Albums most popular in the United States●Lounge

Tracks: 16 Release date: 1977-12-31 $9.99

Tracks: 10 Release date: 2013-09-24 $9.99

Comments

1. Another great Café compilation - Café Latino is the fifth in Putumayo’s Café series. As is usually the case with Putumayo, not all of the artists or songs are strictly “Latino”. The wonderful Jehro, singing opener “Salima”, hails from France while Spanish artist Miguel Gil sings in French (Edit: actually he is singing in Catalan). Nevertheless, this is a cohesive album comprised of singer/songwriters from around the world accompanied by acoustic guitar and piano, with strings and horns occasionally making an appearance. It is not as good as the instant classic Café Cubano, but after a few listens, I find this a fantastic album to relax and drink coffee to. Key tracks are “Salima”, “Por Verte Llegar” and "Soñando con Quito”. Highly recommended.
2014-01-11

Tracks: 24 Release date: 2004-04-01 $9.99

Comments

1. Good Music, what the heck is with the album only?! - this is exceptionally good film music. although the songs are enhanced somewhat by actually seeing the movies, even without, this is still an excellent buy. one thing that i find confusing is that only last month all the songs except the Bobby McFerrin one were available individually and the cover was much more vibrant. what happened? despite this embarrassing change, the music is still superb.
2009-04-03

Tracks: 13 Release date: 1959-08-01 $7.99

Tracks: 80 Release date: 1995-09-28 $24.99

Tracks: 11 Release date: 1970-01-01 $9.99

Tracks: 10 Release date: 2013-09-17 $5.99

Tracks: 11 Release date: 1968-10-01 $9.99

Tracks: 11 Release date: 1972-01-01 $9.99

Tracks: 12 Release date: 1951-01-01 $7.99

Tracks: 12 Release date: 1964-09-01 $9.99

Comments

1. BEAUTIFUL MUSIC - In .I was in Vietnam, Stereo was just starting out back then......I heard this album on a reel to reel stereo tape recorder for the first time through a pair of stereo headphones. I was floored.......Invisible Tears was being played on AFRS (Armed Foeces Radio) at that time......so here it is almost years later for me.........and I found these beautiful songs done by Ray Coniff............as beautiful and fresh as the first time I heard them so long ago........I think you will enjoy them as well
2010-02-26

2. Every Song A Gem! - This is one of my favorite Conniff albums because it showcases not only the incredible singers that Conniff directs (and sings along with...the maestro was irrepressible), but also Conniff's impeccable production values. This album sounds GREAT! Ray loved to take full advantage of harmonic range, and this collection of upbeat arrangements is a lesson in how it's done. The sound is rich, broad and blended to perfection. Really good listening.
2008-01-11

Tracks: 200 Release date: 2015-03-30 $3.99

Comments

1. A Redeeming Factor - All in all, this album is mostly garbage, really low-quality stuff. Its only redeeming quality is that with so many songs at such a cheap price, if you're willing to take the time you can pick through and find a few decent ones to keep. Don't recommend it unless you're willing to pick through it and delete the rest
2019-11-28

Tracks: 12 Release date: 1958-01-01 $7.99

Comments

1. A Frothy Orchestral Cocktail! - Les Baxter, the Father of Exotica, was truly a master musical chamelion! Anyone who has ever watched say movies scored by Baxter for Roger Corman's Poe series and compared them too the film scores he did for Corman's Beach Party series knows that Baxter could go from spooky horror themed Gothic exotica to very impressive surf rock at the drop of a hat. Space Escapade from is a brilliant mix of two Lounge genres, Exotica and Space Age Pop, all in one frothy heady cocktail glass with a interstellar pop sheen. If your looking for glossy orchestral cocktail pop this is the album for you! Highly recommended!
2020-06-12

Tracks: 20 Release date: 2013-03-27 $8.99

Tracks: 12 Release date: 1961-01-01 $9.99

Comments

1. Childhood memories - My folks had this album when I was growing up in the s. We didn't have too many albums, so this one was played often, and is a virtual soundtrack of my childhood. It brings back the actual smells, sounds, and sights of long afternoons, playing with my Legos and Lincoln Logs while mom quilted and hummed along with the music.
2007-12-28

Tracks: 12 Release date: 1960-07-01 $9.99

Comments

1. Have loved it for for over years - I was a year old babysitter in ....the patents, as they left to go out for the evening tsars to seek free to use the stereo....I dound Young at Heart and lived it...so much that I bought it it that week. I have owned it on vinyl, then on tape, then CD, now digital...all of Ray Connif's music is happy, nostalgia, and beautudul...
2017-05-05

Tracks: 16 Release date: 2007-01-08 $9.99

Tracks: 12 Release date: 1958-09-01 $9.99

Comments

1. Lush, Rich Arrangements - One of Conniff's most popular releases, deservedly so, these arrangements showcase the arranger's trademark prowess. Conniff employed the New York Philharmonic strings on half of the more moderately-paced tracks and lets his band open into full swing on the remaining tracks. Heard throughout this recording are some of the top-notch studio musicians of the time, who happen to be familiar colleagues of Conniff from his 's and 's big band career.
2010-08-11

Tracks: 12 Release date: 2015-05-25 $11.99

Comments

1. Great album - I love this album! I actually play it while I’m working from home and it totally helps me focus and get stuff done. It manages to be soothing, playful, energetic…the right balance for a great vinyasa! I really love the song “Gratitude” - it feels explorational, if that makes sense, and it makes me feel strong, focused, and able when I use it during an at-home practice! Thanks for a great album, DJ Taz and Ingmarlo!
2015-07-31

2. Context of Healing, Belonging - Listening to the new album of DJ Taz and Ingmarlo you may find that there is an opening for feeling a greater sense of belonging to the whole. As the spiritual music masters of these times, DJ Taz and Ingmarlo continually remind you with their enchanted chill that there is a way that you might come to think of yourself not as separate, but rather a crucial and integral part of a greater whole that includes you and all earthly creatures in its loving embrace.
2015-07-30

Tracks: 33 Release date: 2014-02-15 $9.99

Tracks: 12 Release date: 2010-10-04 Get

Tracks: 10 Release date: 2015-10-01 $10.99

Comments

1. Walking on Air - One fine day in September , three girls took a walk on a country road in Georgia, the Caucasus Mountains nation perched between Russia and Turkey. As they walked, they sang a Georgian folk song, and one of the girls filmed a selfie video. They put their selfie on YouTube and in two weeks got a million views, ultimately leading to a record contract. With Love is the result. That first video is an irresistible mix of natural talent and homemade authenticity, of one nation’s polyphonic tradition and the universal spontaneous antics of teenagers. The song recounts a tradition in which a boy chooses a girl from his village for a platonic relationship that allows them to spend the night together in conversation—they can touch but must remain clothed—and in the morning the girl offers him food and a horn of vodka. In the song, Apareka—the boy’s name—shamefully admits, with the help of the vodka, “Such dirty thoughts came to me, let God be angry." The -track album is a mix of traditional and contemporary folk music, consisting of the trio’s stunning voices accompanied by a panduri (a three-stringed lute). Other songs that feature their signature harmonies include Qrizantemebi (Chrysanthemums), Qalo (The Women), and Marto Shemovrchi (The Waiting). Trio Mandili is doing more flying now, to concerts across Europe, but they’ll likely continue to savor the day they took the world for a walk.
2016-03-22

Tracks: 21 Release date: 1996-07-15 $9.99

Comments

1. This review is for the wrong album. - The review here is for the fantastic "The Exotic Moods of Les Baxter", not "The Summer Moods of Les Baxter" which is what you will end up buying off this page. Those albums have nothing in common musically. I will however recommend that you purchase "Tropicando". It's great. If only "Exotic Moods" was available on iTunes. If it ever is, BUY IT!!! It's a star collection.
2008-11-03

Tracks: 12 Release date: 1963-02-01 $9.99

Comments

1. The Happy Beat - Having been a DJ on a major FM station in San Francisco in early and mid 's which was classified as "a middle of the road" music....I played every album this wonderful group produced. In fact the request for their music, the Ray Conniff, requests were in the neighborhood of about - per cent of all request. That proves the sound is what people wanted in those days. It's a shame this music has retreated into a corner. Luckily there are more an more radio stations around the country returning to this wonderful sound. I for one, am very happy to see iTunes store with these records available. Waiting for the total collection, that's % of all albums they ever made, listed. All of my old Conniff 's are so worn out, even some of the new software designed to make the old sound new, aren't much help.
2011-05-02

2. Another Conniff Winner! - This album is yet another example of the instrumental genius of Mr. Ray Conniff. I am so glad I-Tunes has made available some of these not-yet-issued-on-CD titles. Best tracks are "The Song From Moulin Rouge" which is wonderfully presented, and "Chanson D'Amour", also a lovely recording of a classic tune. Although it would be better to hear the songs with their lyrics, these instrumental recordings are stellar, with the rhythm of the voices blending perfectly with the instruments. If you are a Conniff fan, you will enjoy this album.
2008-03-13

Tracks: 12 Release date: 1957-11-01 $9.99

Comments

1. 's marvelous - classic conniff. Truly one his greatest works. The Conniff sound has been too long gone. Welcome Back! There is nothing like the Ray Conniff Singers and Ray's orchestra. These tunes take me back to the late ' and early 's. Those were the great music days! Thanks for bringing them back. Now if I could only get "s awful nice, life would be complete.
2009-03-21

Tracks: 12 Release date: 1961-06-11 $7.99

Tracks: 20 Release date: 2010-09-14 $10.99

Tracks: 12 Release date: 1962-06-11 $9.99

Comments

1. Sound Quality - The album has almost all the treble rolled off I assume in an attempt to reduce noise. Either that or it was transfered wrong. It's still possible to remaster the iTunes files with an audio editor to recoverer the high end and apply some careful reduction here and there where the tape hiss is excessive. This album needs to be remastered from the master tape by someone that knows what they are doing.
2016-11-07

Tracks: 12 Release date: 1956-12-01 $9.99

Comments

1. Great Album - I had this album when I was in high school in the late s. My favorite was "Dancing in the Dark". Wonderful dance music. "Kids nowadays" don't really know how to dance and it is really sad. I always said that the man I married would have to be a good dancer. Fortunately, he was. I guess it's a lost art. Thanks for the album and for the memories......
2011-04-10

2. S'WONDERFUL - S'wonderful is the consumate 's dance album. We all danced to this music at home,in the dorm, in the student union building,and with friends and my mom whenever she heaard it start. This album has rich bass tones, clear high tones and all round fabulous music. These songs are from my parents day but the arrangements and genius of ray conniff is timeless. S' wondrful of you to bring it to life once again. Thank you from our old gang of thirty kids now in our late sixties.
2009-03-23

Tracks: 16 Release date: 1960-05-01 $9.99

Tracks: 9 Release date: 1975-01-01 $7.99

Comments

1. Inspirational - When I was in the th grade, we moved to a new home across town and the previous owners left a ton of vinyl in the attic. I made my parents buy me a record player so I could listen to it all. I couldn't stop listening to Symphonic Soul. That was years ago, I've now been teaching middle school band for almost years, I still arrange music for my band that is a blend of pop and symphonic music.
2011-12-12

2. One of Mancini - One of Mancini's best. If you weren't aware of the song title you wouldn't know for the first two minutes the song was PGunn. The blend of Symphony and Soul is uneven at times, but really knocks it out of the ballpark. Any shortcomings are minimized by the effort and the result. Although listed as "Easy Listening", there is more here than meets the ear - some jazz, some strings, and some pop. As they used to say to Mikey - "Try it, you'll like it".
2011-10-04

3. One of Mancini's Greatest - I agree with Mr Alarm. This is one of Mancini's greatest works. The other one I would place at this level is Beaver Valley '. I didn't wear the grooves off of my LP, but I certainly gave it lots of workouts over the years. I loved it from the first time I listened to it. I bought the CD as soon as I saw that it was available and now have purchased the iTunes album. All three are in my iTunes. Symphonic Soul is among my top five favorite pieces of music. The version of Peter Gunn is by far the best one Mancini recorded. Yes, the "dueling" piccolo trumpets are a bit loud and maybe even a bit screechy, but they, along with the minute bass fiddle lead-in, make it an absolutely outstanding piece of music! The iTunes album contains the CD version of African Symphony; the LP version is shorter. Both have are really great pieces, but I personally prefer the LP version for its simplicity.
2010-10-17

4. Greatest Mancini LP Ever!! - Symphonic Soul is Mancini's greatest achievement as far as I'm concerned, and most critics agree! Mancini started reinventing himself musically by the mid s, and SS is one of the earliest and best examples of this. This LP features West Coast jazz artists like Joe Sample on keyboards, Abraham Laboriel on bass. I love this LP, and it’s amazing that iTunes Store has it, as it’s been out of print for years and hard to find on CD (I own two though!) I listened to this LP when it came out in ‘till I wore the grooves out. You really should get the entire LP, not a dud anywhere. Outstanding and essential Mancini! . Symphonic Soul: the title track is one of those great pop-fanfares Mancini did so well in his later years. It gets your mind and heart moving! I remember this piece being used by one of the network broadcast news shows for their closing theme music around , but it transcends any pigeonholing. . Pick Up The Pieces: the Australian Average White Band’s great rocker, well done. Upbeat, fun, memorable. . Butterfly: Herbie Hancock’s beautiful piece, with occasional owl-like winds that help makes it uniquely Mancini AND a great cover! . Sun Goddess: Ramsey Lewis’ great tune, with Hank’s intro that harkens perhaps to some actual idol worship (never could figure out what he was doing with that intro). A great piece made even more memorable and beautiful. . Slow Hot Wind: One of two Mancini-written tunes he updated for this LP, along with Peter Gunn. I love this piece, even in its original form, but here on SS it is a lilting, timeless melody, with beautiful flute and as always, haunting strings. . Peter Gunn: This is the revised version, with nice long intro jam by Abe Laboriel. It breaks into the familial tune, albeit with guitar and horns - the perfect melding of old Hank, who played with the Big Bands, and the new ’s funk. Try listening to the many variations of Peter Gunn on iTS alone to see how original and smart Hank’s is. The horns near the end do get, as my grandma once yelled at me, to sounding like some squealing pigs though! . Satin Soul: This piece still always reminds me of a fast paced into to Peter Gunn, and I love that about it, as well as its strings. . Soul Saga (Song Of The Buffalo Soldier): The fast paced flutes and horns, and the battle-like surges mixed with the harmonica that sounds both Southern and tribal makes for a mini-epic sounding piece. . African Symphony: I once saw Mancini in concert, in the late s, and he introduced African Symphony - at least I think it was this piece - by telling us a little about the “Kalimba” the little box-like African instrument that makes the beautiful sounds unique to this cover, even playing it a bit. It was great to see him, and always great to hear this piece again.
2010-09-24

Tracks: 12 Release date: 1955-06-11 $7.99

Tracks: 25 Release date: 2011-04-15 $10.99

Tracks: 30 Release date: 2011-12-22 $10.99

Tracks: 12 Release date: 1957-05-01 $7.99

Tracks: 50 Release date: 2010-09-13 $9.99

Tracks: 12 Release date: 1964-05-01 $9.99

Tracks: 16 Release date: 2020-04-17 $10.99

Comments

1. Easy does it - True these are just remixes and they’re very accessible to those who don’t know or ordinarily like Paul’s work. I personally don’t see that as a bad thing. Putting these tracks, particularly those with vocals, to a more soothing yet still sparingly atmospheric mix gives them a very different context. I actually prefer Heart Like An Ocean and Only In A Dream in this format. With so much to fear in the world during this pandemic, they have helped me Escape Reality. Love and Respect PvD
2020-05-09

Tracks: 12 Release date: 1967-01-01 $9.99

Tracks: 30 Release date: 2022-06-03 $19.99

Tracks: 10 Release date: 2014-01-09 $9.99

Tracks: 50 Release date: 2015-04-28 $8.99

Tracks: 12 Release date: 2016-06-03 $9.99

Tracks: 13 Release date: 2013-06-28 $7.99

Tracks: 30 Release date: 2015-09-28 $8.99

Tracks: 12 Release date: 1959-03-01 $9.99

Comments

1. Conniff In Full Stride - This is one of Conniff's excellent early recordings, when his name and his sound was beginning to take off and soar. The arrangements show off a lot of Conniff's trademark flourishes with a bright, swinging big band and vocalise chorus (the best studio musicians of the day recording in NYC). The tempo is lazily upbeat and danceable....foxtrot, anyone?...and the mood is cheerfully happy Conniff. This recording is for listeners who enjoy those studio orchestra arrangements/recordings of the ''s that were extremely popular at the time.....and for listeners who simply enjoy Conniff's famously unique treatments.
2008-01-10

2. Brace yourself - My mother used to order Ray Conniff through the mail order clearing house. This is the stuff I grew up with. This week, when I was looking for pre-show music for Noises Off, for whatever reason, that memory crept back. This is the stuff you parents would love. This is the stuff you grandparents would love. However, if you are looking for some good old Broadway covers, clench your teeth. Despite that classic well-played big-band style that comes through, what they do to Broadway classics is tired an uninspired. Great pre-show music for Noises Off, though.
2007-02-20

Tracks: 5 Release date: 1993-01-28 $9.99

Tracks: 50 Release date: 2015-03-24 $7.99

Tracks: 10 Release date: 1957-01-01 $7.99

Comments

1. Great album - This is a wonderful album that is like a hybrid between an orchestral album and a music score. "Pearls of Ceylon" and "Harem Silks" are hypnotic. The sound quality is very clear and presents the tape "as is" with all it's imperfections which I prefer. Thankfully they didn't 't try to mask the tape noise (often excessive) by severly rolling off the treble like they did with "The Primitive and the Passionate". We hear the room in full detail. If I were to remaster with modern digital tools I would probably do some careful noise reduction on "Hong Kong Cable Car" and "Gates of Annam" any leave everything else alone.
2016-11-07

Tracks: 30 Release date: 2015-05-11 $8.99