From Northport, Long Island, it’s… Marie and the Vagabonds!  Marie is the “self-imposed” leader of the group, rocking hard on Hammond Organ and a voice rich in “quality and emotion.”  Brother Joey’s “unique” style, “greatly influenced by Elvis Presley,” “conquers ballads or rock.”  Together, they’re a “rare musical experience”!  But don’t forget cousin Johnny, who contribues no less than 25% of the group’s charisma.  He always “generates excitement”!  If you have ever wondered what a drunken regrettable hook-up in a suburban Long Island cocktail lounge in the nineteen-seventies would be like, this is the album for you!

Johnny Denis & Netta Rogers – Studio and Stage

A Vegas lounge act.  I was… surprised by the timbre of Netta Rogers’ voice.  The back of this record contains an apology: “We took out the comedy patter which we feel does not improve after continued playing and we do hope you will play our record more than once… please!”

Dale McKenzie – Musically & Vocally Yours

Another lounge act, this time from Cleveland.  Dale “can adapt to any song of any era with tones of such sweet quality that you beg for more.”  The front of this record is signed  “To Deb, I hope you enjoy my humble efforts.”

Betty Bond Sings Pop

An album of “song-poems.”  Betty is more infamous for her ode to heroin addiction, Till Death Do Us Part (which you can hear here) but I was amused by this schlocky rip-off of Harper Valley PTA.  “Presently single, she has four children and has done secretarial work in addition to professional singing.”

Joe Barone and Lily Ann Carol Play For Their Friends

This album is subtitled “Live From Jupiter’s” and features Joe and Lily’s faces glued to shooting stars, orbiting a big orange planet.  Lilly sort of sounds like Cher crossed with Maya Rudolph doing Whitney Houston.

Come And Dance With The Tolmans to Johnny Brogan’s Orchestra

“For Ballroom Dancers and Musical Gourmets,” this record hails from Springfield, Massachusetts.  Ballroom Dancing records usually put me to sleep, but this whitebread version of One Note Samba drew me in with its hot dual guiro action.  I also wish I could show you Phyllis Tolman’s wig right now, which I absolutely promise to post a photo of at a later date.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, folks!  More to come…

No, not that kind of foursome. But pour a few Martinis down these swingers’ throats and who knows what might happen? Tony definitely looks like he’s harboring a few dark secrets, and you just know Joe’s got a kinky side. Just remember that what happens at The Highlander Lounge stays at The Highlander Lounge. Featuring the sleaziest version of Light My Fire you’ve ever heard.

If this music ever got George Melachrino laid, I’m turning in my ovaries right this second. I want to be able to get booty by dedicating music that sounds like a bad night stuck in an elevator to random chicks!

This is a 4-track 7″ with pieces of increasing mellowness entitled “Sally,” “Marie,” “Chloe,” and “Dinah.” Each piece is a unique excursion into the world of Muzak. Judging from the swanky hand on the record sleeve holding the martini glass filled with ginger ale, I’d say that this record was supposed to evoke images of sweeping elegance, tasteful opulence, and general classy lounge-ness. When I put on this record, I am instantly transported to an airport someplace… the naugahide seat cushions have been tastefully repaired with near-matching vinyl tape… the mothers are trying to lull the screaming babies to sleep by threatening to smack them… the harried, underpaid flight crew is discussing if they have time to catch another quick smoke outside before boarding commences… and “Chloe” is gently, unobtrusively, wafting over the soundsystem.

I guess that’s the whole point of lounge music– to provide a totally non-offensive backdrop to whatever event you happen to be experiencing, but it still makes me cringe to hear the soaring string pizzacatos and occasional oboe solo in these pieces. Close your eyes and pretend you’re on hold at the DMV.

I’m not sure what to say about this, except that “vocal percussion” means Myrna periodically yelling things out of the left speaker (things like, “MEN!”) She sounds a little bit like Judy Garland, and the songs are super-catchy, and if this doesn’t make you smile, I fear for your mortal soul. Between that and her gold-lamé outfit; I think this may be the gayest album I own.

Couldn’t find much about her musical career, but I did find this twelve-year-old New York Times article about Myrna’s battle with cancer. I sure hope she made it, ’cause she sounds like a fun lady.

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For some reason, in the 1950s and 1960s the USA had a morbid fascination with the nations it conquered and exploited. Witness the number of Hawaiian-themed records, souvenirs, and decorations. Native Americans became a popular image to emulate as well, with Tonto and the stereotypical indian Brave. After World War II, Japan was likewise unspared. Or, as the album’s liner notes puts it, “After humiliating surrender, the Japanese people found they had a friend in their conquerer.”

This album (appropriately enough put out by Honolulu Records) boasts the best in rejecting Japanese music’s traditional past. Again, citing the liner notes, “no longer is music tightly compartmentalized, rejecting change and adulteration.” In honor of this, they got women with names like Aiko Bingo and Sparky Iwamoto to sing big band-style songs–in Japanese!

The music itself is super catchy. I have “Tokyo Boogie Woogie” stuck in my head, which to me sounds like “a tokyo boogie oogie a a ookie ookie a zookie zookie wahoo wahooooooo.” I’m not sure what this means, but I’m hoping maybe it’s scat-like nonsense so I don’t sound like a *complete* idiot walking around the house singing it!

So anyway, let this be a lesson to future conquered nations– not only can we colonize your country, but we will assimilate your music as well!

I don’t know about you, but the mere fact that Klausie’s last name sounds like “Wonderful” is enough to make this record one of my favorites. And, are there any sweeter words in the German tongue than “Hammondorgel mit Rhythmusgruppe”?! I think not. Some great tracks here; an upbeat version of “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess, the old standard “The Girl From Ipanema” in organ form, and the surprisingly haunting original composition “Echo In The Night.” (Now, if I could only track down a copy of “Organ Happening”…) Enjoy!

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Is your insatiable organ-lust at peak intensity? Has the thrill of just one organ long ago faded? Do you crave more and more– your harmonic intensity increasing– until you burst forth in a melodic cascade of organ ecstasy?! Well, wait no longer, because Buddy Bonds has heard your prayers!

OK, in all fairness, Buddy’s idea of an “orchestra” consists of a measly three organs. But fear not– three organs can make an awful lot of racket. It is, as the back cover breathlessly proclaims, “the most ambitious undertaking of his 28 years as an organist!”

Probably the most interesting thing about this album is the way it anticipates the synthesizer boom of the 70′s. Buddy and his compatriots Ray Jenkins and Darrell Stuckey coax some very Moog-like sounds out of these otherwise unhip harps, creating a “way out” sound that’s sure to delight “the Hullabaloo-oriented teen-agers.” (Sadly, Hullabaloo-orientation is still not protected by federal law.) Or, as Ed Wallace of the New York World-Telegram is quoted as saying on the album’s reverse side:

The newest means of making hip-swinging music, which seems to propel the most casual foot-patter right out of his seat and onto the dance floor, is the electronic organ. This small box of electronic wizardry is filled with new sounds, and is capable of endless surprises of rhythm. Its voices and moods may be varied through a thousand colored tones, and on the drawing board of its engineers and designers are more wonders to come.

The foremost missionaries of the modern organ are two brothers, Ralph and Buddy Bonds, who came out of the armed forces to form the first twin organ team to appear in night clubs, hotels, theaters, and organ clubs throughout the country. Their numberous albums, several of them on the nation’s best seller list, propelled them into national prominence.

Question: why are there no more “organ clubs” in existance? At any rate, if you like your twin organ teams missionary style, this album is sure to delight. Sadly, Buddy’s fame appears to have been short-lived; I could find very little of interest about him on the web. Let this page be the resurgence of Buddy’s organ!

(PS: My apologies for the rather poor sound quality of this one.)

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Here’s a light, dreamy album packed with a whopping sixteen tracks of organy goodness. Marjorie seems to have been one of the major players of the 60′s organ scene, with at least 7 LPs to her name that I can find online. Here, Marjorie’s playing the Lowrey Organ, which according to Wikipedia was one of the first transistorized organs, and which apparently she was a spokeswoman for. The Lowrey here has a lighter, more etherial quality than the Hammond, and some of the tracks have cool guitar and vibraphone arrangements woven in. A sweet, swingin’ album with a nice upbeat tempo throughout.

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