Search - Various Artists :: Golden Age of American Popular Music: Hits with Strings and Things - Hot 100 Instrument

Everything I expected...and more!

Charles R. Husson | Honolulu, HI United States | 05/16/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I ordered this CD based on just a handful of the songs it contained; however, upon playing it, I found that almost all of these are not only familiar, but near and dear to my heart. Growing up in the 60s, and listening to MOR radio, I became acquainted with popular music through these songs. Having so many of them available on one CD is a real treat. I was pleasantly surprised by the thick booklet and extensive, informative liner notes, not to mention the great sound - a restoration expert is listed in the credits. A great deal of care obviously went into the preparation of this package, and I can recommend it without reservation."

Phenomenal new edition graces Ace's Golden Age series

Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 07/31/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ace Records' (of the U.K.!) Golden Age of American Popular/Rock 'n' Roll Music series remains unchallenged as the best compilation series of early rock-era American pop music! With the addition of this new family member of orchestral and pop instrumental hits, the lead over the competition grows even wider.



By the late 50's, the advent of rock and roll turned the music recording business upside down. The new music-buying generation traded in, en masse, the hand-me-down veteran performers and their label companies of the post-war era for the new kids in town - the Presleys, the Lymons, the Platters and all their wanna-bes. All was not lost by the establishment however, as the orchestral instrumental format held onto their audience, helped in part by the advent of stereo, a new technology requiring more than just a juke box or portable record player. In a nod to the considerable presence of these tracks on the top-100 charts of the era, Ace gathers up an extraordinary collection of these iconic tunes on one CD.



Many like-minded compilation CD's have come and gone during the CD era but one is very hard pressed to find a finer accomplishment than that found here. A massive 28 tracks are included, with many well-known top-10 charting tunes spanning the decade from Hugo Winterhalter's "Canadian Sunset" in 1956 to 1967's chart-topping "Love Is Blue", courtesy of Paul Mauriat. Though one may be inclined to pigeon-hole the tunes that would make up a collection such as this one, these are not merely a bunch of elevator music sound-alikes. Musical styles run the gamut from the Village Stompers' Dixielandesque "Washington Square" to Henry Mancini's "Moon River". The Bossa Nova-styled "Fly Me to the Moon", the quirky "Dis-Advantages of You", the bouncy "Java" and the ethereal "Enchanted Sea" all keep company with the epitomical "Theme from a Summer Place". While the many familiar tunes here broaden the appeal of this collection, it reaches across the table, as has all the entries in the "Golden Age" series, to the hard-nosed collector of the hard-to-find singles yet to be available on legitimate CD. Rare and new-to-CD gems come by way of Frank Slay's "Flying Circle", "Beautiful Obsession from Sir Chauncey (Ernie Freeman, actually), Monty Kelly's "Summer Set" and H. B. Barnum's one-off modest hit "Lost Love".



Beyond the incredible track selection, Ace lives up to its reputation with outstanding production efforts. Sound quality is top-notch with most of the tracks appearing in full stereo, the exceptions being 7,8,19-21 and 25. And the enjoyment doesn't end with the music here as every track on the CD gets its story told in the well-illustrated 28-page liner notes booklet.



This new installment continues the legacy of Ace's "Golden Age" series in extraordinary fashion. This title deserves a prominent place in any CD collection of the genre."

A lot of classics, but with a few clunkers

Philip J. Disalvo | Stevens Point, WI USA | 02/15/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this disc from the recommendation of a DJ after hearing "A Walk Through the Black Forest" on the radio. There are a lot of old instrumentals I remember hearing when I was a kid, but there are a few clunkers that don't really belong with the rest. Overall a good listen. If you were a kid in the 60's, you'll remember most of these."