Which Martin Denny to buy?

I want to buy a somewhat well-rounded Martin Denny collection, but I'm unsure of which one to purchase. According to Allmusic.com, the best one is the 20-track "Exotica: The Best of Martin Denny" on Rhino records. However, amazon.com has a sweet double disc set called "The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny."

Which one should I buy or should I start somewhere else?

-g-

"The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny" is great!
It contains tracks from different albums including the Exotica album. Start with that, then buy the rest after you are completely hooked on the music.

My favorite is Hypnotique
Mahalo,
Al

The exotic sounds of!!!

Quiet Village is a classic too, I get that tune stuck in my head all the time!

On 2004-01-21 07:57, susane wrote:
"The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny" is great!
It contains tracks from different albums including the Exotica album. Start with that, then buy the rest after you are completely hooked on the music.

This is what I would also recommend. I started with ESOMD, moved on to his other CDs, and eventually collected the rest on vinyl -- but that's probably a little to complusive/obsessive for most people (did I just say that in a tiki freak forum?).

"The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny" is great!

I got this for Christmas and love it. Its over 2 hrs of music and has a neat little booklet with some history. Were I to change anything about it, I'd re-arrange the tracks into chronological order, but you could do that by burning your own CDs. Amazon has it in a combo discount deal with Arthur Lyman's Taboo but since the discount is taken off the list price, both are marked down anyway and the Denny CD costs enough to activate free shipping, you don't really save anything.

Buy all of the them -- the reissues of the original LPs, starting with "Forbidden Island" and "Exotica Vol.1/2." The compilations leave off a lot of great tracks.

HYPNOTIQUE

Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny is great...

if you want specific albums, go for Hypnotique and Primitiva.

You do have "The Exotic Moods of Les Baxter", right? He's the alpha of exotic music.

You do have "The Exotic Moods of Les Baxter", right? He's the alpha of exotic music.

And where would we obtain this? I do recall that a couple months back it was scarce and expensive. Has something changed (I hope)?

I just looked up the Exotic Moods of Les Baxter on Amazon - used starting at $129; new for $199. There are 17 other selections listed for him including a new one called Primitive & Passionate by the Les Baxter Balladeers (his group?) scheduled to be released March 23, 2004. It pre-orders for $13.98 but no tracks are listed.

"Exotic Moods" is out of print, but I'm sure one will turn up on Ebay sometime. It's well worth locating if you don't have the original LPs. I would skip the CDs you mentioned and track down Tamboo on CD if you can find it. My favorite Les Baxter LPs are Ritual of the Savage and Tamboo. Not sure if the previous one was put on CD in total.

I just checked Ebay. Two copies sold within the past two weeks for around $50 each. Even at that price it's still worth it. Trust me on this.

I found both "Quiet Village" and "A Taste of Honey" on LP at a records resale shop for about 5 bucks apiece. They were in very good to excellent condition, and I'm very happy with them. I say if you want to get a true taste of Martin, start with the Rhino compilation, but then start at the beginning, and on record if at all possible. It really lets the music glow. Just my twopence!

Swing, Daddi-O!

[ Edited by: SwingingTiki on 2004-01-24 19:23 ]

BTW does anyone know what the name of the last LP Denny put out? The latest one I have is from some hotel in Maui and has a strange improvision of Tiny Bubbles on it. I wonder if he made any other experiments along this vein since at the time exotic was losing popularity and he was trying a new angle.

On 2004-01-25 09:28, naugatiki wrote:
BTW does anyone know what the name of the last LP Denny put out? The latest one I have is from some hotel in Maui and has a strange improvision of Tiny Bubbles on it. I wonder if he made any other experiments along this vein since at the time exotic was losing popularity and he was trying a new angle.

Martin Denny's last album, at least on vinyl, was "The Enchanted Isle" released on Liberty in 1982. This came out 2 years after "From Maui With Love" which contains the Tiny Bubbles song mentioned above. Of course Martin went on to release another original release on CD with "Exotica 90" released over in Japan. This album is highly recommended because it was the last time Martin Denny was reunited with all his old friends including Arthur Lyman. Hope this helps!

I realize that the exotic music scene has quieted down from the hey day of 1995-1999, but it's unbelievable how few releases are actually in print. It's criminal that "Exotic Moods of Les Baxter" is no longer produced. That music should NEVER go out of print. Les Baxter is a ridiculously underrated composer. Many of his best albums have never been produced on CD legitimately, including "Ritual of the Savage","Sacred Idol","Jungle Jazz","African Jazz", etc. If you haven't heard this material, you owe yourself...

On 2004-01-24 19:22, SwingingTiki wrote:
I found both "Quiet Village" and "A Taste of Honey" on LP at a records resale shop for about 5 bucks apiece.

---

Swing, Daddi-O!

I just picked up "EXOTICA" today on LP at a local resale store for 5 bucks! Is this the fair market price for old Martin Denny records nowadays? My copy's on the Liberty label, dated 1956 and in "spectra-sonic-sound" hi-fidelity...don't know too much about this ancient recording technique, but it sounds great.

The first time I picked up a copy of Exotia it was a error pressing and the record company mistakenly printing side 2 twice so for a while I thought Quiet Village was Stone God until I heard the real version on a Denny compilation years later. I still have it.

Waikikian Hotel Tiki Gardens
http://members.tripod.com/gregg-n/waikikian_tiki_gardens.htm

[ Edited by: naugatiki on 2004-01-28 09:32 ]

Does anyone have "From Maui With Love"? Can you share any thoughts? Am curious to hear his piano version of "Quiet Village."

Cheers,
Rupe

I only have the CD releases, but it would be peachy if some industrious TC'er could post the albums in order with the album covers. Yes, I would like that very much, thank you. If they really had time to kill they could list the tracks for each album too.

On 2006-06-06 11:21, rupe33 wrote:
Does anyone have "From Maui With Love"? Can you share any thoughts? Am curious to hear his piano version of "Quiet Village."

Cheers,
Rupe

This is simply a beautiful album that I can't recommend enough. It is an album of solo piano works but they are stunning! Plus six of the tracks are originals!!! Definitely belongs in any Martin Denny collection!

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

On 2006-06-06 12:10, spy-tiki wrote:
I only have the CD releases, but it would be peachy if some industrious TC'er could post the albums in order with the album covers. Yes, I would like that very much, thank you. If they really had time to kill they could list the tracks for each album too.

You'll have to wait for the "Book of Exotica" for all this and more!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

On 2006-06-06 11:21, rupe33 wrote:
Does anyone have "From Maui With Love"? Can you share any thoughts? Am curious to hear his piano version of "Quiet Village."

Cheers,
Rupe

This one is on my short list to rip and share. It hasn't been released on CD has it? If it has then I won't post it.

Here's my other rips: http://konotiki.blogspot.com/

I'll move "From Maui With Love" up the list and do it in the next couple of weeks if you want.

Wow, that'd be very cool to hear a rip... I've been buying what vinyl I can find, but this title I only recently came across.

cheers,
Rupe

On 2004-01-21 12:43, vegasvic wrote:

On 2004-01-21 07:57, susane wrote:
"The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny" is great!
It contains tracks from different albums including the Exotica album. Start with that, then buy the rest after you are completely hooked on the music.

This is what I would also recommend. I started with ESOMD, moved on to his other CDs, and eventually collected the rest on vinyl -- but that's probably a little to complusive/obsessive for most people (did I just say that in a tiki freak forum?).

LOL. You're not alone, Vic. I did the same thing. There's nothing like seeing those Sandy Warner/Martin Denny albums full size! I save the CD's for my radio show...but the vinyl, I display them as art on my walls.

For something altogether different, track down "Exotic Moog" from Denny! Came out in '69 and features versions of Quiet Village & A Taste Of Honey to name a couple. Depending on your taste it could be anything from hilarious to horrifying... Personally, I'm still up in the air over this one. Not a big fan of moog...

"Exotic Percussion." My God, that record gives me the chills. "Miserlou" makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up--before I even drop the needle. If I put that record on and sink down into an easy chair with a good drink, it's absolute bliss.

Seriously, the perfect storm: if I were in the Mai Kai bar, drinking the best drink they ever made (maybe a Shark Bite or a 151 Swizzle), and Martin Denny's "Miserlou" came on I would have a fatal aneurism right then and there and I would be damn grateful to go out in such pure ecstasy.

I agree with avoiding compilations. You will certainly miss the original intent with a best of anything. My suggestion is to start with one original Denny CD or record and instead of collecting a bunch of Martin Denny stuff right off the bat, pick up some other critical gems and then go back to Martin Denny.

In my humble opinion, some other critical records in the exotica mode are.

Robert Drasnin Voodoo
Cal Tjader Several Shades of Jade
Yma Sumac The Voice of Xatabay
Les Baxter Ritual of the Savage

A great guide to this music is http://www.spaceagepop.com

Happy Listening!

T.F.

On 2006-06-06 17:15, Kono wrote:

Here's my other rips: http://konotiki.blogspot.com/

Mahalo! I grabbed MD's "Hawaii", will have to grab
one here and there over time (or spring for a mem-
bership at RapidShare).

On 2006-06-06 11:21, rupe33 wrote:
Does anyone have "From Maui With Love"? Can you share any thoughts? Am curious to hear his piano version of "Quiet Village."

Cheers,
Rupe

I finally posted the rip of "From Maui with Love" tonight.

Check it out at: http://konotiki.blogspot.com/

On 2006-06-24 19:43, Kono wrote:
I finally posted the rip of "From Maui with Love" tonight.
Check it out at: http://konotiki.blogspot.com/

Cheers and Mahalo Kono. I scored a still-sealed copy a year or so ago, only to find that it was too warped to play. Good rip BTW. Vic

Wow- thanks for all your hard work Kono. Listening to Bora Bora now and love it. If you have a donation tiki mug I'll pitch in. :D :music: