Ebb Tide and Other Instrumental Favorites - Earl Grant (mono pressing)

Never trust a seagull. They're mean-spirited, messy, and unpredictable--just ask Melanie Daniels. But nevertheless, they do look good on an album cover, and this cover for Earl Grant's "Ebb Tide and Other Instrumental Favorites" is one of our favorites, too.  The album ain't too bad, either, and we think you're really gonna be impressed with Earl's organ. Aside from "Ebb Tide", Earl rocks a number of other standards as well, including "Deep Purple", "Misty", and our favorite track on the album "That's All". It's the mono pressing! Stereo still turns us on, don't misunderstand--it's just that unique mono allure is hard to resist. Included as a bonus track is an edit of "Stormy Weather" shorn of its showy intro, just in case you wanna keep things nice and mellow.

Your High Fidelity Mono magic is here!

Harp Skip & Jump (Mono Pressing) - Gene Bianco

Who loves a harp? Obviously all the neato ladies do, because check out these two. Oooooo, that harp is just too hot to touch, but those fluttering hands are all too eager to feel the magic anyway. Maybe you'll understand, too, when you hear Gene Bianco, Mundell Lowe and friends spread the stardust around with this collection, containing both standards by Cole Porter, the Gershwins, and Lerner/Lowe, and also a few offbeat numbers and even an original or two. Don't tell Gene, but what we're really crazy about is that far out vibraphone played by Joe Venuto. Because we know you like mono as much as we do, this is the original mono pressing, baby! One more thing...are these girls technically harpies?

Your New Orthophonic experience is here!

Exotica Today - Martin Denny

How are YOU feeling today? Exotic? Well that's mighty fine by us at the Starlite, because tonight it's another rare one from maestro Martin Denny himself, "Exotica Today". This collection is not one of my favorite albums from Mr. Denny--I could do without his overly horn-y rendition of "Love Me With All Your Heart" (pun definitely intended), and his choice of "Lara's Theme" to cover leaves something to be desired. However, there are plenty of shimmering jewels on this long player to make up for the skippable ones. Denny's "Strangers In The Night" is a keeper for sure, and his supermarket-chic reading of "Promises" had me reeling with reverbbed excitement. You probably already know Martin Denny gave a name to the genre "Exotica", but who knew he was the inventor of the mash-up, too? Check out his unique take on the opening track "The Shadow Of Your Smile", where he wraps the song around the skeleton of his own #2 Billboard hit "Quiet Village".

Tonight's drink: it's no fooling around. You pour a shot or two of Tropical Punch flavored vodka in a large Tiki glass, then fill it with mango-orange juice and ice. Exotically hypnotique! Belly up to the bar, or just relax on the cheap rattan outdoor furniture and listen to this.

Your Tropical Exotic download is here!

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