Monday record

okay, I cheated on this one, recorded the first album Saturday night

120 Music Masterpieces - no idea who is playing here....: This is an album I see all over the place and somehow I've got a squirrelly one. It's a two record set and one of the records I've got while still being labeled as 120 Music Masterpieces Highlights, is completely different than what the album cover says it should be. Anyway it's like Hooked on Classics, but without the drum machine and with less coherency. five bands on each side, each band a mishmash of classical tunes. For Example the last track is "The Marriage of Figaro" Overture(Mozart)/Tchaikovsky: 2nd Movement from Symphony No. 5/Anchors Aweigh. Maybe someone can explain to me how these go together. The whole set is heavy on the romantic and 20th century periods, lots of Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saens, and Rimsky-Korsakov.

Oldies but Goldies - The Hollyridge Strings: fun string arrangements of pop tunes. apparently Hollyridge Strings specializes in this, previous albums included Beatles and Beach Boys covers. I think this album came from my grandparents because there isn't a price tag on it and none of the tunes are really anything I'd just have to have. That said, I'd probably pick up some of their other albums if I came across them for the right price.

Dear Heart - Andy Williams: hmmm, something different after having sat through "The Great Caruso" Actually, I kind of like his voice, it's very smooth, I'm not hearing any effort here. No stand out tunes on this one though. Maybe, Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me) but that has more to do with me liking that song than Williams' interpretation. The album cover quote really says it all, "Relaxed, gentle, humorous...." well, I don't know about humorous, but they're right on with relaxed and gentle. NTTAWWT.

Songs for a Summer Night - The Robert Shaw Chorale: another one I'm fairly certain came from my grandparents. the only interesting bit to me is that one of the soloists on a couple tracks is Grant Williams. He was the vocal coach for the symphony chorus, I just remember a lot of choristers trying to find his recordings after he died. and here he turns up. anyhoo, lots of old english and american tunes. and I'm getting sleepy....