Hawaiian Enchantment For Dancing - The George Poole Orchestra

Aloha from your friends at the Starlite Lounge! Thanks to everyone who asked about our hiatus, we're glad you were eager to come back. What a great night to throw open the doors again, when the hot night air makes it fun to cool down with some chilled cocktails. That lilting steel guitar that you hear seems to beckon you to a tropical paradi--oh, enough of the corny references already. The George Poole Orchestra is playing tonight, and while they may not actually be Hawaiian, fauxness is not only accepted in the exotica genre, it's essential. You don't have to really BE Hawaiian, you just have to think you are! Let's raise our tiki mugs to summer, shall we?

Your Stereophonic Enchantment download is here!

Fear not, friends of the Starlite! We're not out of business....the Lounge will soon return with some more swanky pleasures.

Love After Midnight - The Moonlight Strings

Welcome back to the Starlite Lounge, where we love serving up a potent cocktail or two--with the sole intention of putting you in a better frame of mind, of course.  Tonight we encourage you to imbibe this scintillating mixture by The Moonlight Strings, "Love After Midnight".  Call us square, but this has turned out to be an important find since we gave it a spin here at the Lounge.  This is Eames-era elevator music extraordinaire, ladies and gentlemen.  True, gossamer productions like "Lonely Is The Name" are the kind of thing we're in love with. But we admit, we live for the moment in "Spanish Flea" where the lush arrangement suddenly gives way to a burst of swanktastic horns and late 60s party atmosphere.  Even the cover here is something to behold, in all it's shagtastic glory.  And yes, we're talking about the carpet.  The cover star herself seems to have her mind on other things, such as love and some kind of necklace.  Drink up, this is the kind of thing we live for here at the Starlite Lounge!

Your TotalSound® download is here!

The Sound of Leroy Anderson - Stradivari Strings and Ping Pong Percussion

We admit it: sometimes we judge a book by its cover. Or at least, a Spin-O-Rama album cover.  While stocking up for background music at the Lounge, we stumbled across this gem, "The Sound of Leroy Anderson", which boasts not one but two lead artists: The Stradivari Strings and Ping Pong Percussion. The music is a strange combination of...well, percussion and strings.  But we sure do love that cover art best of all, the strange combination of iconic graphics.  Who knew ping pong balls could be colored like salt and pepper?

Your <-----Spin-O-Stereo-----> download is here

Twilight Moods - The Three Suns

Originally the Starlite Lounge was meant to be the Twilight Lounge, until we realized that name is now more closely associated with glittery teenage vampires.  Well, we're reclaiming twilight for the spirited lounge set, and what better to banish a vampire than the sun? Three Suns, as a matter of fact, so don't even try it, Bella's boy.  

Truth be told, tonight's recording is a little scratchy, proving that while vampires can be eternal, vinyl isn't.  We did the best we could with what we had, though, and The Three Suns have harpist Marga Hanson with them to help round out their sound.  It's more Welk than Esquivel, but is this a bad thing?  We don't think so.  Wonder if Marga Hanson was a champagne lady?

Your twilight download is here.

Exotic Love - Martin Denny

Exotica is a word that always gets our attention here at the Starlite Lounge. Les Baxter is a name we should know, but as a wise green puppet once said: "There is another": Martin Denny.  Baxter may have written "Quiet Village", but it was Martin Denny who crafted the genre known as "exotica", which became known for its use of sound stylings and percussion to create simulated frogs, water sounds, and birds.  Tonight's feature at the Lounge, "Exotic Love", came to be in 1968, many years after Denny's initial splash, and there are some weird and wonderful cover versions of songs like "This Guy's In Love With You" and "I Say A Little Prayer".  Just watch the rush on the bar when we get to Denny's rendition of "MacArthur Park".  Exotic bliss!  The bartender has Mai Tais at the ready, so dive on in! Blub blub blub.... (bird call)

Your exotic download experience awaits you here.

Batman - The Bat Boys

Spinning at the Lounge tonight is a favorite curiosity, this strangely anonymous instrumental record "Batman", credited only to The Bat Boys.  We think it's a pseudonym for a band that never was, since there's more than a little pilfering going on here.  Their frantic rendition of the "Batman" theme is what was clearly intended to convince the average record-buyer to part with their dollar, but this ain't Neil Hefti.  The cover is another cleverly designed piece, not quite the Batman logo, so no trademarks have been violated.  I wonder if anybody ever paid attention to the other tracks on the album? With titles like "Cheatin' Charlie" and "The Villain Strikes", could they have been trying to convince us this is an entire "Batman" collection? Trust us, it's not, but their lowbrow title selection is a gas all the same.  Charlie isn't the only one cheatin' here--several of the songs are simply tunes stolen from other songs, such as "Mars Visitor", which is simply a jazzy rearrangement of "Music To Be Murdered By".  We're pretty sure The Bat Boys were thinking of "Think I'm Going Out of My Head" when they penned "Fight Flight", too.  We're not sure though, the bartender has been serving up a shot called the Alien Brain Hemorrhage and we're going out of our heads over it. Glub glub glub....

Your Stereo download begins here

Moving Percussion In Pops - The Hollywood Allstars

Tonight's featured cocktail is a real lively mixture from the Hollywood Allstars.  It's equal parts vibes, assorted exotic percussion, horns, jazzy snares, and snappy tunes, with a pinch of trains, roller coaster chains, and a cuckoo clock thrown in to give it a little kick.  The folks at Dyna Disc really knew how to cut the wax, let us tell you--visually this record was a mess, with tons of scratches and marks on it, and we expected the worst before we dropped the needle on it.  Turns out it didn't sound bad at all, much to our shock and delight.  It didn't require much before the sound was sparkling once again.  Enjoy!

Your Dyna-Download is here

This Thing Called Love - Simon Rady (1962)

Smiles, everyone....smiles.  This is a special night at the Starlite Lounge, because right here in this most swank of nightspots we learned of a followup to our beloved "Voices in Motion".  Well, we had to run right down to our local record store and pick it up, and here it is! Only Simon Rady can create the Voices the way we like them.  On this release, he's billing himself as Sy Rady, but just one listen and you'll realize that Simon by any other name is just the same--fabulous!  Pour yourself some of your favorite spirits and prepare to be elevated into the realm of the Voices.

Your stereo "360 sound" download is here

*we did our best to enhance the audio on these tracks, as some of them were slightly flawed due to damaged vinyl

Where Is Love? - Jack Jones (1969)

If the Lounge seems particularly crowded tonight, it's because this evening we've got the legendary Jack Jones. The very definition of smooth, Mr. Jones has done it all--theater, television, films. But the bedrock of his lengthy career has been his swanky-as-Dewar's pop vocals. Think you've never heard Jack sing before?  Think again: that's him crooning the theme from "Love Boat", and unless you were just recently hatched, we KNOW you've heard that.  We give Mr. Jones the floor tonight, accompanied by Doug Talbert on piano (at least, that's what it says on the jacket).  Drop your light-weight tone arm on this.  Bottoms up!

Your swanktastic evening is here

Dream Dream Dream - Cesana

Back before it was the "in" thing to do, we were a little intimidated by artists who are identified professionally by only one name.  Following in the mononymous tradition of Mantovani was tonight's artist, Cesana.  Or perhaps it's the other way around.  In any case, we love Cesana at the Lounge!  Not quite jazz, not quite classical, Cesana was part of that movement that seemed to waver back and forth between the two, forming that glorious genre some call "Easy Listening".  Stratospheric strings are a hallmark of this triple-titled release "Dream Dream Dream".  Cesana relocated to that great white nightclub in the sky in 1980, same year as Mantovani.  Come to think of it, did you ever see the two of them in the same place at the same time?

Your Audio Fidelity download is here

The Starlit Hour - Bill Snyder

The twinkling of the stars is what we're all about here at The Starlite Lounge. So naturally we're going to get excited by this release, "The Starlit Hour", by Bill Snyder.  We've had some organ music here the last few days, how about some tickling of the ivories instead?  Be sure to read the back jacket write-up about Bill, which makes prominent mention of his $25,000 custom piano.  Is that what was used to create this particular 10 inch release?  Who knows.  It sounds like a million bucks to us, perfect as the soundtrack for a late-night dinner, complete with a strong martini.  Better yet, make it two.

This "Music For Your Mood" download can be found here

Moods for Lovers - Lew White

We love lovers here at the Starlite Lounge, and continuing our theme of organ magic, here's a 10 incher from Lew White called "Moods For Lovers".  Get yourself an old-fashioned, and listen to these old-fashioned musty organ romps.  We especially love Lew's take on "September Song", which appears on a few of these hi-fi releases--yes, we love it because it was on "Voices In Motion".  So sue us.

Lew also offers up seven other moody organ tracks here, and who knew an organ put people in the mood for love?  Yes folks, it's not just for funeral homes and skating rinks anymore.  Go get another old-fashioned, you really tore through that first one.  You're gonna have a hangover tomorrow.

Your "Full Dynamic Range" download is here

Organ Fantasies - Jesse Crawford

That drink had a lot of green in it, or was it purple?

I can still hear the tinkling of those upper notes in tonight's Starlite Lounge presentation, "Organ Fantasies".  And yes, we certainly do know how that sounds, and we don't care what the neighbors think.  Jesse Crawford lulls you into a meditatative state with those low keys and foghorn-like bass notes.  Then all of a sudden, there's a high, tinkling fanfare that jolts through you.  Kind of like fingernails on a blackboard, except a whole lot more enjoyable. 

Especially after a number of green drinks.  Or purple.

Tonight's presentation comes to you in Spin-O-Rama, and it is of course Stereophonic (meaning it goes both ways)

An Evening With Jerome Kern - The Velvet Voices

Ahhhh, velvet...it conjures up images of Canadian Whiskey, doesn't it? Here at the Starlite, we like velvet too, and in the case of tonight's featured artist, it's The Velvet Voices.  We were hoping Simon Rady's name would be on this release somewhere, after all, his "Voices In Motion" is one of our favorite discs here at the Lounge.  Alas, "An Evening With Jerome Kern" has no real link to Mr. Rady's little piece of hi-fi Heaven, but the more mellow tunes here sound as if they could have belonged on his release anyway. We prefer to skip the uptempo numbers and go straight for the dreamy, tinkling vibes in "Long Ago (And Far Away)", "I Dream Too Much", and "The Song Is You".

Your Living Stereo download is here

My Funny Valentine - Gloria Lynne

Appearing tonight at the Starlite Lounge, for one night only, Miss Gloria Lynne.  There's a lot of chatter and clinking glassware in the lounge tonight, but you won't hear much of that once Miss Lynne starts to sing.  She has a way with a rock & roll number, like "Billy Boy", but we like her best when she lends her voice to a jazzy, blues-inflected number like "Man of Mine". 

Your "stereo stereo stereo stereo stereo" download is here

On the Sunset Strip In Fabulous Hollywood - Various Artists

Here's what we like best at the Starlite Lounge: a party.  And this isn't the same old crowd we're used to: Johnny Desmond, Curt Massey, Doris Drew.  With a guest list like this, how could you go wrong, right?  This cover appealed to us from the very beginning, despite its deceptively simple layout.  Look at the design of the track listing at the bottom, the way it expects you to follow its pattern to read the artists and titles involved.  We especially love the way "Dark Eyes" and "Lonesome Road" are orphaned tracks, with no artist taking credit for them (it's that way on the label, guests, believe me we tried to figure it out).  Maybe that's why we love those ones best of all.  We're not sure if we do it like they do it on the Sunset Strip or not, but we sure do love a good party.


Your Al-Fi download begins here
http://www.mediafire.com/?ybmj8aqwqmjs348

Voices In Motion (1961) - Simon Rady

Late night in the Starlite Lounge.  You know we never close until you're ready to leave, right?  We know you're in a mellow mood by this hour, so tonight we've got something extra smooth and lush for your listening pleasure.  We'll send a fresh pitcher of martinis to your table while you enjoy Simon Rady's "Voices In Motion", one of our most favorite selections.

Rady was a record company exec and a producer, and he was clearly enamored with the latest hi-fi technology.  With cheerful but ghostly voices occupying all of the stereo quadrants, you'll feel surrounded by an ethereal glow.  There are plenty of well-known standards on hand here, including "Ebb Tide", "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing", and "Charmaine". 

Hey, take it easy with those martinis.  We want you to get happy, not spend the rest of the evening in the john.  Well, if your head's on the ceiling by the time the third number starts, don't say we didn't warn you.


Your hi-fi download is here

Moods for Starlight - Francis Scott and His Orchestra

Welcome to the Starlite Lounge. Tonight's selection is culled from the 10" release "Moods for Starlight" by Francis Scott and His Orchestra. This one is a little dusty, but oh so swank indeed.  I cleaned up the crackle and added a little reverb to give it some extra lushness.  It sounds a little like an AM radio broadcast, which is perfect for our grand opening.

Your Heavenly Hi-Fi download is here