Lyrical Melodies of Japan

From the late lamented Musical heritage Society, lovely performances of "light" Japanese music.

01. Soshun-Fu, Early Spring Song (3:00)

02. Kojo No Tsuki, Moon Over the Desolate Castle (4:09)

03. Hana, Blossoms (2:28)

04. Natsu No Omoide, Memories of a Summer (3:11)

05. Machiboke, Waiting (2:41)

06. Jogashima No Ame, Rain on Jogashima (3:37)

07. Kono Michi, This Path (2:32)

08. Hamabe No Uta, On the Seashore (3:30)

09. Aka-Tombo, Red Dragonfly (3:01)

10. Chin-Chin Chidori, Plovers (3:30)

11. Chugoku-Chiho No Komori-Uta, Lullaby from the Chugoku District (4:24)

12. Pechika (4:01)

Get lyrical!

See you on Monday with a special Valentine's gift.  Awwww!
 

Ringing Clear: The Art of Handbell Ringing

This was bought as a cassette at a thrift store, issued by Musical Heritage Society.

Evidently the "Saydisc" label released the same tracks in a different order, in 1991.

The cassette release goes like this:

01 - March, Entry of the Gladiators - Sound in Brass (Fučík) (3:24)

02 - Linden Lea - Launton (Vaughan Williams) (1:44)

03 - Stephen Foster Selection - Sound in Brass (3:30)

04 - Grandfather’s Clock - Grosmont (Clay) (2:02)

05 - On Wings of Song - Sound in Brass (Mendelssohn) (4:23)

06 - Lord of the Dance - Launton (Carter) (1:47)

07 - The Girl with the Flaxen Hair - Sound in Brass (Debussy) (2:17)

08 - Country Gardens - Grosmont (Grainger) (1:27)

09 - The Ashgrove - Launton (Welsh traditional) (2:25)

10 - The Ragtime Dance - Sound in Brass (Joplin) (3:50)

11 - The Parade of the Tin Soldiers - Sound in brass (Jessel) (3:15)

12 - Isle of Capri - Grosmont (Grosz) (2:26)

13 - Lullaby - Launton (Brahms) (1:36)

14 - Original Rags - Sound in Brass (Joplin) (2:48)

15 - Silver Threads Among the Gold - Grosmont (Danks) (2:39)

16 - Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana - Sound in Brass (Mascagni) (2:05)

17 - Bells of St Mary’s - Grosmont (Adams) (2:19)

18 - O Waly Waly - Launton (Scottish traditional) (1:34)

19 - Flow Gently Sweet Afton - Grosmont (Spillman) (1:52)

20 - The Syncopated Clock - Sound in Brass (Anderson) (2:08)

21 - O Guter Mond - Launton (German traditional) (1:52)

22 - Whistling Rufus - Sound in Brass (Mills) (2:13)

Ring It!

See you on Thursday.

Ducky Conducts!

Yes, in the 1960s David McCallum indulged some musical whims by conducting music arranged by David Axelrod.

The first disc has the first two.

1 1-2-3 (2:12)

2 Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) (2:33)
3 The "In" Crowd (3:12)
4 A Taste of Honey (2:56)
5 Yesterday (2:37)
6 (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (2:33)
7 We Gotta Get Out of This Place (2:13)
8 Downtown (2:17)
9 The Far Side of the Moon (2:30)
10 Louise (2:22)
11 Insomnia (2:16)
12 The Sugar Cane (2:21)
13 Uptight (2:44)
14 Michelle (2:32)
15 Batman Theme (2:10)
16 Call Me (2:43)
17 Isn't It Wonderful (2:31)
18 My World Is Empty Without You (2:20)
19 Five O'Clock World (2:23)
20 The Shadow of Your Smile (Love Theme from "The Sandpiper") (2:59)
21 It Won't Be Wrong (2:05)
22 Far Away Blue (2:30)
23 The Edge (2:53)
24 Final (3:12)

The other disc has the second two albums.

01. A Man and a Woman (2:34)

02. If I Were a Carpenter (2:09)
03. Louie, Louie (3:15)
04. Love Is a Hurtin' Thing (2:21)
05. Winchester Cathedral (2:07)
06. I Can't Control Myself (3:03)
07. Who Am I? (2:40)
08. Cherish (3:47)
09. Carnegie Ball (2:03)
10. On a Weekend (1:44)
11. Alfie (2:53)
12. House of Mirrors (2:22)
13. 98-Point-6 (3:25)
14. I'm a Believer (3:23)
15. Mellow Yellow (2:36)
16. Penny Lane (3:28)
17. 59th Street Bridge Song (2:29)
18. Strawberry Fields Forever (3:05)
19. California Dreamin' (2:33)
20. Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (3:39)
21. B.B. (2:56)
22. White Daisies (1:41)
23. Oh My! (2:09)

The performances are competent and up to the highest standards of what you might call "elevator music" -- orchestral arrangements of then-hep pop songs.  Not my cup o' tea, but some may like it.  Certainly a curiosity due to Mr M's affiliation with the fantastic show NCIS.

And maybe some other show too, I don't know.

  

MA-135 - One Word 80s

In my vast and purely subjective survey of pop music from the 1980s, one clump of songs leapt out at me for a simple reason:

They all have one-word titles!

01 - People - F-Systems - 1980   (3:40)

02 - Freak - Bruce Foxton - 1983   (3:23)

03 - Dance - Odd Stories - 1981   (2:22)

04 - Aggression - Secret Life - 1985   (2:48)

05 - Downstream - The Rainmakers - 1986   (3:31)

06 - Observer - The Stripes - 1980   (2:33)

07 - Vanity - Trial Offer - 1981   (2:49)

08 - Bug - Cleavers - 1980   (2:22)

09 - Mundane - The White Liberals - 1985   (3:26)

10 - Television - The Modes - 1985   (3:55)

11 - Now! - Cement Trampoline - 1989   (3:25)

12 - Amnesia - Fingerprintz - 1980   (2:44)

13 - Secrets - The Staff - 1981   (2:31)

14 - Girls - The Orchids - 1980   (3:28)

15 - Breakout - Drinking Electricity - 1982   (3:25)

16 - Radio - The Lookalikes - 1980   (3:05)

17 - Carefully - Krisma - 1983   (4:37)

18 - Sanctuary - New Musik - 1980   (4:15)

19 - Cameras - Motifs - 1982   (3:54)

20 - Voices - 17 Pygmies - 1986   (3:06)

21 - Channels - I Spy - 1982   (2:21)

22 - Intimacy - Linn Vann Hek - 1982   (4:01)

23 - Intercontinental - Afraid of Mice - 1981   (2:54)

24 - Jungle - Significant ZerØs - 1981   (3:13)

The background Wall of Words is from the October 13, 1988 Bush-Dukakis debate.

The background text for the disc art is from a Gorbachev speech on December 7, 1988.

Visit the One-Word 80s. -- 2021 CORRECTED LINK

Those of you familiar with the 1982 film Megaforce and its slogan will find something familiar here too.

See you on Thursday, fellow mavens!