Two CD set. Four albums plus bonus tracks from the master of exotica Martin Denny. Mono reproductions of the key albums that launched the space age bachelor pad music trend in the late 1950s. Complete with bird calls, deranged percussion, super cool vibes and Denny's distinctive piano. Including a host of hit records that launched a thousand copyists and ensured that the tiki trend, easy listening and the call of the islands would blossom. Featuring the super expensive (if you seek them out on vinyl) original mono mixes. It was 1957, down in Hawaii; some jazz guys had come in to take up the slack at the bar, playing subtle cool sounds while people drank and talked. It was the Hawaiian Village Hotel in Wakiki. The room was filled with palm trees and bamboo curtains, it was a sanctuary in the madness of the place, a stopping off point for the weary traveller, a refuge from reality. The band did long stints, fuelled by the free bar; the exotic setting slowly infused itself into their music, got under their skin. What started as a few bird calls amid the scraped percussion, shuffling drums, tinkling piano and offset vibes soon became the signature sound of the bar. The "sound effects", created by the players, increased and through chance, misfortune, rum and possibly initially boredom, exotica was born.
1. Quiet Village 2. Return to Paradise 03 Hong Kong Blues 04 Busy Port 3. Lotus Land 4. Similau 5. Stone God 6. Jungle Flower 7. China Nights (????) 8. Ah Me Furi (???) 9. Waipo 10. Love Dance 11. Shoshu Night Serenade 12. Island of Dreams 13. Japanese Farewell Song 14. Singing Bamboos 15. The Queen Chant (Li Liu E) 16. The Hawaiian Wedding Song (Ke Kali Nei Au) 17. Escales 18. When First I Love 19. August Bells 20. Bacoa 21. Ebb Tide 22. Rush Hour in Hong Kong 23. Llama Serenade 24. The Enchanted Sea 25. Jungle River Boat 26. Harbor Lights 27. Manila 28. Mama Iti E Papa E 29. Bamboo Lullaby 30. Ringo Oiwake 31. Moon of Manakoora 32. Limehouse Blues 33. Beautiful Kahana 34. Caravan 35. Congo Train 36. Hello, Young Lovers 37. Stranger in Paradise 38. Hawaiian War Chant 39. Coronation 40. Sake Rock 41. Paradise Found 42. Firecracker 43. Martinique 44. My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii Cha Cha Cha 45. Tune from Rangoon 46. Happy Talk 47. Pagan Love Song 48. Laura 49. Quiet Village