Kostelanetz Classics, 1940-1945

Eight terrific Andre Kostelanetz selections ripped from bulky, 12-inch Columbia Masterworks 78s of the 1940s. Two of them--the Porgy and Bess highlights and Oklahoma medley--are two-siders, so in fact we actually have ten sides here, come to think of it. My rips came out smooth and crisp, and I managed to get most of the pops and clicks removed from the last three titles, which were in MM (mildly mistreated) condition (needle digs, scrapes, etc.).

I'm not sure why, but I thought it would be funny to leave the sound of the run-off groove (between sides) on the 1944 Oklahoma Medley. Audio proof that you're hearing a 78, I guess.

Now, here's the thing: when you listen to the 1945 Lotus Land (a light classic composed by Cyril Scott in 1905), remember the received wisdom regarding Exotica--namely, it didn't start until the early 1950s with Les Baxter. Sure, this is an earlier example of the genre, but so what? This is the Internet, a realm in which popular notions never yield to mere proof. I could find a hundred such examples, and the conventional wisdom would remain what it is. So we'll have to think of this recording of Lotus Land as, um... pre-Exotica. Or near-Exotica. Or... or Rhythm 'n' Exotica.

Fabulous stuff. World-class musicianship, great arrangers--Kostelanetz couldn't miss had he tried.

To the 78 rpm Kosty: Kostelanetz Classics


PLAYLIST

HIGHLIGHTS FROM PORGY AND BESS (Columbia Masterworks 7362-M; 1940)
OKLAHOMA MEDLEY (Columbia Masterworks 7417-M; 1944)
LOTUS LAND (Cyril Scott) (Columbia Masterworks 7515-M; 1945)
FLAMINGO-Same
BEAUTIFUL DREAMER/MASSA'S IN DE COLD, COLD GROUND (Foster) (Columbia Masterworks 7372-M; 1940)
MANHATTAN SERENADE (Columbia Masterworks 7507-M; 1944)
WHEN DAY IS DONE (Columbia Masterworks 7504-M; 1944)
STARDUST--Same




Lee

These 78s will rock your world!

"No way!" you say? Well... way. These will rock your world. Think of them, if you wish, as three more examples of "cartoon music." Or as vintage light concert recordings. It's your call. I suspect, though, that your world will be so rocked that "Ahh... ah... bahda... bah... uh..." will be all you can get out.

Very fun stuff. The 1926 recording of Poet and Peasant was a little hard to de-muddify, but I did it. Interestingly, the first side had nice, clear highs, but the flip (with the much louder passages) sounded comparatively muted. This suggests to me that the engineer did something different with the level, EQ, or both.

Down South is a bit noisy, but the louder portions (about 2/3 of it) ring out loud and crisp. This is by far the best rip I've managed with this one. Oddly enough, as Showboat-ish as it may sound, the piece itself (by W.H. Myddleton) dates back to 1901. Meanwhile, an eBay check shows that Down South was used in the 1927 movie version of Showboat!! Can I make an historical connection, or what? Composer W.H. Myddleton, meanwhile, was a British conductor, composer, novelist, dramatist, and astronomer, according to Jeffrey Richards, author of Imperialism and Music: Britain, 1876-1953.

Did I mention that all three of these are all twelve-inchers? True.

But enough technical talk. It's time to rock!!

These 78s will rock your world!

POET AND PEASANT OVERTURE (von Suppe)--Victor Symphony O., 1926. (Victor 35797)
CHINESE FOX TROT--Medley--Victor Military Band, 1916. (Victor 35598)
DOWN SOUTH (Myddleton)--Eveready Group; Mixed Chorus; Dir. by Nat Shilkret, 1926. (Victor 35823)


Lee

Popular Melodies of Chopin--Elly Ellason and His Orch.

Popular Melodies of Chopin is back, and she commands you to listen. Mega-budget but quite well-done: Popular Melodies of Chopin


Lee

Early cheap-label cover versions (1948-1953)

http://musicyouwont.blogspot.com/2010/09/early-cheap-label-cover-versions-1948.html


From 1948 to 1953, ten cheap "covers" of then-current hits on Tops, Varsity, Your Hits, and Music Masters. Ripped from the original cheap shellac. Budget fun for everyone.




Lee

Novelty Festivals 1 through 4

My four "Novelty Festival" posts from last year are back in action, now that I've moved the zip files to 4Shared.

Here are the links to all four posts:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4



Lee

Collapsing text

My previous post suffered from the collapsing-text syndrome I described on Sunday. I was able to restore it by coming back from Internet Explorer into Firefox and re-inserting the spaces.

Background: For some reason, I'm unable to insert a hyperlink into my Blogger text in Firefox and get it to "take." So I've been typing the text (and inserting the URL) in Firefox, then going to Internet Explore, where I can complete the link. (Hopefully, that makes sense.)

To date, this has worked fine. A pain, but a small one. Until Sunday, when the text "collapsed" in Internet Explorer. That is to say, all the spaces vanished.

Inserting the link first thing (then going to I.E. and back) should provide an easy way around this problem, but of course I wonder why it's happening. (Time for a new PC, you say?)

Of course, there's never any way to describe such situations in English. Which is an American (and British?) expression meaning, "in writing."


Lee

Moods for Pleasure Time--Royale Concert Orch.

A very entertaining LP from Eli Oberstein's Allegro Royale label. You can read up on Eli on the Internet--I get a headache trying to sort out the details of his strange career. For our purposes, Eli was head of a series of Fifties budget labels known for their utter, outrageous cheapness. For all that, however, today's selections--from Moods for Pleasure Time (Allegro Royale 1506)--are very nice, even if the "Royale Concert Orchestra" shifts from a large orchestra to big band to piano with rhythm (suggesting, as ever, that the material was culled from various parts of Oberstein's catalog).

This LP is in unusually fine condition for a Record Corp. of America release, and the sound quality is unusually acceptable. My favorite: the way over the top rendition of Temptation. The back jacket says 1952, but that year is inconsistent with the series. Yet consistent with the lack of care, loving or otherwise, that went with these releases. But the material on this one is quite nice.

Well worth a download, even if only to hear one of these things in an exceptional state of preservation. I hope the text doesn't collapse this time.... (Blogger's note: It did. I am now restoring it.) Click here to hear:

Moods for Pleasure Time

TRACKLIST

LINGER AWHILE
I'M IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE
BODY AND SOUL
I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TIME IT WAS
ALL OF ME
EVERY LITTLE MOVEMENT
I'VE GOT FIVE DOLLARS
APRIL IN PARIS
I CAN'T GIVE YOU ANYTHING BUT LOVE
SUGAR
LIMEHOUSE BLUES
JUST FRIENDS
PENTHOUSE SERENADE
TEMPTATION

Moods for Pleasure Time--Royale Concert Orch. (Allegro Royale 1506)



Lee

Sunday morning gospel not coming up....

So, what do you call 23 degrees at 9 a.m.?

Spring in central Ohio!

Blogger is having mental issues of some sort--I've written two posts for which the text simply collapses when I try to edit it (including the simple act of inserting a URL). I do not have anything remotely resembling the patience to deal with this at the moment. SMG will be back next week (Blogger permitting). My apologies.

Wish I had any idea what is causing this issue. Either I looked at the text the wrong way, or there's some Blogger-wide issue pending. Arrrgh. No, arrrrrgh.



Lee