Beyond Tiki, Bilge, and Test / Beyond Tiki
Lounge Music
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Kailuageoff
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Tue, Sep 10, 2002 11:27 AM
This is for others into lounge music beyond the trinity of Baxter, Denny and Lyman. |
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the75stingray
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Fri, Sep 13, 2002 7:06 AM
I agree that there are many other artists out there who produced some pretty good sounds. I still like those traditional Polynesian sounds, like those found in the Hawaii Calls series. And the Lawrence Welk "Sounds of the Islands" - very good record...I've mentioned that before. But once you fish through Mitch Miller, Al Hurt, and all of those other people I have NO IDEA who they are, you are just too exhausted to take notice at anything that is NOT the TRIO. I spent 3+ hours looking at thousands - no exaguration - THOUSANDS of records. I found NO Denny, NO Lyman...one Baxter (Not really exotica) and I think I only walked outta there with 5 records. (All Hawaiian stuff and the Baxter). I guess when I think of lounge music for a tiki bar, I think of Kahiki and they always had that soothing steel guitar type stuff playing softly. :sheckymug: |
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theandrewssister
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Fri, Sep 13, 2002 9:13 AM
couple of decent Gleason tribute sites: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Park/1568/JackieGleason.html http://members.home.nl/freddie/gleason1.html http://members.home.nl/freddie/gleason1.html On the subject of lounge music for a Tiki bar, one thing I NEVER thought of until TikiChris very kindly gave the the CD was Mantovani (sorry to out you here, Chris) -- but my GOD it works. The lush strings of "Perfidia" fit soooo well. But, then again, so do so many things -- your standard Vegas lounge will always work (esp. the glorious Wayne Newton), Elvis in his more moody moments, Esquivel, the absolute DADDY for this sort of thing (and I mean more your "Nature Boy" and Besame Mucho, rather than the comedy stuff) -- and what about Eartha Kitt? Her "Lilac Wine" in particular -- but a bunch of her stuff. I shouldn't even need to mention Don Tiki. Oh yeah, Felix Mendelssohn... [ Edited by: theandrewssister on 2002-09-13 09:18 ] |
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Swanky
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Fri, Sep 13, 2002 9:58 AM
There are really 3 styles of music that fit the true tiki bar theme: Exotica, Hawaiian and Polynesian. In terms of Exotica, which is "South Seas Lounge" there really are only 3 guys who do that stuff. Some of their music became standards like "Yellow Bird" and others did their versions, but no one else is in the genre. Hawaiian music is characterized by the steel guitar and a typically slow beat. Polynesian music is more drum heavy and much faster tempo and more "tribal" sound. But, there are lounge versions of Hawaiian music by the score. Which isn't exactly Exotica. Or is it? It gets tricky. I've said it before, any lounge is fine in the tiki bar. That's the music of that time, so it fits to me. But, I also tend to think the real experience has to have one of the 3 genres above, or the pseudo-sub-genre of Hawaiian or Polynesian Lounge music. Gleason is Mr. Romance. I am not a big fan because he isn't that interesting or dynamic, but his LP covers are tops. His music is like 101 Strings or Melanchrino Strings, bland, sappy. I like my lounge with a kick. But, of course, I have it all. I have just added Gleason to my broadcast this week. Here's a peak at the new front page of the Swank Pad I am working on, a la Gleason. The buttons are not finalized yet... [plug] All the above is ready to be heard on my broadcast or on the Swank Vinyl Exotica CD. Click below for either. ; ) /plug] The Swank Pad Broadcast - If it's Swank... [ Edited by: Swanky on 2002-09-13 10:01 ] |
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Kailuageoff
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Fri, Sep 13, 2002 2:06 PM
Many apologies if I inadvertently implied that Gleason was an acceptable muscial alternative in a tiki bar. For me, it should be exotica in a Polynesian pub, unless there are real live hula girls on stage (then it's Hawaiian, Tahitian, Maori and such). [ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2002-09-13 14:06 ] |
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Swanky
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Mon, Sep 16, 2002 7:21 AM
I do agree there. Gleason is not 101 Strings. The later is like music with all the edges sanded off to a silky, nauseating smoothness. Gleason is made smooth, which is different. I don't want to just lump them together so heedlessly. The song I just added to the broadcast is a good example. "My Ideal" is a very slow, gentle song, but the trumpet solo in there is as heartfelt and raw as anything. Kiliki has been coming home and putting on Gleason records. I am giving him a good second listen and appreciating him more. And I am figuring out ways to rip off his album covers and pervert them for my plans! When I listen to his music, I can't help but think about how he liked to booze it up then and the band's tours were such parties. On the extreme other end of the spectrum is my favorite, not-so-well-known band director, Henri Rene. Any time you see his LPs for under $3, get 'em. He has some slow schmaltz, but his swingin' stuff is the best. |
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Trader Woody
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Tue, Sep 24, 2002 6:48 AM
Has anyone heard 'Pagan Muzak' by Boyd Rice (Non)? He did an intro for "Taboo-The Art of Tiki" and seems quite a rum chap. He says of the record, Trader Woody |
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tiki_kiliki
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Wed, Oct 9, 2002 12:54 PM
I am a huge fan of Gleason. Have you ever seen the album cover Dali designed for him? Jackie Gleason commissioned it himself. He was a huge fan of Dali. If you've never heard his arrangement of But Not For Me you're missing something in life. It will make you weep! Yee-Haw & Aloha, [ Edited by: tiki_kiliki on 2002-10-09 12:54 ] |
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Kailuageoff
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Wed, Oct 9, 2002 1:12 PM
I know the Dali album art, but wasn't lucky enough to find that one. Since starting this post I have listened to all but one of the albums I purchased. I guess I'm saving the best album cover for last. It has a smokey blue cover with what appears to be two blonde girls kissing each other(Or maybe it's a blonde girl with long hair and eyelashes kissing a blonde guy with long hair and eyelashes?) |
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tiki_kiliki
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Wed, Oct 9, 2002 8:50 PM
Geoff, I'd be glad to put the Dali album on cd for you and send it to you. Hopefully you have "Music to Remember Her" album with each song dedicated to some blonde, brunette, or red head with name like: Cherry, Sue, Tangerine, Charmaine. I'll put them both on a cd for ya!! Yee-Haw & Aloha, [ Edited by: tiki_kiliki on 2002-10-09 20:52 ] |
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Futura Girl
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Wed, Oct 9, 2002 9:26 PM
We have a few Gleason Albums - my favorite title is "Music to get her in the Mood" with a misty eyed maiden on the cover. Also have quite a few 101 Strings albums, but yes they are rather syrupy. Les Baxter is my favorite thing to find all round - whether or not it is a 'polynesian' theme album. And any Esquivel, master of exotica, is A#1 in my book. But no one has mentioned the masterful Henry Mancini, or the Warm and Wonderful Bert Kaempfert. I also have all the crooners on my shelf of lounge music: sinatra, sammy, ella, jack jones, etc. I am trying to track down early albums by film and tv composer, Frank Devol, but haven't had luck yet. I am on the $1 an album plan myself. Anybody have any Music by Devol? Shameless self-promotion: On my site, Lotta Living, I have posted Madly Cocktail Disc Jockey, Kat Griffin's recommendations for 10 CD's to start off your record collection for your Modern lounge pad: |
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tikifish
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Thu, Oct 10, 2002 5:45 AM
In my searches, I have found very little of the holy trinity (Denny, Baxter, Lyman) but LOTs of the following albums. I don't know what people say when the say Elvis or the beatles sold the most records - it HAD to have been Herb ALpert! TOP THRIFT STORE RECORD BIN INHABITANTS:
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Swanky
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Thu, Oct 10, 2002 7:51 AM
The top ones I always see are, in no order: Well, those are the older ones I always see. I scored the Good, The Bad and The Ugly LP once for a dollar or two. Mancini is great. What's not know about the Breakfast at Tiffany's LP is that he went back into the studio and rearranged all those tunes for the album. They are NOT the soundtrack songs. You won't find that word on the record. He wanted to make them more listenable, and did. |
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tikifish
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Thu, Oct 10, 2002 11:26 AM
Oh yes, I forgot... -South Pacific |
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bigbadtikidaddy
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Thu, Oct 10, 2002 11:42 AM
I wholeheartedly agree with picks #1 & #2 for the top 10, but #3 fo4r me seems to be Ferrante & Teicher. [ Edited by: bigbadtikidaddy on 2002-10-10 11:50 ] |
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thejab
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Thu, Oct 10, 2002 11:49 AM
One of the most listenable Jackie Gleason records is "Riff Jazz" (great cover too). The lush string ones, though they have great covers, are sometimes a bit too syrupy. The best 101 strings records are from the late 60s and into the 70s. The erotic one (the name escapes me) is amazing - it has moaning women throughout! For dinner music (and make-out music!) I like George Shearing's albums "Velvet Carpet","Black Velvet", Black Satin","White Satin", etc. They're now on CD but I haven't had much trouble finding the records at flea markets, thrift stores, and garage sales. |
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bigbadtikidaddy
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Thu, Oct 10, 2002 11:55 AM
I think my favorite latest album score is a Nina Simone album from the early 70's with covers of "Here comes the sun","O-O-H Child" & "Mr Bojangles" [ Edited by: bigbadtikidaddy on 2002-10-10 11:56 ] |
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Kailuageoff
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Thu, Oct 10, 2002 1:53 PM
Herb Alpert is numero uno in Florida thrift bins as well, with Mitch Miller a close second & agreed the Mancini soundtrack for Peter Gunn is tremendous, but I haven't heard much else by him and need to do so. Thanks for the CD offer of the Dali album, but I'll not trouble you now since I hope to stumble across the lp. Gleason shows up fairly frequently down here (must be our proximity to Miami). The suggestion to check out George Shearing is great. I was just looking at his stuff in the local Borders book store two weeks ago. I remember hearing a wonderful album he did with Peggy Lee called The Beauty & the Beat. I'm still loking for that one. Some of Peggy Lee's solo stuff is good too. I just picked up an album of hers called "While a Cigarette was Burning". It's pretty gutsy for a white girl. [ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2002-10-10 13:56 ] [ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2002-10-10 13:57 ] |
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thejab
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Thu, Oct 10, 2002 2:13 PM
Peggy Lee's "Is That All There Is?" is one of the strangest, and best, songs she ever did. The whole album is great. |
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Swanky
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Thu, Oct 10, 2002 2:38 PM
I just found "Ole Ala Lee" for $1 at an antique store. I have not heard one of these songs before and they are great. Some lyrics that are slightly racey. I added it to my broadcast immediately. And she's easy on the eyes too. I still don't understand how she got Mexicans to calm down about Manana. |
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tikifish
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Thu, Oct 10, 2002 7:17 PM
Yeah, Corey Hart... he blew chunks! I see an awful lot of Howard Jones too, come to think of it. |
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Futura Girl
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Fri, Oct 11, 2002 12:26 AM
Inspired by this thread, I hit my local Sal's (Salvation Army) and Goodwill and bought a new bunch of records tonight. The big score was Van de Kamp's presents Les Baxter "Music of the Sixties" featuring a cover of Quiet Village of course! And I'm listening to my new Bert Kaempfert "Blue Midnight" album. Also picked up a couple of good Gleasons, The Latin Sound of Mancini, a 3 Hawaiiana discs, Sonny and Cher Live in Vegas! and more... I am also into those kooky ones like "A Record of Quality brought to you by your Sanitone Drycleaner" This is a Columbia Records compilation... The cover just kills me - this guy standing in a grey flannel suit next to a chess board. What this has to do with Rosemary Clooney singing "Tenderly" I never guess? |
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SugarCaddyDaddy
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Fri, Oct 11, 2002 1:30 AM
Personally, even though some of these smoooooth albums "are/have been/will be" released on CD, nothing gives me that cool feeling when I find them on vinyl. Seeing those cover pictures really does it for me...oh, and then sliding out that record and finding that the vinyl is unscratched! I can live with "Martini Scratches" (you know, the unsteady hand that removed the needle after a couple of good Martinis). SugarCaddyDaddy |
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Futura Girl
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Fri, Oct 11, 2002 3:49 AM
yah, i'm with you on that sugarcaddydaddy. there is nothing in the world like analog sound. please we have those cool record album frames from Restoration Hardware and we rotate our display of records in them each season! This time of year it's fall colors and stuff like "Music to Study by" |
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Swanky
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Fri, Oct 11, 2002 5:33 AM
Those "Adventures in Stereo" and the like can have some great extras like Ken Nordine giving examples of stereo and non-stereo. As long as they are cheap, I get them. You never know. |
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tikifish
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Fri, Oct 11, 2002 5:37 AM
Oh, I do the 'theme' rotation in my restoration hardware frames too. Past themes have been: -Vixens petting animals I love thinking up new perameters for the four frames. It helps to have a lot of crappy old records to choose from too. |
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Kailuageoff
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Fri, Oct 11, 2002 7:16 AM
Martini scratches: Thanks for the great phrasing, SugarCaddyDaddy. Just thinking about the term makes the albums sound better, and provides a cool rationale when someone obnoxiously asks why you want to listen to old records. [ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2002-10-11 07:17 ] |
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tiki_kiliki
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Fri, Oct 11, 2002 12:52 PM
Hey, just saw a preview last night of a made for TV movie about Jackie Gleason to be shown on Sunday Oct. 13th! I think it was on CBS? Looked good actually. Yee-Haw & Aloha, [ Edited by: tiki_kiliki on 2002-10-11 12:53 ] |
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thejab
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Fri, Oct 11, 2002 1:24 PM
I read Jackie Gleason's biography and it was fascinating. Did you know he never rehearsed the Jackie Gleason Show ("The Honeymooners")? He just knew what the general story was going to be and ad libbed his lines! |
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vintagegirl
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Fri, Oct 11, 2002 1:37 PM
Swanky, I have one of those "Adventures In Stereo" albums. I have one of it's nutty intros on my answering machine. And on another note, Enoch Light kicks ass! |
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tikifish
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Fri, Oct 11, 2002 8:31 PM
http://www.deuceofclubs.com/whip_it.htm Speaking of Herb ALpert, here's the Whipped Cream and Other Delights Art Car! Unfortunately even though this website is muy extensive, I cant find a very good pic of the car itself... |
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Kailuageoff
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Sun, Oct 13, 2002 7:33 AM
A Correction: My post about Peggy Lee should have said the album title was "You Go to My Head". The first cut on the album is "While a Cigarette was Burning." Also, I scored a Hawaiian lp on silver seal records yesterday that had an sleeve from Capitol Records. The sleeve had pictures of Gleason and Shearing's early albums on it, and I couldn't help noticing how similar the art and photogaphy were on both. I'm going to try and catch the Gleason movie tonight, although I'm flying to Chicago this evening and may end up missing the first part of it. |
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Swanky
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Mon, Oct 14, 2002 6:59 AM
The Gleason TV movie was a disappointment. It was very heavy handed. It just tried to roll the whole thing into a "my old man was a louse and that's why I am who I am" psycho-pop crap. They played about 4 bars of his theme and one of his songs at the very, very end of the show. All in all it made him look pretty miserable. Only a mention of the music. |
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Kailuageoff
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Mon, Oct 14, 2002 11:39 PM
Yeah Swanky, I agree. I'm not sure it is possible for people today to get their heads around someone like Gleason. He's pretty incorrect. Can you imagine a Lifetime movie glorifying the bachelor lifestyle of the 50's and 60's. Nope..., me either. |
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Trader Woody
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Tue, Oct 15, 2002 3:09 PM
I did the vinyl hunt at the weekend, and it looks like the entire vinyl output of the 80's has de-camped to the charity shops of the UK in the past month or so. You can't move for A-Ha, Spandau Ballet & Thompson Twins LP's. Still, I managed to pick out some interesting chunks of vinyl. Another album is 'International Cocktail', with an inspired cover - bottles of gin, whiskey, vodka and martini! The music sounds like it was created by a bunch of drunks just getting into their 4th straight double. 'Island Magic' by the Kon-Tikis And best of all, Val Merrall's Big Sound at Butlins. One I'd seen at ridiculous cost, but this time at 75 cents. It's the cover that's of interest, as it has two small photos of the Butlins Beachcomber on it. One reveals a large moai, while the other has definitive proof that Butlins ripped off Mr Bali Hai, as there's a huge (15 ft?) statue of Mr Bali Hai minus his nose-bones on it. I must admit to being slightly thankful that the centre hole was to small to allow me to actually listen to the album! Trader Woody |
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mrsmiley
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Wed, Oct 16, 2002 5:48 PM
"I must admit to being slightly thankful that the centre hole was to Trader Woody" |
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Trader Woody
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Wed, Oct 23, 2002 2:21 PM
MrSmiley, Thanks for the tip. It's surprising how little vinyl you actually have to gouge out of the centre hole to get it to fit properly. (I think I gouged a little too much....Ernies LP now has a bit of a wobble to it.) Trader Woody |
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mrsmiley
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Wed, Oct 23, 2002 6:05 PM
"MrSmiley, Thanks for the tip. It's surprising how little vinyl you actually have Trader Woody" ---Are you sure it is not just Ernie's singing?? |
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Kailuageoff
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Mon, Aug 4, 2003 1:06 PM
I'm on a new quest in lp collecting. I'm looking for 50's/ early 60's albums with cover art of dames listening to their Hi-Fi's. I've found three that I'll try to post photos of this week. [ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2003-08-04 13:08 ] [ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2003-08-05 16:44 ] |
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Frenchy Polynesia
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Mon, Aug 4, 2003 1:46 PM
You should definitely try Urban Outfitters for frames - they have really nice metal ones for $15. And, if you ever make it to Portland again - there was a big record store on Hawthorne that has a whole bin full of 'model/cheesecake' covers! |
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Kailuageoff
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Mon, Aug 4, 2003 2:40 PM
Frenchy, (*Note to Mig: Wahine Marian was there too. :)) |
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Swanky
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Mon, Aug 4, 2003 4:09 PM
Around here Joanne's regularly has the LP frames. I think that is where Kiliki got the ones in our bedroom. In there it's all LPs with sleeping themes. |
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Frenchy Polynesia
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Mon, Aug 4, 2003 4:38 PM
Hey KG (and WM) Life is good! I'm working on the all-new swanky bachelorette pad (just got some new Keanes last weekend at a flea market). I sure hope you guys come west again! Oh - and just to verify that I'm still on topic: my 2 favorite exotica albums - Que Mango, Les Baxter Both out of print, but worth the effort to track down. |
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Kailuageoff
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Tue, Aug 5, 2003 8:05 AM
Thanks for the tips guys. I found some $15 album frames at Michael's Arts & Crafts last night. Here are a couple of albums I found on the net that fit my criteria.
Frenchy: Glad your enjoying your new locale. We'll definitley be out your way at some point. I'll get a business trip to the west coast sooner or later. [ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2003-08-05 08:06 ] |
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Kailuageoff
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Tue, Aug 5, 2003 4:17 PM
Here's one of the albums I found. |
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AquaZombie
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Wed, Aug 6, 2003 11:56 AM
I don't even know who that babe is and I miss her already! Just thought I'd throw my fez hat into the ring here though I have nothing new to add, really. We're all pretty much on the same wavelength. I LOVE Gleason (and "The Honeymooners" is still one of my all time favorite shows), and I think Lounge music from that era goes smoothly with any exotic cocktail in any tiki bar. Most neo-"tiki" restaurants play Whitney Houston and Boyz 2 Men and Kenny G crap, anyway, so if they throw on some vintage Mel Torme or even Tom Jones instead, though they aren't strictly tiki, I won't bitch. The Conga Lounge in Oakland plays a nice, healthy mix of exotica, surf, pop, lounge and even some rock 'n' roll for your R&R, and along with the tiki-themed film clips on the TV behind the bar, a soothingly nostalgic mood prevails and pervades. Trader Vic's in Emeryville has switched from its "Top 40" adult contempo format to playing more traditional Hawaiian music (I suspect because Otto kicked some ass), which is a welcome improvement. The Tonga Room in SF is of course notorious among hardcore tiki buffs for its charmless, cheesey 80s house band ruining the atmosphere (how hard would it be to get a guy with a ukelele and coupla hula dancers instead - you'd think, along with the faux rain storms, this would seem to be a no-brainer, geez!!). Anyway, I also prefer collecting lounge on LP (I have hundreds) though I also have hundreds of lounge CD reissues as well. I've always preferred Lounge to Swing since I can't dance, and Lounge is drinking music. (amongst other things....) Speaking of which, anyone out there ever hear of Bob Thompson? He was a contemporary of Esquivel's whom I interviewed for Atomic and Outre a while back. Anyway, Dionysus is FINALLY reissuing his landmark 1960 LP "The Sounds of Speed" on CD. Tracks from this have appeared on anthologies only, like Rhino's "Bachelor's Guide to the Galaxy" but this is the first Thompson LP to be fully reissued (others, like "Mmmm Nice," have come out in Japan only). Watch for it in the Fall. Whether a tiki bar plays Yma Sumac of Julie London (my favorite female vocalist), either is fine with me. Lounge and Tiki are spiritually connected. It's when you throw Britney Spears or the soundtrack to "Titanic" in with the mix that everything goes to hell. |
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Kailuageoff
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Wed, Aug 6, 2003 12:53 PM
Thanks for the cool info. AquaZombie. [ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2003-08-06 12:56 ] |
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tikibars
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Wed, Aug 6, 2003 1:22 PM
Nothing by Devol, but plenty by Devo - including their ultra-rare self-produced Muzak disc, featuring them doing mukak versions of their own tunes... some with an Exotica feel! |