Following the trend set by Marky Mark Gruyere, I tdawg007, King of The Internet, shall share with all you loyal readers some more smokin' hot Hawaiian exotica. This ruby of an album, brought to you by lounge wizard Billy Vaughn is the coolest thing Hawaii has given the world since King Kamehameha I.
Stud.
Anyways, Mr. Vaughn is no stranger to the world of music. After learning to play the mandolin at the impressionable age of 3, Billy dedicated the rest of his life to musical endeavors and was pretty god damn successful. Upon graduating from Western Kentucky University, Vaughn charted a total of 42 singles on the Billboard charts. Impressive, eh? But it gets better, Vaughn also charted thirty six albums on the Billboard 200. Yeah you read that right, thirty six. Some artists can't even record 10 albums, let alone 36 of the top 200 in the world. Among those 36 lies the focal point of this post, SUKIYAKA. Y'know the feeling when you could really use a glass of your favorite alcohol and a few rays of sunlight to make the winter blues a little more bearable? Well Billy Vaughn's got that remedy. The serenading, folky Hawaiian tunes are intoxicating enough on their own and the vigor with which Billy plays them literally makes sunlight ooze from your music player of choice. Featuring traditional tropical tracks such as The Moons of Manakoora, and To You Sweetheart, Aloha, Vaughn really shows that he can work it. So bring out your beach umbrella, mix up a margarita, and unwind with Billy Vaughn's SUKIYAKA.
Strap yourselves in motherfolkers, because tdawg007 is here to to take you on yet another magic ride. Today we will be visiting the far off lands of Moog City (it's a real place, google it) courtesy of one of Lounge's earliest masterminds, Gershon Kingsley.
Kingsley's career began in1966 alongside Jean-Jacques Perrey, another influential lounge musician. Together they released two albums both heavily featuring the Moog before the two went their separate ways. Kingsley has since amassed quite the iconic legacy, he has won a Tony award for best composer. He was the founding member of the First Moog Quartet. And, most importantly, he won a lifetime achievement award on behalf of the Bob Moog Foundation. Those are some pretty impressive accolades (better than the ones us plebeians could ever amass).
In Kingsley's third studio album, "Music to Moog By" we are spoon fed some truly delicious tracks, some original, some covers. Among Kingsley's original compositions lies that one miserable song that hundreds have since covered time and time again. What's the name again? Oh yeah, Popcorn. Gershon Kingsley wrote the song Popcorn. What a stud. I know that just several sentences ago I described that song as "miserable" but I was simply referring to several less then stellar versions of the song but Kingsley's original is the real deal. (much like Titus O'Neil. UHRA! UHRA! UHRA!)
For those of you readers who have never heard the song Popcorn before, that means the previous paragraph (which took serious time and effort) was written in vain. God damn you guys. Well, even though you don't know the song Popcorn, odds are you're familar with the tunes "Paperback Writer" and "Nowhere Man" by the Fab Four. (that's the Beatles, for all you ignoramuses that follow this blog). Thats right guys, Kingsley covers the Beatles. With a Moog Synthesizer. It's like Christmas and Easter rolled into one.
But lo! Perhaps you think the Beatles are nothing but a band of scruffy, long haired rabble-rousers with some potato chips on their shoulders. Fear not men and gentlewomen, Gershon has influences that are much more refined. Among these influences sits Ludwig Van Beethoven. You guessed it guys, this album features a cover of Fur Elise. A good one too.
Like all spectacular things, this post must come to an end. To play us out, here's Kingsley's rendition of Nowhere Man. On behalf of everyone here at RFB, thank you for coming, enjoy your evening. Don't party too hard.
Little to nothing is known about George Martin. No, not the George Martin of Beatles lore, I'm talking about the Belgian born George Martin.
However, thanks to start-of-the-art 21st century technology, modern scholars have deduced he was a phenomenal composer and made a really bangin'-ass lounge album. I think it would be best if we just let the music speak for itself.
I love me a good lounge album, and this album does not disappoint! Los Angeles native Gary McFarland only played music for 12 years, yet collaborated with Bill Evans, Stan Getz, Anita O'Day, Johnny Hodges, Gerry Mulligan, and many other jazz legends of the day. Rocking the vibraphone, McFarland has a sound like no other. "The In Sound" finds McFarland teaming up with Hungarian pop-rock jazz guitarist Gábor Szabó for a classic lounge-pop sound. Who knows where McFarland would have taken his jazz sound if his life hadn't been cut short, poisoned by a methadone spiked drink at the famous dockworkers union hangout, 55 Bar.
Is it Earth Day yet? No? Well regardless, Mort Garson make's sure you've got Mother Nature in mind 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As written clearly on the cover, this record is dedicated to plants and the people who love them, and boy do I love plants.
Armed with nothing more than a Moog Synthesizer, the Juilliard graduate Mort Garson delivers a stellar performance filled with groove infused-nougats of musical genius. The ever-considerate, Canadian-born Garson gives you the option to play the record for your plants (to help them grow, believe it or not) or for yourself. Woof. You gotta love that versatility.
