Hello to anyone who looks at this Blog

I moved to a new town and have not yet gotten my record transfer station back into gear.  I plan on posting more records in the new future.

-Jasper

Hilo Hattie with the Hawaiian Village Serenaders, Lani, and the Hula Maids - Recorded Live at the Tapa Room (1965)

"Everyone who goes to Hawaii gets to the Tapa Room of the Hilton Hawaiian Village hotel-an entertainment 'must' for lovers of the authentic music, songs and dancing of these enchanted islands.

Produced by Jo Flanders, Hawaii's foremost choreographer, the Tapa's traditional Polynesian shows are internationally renowned for star-studded native talent, beauty and entertainment.

The Tapa Room was effervescent with typical gaiety the night our RCA Victor crew sat in to record this Polynesian Revue as it unfolded on stage before a capacity audience. The room, incidentally, takes its name from its unusual and exotic wall coverings of Tapa cloth-a Polynesian specialty made from the bark of the mulberry tree and decorated with native dyes.

Benny Kalama's Hawaiian Village Serenaders and the Hilton Hula Maids leave no doubt about the fun-filled entertainment ahead as they open the show with a rousing singing and dancing run-through of three Hawaiian songs-the breezy Beauty Hula, followed by the slower paced O Kalena Kai and the racy Hoe Hoe.

Unfortunately, the sinuous Hula Maids are invisible in album form-but you can hear them if you listen closely as they produce unusual and provocative musical effects by whirling bamboo sticks and clapping hand held stones or Hawaiian Shakers, the Polynesian version of castanets.

On stage next is Hilo Hattie, mistress of ceremonies as well as star of our show and one of Hawaii's all time entertainment favorites. She introduces another Hawaiian favorite-Lani of the soft and golden voice and graceful Hula dance, who sings the tender and wistful Kalamaula, a poignant memory of an old Hawaiian homestead. The graceful, caressing beauty of the Hawaiian language is enhanced by Lani's delicate phrasing.

The Tapa Room show continues as Benny Kalama and the Serenaders, with those delightful dancing Hula Maids, play and sing in English the languid, dreamy Sea and Sand, followed by a buoyant Good-Bye Honolulu salute. They drift softly into two songs of the sea, Dance the Hula in the Moonlight and the equally melodic and graceful Dancing Under the Stars. The tempo then turns frenzied as the boys beat out an instrumental tattoo with Tahitian Dance.

Into the spotlight now steps the star of our show for her first performance of the evening-Hilo Hattie, a dynamo of talent and electric personality. Quick as a flash, she pulls out all the stops with a swinging rendition in Hawaiian of Palolo, then sings it in English under its more familiar title of 'Anytime'.

Almost as famous as Hattie is her spritely, rhythmic novelty song, When Hilo Hattie Does the Hilo Hop, which she performs now, in English, accompanied by the appreciative laughter of her "in-person' audience. She continues to demonstrate her star quality with another laugh-provoking novelty in English, The Cockeyed Mayor of Kaunakakai.

Time now for one of Hilo Hattie's diverting monologues-this one on the nature and meaning of the Hula. With obvious tongue-in-cheek, she admonishes her audience to 'keep your eyes on the hands' for the true message of the dance.

Hattie now swings back-and we do mean swings!-to her comic song routine with a recital of her grandmother's first taxi ride during a visit to Mainland. The words are in Hawaiian, but there's no mistaking the thrills of that exciting ride as she sings Holo Holo Kaa.

For the show finale, in an evening that ends too quickly, Benny Kalama's Serenaders and the Hula Maids get together for a couple more songs and dances-Kilakila O Haleakala, a breezy tribute to the cowboys of Maui, complete with hoofbeats and the Hawaiian version of 'yipee yi yo' and the brilliant rhythmic Hawaiian War Chant.

Don't let anyone ever tell you that the Hawaiians confine their entertainment to a few hula dancers and a steel guitar. The Tapa Room of the Hilton Hawaiian Village has a show of fantastic variety that onlookers will long remember. You should know. You were just there...courtesy of this 'on-the-spot' recording. Like your table?"
-From back cover

Hilo Hattie is an interesting listen. Some of the songs are beautiful. "Kalamaula" is sung by Lani, whose voice truly is "soft and golden". The percussion in certain songs-consisting of shakers and rasers-is subtle yet catches the ear. I found Hilo Hattie's jokes to be pretty bland. She does make a cryptic reference to the Shriners however. The album feels like a peek into a past; a candid view of a hotel performance that may or may not be "a show of fantastic variety that onlookers will long remember".

SIDE ONE
1. The Beauty Hula (Hooheno Keia No Beauty)
2. O Kalena Kai
3. Hoe Hoe
4. Kalamaula
5. Sea and Sand
6. Good-Bye Honolulu
7. Medley: Dance the Hula in the Moonlight; Dancing Under the Stars

SIDE TWO
1. Tahitian Dance
2. Palolo
3. When Hilo Hattie Does the Hilo Hop
4. The Cockeyed Mayor of Kaunakakai
5. Holo Holo Kaa
6. Kilakila 0 Haleakala
7. Hawaiian War Chant

Liu Yun - The Night Is Too Short (1971)

"The Night Is Too Short" is one of my favorite albums in my collection. Liu Yun's voice is just stunning. The entirety of Side One is full of fantastic songs, especially "Sweet Bliss", a groovy track during which I fantasize about dancing with cute Liu Yun atop a mountain. I'm not sure how to to explain the style...perhaps Singapore* traditional blended with easy listening pop. Most of it is very fun and upbeat with a tinge of sadness.

SIDE ONE
1. The Night is Too Short
2. Where Are You, My Love?
3. Sweet Bliss
4. Always Arguing
5. Wish You Luck
6. Lovers Dream

SIDE TWO
1. The Visit
2. Awaiting Your Return
3. Joy of Flowers
4. By The Lake
5. A Lament
6. "Hung Niang's" Story

*I am pretty sure this album is from Singapore but I saw it listed as being from Hong Kong on someone's website. It is very difficult to find any information on this singer/album.

Sandy Nelson - Teen Drums (1967)

"Without rhythm, music is nothing. It can't exist. The world is full of rhythm patterns-dripping faucets, honking horns, steam engines, etc. The Beat is the thing, and Sandy Nelson has The Beat. This young drummer is truly at the top of his field. He is the Gene Krupa of the Sixties.
When Sandy was seven, his parents took him to see Gene Krupa. Next thing they knew, Sandy wanted drums for Christmas. Sandy practiced every day, and when he was in high school he worked with a teenage band at parties and rock 'n roll shows. He then became involved with recording sessions and soon he recorded his own.
After his first hit, "Teen Beat", Sandy was on his way. Hit albums and singles are a routine thing now, but Sandy never stops practicing. In "Teen Drums", the efforts of his practicing are realized. Listen to any of the songs and your foot will start going. It is impossible to sit down while listening to a Sandy Nelson record. The Beat is right there..."
-Sue Cameron, Entertainment Editor, 'TEEN Magazine
(from back cover)

This album is pretty cool. It consists of percussion heavy 60s pop/surf type music. The album is entirely instrumental aside from some guys yelling "YEAHHHHHH!" from time to time. Some of the drumming has a locomotive sort of feeling that reminds me of Can as well as some Krautrock I have heard. It could be fun to dance to, or you may just want to leave it playing while you chill and partake in the ganja.

SIDE ONE
1. Teen March
2. Teenage House Party
3. Boss Beat
4. Wild Side of Life
5. Rompin' and Stompin'

SIDE TWO
1. Lonesome Drums
2. Quite A Beat
3. Puttin' It On
4. North Wind
5. Here We Go Again

Pac-Man's Christmas (1982)

"The PAC-MAN Christmas Album is a collection of
PAC-MAN's favorite Christmas songs and a
rememberance of PAC-Family's most exciting
Christmas."
-from back cover

Marvel at the folk-y beauty of "Snowflakes and Frozen Lakes"! Endure the horror of Pac-Baby!
Feel depressed after listening to "Somedays are More Important". Chastise Pac-Dad for inviting the ghosts into his home. All this, and more, contained on Pac-Man's Christmas Album.

SIDE ONE
1. The Magic of Christmas
2. Snowflakes and Frozen Lakes
3. Under the Tree
4. Deck the Halls

SIDE TWO
1. An Old Fashioned Christmas
2. Somedays Are More Important
3. Friends Again
4. We Wish You A Merry Christmas

PS: Any spelling errors are direct from the album itself.

I Arrive.