Search - Deodato :: Lounge '64

Soothing Tunes For The Office

Kurt Harding | Boerne TX | 03/30/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Here is another Deodato reissue from the Italian record company IRMA, which has done splendid work in making the early and little-known works of Eumir Deodato available to US and worldwide audiences. Having acquired most if not all of the other IRMA reissues of Deodato's Brazilian years, I was eager to acquire this as soon as I saw it had become available.
Lounge '64 is the earliest available work of Deodato of which I am aware. On first listen, it is starkly primitive and almost Muzak sounding in contrast to his later work. But then after listening to it several times, the subtle genius of Deodato's skill as an arranger shines through as you hear his take on works by composers ranging from Henry Mancini to Cole Porter to Johnny Mercer to Errol Garner and others.
There are a lot of songs here our parents or grandparents would be very familiar with and none of Deodato's own compositions. I know I heard a lot of them coming from my father's stereo whan I was but a young lad. On The Street Where You Live, I Could Have Danced All Night, Days of Wine and Roses, Misty, and even Moon River are here. Unusually, Deodato pairs each tune with another of his choosing so instead of twelve songs, you get twelve medleys. I've heard medleys on albums before, of course, but never had an album composed entirely of medleys!
Overall, despite a faint whiff of cheese, Lounge '64 is not at all a bad album and is full of soothing tunes perfectly suited for play either at the office or poolside on a lazy Sunday morning. If you like Deodato's other early works, you are almost sure to like this. So get it while you can."