Big Ben Hawaiian Band - When You Dream About Hawaii

Well, it's the last day of summer here in Oz, and as the sun sets over the ocean, we say aloha to the tropical cocktail season with a bumper slab of exotica from the Big Ben Hawaiian Band.

Assisted by he Mike Sammes singers and with some bonus arrangements by Norrie Paramour they cover 20 exotica classics - nearly 60 mins on one LP. Now that makes me feel I got good value for my 50c...

01 - Blue Hawaii
02 - When You Dream About Hawaii
03 - Song Of The Islands
04 - Now Is The Hour
05 - Trade Winds
06 - Honolulu
07 - Blue Tango
08 - Goodbye Hawaii
09 - Red Sails In The Sunset
10 - On The Beach At Waikiki
11 - Sweet Leilani
12 - Moonlight And Roses
13 - Drifting And Dreaming
14 - Hawaiian War Chant
15 - Bali Ha'i
16 - Hawaiian Wedding Song
17 - Harbour Lights
18 - Paradise
19 - Hawaiian Village
20 - Aloha Oe

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Mr Snookles

Françoise Hardy - La Maison Où J’ai Grandi

This album had no title at all, but one look at those limpid eyes and pouting lips should leave you in no doubt as the chantuese responsible for this offering - it is of course the incomparable Francois Hardy.

A previous album by Françoise posted at Third Island proved to be one of the most popular downloads, with over a thousand takers from all corners of the globe. This album is quite folky, with Françoise strumming her guitar and crooning, with the occaisional string orchestra materialising out of the ether.

Her lustrous beauty helped her rise to fame, but her talent was undeniable, and her voice enchanted millions all around the globe. She is still going strong at the age of 64 (check out her official website for current pics and photos)

In 1981, she married her long-time companion Jacques Dutronc, with whom she had already had a son, Thomas Dutronc, in 1973. In May 2000, she made a comeback with the album Clair Obscur. Her son played the guitar and her husband sang the duet "Puisque Vous Partez En Voyage." Iggy Pop and Étienne Daho also participated. Hardy currently lives near Paris, while Dutronc lives in Monticello, Corsica and they are still a couple. (Thanks again Wikipedia).

Thanx to the poster who left the name of the album in the comments...


01 - Je Changerais D'Avis
02 - Si C'est Ca
03 - Rendez-Vous D'Automne
04 - Je Serai La Pour Toi
05 - Peut-Etre Que Je T'Aime
06 - Il Est Des Choses
07 - Comme
08 - Mes Jours S'en Vont
09 - Qu'ils Sont Heureux
10 - Surtout Ne Vous Reournez Pas
11 - Tu Es Un Peu A Moi
12 - La Maison Ou J'ai Grandi

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Mr Snookles

Album Covers

A Quick Announcement:

A Friend of Third Island by the name of Maximino has been restoring and reposting the cover scans of some of the albums posted by Mr Snookles.

In no particular order they are

Les Paul and Mary Ford - Brazil

Charlie Byrd - Travellin' Man

Bert Kaempfert - Orange Coloured Sky

Doris Day - Que Sera Sera

Ray Conniff - The Impossible Dream

Exotic Guitars - Those Were The Days

Thanks a million-o, Maximino.

Mr Snookles

Mireille Mathieu 2

Just to confuse things, another eponymous Mireille album. After ripping the previous album I found myself playing it repeatedly and grooving to that beautiful voice - such diction! such passion!

So I dug my other Mireille album out of the vaults and started listening to it as well - and here it is. A couple of double-up tracks with the first, but lots of FAB French chanson to be enjoyed.

M. le Snookles j'taime le fromage a al Francais!

01 - Quand Tu T'en Iras
02 - Alors Nous Deux
03 - Ce Soir Ils Vont S'Aimer
04 - Geant
05 - Paris En Colere
06 - Soldats San Armies
07 - La Chanson De Notre Amour
08 - Pour Un Coeur Sans Amour
09 - En Chantant French-Music
10 - La Vielle Barque
11 - En Ecoutant Mon Coeur Chanter
12 - Adieu A La Nuit

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Les Paul and Mary Ford - Brazil

Compilation from budget Pickwick label. Les Paul's double-speed guitar playing, revolutionary at the time, sounds a little bit anachronistic today (but that's good, right?). Mary Ford's vocals shine through, however and bring the tracks to life. This has to be one of the shortest albums ever released at a tad over 22 mins for both sides...

ps. check in the comments for restored cover art kindly donated by maximino.

01 - Brazil
02 - Jealous
03 - If I Had You
04 - That Old Feeling
05 - Just One More Chance
06 - Tiger Rag
07 - Caravan
08 - June In January
09 - The Lonesome Road

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Mr Snookles

Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy

Earth: Harmless.

Eadrax: Heavily populated and prosperous planet which forms the main administrative hub of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation complaints department. Avoid.

So read the entries in that wonderful tome "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy".

This two disc set is taken from series one of the original BBC radio series and is far and away the best version of the series, better than the books (which came later) and far better than the Tv series or the wholly lamentable movie.

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Mireille Mathieu

Watch out, there's a chanteuse on the loose.

Try mixing together Francois Hardy and Shirley Bassey and you'll get some idea of the vocal talents of Mireille. In her forty-year career she has sold about 150 million copies of her albums , recorded about 1200 songs in nine languages. She was also the first western singer in history to give concerts in China. (thanks Wikipedia)

This album is probably not her best, but does have a few stand-out songs. Her cover of "the Last Waltz" (La Derneire Valse) was a big hit in England, and Bacharach's "The Look Of Love" (Les Yeux De L'amour) is as fine an arrangement as you could wish to hear. Some other tunes have less Ingenue and more anthem a-la-Fancais about them - not so much to my taste. Still this girl has a voice you just have to hear...


01 - La Derneire Valse
02 - La Vielle Barque
03 - Quand Fer-T- Il Jour Camarade
04 - En Ecoutant Mon Coeur Chanter
05 - Ponts De Paris
06 - Un Monde Avec Toi
07 - Les Yeux De L'amour
08 - La Chanson De Notre Amour
09 - Chant Olympique
10 - Seuls Au Monde
11 - Quelqu'un Pour Toi
12 - L'amour

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Everything You Always Wanted To Hear On The Moog

OK well there's moog and then there's Moog. This album is a cracker. the number of instrumentation changes and the amazing variety of sound Andrew Kazdin and Thomas Shepard coax out of their moog is quite phenomenal. Up to 20 layers of synthesised aound are used to recreate these favourites from the Romantic era.

Another 50c viynl; this one was in amazingly good condition and needed only the lightest of restoration work.

01 - Espana
02 - Malaguena
03 - Prelude To Act 1 From Carmen
04 - Bolero

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Waikiki Beach Boys - Breeze Of Hawaii

Well, as we continue our "Plucking Around The World" odyssey we come to the slide guitars and ukeles of Hawaii. This album is one of 100 or so I picked up in an Op-shop (thift store) mega-crawl on the weekend (50c each or 5 for a dollar!!).

It had the wrong cover with it which I dutifully scanned and added to the package before I realised my mistake. The image you see came from the net, so is lamentably tiny. The vinyl is in good condition, however, and the playing is first class.

So, if you are enjoying a southern hemispere summer pour a chilled Mai-Tai, hop in the hammock and soak it up. All your poor, shivering Northern Hemispherers will have to turn up the heater a couple of notches, close your eyes and use your imagination...

PS check the comments for a larger photo courtesy of twilight58

01 - Honolulu
02 - My Tane
03 - Poinciana
04 - Hawaiian Dreamboat
05 - Paradise
06 - Hilo Kiss
07 - Menehune March
08 - Ka-Lu-a
09 - Breeze Of Hawaii
10 - Pidgin English Hula
11 - Moonlight
12 - Hawaiian War Chant

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Susanna Mildonian - Three Centuries Of Harp Music

Have you ever wondered why the harp is the instrument of choice for angels? Well this album of ethereal, inspiring, melancholic, stunningly virtuosic solo harp playing from Susanna Mildonian might set you straight. While not lounge or easy-listening in the strict Oxford-Dictionary sense of the term, I feel sure this album will find a home in your playlists as it is just to beautiful to avoid.

So if you're planning to go to Heaven (and, as long as you post your comments, such a fate is assured) get a sneak preview of what's on high rotaion on cloud nine...

Do you remember that sad moment last year when Lounge Tracks closed his blog? What a wailing and gnashing of gums (let's face it we're none of us as young as we used to be...). Well, rejoice ye with great rejoicings for the Baron of Bonhomie, The Archmage of the Martini - Mr Lounge Tracks and none other - is back with a new blog called Zip Your Rip. Make sure you drop by...

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Exotic Guitars - Those Were The Days

Wow. Thanx for all the kind thoughts, well wishing and general civility expressed in the comments!!

I am compelled in the face of such reckless generosity of spirit to upload another album. I thought I'd keep the string plucking theme going, but this time our twanging hails from more familiar shores.

The Exotic Guitars regale us with a bevy of standards, with styles ranging from the resonant electro-twanging familiar to visitors to The Crime Lounge to laguid rhythms from the sun-drenched shores of Hawaii, whence our group derived its name. Enjoy...

01 - Those Were The Days
02 - The Sound Of Music
03 - A Taste Of Honey
04 - I Walk Alone
05 - Love Is Blue
06 - Autumn Leaves
07 - Twilight Time
08 - A Man And A Woman
09 - Only You
10 - Music To Watch Girls By
11 - Blue Velvet
12 - The Bells That Toll For No One

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Balalaika Favourites

Hello chaps!!

Well, the old blog's been a bit quiet - I guess I ran out of steam to keep the vinyl rips happenning. However there are some exciting developments in store for 2008 - more about that later. M. Snookles is now the proud owner of a Rega P3, the turntable of my dreams - so I think a few more vinyl rips might be coming your way soon as I put the new TT through its paces.

In the meantime, here's a spot of virtuoso Balalaika twanging, courtesy of the Osipov State Russian Folk Orchestra...

01 - Fantasy On Two Folk Songs
02 - At Sunrise
03 - The Linden Tree
04 - Kamarinskaya
05 - Fantasy On Volga Melodies
06 - In The Moonlight
07 - Midnight In Moscow
08 - Under The Apple Tree
09 - Dance Of The Comedians
10 - The Living Room
11 - Evening Bells
12 - My Dear Old Friend, Please Visit me
13 - Waltz Of The Faun
14 - Flight Of The Bumblebee

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Mr Snookles.

Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom

Musician’s Friend is offering a limited number of the new Gibson Custom Shop Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom guitars. These are meticulous re-creations of Jimmy’s original three-pickup 1960 Black Beauty with a Bigsby tailpiece.

Missing in action
Jimmy Page calls his original 1960 Les Paul Black Beauty "the one that got away." He used his Custom in the early days of Led Zeppelin but it was stolen at an airport in 1970 never to be seen again—until now.

The Black Beauty is back
Now Jimmy’s cherished Black Beauty is back. Gibson has lovingly re-created Page’s lost axe in the form of the new Gibson Custom Shop Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom. Its artisans have restored Page’s lost gem by creating two new limited-edition VOS (Vintage Original Spec) versions of the Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom—one with a Bigsby tailpiece, the other with a stoptail. Both come with a special Gibson Custom Shop case with silkscreen JP signature Certificate of Authenticity.

VOS treatment
Each of the Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom guitars is given the special VOS treatment by the Gibson Custom Shop. The guitar is handcrafted for comfort and playability. The construction, hardware, and electronics are period accurate and a special nitrocellulose finish treatment gives it the patina of a gently aged vintage guitar.

The result is a stunning Black Beauty with a slim-profile neck, Page BurstBucker pickups, and a gold Bigsby vibrato. Newly added is an innovative six-position toggle that lets you isolate the neck and bridge pickups or add the middle in any combination. A push/pull switch splits the bridge humbucker into a single-coil—a Jimmy Page signature sound. A stop tailpiece version is also available.

Limited to just 500 guitars worldwide, the Gibson Custom Shop Jimmy Page Les Paul Custom is Gibson’s heartfelt tribute to a true legend and to the guitar he loved and lost. Don’t miss out on your chance—quantities are extremely limited!

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