Customer Reviews

Sea of Dreams / Love Tide

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This double album finds Nelson Riddle in a mellow mood, aided by one of the lushest string sections he ever used on record. "Sea of Dreams" is a tranquil ballad album that actually jettisons the winds completely and simply lets those lush strings have their say (with only the occasional celesta obbligato to aid the arrangements along). As a result, songs like even the normally bouncy "Let's Fall in Love" slow down to a state of quiet reverie. "Love Tide" has a slightly jazzier feel to it, with more of Riddle's trademark gentle swing infusing the music. (The use of a small rhythem section behind the strings helps here.) Riddle dabbles around in instrumental exotica ("Bali Ha'i" and "Santana," among others) as well as jazz staples like "Caravan" and "Solitude." Both albums are among the most sheerly gorgeous of all Riddle's orchestral arrangements, and deserve to be played over and over again

tone poem in the same spirit as Martin Denny's _Enchanted Sea_ and Les Baxter's _Jewels of the Sea_, but even more relaxing than those great records. This will transport you to a late afternoon at a quiet beach somewhere.. circa 1956... Look at the album cover; in this case it's an accurate representation of the music inside. Slip inside...

The great arrangers of the 1950s suffered the same injustice that befalls composers of music for motion pictures: If people start paying attention to them instead of the star or movie they are hired to support, then they've failed. Nobody ever sang America's songbook like Sinatra or Clooney, Ella or Nat. And yet, if they hadn't been backed by such talents as Nelson Riddle, Billy May, or Robert Farnon, even the stars would have sounded as though they were crooning in the kitchen.

Riddle was among the greatest of the great arrangers, and it's a joy to experience his group of superlative session musicians in the spotlight. This disc offers a pair of some of Riddle's loveliest and most atmospheric covers on LP. Debussy and Ravel would have understood, and enjoyed.

SEA OF DREAMS is luxurient string orchestra with celeste, harp, guitar and (a touch of) percussion - an hour of easy listening with a hint of the exotic. Riddle's players are right on and the strings are warm and silky smooth. Great stereo effects, too, with the celeste and harp. I'd describe three cuts ("My Isle of Golden Dreams", "Tangi Tahiti" and "Let's Fall in Love") as peripheral exotica of a nature akin to Les Baxter's 1956 LP, CARIBBEAN MOONLIGHT, and the rest as elegant easy listening. Riddle kept it comfortable, so ultimately it's music to relax by. Still, the arrangements are exquisite, as one would expect, and the performances and recording are beautiful.

LOVE TIDE is more adventurous - with drums, guitar, harp, celeste and occasional vibes and marimba. I'd call six or seven of its twelve tracks exotica. Standouts are "Bali Ha'i", "Ill Wind", "Sweet Leilani", a jazzy "Caravan", and "Love Tides" which could be frankly described as rhythm section, harp and celeste accompanied by strings.

These two albums were actually meant to be heard one after the other, so thank you, EMI, for combining them. The insert offers very attractive front and back photos of the British EMI album covers, but no further info.