spectrum, with the second half imbued with more of a golden amber hue. The blacks are perfectly rendered. Hooper's intended close-ups reveal a ton of fine facial detail: from strained faces, furrowed brows, anguished age lines, pores, facial hair, dirt, scrapes, bruises, and blood. What I like the best is Hooper uses ultra-close-ups on the actors faces as they are belting out their lines. This is something you are rarely privy to when watching a stage play. The sheer distance of the audience from the actors on stage makes it difficult to discern slight facial expressions. Here everything is on display. The grief, the anguish, and the pain. It's all there. It may not be pretty to look at, but it sure gets the story's point across. (4.5/5)

AUDIO:

‘Les Miserables’ comes with an absolutely stellar DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio track, that truly engulfs the viewer. The weight of the music and the lyrics being belted by the actors is tremendous. The front channels provide a very loud and very clear rendition of the famous songs being sung. Every lyric is crystal clear. The bass is beautifully deep. The deep rumbling of the bass in the opening number is fantastic to hear and feel. One of the best things about this film is the incredibly smart mixing of ambient environmental sounds with the continuing underscore and vocals. This can be rather subtle at times, as with the crash of waves in the opening sequence, or more immediate and apparent, as in the huge barricade sequence. Even the sung elements feature discrete channelization which open the film up aurally and present a well defined sense of space within the frame. Overall, this is an all around spectacular audio experience. The only weak point is Russell Crowe’s singing. However, Anne Hathaway's rendition of 'I Dreamed A Dream' was the highlight, done with lots of feelings and warmth. I have listened to Elaine Paige's, and Susan Boyle's versions, but I like Anne's version the BEST! (5/5)

AWARDS:

2013 Academy Award Winners:
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
Best Achievement in Makeup and Hair Styling

2013 Academy Award Nominations:
Best Picture
Best Actor: Hugh Jackman
Best Original Song: Suddenly
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Best Achievement in Production Design

TRIVIA:

‘Les Miserables’ has an estimated budget of $61 million, and its worldwide gross was $429 million.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I found the entire movie to be an enthralling experience. It isn't without its faults though. Russell Crowe is outmatched by the immense singing talent surrounding him. Anne Hathaway destroys them all though. Her performance alone is worth the money, with the highlight of her singing ‘I Dreamed A Dream.’ With absolutely beautiful video and audio, ‘Les Miserables’ comes highly recommended.

VIDEO:

‘Life of Pi’ arrives on blu ray with MPEG-4 AVC 1080p 1.85:1 encode. The transfer is pristine, with tremendous details and contrasts. Shot digitally with Arri Alexa cameras, the film has a very clean look. The contrasts and details are outstanding: see Pi's chapped lips after months on the life raft, or the individual beads of sand on his face when he washes up on shore, or the fine texture of the writer's t-shirt. All of the live-action cinematography is intense and sharp. The picture on the whole has a great sense of pop and clarity. Colours are vibrant and blacks are inky. The result is a great visual experience. (4.5/5)

AUDIO:

‘Life of Pi’ come with an energetic DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit), giving us an immersive experience: like the sinking of the cargo ship during the furious storm, swells pound the deck and water sprays, and rain pours down from all sides. We are also put right in the middle of the tempest. The showpiece audio sequence is probably the scene with the flying fish, which go darting and flapping through the soundfield, occasionally thwacking into Pi. The noise of Richard Parker's claws scraping the sides of the lifeboat, desperately trying to catch hold, is incredibly precise. Dialogue is easily understood. Surrounding the effects and voices is Mychael Danna's Academy Award-winning score, which effectively mixes Indian instrumentation with western orchestration. (5/5)

MOVIE:

Based on the acclaimed best-selling novel from Yann Martel that has been published in 40 languages, and brought to life by visionary Academy Award winning director Ang Lee, this magical adventure of hope, wonder, survival, and the power of the human spirit has been celebrated by critics all over the world. 'Life of Pi' follows Pi Patel, a young man on a fateful voyage who, after a spectacular disaster, is marooned on a lifeboat with the only other survivor, a fearsome 450 lb Bengal Tiger named Richard Parker. Hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery Pi and his majestic companion make an amazing and unexpected connection. (5/5)

Principal photography started in Puducherry at the Holy Rosary Church in Muthialpet, and moved to other parts of India, including the popular hill station of Munnar in Kerala, as well as 2.5 months in Taiwan. The ocean scenes of the film were shot at a giant wave tank built by the crew in an abandoned airport in Taichung, Taiwan.

AWARDS:

2013 Academy Award Winners (more than any other film from 2012):
01 Best Director (Ang Lee)
02 Best Cinematography (Claudio Miranda)
03 Best Original Score (Mychael Danna)
04 Best Visual Effects (Bill Westonhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik De Boer, Donald Elliott)

2013 Academy Award Nominations:
01 Best Picture (Gil Netter, Ang Lee, David Womack)(lost to Ben Affleck & George Clooney’s ‘Argo’)
02 Best Original Song (Pi’s Lullaby)(lost to ‘Skyfall’ by Adele)
03 Best Editing (lost to William Goldenberg’s ‘Argo’)
04 Best Production Design (lost to ‘Lincoln’)
05 Best Sound Editing (lost to ‘Skyfall’ and ‘Zero Dark Thirty’)
06 Best Sound Mixing (lost to ‘Les Miserables’)
07 Best Screenplay (lost to Chris Terrio’s ‘Argo’)

TRIVIA:

‘Life of Pi’ has an estimated budget of $120 million, and its worldwide gross so far is $586 million.

The second 2012 movie featuring Irrfan Khan that has a character named ‘Richard Parker’. The first is The Amazing Spider-Man.

86% of the tiger shots are CGI, while 14% (or 23 shots) are real. In some cases it's intercut with a CGI tiger. Scenes where a real tiger is used:

- The shot in the beginning where he's sitting
- Richard Parker swims in the water and can't get back onto the boat without Pi's help
- Most scenes where Pi is training the tiger with the stick.
- Richard Parker sits down and scratches his claws on a hatch below him

Did you notice that when Pi is telling the story, the camera is reflected in his eyes?

CONTROVERSIES:

The film was nominated for, and later won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects at the 2013 Academy Awards. Despite this, Rhythm & Hues Studios, who provided visual effects for the film, were forced to file for bankruptcy on February 11 2013, citing unfair competition from subsidized and tax exempt foreign studios. This sparked a demonstration of nearly 500 VFX artists who protested during the 2013 Academy Awards. The prolonged political acceptance speech for Best Visual Effects was drown out by the music from ‘Jaws.’ During his acceptance speech, Ang Lee, for some unknown reason, also did not thank the visual effects people, whom I think is primary responsible for the success of the film. However, his thanking and mentioning of Taiwan was headline news in Taiwan.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

If you have a 3D TV, ‘Life of Pi’ 3D is definitely the preferred experience. But the 2D version also has great depth and dimensionality. Besides the artistry of Ang Lee and Claudio Miranda, great credit must go to the Visual Effects department. It is sad to see the original company, Rhythm & Hues Studios, went into bankruptcy, citing unfair subsidy and tax exemption. In the past year, Toronto gave out lots of tax credits and exemptions, and has made big gain in luring a lot of movie business here, resulting in great loss in Vancouver’s movie industry. I guess this is just simply “business”. ‘Life of Pi’ is highly recommended.

VIDEO:

The Hunchback of Notre Dame I (blu ray):

‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame I’ arrives at blu ray with MPEG-4 AVC 1080p 1.78:1 encode. Colours are warm and vibrant, with bold primaries, rich purples and golds, and deep blacks. Detail is excellent too. The animators' line art is crisp and clean on the whole, the brushstrokes and textures of the hand-painted backgrounds are wonderfully resolved, and the CG elements fare well, even under high definition scrutiny. (4/5)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (blu ray):

Like the utterly ugly sequel to 'Pocahontas,' this Direct-To-Video (MPEG-4 AVC 1080p 1.66:1) sucks all the life and charm out of the original animation, instead producing a movie that befits the starkly flat animation of a 'Duck Tales' episode. It's a very sad movie to look at, let alone watch. (1.5/5)

AUDIO:

The Hunchback of Notre Dame I:

Disney has provided a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track for 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame.' The audio mix does a good job at showcasing the movie's musical numbers and also provides ample room for all sorts of ambient sound. The movie's score, however unmemorable, resonates through the channels with stunning clarity. The streets of Paris are alive with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The clanging of the church bells fills each channel with beautiful echoing. One of the best examples of the encompassing effect of this mix's ability to produce believable ambient sound is during the Festival of Fools when Quasimodo gets mocked. People yell from every direction and voices ping-pong around the soundfield like you were actually standing there. (4/5)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame II:

The sequel's audio mix doesn't turn out as well though. It's still serviceable enough, but the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix does little more than serve to tell the story in front of you. There is little embellishment or pizazz. Even the musical numbers sound rather flat and uninspired. (3/5)

PACKAGING:

I do not appreciate that both 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' and 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame II' are combined into one BD-50 disc. I also do not appreciate that the two DVDs (one for each movie) are stacked one on top of the other. Poor (and cheap) packaging!

FINAL THOUGHTS:

After a string of hits that went on to be considered classics – 'Beauty and the Beast,' 'Aladdin,' and 'The Lion King,' – Disney hit a rough patch and started cranking out mediocre titles that failed to resonate as deeply with audiences…like the current title. When it comes right down to it, the packaging of this release says everything. Releasing films together with their deplorable Direct To Video sequels has been Disney's way of throwing the second-tier catalogue titles at us, but at the same time, Disney has the nerve to charge us top price. It is unimaginable that this set cost more than either Brave and Wreck-It Ralph! 3D! Go figure!

Since I am one of those die-hard Disney collection completists, I have purchased it. I'm still inclined to provide a light recommendation based on the fact that the original (let's just forget the sequel) is a joy to watch and listen to in HD. As far as price is concerned, $20 instead of $29.97 is more like it!