Hi-Fi Holidays: Christmas with Chet Atkins

Chet Atkins - "Christmas with Chet Atkins" (1961) - RCA Victor

Hello Friends,

Its snowing out and we've got a real gem on the Christmas turntable tonight courtesy of the Country Gentleman himself, Mr. Chet Atkins.

This record is definitely one of our favorites!  Laidback and atmospheric like colorful Christmas lights reflecting off a freshly laid snowdrift at sundown. 

Released in 1961, and produced by Atkins himself, the arrangements are spare and crisp. Not a note is wasted.  Accompaniments are provided mostly by the background vocals of the Anita Kerr singers. The star of the record, of course, is Chet's six-string. Similar to our previous record, Sinatra's A Jolly Christmas, Side One features more popular carols with Atkins playing the electric guitar playing while Side Two takes a more traditional approach with Atkins going unplugged.  

The entire record is great with "White Christmas" and "Silent Night" being particularly good!  His take on "Silver Bells", however, is nothing short of stunning.

(A side note: If you've heard this album before on the Razor & Tie CD release from 1997, you haven't heard this album!  Listen to this on record!  You won't be sorry!)

The snow is still falling outside, there's no cars on the road; inside its warm, the tree is lit and we're pretty lit ourselves!  We're going to flip this record once more and probably pass out on the couch!  To the Holidays!

RATING: 5 rye manhattans in a snowstorm out of 5  

Hi-Fi Holidays: A Jolly Christmas

Frank Sinatra - "A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra" (1957) - Capitol Records

Hello Friends,

We're kicking off our Holiday festivities tonight with some Ol' Blue Eyes on the turntable. 

Incidentally, we're also celebrating the Chairman on the Board's birthday today (December 12th)-- he would have been 98!

A Jolly Christmas is Sinatra's second holiday album and first holiday record for Capitol. With the chorus and orchestra arranged and conducted by frequent Sinatra collaborator, Gordon Jenkins, the record tows the line between the jazzy-sentimentality of Sinatra's earlier records and the light-hearted corniness of some his late 50's, early 60's recordings. 

Its a record of two sides.  Side One being the "fun" side with secular classics like "Jingle Bells", "The Christmas Song", "Mistletoe & Holly", "I'll Be Home for Christmas", "The Christmas Waltz" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas".

Side Two is the more religious side with carols like "Silent Night" & "Adeste Fideles".

Both sides are good, but be forewarned merrymakers, this is not exactly a swinging Christmas record. The songs and arrangements are excellent, but the tone is mellow and contemplative.  Tiki T. and I are enjoying this one admiring our newly decorated tree while enjoying a glass bottle of wine or two!

Frank Sinatra - The Christmas Waltz

Happy Birthday you big goomba! 

RATING: 4.5 oh by gosh by gollies out of 5

Hi-Fi Holidays at Vinyl in the Valley!

Hello Friends,

Its the Holidays on Vinyl in the Valley again and we're getting ready to listen to some vintage vinyl while celebrating a pretty cool Yule. 

So light the candles, fill that punch bowl and tinsel that tree because we have some real festive goodies cued up on the turntable!

God Bless us!  Everyone!

Movie Night: A Mighty Wind (2003)

Hello Friends,

Grab your popcorn and pull up a stool, its Movie Night again on Vinyl in the Valley!

Tonight we're watching the 2003 film, A Mighty Wind.

Directed by Christopher Guest, A Mighty Wind is filmed in the same mockumentary-style as his previous classics, This is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman & Best In Show and stars many of the same familar faces including Michael Mckean, Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, Harry Shearer, Catherine O'Hara, Jennifer Coolidge, Bob Balaban, Jane Lynch, Ed Begley, Jr and the always adorable, Parker Posey! 

A Mighty Wind "documents" the events leading up to a big revivalist folk concert featuring fictional groups that resemble 60's folk acts like The Kingston Trio, The Weavers, Peter, Paul & Mary, etc.  Eugene Levy is a real highlight as Mitch Cohen (one half of the fictional folk duo, Mitch & Mickey) as is the always awesome (and sometimes inappropriate), Fred Willard ("Wha Happen?") 

If there's one complaint about the movie is that it falls a little flat in comparison to Guest's earlier films but, in fairness, Spinal Tap, Guffman & Best in Show are pretty much perfect films so its a little unfair to compare this movie to those classics! Still, A Mighty Wind is funnier that 90% of the comedies released theatrically anyways. 

One song from the movie, "A Kiss At the End of the Rainbow" was even nominated for an Oscar and lost to some shitty new age song from The Lord of the Rings called "Into the West".  Try tapping your toes to that crap, kids!

Good movie!  Fun music!  We give two enthusiastic cocktail glasses up! 

We'll see you next time, friends, until then the Tiki Bar is closed*.  

(* not really)

There's Something in the (Fresh) Air

The Baja Marimba Band - "Fresh Air" (1969) - A & M Records

Hello Friends,

These zany cats are back for their Ninth record!  Can you believe it?  Originally a side project (and novelty act) of Herb Alpert's percussionist, Julius Wechter, The Baja Marimba Band survived the 60's and were still going (somewhat) strong 9 albums in!

Slightly more relaxed and less manic than some of their previous records, the highlights being their take on the Mexican Ranchera song, "Cielito Lindo" (aka the Frito Bandito's theme song); Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Wave"; the haunting takes on "Eleanor Rigby" and "The Windmills of Your Mind" (aka the theme song from the movie, The Thomas Crown Affair); the dueling marimbas in "I'll Marimba You"; and what is arguably the album's best track, "Madagascar".

As an added bonus, the album also feature Julius Wechter's singing debut on the Loesser & Styne song, "I Don't Wanna Walk Without You."  Stick to your day job Jules!

Besides the clever title and funny mustaches another running joke on these records is how there always seems to be someone pissing in the background on the album cover!  Keepin' it classy!  

Maybe that's where The Who got the idea for the Who's Next cover art?!?

RATING: 3.5 windmills of your cabezas out of 5 

Dreams of Love, Hungarian Rhapsodies and Dancing with the Devil!

Franz Liszt - "Liebestraum: Favorite Melodies of Liszt" - 1965 - Columbia Records

Hello Friends,

We're classing things up tonight at the tiki bar!  This record features the magic fingers of French classical pianist, Philippe Entremont, and features some selected works of Hungarian composer Franz Liszt.  So break out the Bulls Blood, because we've got bad case of Lisztomania tonight!

Excellent record for a stormy November evening.  Just a man and his piano playing the 'greatest hits' of the world's first rock star.

Side One
1. Liebestraum (Notturno no. 3)
2. Concert Etude No. 3 in F minor
3. Consolation No. 3
4. Mephisto Waltz

Side Two
1. Concert Etude No. 3 in D-Flat Major
2. Valse Oubliee
3. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15 ("Rakoczy March")
4. Canzonetta Del Salvator Rosa 
5. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

Mephisto Waltz is the album's highlight.  Ten minutes of frantic piano playing that's supposed to be about Faust & Mephisto, the devil himself, passing by a village tavern during a wedding.  Mephisto grabs a fiddle from one of the local musicians and starts playing this intoxicating melody that causes the Faust to grab and dance wildly with some local tramp.  They dance seductively into the night and eventually disappear out of the tavern and into the woods where sinful acts will no doubt follow!   (Editor's Note: Coincidentally, this is how Tiki T. and I met!)   

Plus, speaking of hotties, who doesn't love a sexy brunette looking over her shoulder while in a fainting chair? Too bad she's dressed like a Mennonite!

RATING: 4.5 servings of chicken paprikash out of 5

Hawaiian Holiday with Johnny Pineapple

Johnny Pineapple & His Orchestra - "Hawaiian Holiday" (1965) - Pickwick

Aloha Friends,

No one gets a party started quite like Johnny Pineapple.  Actually, before we got this LP we never heard of the guy, but boy are we impressed!  This guy is like the Duke Ellington of Luau Music!

From what we can delineate ascertain, Johnny Pineapple was born David Haonohi on the isle of Hawaii.  He became an expert steel guitar player which eventually landed him gigs at New York's Stork Club and the Polynesian Room of Chicago's Edgewater Beach Hotel.

Now we have dozens of generic-sounding Hawaiian Holiday-type LPs.  All are fun, to an extent, but most are not very good or very memorable.  This one is different. Expert arrangements that are big on atmosphere and big on ethereal-sounding steel guitar, with subtle flourishes of acoustic guitar, percussion and Ellington-style pianos gently wading in the background.  Check out "The Pretty Mermaid of the Southeastern Sea"...

or the sublime, "Paradise Isle".

This album is the soundtrack to a perfect Hawaiian Sunset: after a long day of luau's, scuba diving and drinking out of pineapples, you pass out on the beach with the salty ocean air kissing your sun-drenched skin and hear the gentle and soothing notes of Johnny Pineapple's band. 

Plus check out those pearly white smiles on the album cover!  Johnny Pineapple must have a heck of a dental plan, kids!

Thanks for the record Marilyn!

RATING: 4.5 Pretty Mermaids of the Southeastern Seas out of 5

Movie Night: Not Fade Away (2012)

Hello Friends,

Grab your popcorn and pull up a stool, its Movie Night again on Vinyl in the Valley!

Tonight we're watching the feature directorial debut of David ("The Sopranos") Chase. 

Not Fade Away is a great little film about a group of friends who form a local band called The Twylight Zones.  The film traces their rise from the basement and garages of suburban New Jersey to (spoiler alert!) pretty much nowhere.  Good young cast featuring John Magaro as Douglas, the band's drummer-turned-frontman; Jack Huston as Eugene, Douglas's friend and former lead singer; Bella Heathcote as Douglas's wide-eyed muse; and Tony Soprano himself, the late-great James Gandolfini, as Douglas's father-- a tough, stubborn, Eisenhower Era, blue collar type who is out of step with the changing times and who cannot quite see eye-to-eye with his long-haired, rocking & rolling son.

Kudos to David Chase, who probably has earned enough Hollywood clout that he could have captained almost any project that he wanted.  Instead of choosing some flavor-of-the-week comic book movie or a potential blockbuster, he chose to write and direct this "small" and very personal slice-of-life story.

The fact that James Gandolfini tragically passed away this past summer also adds a level of poignancy to the film!  Sad to see him go!  Hope he's somewhere by a pool filled with ducks! 

Great movie!  Great music!  We give two enthusiastic cocktail glasses up! 

We'll see you next time, friends, until then the Tiki Bar is closed*.  

(* not really)

You're Dirty Sweet and You're My Girl

T. Rex - "Electric Warrior" (1971) - Reprise Records

Hello Friends,

Sorry its been a while but we're getting back to the business of pouring cocktails and listening to records after a brief and unplanned hiatus. (Editors note: No bars can hold us!)

We're celebrating our return in style with T. Rex's seminal 1971 LP, Electric Warrior.

Their sixth album (and second under the abbreviated "T. Rex" moniker) this is the record that really gave glam rock its start.  By 1971 elfin singer, guitarist & songwriter Marc Bolan (along with percussionist Mickey Finn and producer Tony Visconti) abandoned their mostly acoustic, folkie approach for a fuller, more electric and hard rocking sound. 

The songs are all pretty much simple blues songs enhanced by Bolan's quivering vocals, his Chuck Berry-on-steroids style of guitar playing and Tony Visconti's glossy but balanced production.  Mickey Finn's manic-sounding bongos are present throughout as are the background vocal talents of Flo & Eddie (The Turtles) and the sax playing of King Crimson founding-member, Ian McDonald.  Even a young Rick Wakeman gets in on the fun when he lends his keyboard talents to the hit single, "Bang A Gong (Get In On)"-- a gig he took because he was desperate for rent money at the time!

Bolan's lyrics here aren't as "English" as they have been in the past (I'm looking at you, "Ride a White Swan") and are instead about getting it on, banging gongs, crooning beneath bebop moons, cosmic dancing, electric witches, hubcap diamond star halos and generally being an all around jeepster for your love!   

Girl, I'm just a vampire for your love / I'm gonna suck you!

Electric Warrior is a classic from start to finish.  From its iconic cover to the 11 mini-masterpieces contained within its grooves, this record and its follow-up, 1972's The Slider, capture Marc Bolan's band at its absolute peak.  It would introduce the band to American audiences with the hit, "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" but in the UK, Electric Warrior would reach Number 1 and Bolan would be elevated to rock god status.  Bolan would influence a generation of glittery, pan-sexual, cross-dressing, vampy glam rockers including Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Elton John and later Jeff Lynne of ELO as well as a bunch of young punks who sat in their dark corners and sneered.

RATING: 5 planet queens perchance to dream she used my head like an exploder out of 5