Just witness how many of today's 'chill-out' trip-hop masters such as 'Bent', Thievery Corporation, Lemonjelly, Bonobo, Groove Armada, Blue States, Lamb, and so on are utilizing the 'upbeat melancholia' of bossa nova in many of their oh-so-cool 'lounge' albums. And 'Bent' even sample Norrie Paramour's 'string orchestra' in their wonderful debut album 'Programmed to love', and such luminaries of the world of trip-hop as Portishead, Tricky and Massive Attack regularly utilize cheesy over-the-top classics of yesteryear, such as Isaac Hayes' world-famous and 'so naff it's cool' "Ike's Rap II", as samples in their wonderfully all-encompassing albums.

For too long, much 'orchestral pop' and 'lounge jazz' has been sneered at by a public too keen to preserve some misplaced sense of 'I only listen to what everyone else tells me is acceptable' rather than succumb to the 'guilty pleasures' to be found in the jazzy, 'cocktail hour', way-out work of Martin Denny, Les Baxter, Elliot Fisher, and so on, not to mention the 'orchestral funk' of Isaac Hayes, Barry White, Luther Vandross, Lionel Richie and many of the often unfairly derided funkmasters and lurve-Gods of the '70s. Britain's wonderful Jamiroquai continue to hold aloft the banner of funk and soul with great distinction however, because once you've accepted the cheesy and 'naff' sounding nature the music, you soon begin to realize just how good much of it actually is.

I'm not talking about 'film music' here, as such. Many of the tracks found on the superlative 'Ultra Lounge' series of recent CD releases are certainly derived from film music - but just as Hank Mancini developed his film music for album enjoyment, so too are these cheesy arrangements for jazz ensemble, orchestra, and vocals adapted and expanded for purely listening (and dancing) enjoyment. For instance, although some sections of Jerry Goldsmith's 'Flint' scores are very enjoyable on album, not least 'New York Skyline' and 'Tell me more about that volcano', overall, the score makes for a typically disjointed and musically meaningless listening experience so typical of 95% of all film music in its raw state - which is why hardly anyone listens to movie music. However, the great arrangers such as Nelson Riddle and Hugo Montenegro (and even Goldsmith himself) took Goldsmith's music and created some wonderfully enduring arrangements of the Flint scores designed purely for listening pleasure which turn up on albums all over the place.

So how does Ron Goodwin fit into all of this? Well, as has already been pointed out, Ron spent much of the last twenty years of his life conducting concerts all over the world. And 'The Cheesy Listening Album' contains no less than 5 tracks featuring 'Ron Goodwin and His Orchestra' performing orchestral arrangements of Burt Bacharach songs. The album also features such doyens of the easy listening world as Joe Loss, Geoff Love and 'Manuel and the Music of the Mountains'. I'll go into more detail about 'The Cheesy Listening Album' at Daniel's off-topic thread 'Recommended Listening' some time in the future.

Anyhow, anyone who enjoys listening to slushy film music will certainly appreciate the hilariously hyperemotive and yet jauntily poptastic arrangements found on this album - perfect for that 'cocktail hour'.

It used to be the case that when someone put this kind of music on he risked emptying the room (perhaps that was his aim?), now the reverse is true and people can't get enough of the nostalgic cheesy lounge exotica of the past and the delightfully chilled trip-hop masterpieces of the present, rather than endure the 'safe' and dismally formulaic tedium of such mainstays of the musical establishment as Meat Loaf, Bon Jovi and Tori Amos. Bring on Chas & Dave, that's what I say......!

it seems no music is too cheesy for current tastes! I can thoroughly recommend the work of Royksopp (such as their fantastic use of Bacharach's Blue on Blue), Bent, Kid Loco, Fila Brasilia, Bonobo and numerous other modern 'groups' as prime examples of sublime 'feel good' 'chill-out' music which incorporates the bossa and 'cheesy' aesthetic both discreetly and overtly - their work makes for perfect background listening, but can also be enjoyed as a more intense listening experience. So whether you're enjoying a vodka and tonic on the porch or entertaining guests, Royksopp et al fit the bill as perfectly as Jobim's bossa masterpieces. At the other end of the modern trip-hop spectrum, there is the often dark, brooding work of the genre's originators, Massive Attack and Portishead, but even here the music is anything but depressing, boring or limited in scope, thanks in no small part to the use of 'cheesy' samples from yesteryear. These Bristol-based bands have completely changed the face of contemporary music during the past ten years (though not everyone realizes it) - in fact, their impact has been just as great as Jobim and Bonfa's back in the '60s.

Having said that, all of the 'cheesy' music and albums I have mentioned above are sumptuously produced, expertly arranged and well performed by some of the best musicians in the business.

So it's not a case of 'elevator music' being 'bad', uninventive, bland, poorly performed or suffering from poor sound quality - I would not give it a moment of my time if it was any of those things.

James Last, Mantovani and Percy Faith may be scorned and sneered at by many music snobs and equally rejected by a significant proportion of society who will only listen to music which they perceive conforms with the rest of society's tastes, but these arrangers are extremely gifted and skilled professionals. So, whether one likes their music or not, nobody can deny their abilities and talent.

Take the superb 'Ultra Lounge' series of CDs that have been released in recent years (with enormous success) - so far there's about twenty separate album compilation releases with such evocative titles as Mondo Hollywood and Mambo Fever - and just look at the contributors - Nelson Riddle, Martin Denny, John Barry - the list of luminaries is endless, so there is no question about the music's technical merits.

But beyond that, the music is also (most of the time) very good - whether it's Mantovani, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Paul Mauriat, Norrie Paramor or Isaac Hayes - they are all song writers/arrangers with remarkable ability and their music frequently transcends the norm, which is part of the reason why many people regard them as the 'unacceptable face of music'.

Too many people dismiss Stevie Wonder simply on the basis of the admittedly anaemic 'I just called to say' and 'Ebony and Ivory' - but this is to ignore the man's remarkable '70s albums such as 'Innervisions' and 'Songs in the key of life' - this is music that tells a story, attacks the racist establishment of the time and warms the soul - it is also music that continues to have a profound influence on the development of music today.

Of course, it was the bossa king Antonio Carlos Jobim who virtually invented 'elevator music' - and sure enough, you're quite likely to hear the strains of Jobim, Kaempfert and Mauriat's music wafting through many a hotel lobby. And it's easy to dismiss when the detail in the music is muffled by the sound of the elevator or the general hubbub in and around a shopping mall. But give this music a chance, give it some attention, and its quality and merits (if it has any) soon become apparent. The clichéd lush string sound, cheesy guitars and light rock beats often distract the listener from the music's intrinsic value - this is particularly the case with Paul Mauriat's arrangements. Mauriat's arrangement of Somethin' Stupid is a prime example - it's just the kind of thing you're likely to hear on the telephone after hearing the dreaded words - 'all of our operators are busy at present, please hold the line until.....' And under those circumstances who could be blamed for equating such 'ghastly muzak' with the overwhelming sense of frustration at waiting in a queue. But, listen to the music when you *want* to listen to the music and one's attitude may be different. Suddenly the la la choruses, strumming guitar, sliding strings, smooth brass and gentle rock beat take on a wholly different complexion - and one may even grow to like the music (as I have done). The key is not to take the music too seriously. Music *can* be funny, and anyone who listens to music solely to wallow in self-pity or look for 'social conscience' messages is missing out on music's primary ability to uplift one's mood and soothe the soul.

Of course, not all elevator music is good (far from it) - but my point is that not all elevator music is necessarily bad - certainly not the majority of Mantovani, Percy Faith, Paul Mauriat, and all of the usual suspects I've listed at this thread (and many I haven't).

Anyway, I would like to thoroughly recommend the Ultra Lounge series - the music is often ridiculously over-the-top, but surely that's no reason to dislike it. My favourites in the series so far include, Saxophobia, Mondo Hollywood (which includes John Barry's early and remarkable Beat Girl), Rhapsodesia, Bachelor Pad Royale, and Bottoms Up! This is very much the jazz/lounge/cocktail side of things (and the music is often adapted from film music), although there are strings, horns, vocals and full orchestras too. Check out individual Percy Faith, Mantovani, 101 strings orchestra and Mauriat albums for the massive-scaled orchestral cheese which is just as entertaining in its own way but also incorporates jazz, rock and vocal elements in the mix. And that's the beauty of all of this cheesy 'orchestral pop' and 'lounge jazz' stuff - it's so unpredictable - one minute there's a vigorous tango with guitars, bongos and violins, and the next you're enjoying the mandolins and accordions of Paris and Rome and the next the balalaikas and cymboloms of Hungary and Russia - and it's all done in the worst possible taste.

All of the 'Ultra Lounge' albums include music by the likes of Nelson Riddle, Les Baxter and Martin Denny, and all make for a hugely enjoyable listen.

Goodwin's 'Music For An Arabian Night' and 'Holiday in Beirut' were originally released in 1959 and 1962 respectively, and have now been lovingly re-mastered and married together on a single CD, released only last year - the glorious early stereo sound is rich and deep and is easily the equal of the very best recordings of the digital age - the stereo separation is phenomenal.

Before I go any further, I should point out that this is not film music.......these compositions and arrangements are much better than that. Each of the 24 tracks on this CD are thematically related and it's all about the music.

Ron Goodwin's fascination with Lebanon is well known, and that passion for the people and culture of this most romantic of regions is fully realized in music of the utmost colour and beauty - indeed, the often disarmingly innocent and unadulterated beauty of the music only serves to magnify the tragedy that has blighted this nation's recent history.

Simply put, Goodwin's music is basically authentic Lebanese music (in tone, instrumentation and harmony, as well as being based in folk melodies), but adapted for Western ears through the incorporation of strings, full orchestra and piano, as well as more traditional 'Western' harmonies - so we end up with the best of both worlds. Paul Mauriat's 'Russian Album' is a similarly wonderful mixture of authentic Russian folk music married to an enormous symphony orchestra endowing the listener with all of the magic of that haunting Russian sound (with balalaikas, cymboloms and suchlike) married to full orchestra.

Goodwin's Lebanese albums work the same magic as Mauriat's Russian album, to say nothing of the great Latin-themed work of Geoff Love, Mantovani, Edmundo Ros, Percy Faith and so on and so forth - indeed, most of the easy-listening kings have produced some wonderful music fusing their symphony orchestras with the folk rhythms of everywhere, from the haunting cymbolums of Romania to the ethereal panpipes of Peru, from the strumming guitars of Mexico to the piquant mandolins of Rome, and from the accordion-washed alleys of Paris to the gypsy violins of Hungary. There is so much wonderful music out there that so few people are aware of. This is what amazes me about some of the people who say that film music is their favourite kind of music to listen to......well, whoever thinks that is missing out on a world of infinitely superior music that is both more satisfying as a listening experience and more viscerally entertaining too.

Anyway, back to Goodwin's 'Arabian Night'. A glance at the track titles alone gives some indication of the magical music found on this CD - 'Windows of the east', 'bazaar', 'Arab Feast' and 'Sunrise over the cedars' provide just a few of the album's many, many musical highlights. The album incorporates gorgeous massed-strings, rhapsodic piano, chirruping and fluttering woodwinds, as well as all manner of authentic Lebanese instrumentation, from accordions to guitars, as well as a giddying range of the expected (and unexpected) percussion. There is an absolute ton of seductive, swaying 'Arabian' music, as warm, sensual and exotic as anything you will ever hear. There are playful toe-tapping dance tracks too that will have you dreaming of colourful festivals amid sun-drenched streets and fun-packed parties under twinkling stars. And there are thunderously rhythmic tracks with furious percussion and trilling woodwinds (think Goldsmith's 'Wind and the Lion' but a million times better).

Then there is the magic of such tracks as 'The Moon and I' - a fabulous nocturnal journey through Lebanon's gorgeous landscape.......and then there is the joyous feel-good flutes, xylophone, strings and smooth brass of 'April is coming' - oh, I could go on for ever extolling the virtues of this wondrous music - but my best advice is, take a listen for yourselves. If you enjoy the magic of Jobim's Bossa Nova, you'll love this too......

As the album notes say, "Whether your Arabian night is scheduled to begin at a romantic table in Beirut, beneath the stars at Ba'albek or along the perfumed Mediterranean coastline, Ron Goodwin's classic arrangements of Lebanese melodies will make your enjoyment complete."

Enjoy......

Still enjoyed reading it. No question that there is a noncomformist, informed, and unconventional voice at work in the missive. Not a turn off for me. He knows the 'lounge' terrain, and had even covered his omission of Si Zentner's take on Goldsmith's WARNING SHOT, in the syntax. The Gerhardt list looked a little padded, to me, but I am not an expert on his total catalogue, so I was an easy dupe, there. The ("eh, Bob") also raised a signal, I suppose, bemusing as it was. The attack on Dana Wilcox [I like Dana.], and reference to Originalthinkr, now that I think about it, also seems very context specific, as Dana seldom posts here, if at all. Another clue, I guess.

Although, 'Don', the thought had crossed my mind that perhaps you had had one too many pints of 'happy juice' when you wrote it. Why not?... it works for other writers!

Should I take your confirmation of Goodwin's "Adventure!" with a grain of salt?

So Dan... Don... Dan you Don... if b.s. baffles brains... then consider me baffled.

B.

No, no, no.....rest assured, I may be rude, obnoxious and full of bull, but on matters as important as Ron Goodwin's back-catalogue, the discussion of 'lounge' music and my 'recommended listening' thread in the 'classical' section I strive for accuracy at all times.

Indeed, Goodwin's 'Adventure' lp has been released on CD (no doubt you can verify this at a web-based record-store such as HMV), and my list of Gerhardt-related albums was actually far from complete.

And there's so much more to say. I've yet to discuss the incredible arrangements of Helmut Zacharias, the OTT big band arrangements of Billy May, the exotica of Martin Denny and Les Baxter. Please refer to my recommended listening thread for some brief reviews of some of their work. I also discuss Roberto Delgado, Esquivel, Roy Budd, Tony Hatch, Al Caiola, Don Costa, Hugo Montenegro.....all cheese merchants of the highest order.

Don

Hopefully I'll be given the opportunity to expand more on this subject. Please refer to my 'recommended listening' thread in the 'classical' section for more details of a whole range of wonderful albums that are waiting to be discovered. No doubt you will be familiar with many of them already, but you never know, you might just find something that takes your fancy....