The TAHITIANS LP on VIKING, informations please !

Hi everybody !
I'm from France and found you by Google.
I own this LP Viking VP78 by the Tahitians, but I have no idea about its age, its rarity, etc...
Is anybody can tell me more about it ???
Thanx a lot !!!
Cheers !

Bonjour iornr,

Viking was an independent New Zealand record label, based in Wellington, that released a lot of Pacific Islands music, as well as NZ popular music in the early and mid-60s. I can date your album fairly accurately, as I have a book with catalogue details of various rock'n'roll LPs released by the same label. Herma & The Keil Isles released an LP called "I Could Have Danced All Night" (VP84), which I know came out in 1962, so your LP was very likely released the same year.

Around this part of the world, generally speaking, Viking Records releases are not particularly rare and generally sell for a few NZ$ at most in second-hand stores, but I imagine they are harder to find in France. The ones that are considered more valuable here are some of their rock'n'roll releases.

CN

Hi !
It's really kind from you to answer to my questions.
Thanks a lot and have a nice day.
Best regards.
Iornr.

De rien, iornr.

Incidentally, for all her charms and vinyl-selling potential, the topless lady on the cover looks about as Tahitian as I am...

CN

To paraphrase a great one from a great one (Bo Diddley), I would say: "you can't judge a record by lookin' at the cover"...
In anyway, I'm not an eminent specialist of the Tahitian art !

It looks like this young lady got around a bit too, judging from her presence on this earlier Viking record cover:

And it's true you can't judge a record by its cover: this one features the mighty Bill Sevesi, who is the king of Hawaiian steel guitar in this part of the Pacific.

CN

Actually, I have the Sea Breeze LP, and I'd be willing to be that's a Polynesan woman there...mixed no doubt.

Possibly, but I have my doubts she is Tahitian, unless she grew up in exile in cold, wet, windy Wellington.

CN