Various Artists - Hard to Find Orchestral Instrumentals. Volume 1 (@320)

 

Various Artists - Hard to Find Orchestral Instrumentals. Volume 1 (@320)

 

AllMusic Review by Steve Huey.

 

Even through the '60s, when rock & roll had supposedly taken over the pop landscape, there was still plenty of room on the singles charts for easy-listening orchestras fortunate enough to find and record compositions catchy enough to grab the attention of mainstream audiences. Hard-to-Find Orchestral Instrumentals gathers some of these tunes, leading off with three of the '60s' biggest hits in the genre: Paul Mauriat's "Love Is Blue," Bert Kaempfert's "Wonderland by Night," and Mr. Acker Bilk's "Stranger on the Shore." As the title suggests, this disc concentrates on rarity over hit-single magnitude; any package claiming to be an overview of this genre would have to include chart-topping hits like Percy Faith's "Theme from 'A Summer Place,'" Lawrence Welk's "Calcutta," David Rose's "The Stripper," and Henry Mancini's "Love Theme from 'Romeo and Juliet,'" none of which are present. So Hard-to-Find Orchestral Instrumentals will ultimately appeal more to collectors than casual fans of the style.

 

Tracklisting:

 

01. Around The World (Main Theme) (Victor Young & His Orchestra) (3:06)

02. Wonderland By Night (Bert Kaempfert & His Orchestra) (3:14)

03. Stranger On The Shore (Mr. Acker Bilk) (2:57)

04. Ruby (Richard Hayman & His Orchestra) (2:55)

05. Moritat (A Theme From 'The Threepenny Opera') (The Dick Hyman Trio) (2:17)

06. The High And The Mighty (Victor Young & His Orchestra) (2:49)

07. Limelight (Terry's Theme) (1965 Stereo Version) (Frank Chacksfield & His Orchestra) (2:47)

08. Charmaine (1958 Stereo Version) (Mantovani & His Orchestra) (3:07)

09. When The White Lilacs Bloom Again (Helmut Zacharias) (2:35)

10. (Theme From) 'Medic' (Blue Star) (Les Baxter & His Orchestra) (2:40)

11. Shangri-La (Robert Maxwell & His Orchestra) (2:06)

12. Tracy's Theme (Spencer Ross) (2:52)

13. (Themes From) 'The Man With The Golden Arm' (Richard Maltby & His Orchestra) (2:25)

14. Only You (And You Alone) (Frank Pourcel) (2:32)

15. Soul Coaxing (Ame Caline) (Raymond Lefevre & His Orchestra) (2:37)

16. Cry (The Knightsbridge Strings) (2:42)

17. Song From M*A*S*H (Al De Lory) (2:31)

18. Maria Elena (Los Indios Trabajaras) (3:12)

19. The Homecoming (Hagood Hardy) (2:33)

20. Love Is Blue (Single Version) (Paul Mauriat & His Orchestra) (2:33)

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