CD-Charts Position 31
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Greatest Hits: Easy Listening for Intergalactic Travel

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: Sun Ra

Release Date October 09, 2000
This 78-minute CD is an ideal entry-point into Sun Ra's astonishing and expansive catalogue numbering around 200 albums.
There are 18 tracks arranged in chronological order and drawn from Sun Ra's Saturn label with the exception of 'We Will Wait For You' recorded for the film 'Space Is The Place'. It's fascinating to hear how Sun Ra's music evolved over the period 1956-73.
Sun Ra's 'Greatest Hits'(which probably reached the charts only on Saturn!) should suffice for anyone who wants just one CD of this remarkable composer and bandleader in their collection, but it's also a perfect launching pad for those who want to explore further.

CD-Charts Position 32
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Don't Look Back: The Very Best Of The Korgis

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: The Korgis

Release Date February 26, 2008
Superb double CD from the vastly underrated Korgis. The set actually includes the entire contents of each of their three albums, plus four worthwhile extras. This music really should have reached a greater audience than it has so far managed to, since it's of genuinely high quality and the main influences on it (Beach Boys, Beatles etc) are not exactly esoteric. Admittedly the lyrical and musical whimsy can at times seem somewhat eccentric, but that really shouldn't deter anyone from exploring this. Very good quality transfer and useful, interesting sleeve information.

CD-Charts Position 33
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Frank Sinatra - The Nelson Riddle Years

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: Frank Sinatra & Nelson Riddle

Release Date March 19, 2007
Had I read the first review before I obtained my copy of this two-CD set I might have been dissuaded from doing so, which would have been my loss. Having played it against my Capitol CD of "Songs For Swingin' Lovers" I'm happy to concede that the sound is not the same, but I would not agree that it seems flat. It's certainly somewhat less brassy, which is no bad thing, given that the original recordings were made to appeal to a new generation of customers, who chose LPs to show off their hi-fi systems. The ambient sound level is about one-third lower, which enables a better degree of volume control, and the acoustic strikes me as warmer and more natural.

As to the compilation itself, it consists of four albums from the mid-fifties. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 34
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Bluebird

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: James Last

Release Date June 03, 2002
Had I read the first review before I obtained my copy of this two-CD set I might have been dissuaded from doing so, which would have been my loss. Having played it against my Capitol CD of "Songs For Swingin' Lovers" I'm happy to concede that the sound is not the same, but I would not agree that it seems flat. It's certainly somewhat less brassy, which is no bad thing, given that the original recordings were made to appeal to a new generation of customers, who chose LPs to show off their hi-fi systems. The ambient sound level is about one-third lower, which enables a better degree of volume control, and the acoustic strikes me as warmer and more natural.

As to the compilation itself, it consists of four albums from the mid-fifties. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 35
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The Great British Dance Bands & Their Vocalists

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: Various Artists

Release Date February 26, 2008
There is little for me to add to the other glowing reviews on this cd set; the recordings were made between the early Thirties and mid to late Forties; there are some great surprises such as the spectacularly beautiful version of "All the Things You Are" by Carroll Gibbons / Anne Lenner (which outclasses both Tommy Dorsey's and Artie Shaw's recordings from late 1939), the warmly sentimental version of Ted Heath's "That Lovely Weekend" by Geraldo and a very fine version of "From Me To You" by that unbeatable tandem of Lew Stone and Al Bowlly.
There are also some gripes: first, the inclusion of five Jimmy Messene songs is a sad mistake, he is quite simply a terrible singer! Denny Dennis would have been a much better choice; second, many songs ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 36
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Tenderly

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: James Last

Release Date March 18, 1996
There is little for me to add to the other glowing reviews on this cd set; the recordings were made between the early Thirties and mid to late Forties; there are some great surprises such as the spectacularly beautiful version of "All the Things You Are" by Carroll Gibbons / Anne Lenner (which outclasses both Tommy Dorsey's and Artie Shaw's recordings from late 1939), the warmly sentimental version of Ted Heath's "That Lovely Weekend" by Geraldo and a very fine version of "From Me To You" by that unbeatable tandem of Lew Stone and Al Bowlly.
There are also some gripes: first, the inclusion of five Jimmy Messene songs is a sad mistake, he is quite simply a terrible singer! Denny Dennis would have been a much better choice; second, many songs ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 37
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The Collection

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: Bert Kaempfert And His Orchestra

Release Date August 12, 2002
If I were looking for a definition of easy listening, this would be it.

CD-Charts Position 38
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Sweet & Lowdown

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: Original Soundtrack

Release Date May 29, 2000
In commissioning his long time (cinematic) music director Dick Hyman, to arrange and conduct the soundtrack to his film of the same name, Woody Allen has achieved an unparelleled authenicity unmatched by his contemporary film making peers.

Hyman's arrangements, encompassing Howard Alden's guitar parts, make for a sympathetic and nostalgic return trip to an era of unquestionably great music. Whilst Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli's contribution is limited to just the one number (Mystery Pacific), the overall feel of this jaunty and uplifting soundtrack is overwhelmingly Reinhardt - which is appropriate - given actor Sean Penn's character in the film is that of the "world's second greatest ever guitar player" (of the period). There is however ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 39
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James Last Triple box set

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: James Last

Release Date November 16, 2001
This box set of three albums (also available separately, at the time of writing) is obviously designed as an introduction for those who are unfamiliar with good orchestral easy listening in general or the James Last orchestra in particular.

In turn it showcases the orchestra in classical, party and pop standards modes (if you want the polkas, jigs and reels you'll have to look elsewhere).

James Last's treatment of the classical music pops was always to add bass and percussion rhythm, and usually either chorus (for the dreamy classics) or brass (for the more spectacular tunes). Strangely it did work, mainly because the playing and sound production were always first-rate. Since 1966 he has produced countless albums of classics ("Classics Up To Date") ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 40
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Lanquidity

CD-Charts > Music > Big Band
by: Sun Ra

Release Date October 09, 2000
It's sulphuric rivers on far away planets, shooting stars darting across the stratosphere, our minds bent to see and hear other things.
Ra's Languidy conjures up so many images, so many foreign emotions as it slowly tip-toes along, creeping under your skin.
"Where pathways meet," is where things come alive, a jumping tumult, all behind that croaking beat laid down by the sax. There's chance far all types of fun and games, plenty of sneaky witchcraft on the guitar.
"That's how I feel," is a so wonderfully lonesome, its baseline insipid, enternal. The whole record fit together nicely with the vocal on the languorious,"There are no other worlds."
A relative newcomer to Sun Ra's music I chose this as a starting point having headed the advice of ... Read More: