Sven's The SOUND of TIKI CD -preview and discussion

Thanks, Tonga Tom you answered my burning question.

And where did you get this intel? Is this on your record label?

Now I don't have to buy the CD (who even buys CDs anymore?).

JUST KIDDING !! The liner notes will be worth the investment alone.

"The Sounds of a Tiki Bar" would have been easy. "The Sound of Tiki' is a bigger abstract challenge.

I'm assuming the Bigbro is going to offer his arguments for the inclusion of the selections.

I gotta say, based just on the song titles, I'm a little confused. Take away the Exotica, and it could almost be the "Sounds of Hawaii". At any rate, I look forward to this.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-02-07 10:34 ]

Hammock worthy...I like that !

If I had a hammock......

On 2010-02-05 09:27, JOHN-O wrote:

Thanks, Tonga Tom you answered my burning question. Where did you get this intel?

A one sheet made it my way, but the rest of te text is in German. It supposedly has a 52 page book, which I believe has been mentioned earlier. I can't wait to see the package, maybe it will be on LP one of these days with a large book! :)

Sven,
I know we were talking about this at the Mai-Kai, and this thread is far too long for my gin-infused brain to sort though it all, but it seems to me you owe it to yourself and our little group of tiki obsessive-compulsives to do a CD that is evolutionary of "tiki style" music. The BOT explain this, so why not do a sort of sound track to the book?
Start with primitives like Sol Hoopii and move on Mr. Hapa-Haole himself; Harry Owens' Sweet Lieilani. Then do Crosby's Blue Hawaii, Dorothy Lamour's Moon of Manakoora and (you know this was coming) Frances Langford's "In Waikiki", and carry on to Genoa Keawe on 49th State Records and then something from Webley Edwards' Hawaii Calls with the surf crashing on Waikiki beach including a little Alfred Apaka and some Haunani Kahalewewai. Do your Les Baxter, Martin Denny, and Arthur Lyman and on to Don Ho (who buried exotica with the Vietnam war dead). The odd stuff that never went mainstream (like Paul Page) is interesting, but is it intellectually honest in terms of pop culture influence? I like surf music, but being a Hawaiian kid, I don't think of it as island stuff. It is oh so California.
Sorry to be so contrary, but to me tiki style music was an evolution thing that peaked in 1959 with Quiet Village. IMHO your CD should reflect what the patrons of Don's and Vic's were listening to from the 30's though the 60's. Please don't end the set with Margaritaville, no matter how much you may be tempted.
KG

Where do you get those Hawaiian thing-a-ma-jigs? You know, those hula do-dads.

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff 2010-03-05 18:29 ]

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff 2010-03-05 18:30 ]

On 2010-03-05 18:26, Kailuageoff wrote:
Please don't end the set with Margaritaville, no matter how much you may be tempted.

Haha, would have never dreamed of it, but now that you put the thought in my head, I WILL ..! :D

Actually, the CD does somewhat end on a devolutionary note, as the Surfmen album was clearly a commercial rip off of the genre (though one that came out surprisingly well), and the Don Ho vocal version of Quiet Village represents that very corny and schmaltzy level of Tiki that made the younger generations cringe in disbelief and embarrassment and run for Rock.

If this CD is successful and I get another multi CD gig for the label, I will include a Hapa Haole selection. But about being "intellectually honest": The Book of Tiki already wasn't, it is an idealization of a past that never existed in such a perfect form. I selected what I personally liked (manipulation 1) and showed only the very best examples of it (manipulation 2). That's why it worked.

The Tiki re-appreciation today is often historically incorrect: We KNOW that Tiki Temple patrons more often wore suit and tie to dinner, and NOT crazy colored Aloha shirts with Tikis on them... but where is the visual fun in that?

And about "I like surf music, but being a Hawaiian kid, I don't think of it as island stuff. It is oh so California."
I have always maintained: Tiki IS mainland, Californian-made, and not island stuff. I know Exotica is Island-made, too, but it is MODERN primitive in its sound, while Hapa Haole, as much as it is an lovely soundtrack in a Tiki Lounge, is more Hawaiiana, Pre-Tiki in its style.

But as you pointed out, that IS indeed part of the evolution of the style, so it has its place in there.

Geoff, I just re-read the opening text of my booklet in the CD, and it together with what I wrote above, it explains my approach and concept for the compilation: Less evolutionary, more subjective and TIKI-centric:

"This album makes for an ideal companion to my books, Tiki Modern, and especially The Book of Tiki. I had briefly considered publishing that book with a CD to peruse it by, but dropped the idea in favor of more pages and an affordable price that would aid the dissemination of Tiki into the broader public consciousness. Now that that goal has been achieved, this CD will further sing the gospel of Tiki: The unifying theme of this compilation is that its titles directly or indirectly relate to the various concepts, characters, and plots that populate that American “Polynesian passion play” called Tiki Style. To some extent, all the tunes on this album are connected, historically or esthetically, to the popular myth of Polynesia in the mid-century."

Well waddaya know. Look what the good folks of Bear Family Music put up on U-Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxX-Sfu-I_0

A thousand thanks for Kevin Kidney's eye candy cover art, and to Jordan Reichek, the final owner of that amazing Tyree, for letting me use it for the booklet cover!

Ironically, the music for the clip is a little heavy on the Surf guitar....and on the Hapa Haole sound of Paul Page! :) I guess that still is considered more "commercial" than Exotica.

Don't try to order yet, folks, the official release date is April 1st, I will post the American distributor link as soon as I know.

On 2010-03-06 00:07, bigbrotiki wrote:
Geoff, I just re-read the opening text of my booklet in the CD, and it together with what I wrote above, it explains my approach and concept for the compilation: Less evolutionary, more subjective and TIKI-centric:

"This album makes for an ideal companion to my books, Tiki Modern, and especially The Book of Tiki. I had briefly considered publishing that book with a CD to peruse it by, but dropped the idea in favor of more pages and an affordable price that would aid the dissemination of Tiki into the broader public consciousness. Now that that goal has been achieved, this CD will further sing the gospel of Tiki: The unifying theme of this compilation is that its titles directly or indirectly relate to the various concepts, characters, and plots that populate that American “Polynesian passion play” called Tiki Style. To some extent, all the tunes on this album are connected, historically or esthetically, to the popular myth of Polynesia in the mid-century."

The concept behind the CD makes more sense given the text above. As you say, a long-overdue sound track to the BoT. Can't wait to order a copy.
KG

only 43 minutes Sven?
tisk tisk tisk.

this is a cd, not a LP.
they can hold 78 to 80 min.

for the drinker/listener,
the less often you have to get up to change the cd, the better.
I guess that is why they made cd changers.
But I prefer the single players, as they break down less,
and the audio quality specs are better.

oh well,
there is always the next cds.
still looking forward to this one.
and I posted info about it on the Surf forum.

Jeff(btd)

On 2010-03-06 13:25, bigtikidude wrote:
only 43 minutes Sven?
tisk tisk tisk.

this is a cd, not a LP.
they can hold 78 to 80 min.

Jeff(btd)

OK, wise guy, YOU go and pull together all the images, and write all the text for each song, then. It's not just like burning a bunch of faves on your lap top for your friends, where you can pile them up indefinitely. It's research, writing, lay out and editing, too.

The booklet looks beautiful Sven. We would expect no less! :D The unfortunate thing is, the average listener never bothers to read the liner notes. But then again, the average listener probably wouldn't buy a CD like this in the first place. It would have been nice to have this when the BOT came out. Because that is exactly how I first read the book: exotica music on, cocktail in hand, book open. Man, that's my kind of studying.

I recall you did a "Music to read Tiki Modern by" live set on Luxuria radio a couple of years ago. That was quite enjoyable. Tiki is so alluring when all the elements come into play: sight, sound and taste. Of course, as you said, this is OUR idealized version of Tiki really because it was hardly experienced this way back in the day.

It's not just like burning a bunch of faves on your lap top for your friends, where you can pile them up indefinitely. It's research, writing, lay out and editing, too.

So true.

On 2010-03-07 00:44, bigbrotiki wrote:
OK, wise guy, YOU go and pull together all the images, and write all the text for each song, then. It's not just like burning a bunch of faves on your lap top for your friends, where you can pile them up indefinitely. It's research, writing, lay out and editing, too.

Ok I'm sorry, I didn't think about the book, I was thinking just music and space.
I did however think that maybe cost was a issue.
as usually when you/a company does a compilation.
you/they, have to pay to use all, or most of the trax.
So after my post, I was thinking maybe Bear Family was wanting to save some $

Jeff(btd)

Hey I found this thread from almost 8 years ago...

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=501&forum=17&start=0

This might be a good follow-up to do. I think "Tiki Karaoke - Sing along with Sven" would be a good concept. The CD could include a song book with lyrics.

This is starting to take off at Tonga Hut on Sunday afternoons....

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-03-07 16:28 ]

Wow, that's an oldie but a goodie. :) A few songs on that list made it into this album.

Would I have stocked up on the song list, the booklet would have had to have equally more pages, which yes, would have raised the price. It's already gonna be high, with around 26.- bucks as an import. And I couldn't have done images and text for some of the songs, and not for others. I like keeping my works on an affordable level.

The old song list thread was cool, I noticed it had post from not one but two deleted members :lol:

On 2009-12-02 14:21, bigbrotiki wrote:
Well, unfortunately it will be a while, like end of March! It's gone into production now, I was just reminded to write the promo text for the coming catalog, but til its printed and shipped from Asia it'll be months.

Here is a sample of what the packaging will be like, not in a crappy Jewel case where you have to squeeze the booklet in and out, but it is glued into a cardboard cover and will open like a book, with 50 pages (this is a SAMPLE for the style only):

[image snipped for brevity]

Every song will get a double page of text and images, here are some snaps from my laptop:

[other images snipped for brevity]

I am so thrilled I got to squeeze that photo that Gecko took of me and Martin Denny in there. Martin holding my book and me holding his poodle. :)

The booklet and liner notes make me want this package more than the tracks. :) And it's kind of funny to see the Ed Sullivan album in the booklet. Before I became interested in Tiki, I bought a copy of that at a thrift store, framed it, and gave it to a tiki-phile friend as a birthday present. I paid a dollar for it.

The latest on the release:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=35931&forum=12&start=last&0

Just nabbed one at Aomeba in L.A. Great stuff. I look forward to the next 9 volumes and then the re-release as a genuine bamboo boxed box set in time for xmas!

My copy arrived Monday (4/5) in the mail from 8 Ball. Amazing work, Sven. I fired it up on the bar stereo and whipped up a couple of big drinks for happy hour. Booklet is awesome, though I didn't get a chance to read it yet because the wife was looking through it. It's a little spendier than your "average" CD, but well-worth it!

Yay Sven! I am just learning of this disc now. Looking forward to it!

[ Edited by: Selector Lopaka 2010-04-06 13:44 ]

I'm now joining others as a happy recipient of "The Sound of Tiki" direct from Bear Family Records...

Sven, you have more than succeeded in "creating a harmonius listening experience and mood"; enjoyed reading every page while listening and sipping multiple tropical beverages (in this case, Miehanas from the Bum's recipe).

Say, is that Martin Denny's poodle in your lap on the page 50 photo? I'm the dad of two standard poodles (the big ones) and you might not see more than poodle if either of them were sitting in your lap.

Regards,

Tom

SL, good to hear from you. Please let me know where to send a copy to, your multiple compilations for the Northern Tiki crawls have been an ongoing inspiration for this project.

RB and TTD, thank you for the kudos. Yes that is Martin's poodle, I got to hold it while he held the BOT. Gecko took that picture.

I had the pleasure to -for the first time- listen to the CD IN and AT a Tiki bar, here in Prague in the "Tiki Taky" (formerly the Taky Tiki :) ), while sipping a Zombie (AND a Mai Tai, and..), and must say I was happy to find it WORKS. For me, it contains exactly the kind of moods and stories we all would like to hear while patronizing a Tiki restaurant -but which we cannot ask for without being "patronizing"! :wink:

Picked mine up at Viva Las Vegas this weekend...and I'll agree with the others, the book alone is worth the price of admission. The artwork and layout are really great, it's like a mini-Book of Tiki. Not to mention the music is stellar. Nice work Sven...hopefully first in a series, i.e. Ultra-Lounge?

Hello!
I recently received "The Sound of Tiki" CD in the mail from 8 Ball. For $33 and all the packaging they mailed it in, I was very dissapointed by the deep grooves on the cover of the fragile cardboard cover that reads: "Order #13380" "#13379." Couldn't they have been a little more careful with such an expensive CD geared towards the Tiki collector?
I'm bummed out, but I'm not about to pay for shipping again to get a replacement and I'm not even sure they would do it.
Buyer beware.
Louis :(

Louis, I would be, too! Don't know what happened, but I will look into it and have them send you a replacement copy a.s.a.p.
Your Sven

Did anyone else have that problem with their packaging?

...mine arrived in Wash DC yesterday...it was fine!

GREAT compilation BTW

No problems with my package (that's what she said) from 8-Ball.

Sorry, I don't mean to be a cry-baby about this. What happened is that 8-Ball decided to use my CD for back-support when writting down some order numbers on a piece of paper. They pressed down hard enough for the writting to leave deep grooves on my CD cover so now I can read what they wrote! I'm sure it was accidental, but they should have written on a table instead. :) It's a beautiful cover too with artwork by Kevin Kidney. Hopefully this didn't happen with too many other CDs.
Thanks Sven!
Louis

My copy came from 8-Ball and didn't have anything embossed on it.

Atomobile, you should play those numbers on the next lottery!

1 33 80 13 3 79

Aaaah so, NOW I understand what happened. Most unfortunate indeed.
Louis, I am in Prague til the end of the month, so please p.m. me here on TC with your e-mail so I can coordinate a replacement!

I received my CD today from Grooves Inc, but unfortunately as it was just put inside a Jiffy Lite, I received it with a dented and battered cover and the plastic inside was broken. I real shame, I have written to them hoping they can resolve it. CD plays fine BTW and it's brilliant.

[ Edited by: Kon-Hemsby 2010-04-13 10:28 ]

Sometimes it's best to go straight to the source (if practical).

Here we see "The Sound of Tiki" in its native habitat....

I combined my purchase with a mid-century hot dog at nearby Papoo's Hot Dog Show.

A hot dog was all I could afford after buying that CD !! :D

My first take was that BigBro was leveraging his "brand" to sell Exotica compilations but really this is like a mini (emphasis on mini :)) musical "Book of Tiki". The songs were selected not only for their classic Tiki themes (Bali Ha'i, Kon-Tiki, Aku Aku, etc) but also for the significance of the performers. The majority of the selections fly low under the radar for your casual Tiki Music fan so this will be "new" music for most. The music by itself would make this a worthwhile purchase. Example, I didn't know that Andy Williams was such a cha-cha-cha hep cat.

The accompanying text and graphics are half the fun. Example, I had no idea that "Lounge" was spawned from Poly-Pop. The Don Ho medley was the perfect bookend to highlight Tiki devolution (although I think Don deserves a little more respect than to be remembered just as the "Fat Elvis" of Tiki-style). My favorite tune was the restaurant jingle (I just can't get it out of my head). What a great and appropriate find.

My questions for the Bigbro:

1. Was "Marais & Miranda Go Native" released in the U.S. when it debuted?

2. Who was the artist of the Wahine painting on page 31? I can't remember the name.

3. Did Martin Denny trade his dog for a copy of BOT? :)

I look forward to "The Sound of Tiki" Part 2. Thank You.

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-04-14 10:52 ]

Technically John O,
the source for the cds is Germany,
hence part of the high price(import fees)

Jeff(btd)

I picked up the CD this weekend at Hollywood Amoeba.
They also do mailorder.

On 2010-04-13 10:26, Kon-Hemsby wrote:
I received my CD today from Grooves Inc, but unfortunately as it was just put inside a Jiffy Lite, I received it with a dented and battered cover and the plastic inside was broken. I real shame, I have written to them hoping they can resolve it. CD plays fine BTW and it's brilliant.

That sucks. If THEY don't replace it, I will, for such a TC veteran as you are, Kon-Hemsby. I take it as a personal compliment if someone pays that much money for a CD nowadays, so they should get their money's worth. I was paid in CDs for my work on the album, so I have a few left beyond the ones I still have to give to friends and contributers.

Which brings me to:

On 2010-04-13 20:22, JOHN-O wrote:
My first take was that BigBro was leveraging his "brand" to sell Exotica compilations...

I can absolutely see why one would think that, with that fat "Sven A Kirsten presents..." header to the title, but after spending ten years as just a writer, critic and observer of Tiki, while seeing countless others making a business out of it, I felt it was time to somehow use my name to promote my work: Another case in point being the first mug of Tiki Farm's "Sven Kirsten Kollection":
I originally felt that a simple "The Kirsten Kollection" would sound much cooler, but the fact was that if I would NOT somehow bring the full recognition value of my name into it, it would get noticed less --maybe not here, but out there in the Tiki marketplace. This statement does not mean that I see myself as a "celebrity" (that would be ridiculous) but that I pragmatically have to make use of the "branding" possibilities available to me, or I would be stupid.

I really appreciate John-O's honest and thought-provoking posts, and thank you for supporting 8-Ball. Naomi is really working hard to make her business survive in a still tough economy. And BTD, after me whining about your comment about "only 17 tracks", Naomi set me straight about the fact that, no matter what I feel, the so-called "perceived value" cannot be ignored, it is what it is, and your post made me aware of that.

The questions:
1.) Here are a some answers for the Marais and Miranda fan:

http://www.maraisandmiranda.com/bio.htm ...AND a cool film clip!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDbtSUMzBb0

2.) That was Miguel Covarrubias, a motif he used for his Bali book first, and later for "Typee"

3.) I got to hold Martin's poodle only while he was holding the BOT :)

Sven, you may not think of yourself as a celebrity, but to me, you are! You have done so much for Tiki. Your books are always present on my coffee table. They are really the definitive account of Tiki. I agree very much with your "take" on Tiki, what it means, where it came from, how it evolved and is evolving. I guess the only way I may possibly differ from you, is that I don't quite relish the whole urban-archeology thing as much as you do. I would be tickled pink if Tiki,(in the classic poly-pop sense) had never died out.

To me, you are like the Dr. Grant of Tiki. (Jurassic Park) I get the feeling that you much prefer digging up the old bones rather then seeing them walking around in the present!

http://www.myspace.com/lucasvigor

[ Edited by: lucas vigor 2010-04-14 18:37 ]

On 2010-04-14 16:05, bigbrotiki wrote:
And BTD, after me whining about your comment about "only 17 tracks", Naomi set me straight about the fact that, no matter what I feel, the so-called "perceived value" cannot be ignored, it is what it is, and your post made me aware of that.

Sven, When I made that comment it was a kinda off the cuff comment,
and based on many surf compilations, and cheap Exotica Comps. where there is a bunch of songs, and not much thought or time, and money put into the packaging and or book that comes with it.

The only exception would be Sundazed,comps and re-issues of classic albums,
Rhino's extensive Cowabuna box set with Great accompanying book(The Bible of surf) done by John Blair(the guy I introduced you to on New Years eve) and also Ace records out of England has done some great comps, with extensive liner notes.

So maybe we are both half right, and half wrong.
:wink:

Jeff(btd)

Got my copy of the CD from the wonderful 8-Ball yesterday and have been playing it at every available moment since. Everything about this CD says quality : Sven's choice of music, the sound reproduction, the incredible artwork, the pages of Tiki eye-candy and the wealth of information Sven has provided about each track. As a long-time collector of Exotica I thought my collection was pretty complete but finding such treasures as the Marais & Miranda "I-Ha-She", Gloria Lynne's cool version of "Bali Ha'i" and Don Ho's "Hawaii Five-O"/Quiet Village" medley were real eye-openers. This is a must have for every Tiki fan and the perfect musical introduction to the allure of Tiki for those yet to discover the Polynesian Pop cultural phenomenon.

One of my favorite sections of the CD's amazing book has to be this lay-out for the Surfman's "Bamboo" and the extraordinary coincidence linking the man behind the Surfmen concept and one Sven Kirsten...

Here's a couple more lay-outs from the book to further wet your appetites....

I just got mine from 8-Ball as well. I haven't even had a chance to listen yet (it's next on my to-do list) but the packaging and liner notes are exquisite (as expected). This is the first time in years I've been happy to buy a physical CD!

Off to play...

kevin

Killer CD. I've listened to it over and over and read and re-read the extensive liner notes. A thoroughly recommended purchase to everyone one on here. AND their friends.

Well, it appears that Amazon.com is not the best place to order "The Sound Of Tiki."

I just cancelled my February 27th pre-order because, although it was supposed to ship sometime in the next day or two with a delivery estimate of April 22, 2010, the product page associated with my order claimed that the CD has been discontinued by the manufacturer. I don't believe that to be true because a search for "The Sound Of Tiki" on Amazon.com yields the deleted CD listing with the familiar cover art as well as a mysterious little album titled "Various Artists" by The Sound Of Tiki supposedly releasing sometime around May 4, 2010 sans cover art. Yeah, right. Something's definitely fishy around here. I have no tolerance for such foolishness and mayhem and so I made my way to CDUniverse.com where I found "The Sound Of Tiki" in stock, shipping in 1-2 days, with a price only slightly higher than my Amazon pre-order and significantly less expensive than 8 Ball's web store.

Here's hoping it won't be too long before I get to experience the wonderful music and packaging you've all been enjoying for quite some time now. Keep your fingers crossed for me, please!

Dang! There must have been a misunderstanding between Amazon and Bear Family...That's too bad, nobody can beat Amazon prices. But I could only find it for $ 26.25 at CD Universe, which is not "only slightly higher than Amazon", and also not "significantly cheaper" than the $ 26.95 at 8-Ball ? Sorry for those Import difficulties.

On 2010-04-20 00:20, bigbrotiki wrote:
Dang! There must have been a misunderstanding between Amazon and Bear Family...That's too bad, nobody can beat Amazon prices. But I could only find it for $ 26.25 at CD Universe, which is not "only slightly higher than Amazon", and also not "significantly cheaper" than the $ 26.95 at 8-Ball ? Sorry for those Import difficulties.

Yeah, and Amazon tends to ship things in super-protective cardboard boxes versus the typical bubble wrap padded envelope for a single CD. I figured with cargo (a CD) this important, Amazon would be my best bet for receiving "The Sound Of Tiki" with the least possible damage during transit. Oh well.

And referring to the adjectives I tacked on to my pricing discussion above, the total cost with shipping from 8 Ball would have been roughly $36.32. My pre-order price guarantee for my cancelled Amazon order was set around $23, and now I've secured a copy of "The Sound Of Tiki" from CDUniverse for $26.28, a price which includes shipping. That's a savings of $10 compared to 8 Ball's web store and only $3 and some change more than my previously quoted Amazon price. In this economy and on my budget, a savings of $10 IS significant. Gotta try and find deals for the things I want when I can, right?

Now all I've got to do is sit tight and wait for my CD to arrive in the mail. It's gonna be fantastic when it finally does!

I just got a copy of Jeff Berry's "REMIXED" and, besides the fact that it is an absolutely gorgeous volume, I was reminded that many of the Bum's classic concoctions collected in this tome are the perfect companion to "The Sound of Tiki":

Beginning with the AKU AKU Lapu, to be enjoyed with Martin Denny's "Aku Aku", one can go down the track list and imbibe the Mr. BALI HAI, the CASTAWAY, the KON-TIKI Ti Punch, the HAWAIIAN EYE, and last not least, the PIECES OF EIGHT, all with their appropriate aural accompaniment!

Well, maybe not in one hearing. :D

On 2010-04-20 14:53, bigbrotiki wrote:

Well, maybe not in one hearing. :D

Worth a try though dontcha think?! :D
Great job on all fronts Sven!!
My fav is the Surfers Ulili-E.

Velvets by J. Sallin

[ Edited by: Iokona Ki'i 2010-04-20 17:12 ]

Picked up my copy at 8-Ball last weekend and have been listening to it in the car since. BTW, it was my first trip to 8-Ball. For those in and around Burbank, it’s a nice place to find all kinds of great gift items and also seems to offer something for everyone.

Back to the CD. I think the outcome of your project is great Sven. The liner notes are really like a mini paperback BOT, full of TIKI detail! I fully agree with your "Remixed" comments. I think my next step will be to mix up a Zombie, put the headphones on, kick back while reading the liner notes and drift away...that way I’m not "just a derelict, on the phone"...I’m just listening to a really fine CD. Congrats!
A