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exotica-digest         Tuesday, August 4 1998         Volume 02 : Number 178



In This Digest:

Re: (exotica) Buying records (and stuff) from dead people
(exotica) Disney Equation -Sucks Reply
(exotica) That's his suit (but where's his shoes, LPs, and, um...hisself?)
(exotica) Hey, wait. . .Don't I know you?
Re: (exotica) Hey, wait.....
(exotica) re exotica suggestions
Re: (exotica) More on Thrifts and Disposability
(exotica) Re:  "Sound Gallery" curators' other releases?
Re: (exotica) Disney Equation -Sucks Reply
(exotica) Adventures in Stereo and More
Re: (exotica) re exotica suggestions
Re: (exotica) Antonio Carlos Jobim CD
Re: (exotica) Thrifting: Pro or Con
(exotica) Playlist for Jaaaaaaaaaaack
(exotica) Exotica-Related Reference Book
(exotica) Lord Hawke obit
(exotica) List FAQ, version 1.1
(exotica) Pat Boone Comes To Year 2000 Rescue

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 12:07:04 EDT
From: <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (exotica) Buying records (and stuff) from dead people

In a message dated 98-08-04 08:18:55 EDT, Charles wrote:

<< A good haul once came from a dead uncle (not mine) who was a fastidious
 soundtrck collector. When he died, his relations showed me his boxed
 collection >>

About 10 years ago a school mate of mine and I were in Philadelphia for an
optometry meeting and we went to the market area (famous scene in Rocky one).

There was this shop there where they sold old shoes, just tons of old shoes.

My friend picks up this nice pair of penny loafers and tries them on and they
fit.  He buys them from the lady and wears them out.  On the way out he ask,
"Hey were do you get these shoes from anyway?"  And she replies, "From the
morgue!".

He wore those shoes thru the rest of optometry school and saw many a patient
in those loafers.  Maybe this is why at funerals you only see the top half of
the person in the casket.  Some freaking mortician has sold the bastard's
shoes!  And no telling what they did with his Lyman records!

Robert


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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 12:10:28 EDT
From: <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) Disney Equation -Sucks Reply

In a message dated 98-08-04 11:19:10 EDT, Nat wrote:

<< DISNEY SUCKS !!!!!!

 End of discussion.
  >>

and like he would just throw one of those Tiki Room ablums in the shit can if
one came across his desk???


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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 04 Aug 1998 12:15:35 -0500
From: Lou Smith <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) That's his suit (but where's his shoes, LPs, and, um...hisself?)


    CHICAGO, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- The family of Benny Morris was shocked when they
showed up to view his body before his funeral.
    Another corpse was wearing Morris's brown suit Monday, and his body was
nowhere to be found.
    A spokesman for the Corbin Colonial Funeral Chapel on Chicago's West Side
said Morris died at 48 of a heart attack on Sunday and was to be buried today.
    A family member who attended the visitation said the body in his brother's
suit and casket did resemble Morris but was that of a much younger man in
his 30s.
    Police are investigating the missing body as a possible theft.




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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 12:17:49 EDT
From: <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) Hey, wait. . .Don't I know you?

In a message dated 98-08-04 12:04:36 EDT, darren observed:

<< but let me tell you this: When I was living in Edmonton last summer, Herb
Alpert came to town.
 Ticket price? 46 dollars and tax, Canadian. Now THAT'S immoral!
  >>

Herb Alpert I don't know about.  But this is kinda erie:  I swear, Willie
Nelson follows me around to the thrifts I frequent!!!

Robert


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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 04 Aug 1998 09:20:38 PDT
From: "Ben Waugh" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (exotica) Hey, wait.....

Hey, it's still less than a pack of cigarettes will cost you. But they
both cause cancer.


>A recent thread here has been about the "morality" of shopping in
thrift stores, garage sales etc. I have nothing
>to add on that, but let me tell you this: When I was living in Edmonton
last summer, Herb Alpert came to town.
>Ticket price? 46 dollars and tax, Canadian. Now THAT'S immoral!
>
>Darren!
>


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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 04 Aug 1998 09:22:03 PDT
From: "Robert McKenna" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) re exotica suggestions

>But I strongly suspect that if you'd asked Edmondo himself about his
>records versus Cugat's or Prado's, he himself would have said that
>those
>guys were "too way out" for his or his audience's taste.

I disagree, Cugat and Prado are for those who take their mambo seriously
(and i for one really enjoy them). But (with the exception of Voodoo
Suite) are they really more 'way out' than Edmundo doing a latin version
of 'If i were a rich man' which segues from an intro of 'hava nagila'?
You may have lost your jazz purism but it seems you like your exotica
with a puritan flavour!

rob (not Robert or Robbie)

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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 04 Aug 1998 12:23:10 -0400
From: Nat Kone <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (exotica) More on Thrifts and Disposability

At 08:50 AM 04/08/98 EDT, [e-mail] wrote:

> Records I see that are
>to beat to play are not damaged from overuse -- but from abuse.  And that
>makes me mad.
>who is the idiot who ruined this thing!

I can appreciate the feeling of disappointment when a find turns out to be
not such a find after all.  And if it's not good enough to direct your
protests at an unfair God, I can see how you look for an imaginary person
instead.

But the fact that records were abused, used as coasters, plates or facial
cleansers.. that's inextricably connected to what's cool about this whole
pursuit we're involved in.

These records weren't made to last throughout the ages!  They weren't made
to be collected.  They were made like any other disposable item, to become
obsolete and to be discarded.  You were supposed to play them a few times
and then move on to the next purchase.

Okay I'm sure there are exceptions to that.  Artists who made records that
they hoped would last for ages.

But still, especially with the records that are discussed on this list,
part of the fun surely is in reclaiming and giving value to the disposable
items of the past.  If records were so precious that no respectable person
would abuse them, then I suspect I wouldn't be here and neither would this
list be.

Nat



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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 14:32:17 +0200
From: Johan Dada Vis <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) Re:  "Sound Gallery" curators' other releases?

<[e-mail]> wrote:

>But what I'm wondering is, has anyone heard of their other two releases listed
>in the "Erotica" liner notes: "Cinema 100" and/or "Movie Grooves"?

    I have been trying to find these for *months*, without any success...

        Johan


        [e-mail]


        | )    / \    | )    / \    | )    / \    | )    / \





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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 10:12:19 -0700
From: "Carl Russo" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (exotica) Disney Equation -Sucks Reply

>>>DISNEY SUCKS !!!!!!  End of discussion.

First paragraph from a VILLAGE VOICE article entitled "Rats! That Corporate
Rodent Descends Upon Central Park--Again" by Guy Trebay (July 14, 1998)

"Does anyone else get the creeps from that sinister rodent?  Or do people
really still think of him as a jolly ambassador of all-American
entertainment?  Is it possible some folks are at least a tiny bit disturbed
by the bland iconic presence masking a corporate empire that reams Third
World workers, banalizes American culture, and operates theme parks
constructed along the lines of totalitarian dream states?  Or are we all too
besotted watching Disney ratchet up the Dow to notice the ominous shadow of
mouse ears darkening the land?"

C. "Ratso" Russo





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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 10:29:03 -0700 (PDT)
From: chuck <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) Adventures in Stereo and More

I received Adventures In Stereo's second album "Alternative Stereo
Sounds" released this year on the Marina label.  If you're not
familiar with them they are a very soft lounge version of Bananarama
without the synthisized dance beats,  modern girl group pop exotica.
The album is is worth owning but is not a must have, 4 out of 5 stars.

I receive the cds from Roudabout Records, International Pop Mailorder,
Post Office Box 76302, Washington DC 20013-6302.

Also from Roundabout I got  the Aperitivo v/a compilation on Siesta,
no date. Its definitely more influenced by pop then the great Expresso
compilation cd also on Siesta.  The songs are genrally soft ballads a
few instumentals  but there are some pop songs on this cd so I can't
recommend it for every on the list but definitely buy the Expresso cd.

On Siesta/ Mercury 1996, I received La Buena Vida's cd "Soidemersol".
Great soft underproduced lounge songs sung in spanish.  This is a cool
cd of great male and female vocals with an occasional instrumental.  I
love their song and I get to practice my spanish. Are there any
exoticats from Spain or Latin America on the list?

I highly advise buying Trembling Blue Stars, " her handwriting" 1996,
Shinkannsen for anyone with a broken relationship.  The soft
underproduced songs are very depressing and detail the end of an
affair. The words to the songs are very believable, modern angst at
its best and a very easy listen.

Laserlight has finally shown up at Virgin Reords with a few choice
exotica compilations, released in 1996, my favorite being the
Bachelor's Little Black Book, with exotica standards and obsurities.
Patricia by Prad, Ruby by Richard Hayman, Celito Linda by Percy Faith,
Mr Kelly & Me & Main Title from Joanna by Artur Greensdale, Melina by
the Strayan Strings,  Anna by Silvana Mangano, Vanesa by Hugo
Winterhalter,  Adios Marquita Linda by the great Esquivel and a few
other good selections and its hard to believe its from Laserlight with
that nice price.

Easy Listening in the Big Easy,
Chuck




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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 04 Aug 1998 13:31:42 -0400
From: Nat Kone <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (exotica) re exotica suggestions

At 09:22 AM 04/08/98 PDT, Robert McKenna wrote:

 Cugat and Prado are for those who take their mambo seriously
>(and i for one really enjoy them)

Well I don't take my mambo seriously - whatever that means - but I do
prefer Cugat and Prado yes.  I don't think they took it seriously either.
I don't really know what serious mambo is.  I think all these guys did
"American-ized" commercial mambo records and didn't give a hoot about
authenticity.  And neither do I.

. But (with the exception of Voodoo
>Suite) are they really more 'way out' than Edmundo doing a latin version
>of 'If i were a rich man' which segues from an intro of 'hava nagila'?

Well obviously we disagree on the meaning of "way out".  Yes, from a
certain point of view Edmondo did things that were way out.  On "Arriba" he
has singing versions of "Heartaches" and "The Laughing Samba" which I would
call way out and I would also call "nearly unbearable".
Seguing from "if I were a rich man" to "hava nagila" is just another
terribly clever juxtaposition of two tunes associated with Jews.  I heard a
similarly clever segueway from every Bar Mitzvah band working the circuit
in the sixties.
Clever medleys are for some reason, still at the bottom of the list for me.

>You may have lost your jazz purism but it seems you like your exotica
>with a puritan flavour!

Well okay, I know that's a flame but as a paid-up member of the
anti-Edmondo army (a division of Self-Righteous Arbiters of Taste), I'm
used to flames.

It's interesting to see someone use the words "exotica" and "puritan" in
the same sentence.

Let me try it this way.  You have a friend into rock n roll and jazz but
not into exotica generally.  He or she finds it a bit too much like Muzak.
If you want to win them over to the exotica side - for God knows what
reason - are you going to make them a tape with the best of Perez Prado (or
Cugat) or the best of Edmondo Ros?

I have a feeling you'll say Edmondo.  Whatever... Maybe you don't want to
convince your fictional friend after all.  Or maybe you find Edmondo more
"typical" of easy listening so you want to drag them down before you lift
them up.

Edmondo's okay.  He's a fine musician and arranger.  So are Frank Mills and
Hagood Hardy (a little Canadian content for a change) and countless others.

I never said that Edmondo did NOTHING good.  I recommended a few of his
records as I recall.  If you had all his countless records I bet you could
make one hot tape. But cut for cut, over the long haul, Edmondo is just a
bit more tepid, a bit more subdued, a bit more "commercial", a bit more
"easy" listening than Cugat or Prado.

You have five or six Edmondo records and five or six Prado or Cugat and
you're in a thrift store and you can only take one more - they have a limit
for some reason - and it's a choice between Edmondo and Prado and you're
thinking that you'd like to hear a little PASSION, a little excitement...
well I'd take the Prado record.

If wanting the excitement is puritanical, well I guess I'll have to give
those puritans another look.

How about another word?  Joy.

And if you have an Edmondo cut that has a GROOVE like Cugat's versions of
Night Train or Apache, I've yet to hear it.

I like a groove.  Edmondo's records only have one groove on each side.

Nat



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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 10:15:58 -1000
From: [e-mail] (Stephen Funk)
Subject: Re: (exotica) Antonio Carlos Jobim CD

>I just saw a 3-CD set of of Jobim's work, on Verve - it appears to be a
>tribute to him, with all sorts of different artists covering his
>material.  The packaging looked incredible, but it was sealed, and there
>are no track or artist listings on the outside - just a few names and
>titles.  Does anyone know anything about this set, and is is worthwhile?
>Or is it Jobim overkill?

I also have the set, and to agree with what others have said, it is
probably only worth it for the Jobim-obsessive/completists (that would be
me) or those who are especially enamored of gorgeous and creative packaging
(not me).

I did want to add that it really isn't all 1960s material, which is one of
the downfalls.  I'd say about half 60s, and half 70s/80s with a
disproportionate number of tracks from the rather lame "big ensemble" 80s
album, "Passagim" (spelling?).  Also, a fairly big cross-section of the 70s
instumental stuff from "Wave" and "Tide", which is an acquired taste for
many.  And yes, the third "Side By Side" disc is ill-conceived to say the
least.

It does have a tasty chunk of the 60s Getz/Jobim-era material, but you will
probably be left feeling hungry for MORE.

Personally, I listen much more often to the 4-CD Verve set that you'll
probably find filed under "Stan Getz" called "The Bossa Nova Years". This
is also very reasonably priced (I think mine was about $35), and packaged
in a boring old jewel box.  It has all the classic Getz/Jobim/Gilberto
material, some rare live stuff, plus the Getz/Almeida and "Big Band Bossa
Nova" albums, all in one handy package.  This set is shuffle play heaven.
Hopefully it is still available. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!


***     ***     ***
Steve Funk
([e-mail])
Anchorage, AK
USA




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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 04 Aug 1998 17:28:22 -0400
From: Mark Benton Reed <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (exotica) Thrifting: Pro or Con

[e-mail] wrote:

> I am curious though, do the members of this list who buy records from
> the thrifts buy only records?  or do they look around in the store for
> other cool and interesting things that they might find?
>

I probably buy more books from thrifts than I do records.  Scruffy books read
ok, but scruffy records...well, you get the gist.

Something I wonder about...CDs are just now coming into thrift stores in my
area (Columbus, GA).  In what year does everyone think thrift stores will have
more CDs than vinyl?

Mark Reed
Phenix City AL



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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 04 Aug 1998 15:16:57 -0700
From: Jack Diamond <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) Playlist for Jaaaaaaaaaaack

 Hey kids!

 KFJC play list 2/25/96 for Jack Diamond

 ARTIST                    TRACK                      ALBUM

 Planets                   Chunky

 Frank Wess,Kenny Burrell,
 Kenny Clark-Drums         Wess Side                   SAVOY/56,7

 Ferrante & Teicher        Bye Bye Blues              Blast Off/Abc
 Mindexpanders             Theme From                 67
 Al Viola                  Lemon Twist                Gtrs. Vol 2, Liberty
 Don Ralke                 Mombasa                    Bongos/WB
 Bob Crewe Generation      Music to Watch Girls By    Pepsi Comm. Music
 Axel Stordahl             Caravan(!!!)               Dot
 Esquivel                  Marie                      Inf Vol. 1
 Maxwell, Robert             Accidental Slip on An      [coll]: Cocktail Mix
                           Orient Carpet              Vol #1

 Jerry Goldsmith           Double Cross               Last Run


 Googie Rene/Plas Johnson
 Jack Costanzo             Cool It at the Coliseum

 Stu Phillips              Sunday Arts & Football     67
 Roy Clark                 Blues and Clark            Dot
 Moondog                   Symphonique # 6
 Mel Henke                 You're Drivin' Me Crazy
 Electric Flag             Peter Gets Off             The Trip
 Mel Henke                 Woman in Space
 Les Baxter/S.Hoffman      Lunar Rhapsody             10"/Capitol

 Esquivel/S.Hoffman(?)     Spellbound                  In Stereo/Rca

 Vi Velasco/Zoot Sims      Recado(The Message)        Colpix/Oct 62
 Allyn Ferguson Sextet     Sextet for Contemporaries
 Pete Rugolo               Rugolo Meets Shearing      Adventures
 Kenyon Hopkins            The Hustler                Kapp
 Stanley Wilson,Cond.      Johnny Wiliams,Comp.       The Chase/M-Squad

 Nordine                   Sky,Envelope,Roller           TWINK
                         Skate,Blotter

 Ray Martin                The Breeze & I
 Excitement, Inc.          Stereo Action              Rca

 George Duning with
 Conte & Pete Candoli      Zodiac Blues                 Bell,Book and Candle

 Mancini                   The Happy Carousel         Charade
 Jac Zinder                Pet Sounds                 Catasonic
 June Wilkinson            Deep Breathing Stretch
 Dena & Danny Guglielmi    Out of Nowhere             Tops
 Mancini                   Teen Age Hostage           Exp in Terror
 Jane Birkin,Serge Gainsberg      Je T'aime
 Folkswingers              Hey Joe
 Sal Salvador              Deep Down/Decca 9210-MOOD  Jazz in Hifi
 Nelson Riddle             Untouchables Theme         Capitol
 Nini Olivero              Music Car
 Johnny Richards           Ofo                        Rites of Diablo
 Dom Frontiere             Listen to Lou              LIBERTY/1-56
 Eliminators               Staccato                   Easy Project
 Martin Denny              Song of the Bayou          Ex Perc.
 Kenyon Hopkins            Haunted House              NIGHTMARE/64
 Tom Dissvelt/Kid Baltan   Moon Maids                 Limelight
 Marty Manning             You Stepped Out of a Dream 60, Twilight Zone
 Stu Phillips              Intern Fever               Interns
 Pierre Henry              Teen Tonic                 63/LIMELIGHT
 Vic Mizzy                 Daybreak at Malibu         Don't Make Waves

 McDuff, Brother Jack      Hot Barbecue               [coll]: Cocktail Mix
                                                      Vol. #2

 Campilongo, Jim           Blue Hen                   ... and the 10
                                                      Gallon Cats

 Gershon Kingsley          1ST Moog Qrt-Popcorn       A.F./1972

 Campilongo, Jim           Splitsville                ... and the 10
                                                      Gallon Cats

 Martin Denny              Yellow Bird                67/MOOG

 Pete Rugolo               Diamond on the Move

 KFJC 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills, CA 94022

 KFJC play list 2/25/96 for Jack Diamond

 lllllllllllllllllllllllater,


Jack

"Attilio Mineo Conducts Man in Space With Sounds" Now on CD!
Http://www.jackdiamond.com/attilio.htm
Http://home6.swipnet.se/~w-64169/

Publicity by Motormouth Media (Hollywood, CA)

*Primary* Wholesale Distribution in the US:
NAIL Distribution
1-888-Nail-Inc (Toll Free)
http://[e-mail]/

OR

Wholesale/Retail Sales:
Jack Diamond Music
Http://www.jackdiamond.com
Fax/Phone [phone]

European Wholesale Distribution/Retail Sales
Stefan Kery/Subliminal Sounds
[e-mail]
Fax/Phone [phone]
web-site: http://home6.swipnet.se/~w-64169/
e-mail: [e-mail]


Tune in The House of Games with Jack Diamond
Sundays 10AM-1PM
Http://www.KFJC.org
KFJC-FM, 89.7
12345 El Monte Rd.
Los Altos Hills, CA
Since January 1993



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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 19:00:52 -0400
From: Ross Orr <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) Exotica-Related Reference Book

Trying to put the book section of the FAQ on slightly firmer ground, I've
been looking through music books at our public library. . . it seems that
even the most relevant ones only have about 2% exotica content. . . but
then I came across a new book that I thought some of you would be
interested in:

_Conductors and Composers of Popular Orchestral Music_
by Reuben and Naomi Musiker
(1998, Greenwood Press)
ISBN 0-313-30260-X

This has biographical sketches (of a half-page to a couple of pages) for
folks who were active starting in the 40s and 50s. And I would say the
exotica quotient was easily 30%--people like Stanley Black, Marty Gold, Al
Nevins, Mantovani, Bert Kaempfert, etc. The writing style is pretty dry,
but one bonus for vinyl-hounds is that many entries have partial or
complete discographies including catalog numbers.

If you're a fan of the biographical info in Brad's Space Age Pop Standards
site (and who isn't!), this book may be for you.

Greenwood Press is at: 88 Post Road West, Westport CT 06881, USA.

Happy browsing,

 --Ross

|| Ross "Mambo Frenzy" Orr  <[e-mail]>
|| Ann Arbor, Michigan USA




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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 04 Aug 1998 19:51:31 -0500
From: Lou Smith <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) Lord Hawke obit

     KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent (AP) -- Calypso singer Lloyd Providence, better
known as Lord Hawke, was found dead Monday morning in his home on the
Caribbean island of St. Vincent, police reported. He was 54.
    Providence appeared to have died from natural causes, police said.
    Providence was widely considered a master of Caribbean calypso, heavily
rhythmic music with African roots and lyrics rich in political satire.




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------------------------------

Date: Tue, 4 Aug 1998 20:14:03 -0400
From: Ross Orr <[e-mail]>
Subject: (exotica) List FAQ, version 1.1

Hey everybody, here's the revised FAQ, all eleven kilobytes of it. Sorry. . .

I'm still looking for feedback on the "books" section: if I listed
something you think is junk, or omitted something you think is essential,
just send me note explaining why. I tended to list books only when I'd seen
them myself or if somebody had posted a good description to the list--I
left out several where I only had a title to go on.

Also, a (?) means I still need to know a publisher for those titles. . .

Let me know what you think,

 --Ross

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Exotica Mailing List FAQ  [Second Draft] 4 August 1998



Q: What is "exotica"?

A: A musical genre, named for the 1957 Martin Denny album of the same
title. Most narrowly defined, it refers to lounge jazz augmented with
polynesian, asian and latin instruments and "tropical" themes. The exotica
style was pioneered by composer Les Baxter, and popularized by such artists
as Denny, Arthur Lyman, and Gene Rains.

In the context of this mailing list, it is used as a term of convenience to
cover many genres of 50s and 60s music--most might fall under the general
umbrella of "space age pop instrumentals." These include percussion,
cha-cha, soundtracks, "Now Sound," Bossa Nova, moog, and a thousand other
subcategories according to the taste of each individual. (I use "exotica"
in the remainder of this FAQ to cover all these possiblities.)



Q: Is it correct to call this music "lounge"?

A: Well, as a way of describing the *music* (as opposed to "the scene")
there are some objections to the word--but you might as well get used to
it: That is the most common term used to descibe exotica by the outside
world (e.g. in labelling bins in the music store). However "lounge" might
be interpreted as including some legitimate jazz, torch singers, etc.--all
of which are a little more mainstream than the interests of list members.
Also, the connotation of subdued, low-energy music clearly doesn't apply to
the more dynamic sounds of performers like Esquivel.



Q: Well, what is the correct term?

A: There is no answer to this, although people have variously suggested
Space Age Bachelor-Pad; Easy; Cocktail; Hi-Fi; Space Age Pop; Cheesy
Listening; Dynamica; etc.



Q: If someone were just beginning to search for exotica records, what would
be some good things to look out for?

A: Though such a list is bound to be incomplete and disputable, here are
some suggestions:

  * Martin Denny or Arthur Lyman LPs

  * Juan Garcia Esquivel LPs (rare today)

  * Glossy albums (often gatefold) on "Hi-Fi" labels like Command,
    Phase Four, Mercury "Perfect Presence," Time, Audio Fidelity,
    Directional Sound, etc.

  * Albums with "Percussion" in the title

  * Latin music as performed by American or European studio musicians

  * RCA's "Stereo Action" Series (thick, white, die-cut covers)

  * Early Ferrante and Teicher (with prepared piano)

  * The Three Suns RCA "Living Stereo" LPs

  * Electric organ virtuosos (Lenny Dee, Dick Hyman, etc.)

  * Pop instrumentals featuring harpsichord, sitar, or harp

  * Inappropriate cover versions ("Light My Fire" on pipe organ, etc.)

  * Hawaiian music as performed by non-Hawaiians

  * Albums showcasing moog synthesizer

  * "Now Sound" LPs (Brass Ring, etc.)

  * Albums with "discotheque" or "au go-go" in the title



Q: Many people still regard this music as "obviously awful." Do exotica
fans REALLY enjoy this music or is it all some ironic put-on?

A: Fans of exotica are well aware that these genres have been reviled as
"easy listening" or "plastic" by the rock generation; for some, a perverse
kitsch appeal was the starting point. However most would say that the more
time you spend with this music, the more your appreciation grows for its
energy, inventiveness, and musicianship, and for the creativity of the
arrangements--despite the somewhat misguided concepts that may have been
explored.

Also, the orginal intent to create "commercial" music for a particular
market can no longer be regarded as something sinster--by now it must be
seen as a fascinating anthropological window into the spirit of an earlier
time.



Q: Are there some good books & magazines on the subject of Exotica?

A: The books mentioned most often on the exotica list are volumes 1 & 2 of
_Incredibly Strange Music_, by V. Vale and Andrea Juno (RE/search), and
_Elevator Music_, by Joseph Lanza (Picador).

The "Vik's Lounge" website maintains an excellent exotica book list, with
cover photos and capsule summaries, at:

http://www.chaoskitty.com/t_chaos/reading.html


General works about music with some exotica content:

  Conductors and Composers of Popular Orchestral Music,
     Reuben and Naomi Musiker (Greenwood)
  The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Donald Clarke, ed. (Viking)
  Top Pop Albums 1955-1996, Joel Whitburn (Record Research)
  The Record Label Guide for Domestic LPs, Joe Lindsay (Biodisc)
  TV's Biggest Hits, Jon Burlingame (Schirmer)
  Goldmine's Celebrity Vocals, Ron Lofman (?)
  Goldmine's Comedy Record Price Guide, Ronald L. Smith (?)
  ASCAP Biographical Dictionary (Bowker)
  Hawaiian Music and Musicians: An Illustrated History,
     George Kanahele, ed. (University Press of Hawaii)
  Disco Duck and Other Adventures in Novelty Music,
     Ace Collins (Berkley Boulevard)
  The Exotic in Western Music, Jonathan Bellman, ed. (Northeastern)
  The Recording Angel: Explorations in Phonography, Evan Eisenberg (?)
  Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry,
     Clinton Heylin (?)
  Schwann Long Playing Record Catalog (annual, back issues from
     relevant years)

On electronic music:

  Electronic and Computer Music, Peter Manning (Oxford)
  Vintage Synthesizers, Mark Vail (GPI/Miller Freeman)
  A Guide to Electronic Music, Paul Griffiths (Thames & Hudson)
  Electronic and Experimental Music, Thomas Holmes (Scribners)

On retro style:

  Hi-fi's & Hi-balls: The Golden Age of the American Bachelor,
     Steven Guarnaccia and Bob Sloan (Chronicle)
  Populuxe, Thomas Hine (Knopf)
  Contemporary, Lesley Jackson (Phaidon)

Music "scenes" and generational identity:

  Subcultures, Dick Hebdige (?)
  13th Gen, Neil Howe and Bill Strauss (?)
  Club Cultures, Sarah Thornton (?)


Exotica-related zines (some may no longer be active):

  Cannot Become Obsolete
  Cool & Strange Music!
  Exotica/Etc.
  Thrift Score
  Tiki News
  My Vinyl Recliner
  Easy Listener
  Mystery Date
  Organs and Bongos



Q: Are there any good websites covering Exotica and Lounge?

A: Yes!

Hands down, the best one-stop information site about exotica performers and
composers is Brad Bigelow's "Space Age Pop Standards":

http://home.earthlink.net/~spaceagepop/index.htm

A master jumping-off point for dozens of other lounge-related sites can be
found via King Kini's "Club Velvet," at:

http://www.tamboo.com/loungelinks.html

and also via Vik's Lounge, at:

http://www.chaoskitty.com/t_chaos/viklink.html



Q: Is it bad or good when your previously-obscure little hobby becomes a
genuine, media-approved "scene"?

A: Well, you may be annoyed when a bunch of shallow people start crashing
your party, knowing next to nothing about the music and just wanting to be
part of a fad--but their numbers do tend to get the attention of record
company executives, with the happy result that some impossible-to-find
material (like Esquivel LPs) gets re-released on CD.

As of 1998 we are experiencing the flip side of this trend, as the media
stampede is now headed towards "swing" (another media label which blurs
together several genres). While there are points of overlap with exotica,
it has generally been interpreted as the waning of "Lounge." The downside
has been an abrupt dropoff in exotica re-releases. But there's some
speculation that finding vintage exotica on vinyl may be getting
(infinitesimally) easier, as some collectors move on to other genres.



Q: Are the Capitol "Ultra Lounge" CDs any good?

A: The series is entertainingly packaged and aggressively promoted, and
generally helped improve the visibility of "Lounge." However the repertoire
came entirely from the vaults of Capitol (and its affliliates), so some of
the real titans of exotica got left out (e.g. Esquivel, Enoch Light); and
some of what got included was fairly generic. Nonetheless, a few of the CDs
(e.g. "Bachelor Pad Royale") are considered essential.

Some have objected to the way the UL series became the 800-Pound Gorilla of
Lounge, sucking up all the consumer dollars which might otherwise have gone
to supporting re-releases of individual classic exotica albums.



Q: Is it possible to find good records in thrift stores, or are those LPs
all just destroyed Barbara Streisand albums? (Corollary: Is it worth paying
"dealer prices" for LPs I want, or am I getting ripped off?)

A: Two different exotica fans, both behaving with complete economic
rationality, can arrive at very different answers to this one.

Thrifting makes sense for people with free time, moderate incomes, who
might go thrifting anyway for other reasons, and who live in areas with
good thrifting demographics. This might mean rural or shrinking industrial
areas where young hipsters tend to move away, but where a stable, older
middle class still lives.

Busy professionals who live in trendier urban areas will probably find
thrifting a waste of time. For them, the service provided by dealers in
locating and culling LPs is generally worth the premium charged.

One misconception is that the condition of thrift store records is
uniformly bad; in fact the condition is extremely variable, ranging from
unplayable to near mint. And at prices of $1 per LP or lower, it becomes
possible to take chances on unknown albums or to accept disks in poorer
condition, just to learn more about different artists.



Q: What is the best way to clean really dirty old records?

A: The purist, or someone with many records to deal with, should
investigate the various wet/vacuum record cleaners from Nitty Gritty, VPI,
or The Audio Advisor. Although the cost of these machines seems high, users
are uniformly positive about them.

People on a budget or with more casual needs generally do fine washing
records in the kitchen sink with dish soap and a clean sponge. Tap water in
many areas can leave behind "crunchy" mineral residues when it dries--give
a final rinse in distilled water, or at least be vigilant in shaking and
blotting away water droplets from the disk.



Q: Is it wrong to buy bootlegs?

A: Virtually all agree they would prefer to see a legitimate release, where
the original artists receive credit and royalties where possible. In some
cases the existence of bootlegs can undermine the market for such
legitimate releases. However some feel there is a gray area, where
rights-holders have thrown up impossible obstacles to a legitmate release,
and where the intent is more to make hard-to-find music available rather
than as a mercenary venture. Whatever your ethical views are, the rapid
spread of digital reproduction technology is certain to make the issue even
more confused in coming years.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[ Please send any additions, corrections, comments, suggested changes in
language, etc. to Ross "Mambo Frenzy" Orr at <[e-mail]> .]

 --Ross

|| Ross "Mambo Frenzy" Orr  <[e-mail]>
|| Ann Arbor, Michigan USA




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------------------------------

Date: Wed, 05 Aug 1998 02:23:22 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Lou Smith)
Subject: (exotica) Pat Boone Comes To Year 2000 Rescue

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, U.S.A., 1998 AUG 4 (NB) --
Worried about computer systems and networks not being able to handle
the Year 2000 date change? Fear not. Pat Boone, the `50s crooner with
the white bucs, is joining the campaign for a smooth millennium.

Boone is joining the Year 2000 National Educational Taskforce (Y2KNET)
to raise public awareness about the Millennium Bug.

"I want to help bring Y2K to the family dinner table for dialogue,"
said Boone, who brought black rhythm and blues to a white audience by
recording Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti," and has recently recorded
an album called "In A Metal Mood, No More Mr. Nice Guy."

"Now it is time to begin discussing individual and community
preparation for Y2K-related problems."

"I want to stress that I don't believe there is any reason to panic,"
the crooner said.

To do his part in keeping America cool and calm, Boone has recorded
the first in a series of public service announcements (PSAs) for radio
broadcast offering free Y2K information, called "Y2KCPR resources."

The resources will include a 48-page special collector's edition of
Y2K News Magazine called "The Many Faces of Y2K," and a free Y2KCPR
audiotape of Y2KNET's recent Atlanta Roundtable with Ed Yourdon as the
keynote.

Free copies of Y2KCPR are available by calling Y2KNET toll-free at
877-4-Y2KCPR. Larger quantity reprints for civic, government, trade
shows, educational seminars, or church groups, costing $0.20 each, are
available by calling Y2K News at 888/925-9925. Radio stations may
download the 47 second Boone Y2K PSA from http://www.y2knet.com or
http://www.y2knews.com .

But despite Boone's involvement, the information industry knows it
will take more than calm voices to prepare for the Year 2000 date
change.



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------------------------------

End of exotica-digest V2 #178
*****************************