I'm been trying to figure out why I originally chose this cover a few years back...
I was doing image searches with key words related to song titles, plus dates like 1961, 1959, etc. It's from a French film poster for Hitchcock's The Ghost, but in this volume there's only a few otherworldly titles like "Panic," "Possessed," "Ghost Train," and the fabulous "Take Me to Your Leader" (thanks to Howie Pyro). So I don't really know how I tried to wedge it into some theme.
At any rate, be sure to give a special listen to the above ones and also "Arabian Blues" and "Sebastian" which are sublime exotic ditties sure to twist your...
This volume finds us with some tracks I added at the time in 2014, but in listening through in order to trim the fat before posting, some tracks weren't up to snuff for King Bloodstone. Many R&B rompers are good--probably would've sounded better live, especially to see and hear the screamin' horn player walk the bar. However, I often find they aren't unusual, transcendent, exotic or tinged with enough dark, post-war blues to merit keeping. Just your standard R&B instro.
That said, I decided to keep some in, like Jay McNeely's "3-D," a Cozy Cole tune, and Ike Turner's "The Rooster." The borderline racist "Chinese Twist," by the Popcorns almost got tossed into the compost bin as well, but I kept it for, um, historical purposes.
There are many greats tracks here, folks, so don't despair. "Summertime," gets its dark and stormy (literally) treatment by the Rocketeers. "Boomerang" by the Spinners is a fun alternative to "The Lion," by Duke Mitchell's spoken word safari about gettin' burned by a lying feline--first heard by yours truly on the Wowsville! comp.
Speaking of compilations, I can't seem to find which instro comp had The Castaways' "Vibarations." I thought it was Swing for a Crime, but I know I heard it early on in my forays into Instroville.
"Jungle Rhythm" has the one and only rebel with out a bongo cashing in on the exotica craze of the '50s. The quality is pretty poor, but let's say it's another one for the history books...
A nod to Office Naps for some of the moody, ethereal vocal tunes on this one!
