Post #649537 by OnyaBirri on Sat, Aug 25, 2012 2:05 PM

One of the earliest exotica albums ever - aside from symphonic pieces like "Scheherazade" or "Rite of Spring" - must have been the Andre Kostelanetz album "Exotic Music" from 1945. This album consisted of two 12" 78s, rather than the standard 10" size, with one track per side: "Poinciana,""Flamingo," "Song of India," and "Lotus Land." The cover is gorgeous. I have a copy but have nothing to play it on. I have heard that it was also released as a 45 rpm set, but have never seen one.

In the 1950s, Kostelantetz made an exotica LP called "Lure of the Tropics" which contains all four of these tunes. I used to have a beat up copy but it has disappeared.

I am wondering if anyone here has heard both of these and compared the two. I am assuming that the versions on the LP are hi-fi recordings and not the same recordings as those on the 78 set. But I wonder if the arrangements are the same. "Lure of the Tropics" is on a Collectibles twofer CD. I don't think the four recordings that comprise "Exotic Music" have ever been released in digital form, unless they are indeed the same recordings as those on "Lure."

Can anyone shed some light on this?

[ Edited by: OnyaBirri 2012-08-25 14:06 ]