Search - Various Artists :: Ultra Lounge: On the Rocks 1

I'm really in the groove, now...

winkingtiger | 09/25/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The British Invasion, it should be noted, contained Miss Peggy Lee. That's right, the Peggy Lee of "Fever". Peggy Lee, you see, was the 5th Beatle. This disc is evidence of that, as you hear Peggy belt out "A Hard Day's Night". Yeah, baby! Oh, and you also get a special version of "Light My Fire"--a version that I think Ed Sullivan would have approved. Come on baby, light my fire. Mel Torme, Wayne Newton--now THAT's counter-culture, man. So put on your fringe vest, those rose-colored Lennon specs, and take a step back in time to some real anit-Establishment venom!"

A New Level Of Kitsch

winkingtiger | Oakland, CA | 06/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Mel Torme singing 'Sunshine Superman'? Julie London warbling 'Quinn, The Eskimo'? Exotica Supremo Martin Denny taking on 'Incense & Peppermints'? No, you haven't gone insane, you're just listening to the ultimate curveball CD from 'Ultra-Lounge' This may be one of the most mind-warping albums I have ever heard; extremly tasteless and misguided takes on your favorite 60's pop hits by desperate loungeurs trying to be 'relevant' to 'the kids'. They miss the boat entirely, but the result is this strange hybrid; not quite lounge music, not quite rock, not really muzak...but it is (in the words of The Firesign Theatre) 'weirdly cool' . On first listening I didn't know WHAT I was hearing, but this disc has become strangely addictive...Particular faves are a kinda science-fictiony sounding 'Shaft', Lord Sitar(!) doing a faux Indian take on 'Daydream Believer', Zacharias & his spooky violin on 'Light My Fire', and what must be the strangest 'Heartbreak Hotel' since Dread Zeppelin's...plus the vocal numbers mentioned above. If you are an auditory adventurer, and you 'get' the whole 'lounge' vibe...bend your head around this one!"