THE COLUMBIA ALBUM OF RICHARD

Personnel: Maureen McGovern (vocals); Jeff Mironov (acoustic & electric guitars); Mark Feldman (electric violin); William Galison (harmonica); Lou Marini (saxophone, flute); Jeff Harris (keyboards); Mike Rienzi (keyboards); Anthony Jackson (electric bass); Allan Schwartzberg (drums, percussion); Jamie Lawrence (synthesizer programming); Sheryl Alexander, Megan Barron, Rob Fisher, Troy Halderson, Jeff Harris, Susan H. Schulman (background vocals).

Among the top popular light music composers, arrangers and conductors of the Forties, Fifties and Sixties, Percy Faith must rate up there with the very best. Intuitive and innovative, he used his baton as an artist would use a brush, and his orchestra as a palette to paint vivid musical pictures which would help change the face of popular recorded music. This comprehensive 107-track collection trace s his career with the Decca, Majestic and, most famously, Columbia labels from 1944 to 1959, showcasing his unique arranging and conducting artistry as he recorded not only with his own orchestra and chorus, but also a host of big name vocalists, the success of whose records often owed more than a little to Faith's orchestrations. It's not only a worthy tribute to skilled practitioner whose work has generally not received the attention it certainly merits, but also a thoroughly entertaining trawl through some great popular music of the post-war era.

Gisele MacKenzie was a Canadian singer and musician partly of French-Canadian heritage, who was a classically-trained violinist, pianist and dancer who became a singer with her own show on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Moving to California in 1951 to take over from The Andrews Sisters on CBS, she started recording for Capitol the same year, performing in a style that was typical of what was often called "the golden age of popular music" during the early '50s, and was popular on TV, hosting her own NBC variety show, as well as being a regular with Jack Benny and Mario Lanza on their radio shows. She had the benefit of being accompanied on record by some of the finest arranger/conductors of the era, including Billy May, Nelson Riddle, Buddy Cole, Dave Cavanaugh, Sid Bass and Shorty Rogers. She had her biggest hit in 1955, making No. 4 with "Hard To Get". This great-value 58-track 2-CD set comprises most of her A & B sides from these years on the Capitol, "X", Vik and RCA-Victor labels during these years, and features all her career chart entries including the US No. 4 "Hard To Get" and No. 11 "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes", and the UK No. 6 "Seven Lonely Days". She was a songstress who was very much of her era, and this collection offers a substantial and reasonably comprehensive overview of the key period of her career and is an enjoyable showcase for her talents as a vocal stylist.

Phil Harris was a singer, drummer, bandleader, songwriter, comedian, actor and broadcaster, who combined those disciplines in a long and successful career which encompassed making hit records with a novelty twist and becoming a voice artist in movies, most famously as Baloo in the 1967 film "The Jungle Book". He started his recording career as drummer and co-leader of a hotel orchestra in San Francisco and over the years developed a signature style of comedy on record using the narrative "talking blues" style, positioning himself as an archetypal southerner, with his signature composition being "That's What I Like About The South". He reached a career peak as a recording artist with the humorous novelty US No. 1 with "The Thing" in 1950. This excellent value 52-track 2-CD set comprises selected A & B sides from his releases on the Victor, Columbia, Decca, Vocalion, Varsity, ARA, Hit & RCA-Victor labels from this era, including early titles by the Lofner Harris St. Francis Orchestra and Phil Harris Cocoanut Grove Orchestra. It features all his career chart entries, including the 1950 No. 1 "The Thing", the No. 2 "One-Zy Two-Zy", and the Top 10 hits "What Have We Got To Lose?", "Smoke, Smoke, Smoke (That Cigarette)", "The Old Master Painter" and "Chattanoogie Shoe-Shine Boy", plus his Top 20 hit with The Bell Sisters "Hambone". He was a multi-faceted artist, and this collection provides a highly entertaining selection of his work on record that showcases his unique style of music and comedy.

HITS COLLECTION 1919-34

Before the Rock Era, the music played at dance venues was played by Big Bands. Largely instrumental at first, singers began to front the Big Bands, and these became the most heralded voices in the history of recording. This 3 CD collection contains original recordings of the finest female divas ever. Artists include: Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Julie London, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday & more.

Gale Storm was a movie and TV actress and singer who had a successful career in those arenas through the 1940s and into the '50s, starring in more than thirty films and in the long-running TV series "My Little Margie". She was performing on a TV variety show in 1954 when she was seen by Randy Wood, president of Dot Records, who signed her immediately as a recording artist. She had a relatively brief career, with her active involvement only lasting about four years, but in that time she had eleven hits as she adapted to the new musical environment as rock 'n' roll changed the pop landscape. This great-value 60-track 2-CD set comprises just about all the A & B sides of her Dot singles during these years, plus all the tracks from her albums "Gale Storm" and "Sentimental Me" and selected titles from the "Softly And Tenderly" album. It features all her eleven US chart entries, including the No. 2 "I Hear You Knocking", and her other Top 10 hits "Memories Are Made Of This", "Teen Age Prayer", "Why Do Fools Fall In Love", "Ivory Tower" and "Dark Moon". It's a substantial and entertaining journey through her pop career, showcasing her versatility in being able to handle traditional early '50s mainstream pop alongside more contemporary rock 'n' roll-styled material, as well as sophisticated pop standards and gospel on her albums

Gale Storm was a movie and TV actress and singer who had a successful career in those arenas through the 1940s and into the '50s, starring in more than thirty films and in the long-running TV series "My Little Margie". She was performing on a TV variety show in 1954 when she was seen by Randy Wood, president of Dot Records, who signed her immediately as a recording artist. She had a relatively brief career, with her active involvement only lasting about four years, but in that time she had eleven hits as she adapted to the new musical environment as rock 'n' roll changed the pop landscape. This great-value 60-track 2-CD set comprises just about all the A & B sides of her Dot singles during these years, plus all the tracks from her albums "Gale Storm" and "Sentimental Me" and selected titles from the "Softly And Tenderly" album. It features all her eleven US chart entries, including the No. 2 "I Hear You Knocking", and her other Top 10 hits "Memories Are Made Of This", "Teen Age Prayer", "Why Do Fools Fall In Love", "Ivory Tower" and "Dark Moon". It's a substantial and entertaining journey through her pop career, showcasing her versatility in being able to handle traditional early '50s mainstream pop alongside more contemporary rock 'n' roll-styled material, as well as sophisticated pop standards and gospel on her albums

Mark A. Miller has a passion for building community through music and believes everyone is a child of God. His music has been called the soundtrack for a new generation to express and celebrate hospitality, equity, and justice. The music of Mark Miller heard on this recording is widely published and sung by communities of faith around the world. "Mark Miller, composer, minister, professor, and musical griot, is carrying on the tradition of creating New World hymns for a nation hungry for songs that speak to the head, heart, and crisis of modern living. He reminds us, hope will never fail, even when anguish and apathy seem to prevail across the landscape of our country." (Otis Moss III, Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, IL)

Rosemary Clooney, well-known in recent years as the aunt of movie star George Clooney, was one of the most popular and successful pop singers of the immediate post-war decades, racking up a remarkable string of hits in the early '50s. She called herself "a sweet singer with a big band sensibility"

FIVE CLASSIC ALBUMS

FOUR CLASSIC ALBUMS

This is a pairing of two sought after Perez Prado albums - "Prado in Japan", a "live" recording of his 1960 concert in Tokyo featuring his hits "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White", "Tequila", "Historia de un Amor", only issued in Japan and never been issued on CD till now, and the album "Twist Goes Latin", also first time on CD. As bonus tracks we have included the rare single "Princess Suga" and "Tokyo Fantasy", only issued in Japan.

This UK import packs in 32 tracks, from rock 'n' roll to folk-pop to pop-soul to country-pop. A few CD debuts join If I Had a Hammer Peter, Paul & Mary; Johnny Angel Shelley Fabares; Limbo Rock Chubby Checker; The End of the World Skeeter Davis; Our Day Will Come Ruby & the Romantics; Come Back Silly Girl The Lettermen; Moon River Jerry Butler, and more! Sepia.

On this CD twofer are two best-selling Lawrence Welk LPs, LAST DATE and MOON RIVER plus 6 bonus tracks. Apart from making best-selling albums of easy listening "champagne" music, bandleader Welk also hosted a popular TV show from 1955 until the 1970s. As a single the song LAST DATE was a Top 30 hit. Re-mastered in glorious stereo with 6 bonus tracks (including a re-recording of his signature theme BUBBLES IN THE WINE in stereo) this 30 track CD of popular tunes from the early 1960s is one musical trip down memory lane.

Sepia Records celebrates the 75th anniversary of the iconic Wizard of Oz with this anthology CD featuring songs from the movie (and some dropped) performed "live" for a promotional radio broadcast by the stars such as Judy Garland, Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger, and also including recordings by composer Harold Arlen and popular performers of the day such as Glenn Miller and his orchestra. Most of the tracks here are not from the movie sound track but recordings made to promote the movie such as "live" radio broadcasts. Included are four versions of the ever popular "Over the Rainbow" performed by Judy Garland - the movie version, a "live" version, a "pop" version and finally, one with the Tommy Dorsey orchestra recorded for radio broadcast to sell government war bonds. The big band orchestras are represented here by Glenn Miller, Vincent Lopez and Frankie Masters, each performing their "dance band" version of songs from the movie.

Fans of the cha-cha will think they have died and gone to heaven when they spin this CD dedicated to the fun and exciting Latin dance. With 28 different cha-chas, many based on popular standards, you can easily dance the night away.

Enoch's winning ways with an orchestra charm the senses on these two original albums from the 1960s. Stereo 35 mm actually broke the Top 10 in 1962! Now both are on one digitally remastered CD.

First time on CD, the 2 best-selling albums, 'Roman Guitar' and 'Mr. Big', starring the brilliant and legendary guitarist Tony Mottola presenting Italy's most beautiful melodies and standards from the Great American Songbook. 'Roman Guitar' is a showcase for guitar presenting beautiful and romantic melodies from Italy given a depth of feeling by the unparalleled performances of the brilliant guitarist, Tony Mottola. The album was a world-wide best-seller when first released in 1960 and this is the first time it is on CD. Coupled with another best-seller, 'Mr. Big', also appearing on CD for the very first time, the latter album offers standards from the Great American Songbook including three tunes Mottola composed and performed for the acclaimed hit TV series "Danger" directed by Yul Brynner.

PERSUASIVE PERCUSSION

Xavier Cugat, the daddy of Latin American music, introduced Latin music and dance rhythms to the world. 'Viva Cugat!' was his first adventure into the ear-arresting world of stereo with a group of outstanding Afro-Cuban melodies performed with a rare lyricism and rhythmic drive. 'The Best of Cugat' presents twelve great songs of the 1930s to the 1950s with a Latin touch all of which receive the Cugat treatment. Of the six bonus tracks, American classics such as "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and "In the Mood" are performed with an innovative and fun Twist beat.

2014 reissue of two albums first time on CD from Billy Vaughn, one of the most successful orchestra leaders of all time based. 1962's Greatest Hits" peaked at #17 and was 32 weeks in the charts. "The Shifting Whispering Sands" was originally a Top 5 single recorded in Mono; Vaughn re- recorded the version here in stereo and the album was his tribute to the American West with the inclusion of songs such as "Cool Water", "Red River Valley", "Home on the Range" and his own musical saga "Songs of the West". 6 bonus tracks are from Vaughn's other best-selling albums "Look for a Star" and "A Swingin' Safari".

Vinyl LP pressing. Richard Carpenter is the iconic musician, producer, songwriter and arranger from the Carpenters, the astronomically successful group who have sold more than 90 million albums worldwide. Richard Carpenter's Piano Songbook reimagines the Carpenters' biggest hits - and some choice favorites that inspired them - on solo piano. The album includes some of the most beloved melodies of all time ("Top Of The World" and "We've Only Just Begun") presented in a gloriously relaxing new way.