Post #307727 by DJ Terence Gunn on Sun, May 20, 2007 6:25 PM

I did CD release parties here in Seattle for several different labels putting out Lounge compilations and re-issues (RCA, Scamp, Rhino, Castle, etc.) in the mid-1990s, and Capitol's Ultra Lounge series was one of them. I highly recommend the series. I do have issues with some of the material, however (with the enormous amount of material available to Mr. Benedict and his associates, a good deal of the selections could've been better and more tastefully chosen), and as a DJ I've always been thoroughly irritated by the mixing of two songs to form one track, which is purely about money and licencing -- killing two birds with one stone. Putting on mystery tracks and not listing them is another. I never understood why Capitol did not release the full albums by a lot of these artists, though. I and loads of folks I know/knew would've purchased them. Still, the best by far of all the Lounge music compilations released. And put together by folks who truly understood the genre. (There were quite a few folks at record companies who didn't understand the genre, but jumped on the Lounge bandwagon and put out sub-par rubbish in the hopes of making an easy buck.)

DCC's Bachelor Pad series was (still is!) very good, too. And Rhino's offering (initally consisting of three differently-themed Lounge music discs, then with one or two later additions) is another excellent series, as well. The 3 disc RCA Lounge series was full of rather irritating, but mostly rare instrumental, ping-pong effects stereo-action material, and I didn't much care for them myself (though I'm sure some folks did/do). Still, worth mentioning, as I believe the RCA compilations predated all the others (with DCC coming in second, then Rhino).