Customer Reviews

Plays Lost TV Themes

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I picked up a used copy of this album recently and have been playing it to death ever since. I was intrigued first by the cover, which is a (slightly) reworked version of an old Disneyland poster for the long-gone Flying Saucer ride. Not knowing anything about the group (except that their albums were filed under "Lounge Music"), I figured anyone who likes old Disneyland rides can't be too bad, and I caught on pretty quick to their joke of themes for non-existing TV shows (remember "Bossa Nova Squad"?), similar in concept to an album by Arling & Cameron (another intriguing group, with moments of lounge). Basically, these are quick and fun surf guitar and electro-organ riffs that would fit perfectly into an episode of Johnny Quest or some long forgotten 50s crime show. My favorite "theme" is definitely "Korla Rides Again," and for those of you in the know that should give a pretty good idea of the sense of fun the group employs. Only drawback: the whole CD is only about 33 minutes, so it goes by a might bit quick. This would be great background music for a retro-cocktail party or for just cruising around town on your Vespa.

Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited, a Swiss duo consisting of Ernest Maeschi and Karen Diblitz, create enticing instrumentals with an ultra-modern twist that draw from a variety of genres, including spy movie theme music, surf, lounge, and exotica. When this album first came out, they claimed that the music here was actually written by their fathers, for Swiss television programs in the 1960s. That doesn't happen to be true, but it's an amusing "cover story", nonetheless. The music does resemble old television show music, although "hipper" than most TV themes. This album is a lot of fun, and should appeal to people who like swinging "lounge" type instrumentals.

Anyone who digs twangy guitar, space age spy music and slinky soundtracks will like this one. Every time I put it on someone asks who it is. Not a bad track. All instrumentals--great driving music.

If you're a fan of Stereophonic Space Sound Unlimited, then this album is a must-have for your collection. If you haven't heard them before, it's a good place to start (but not the best; that would be their excellent 'The Fluid Soundbox'). Combining cool 60s/70s synthesizer and instrumental sounds with their trademark sly humor, SSSU creates a vivid, slightly cartoonish fictional world that it'd be fun to live in. This album does that particularly well, too - since the "Lost TV Themes" are actually completely new music, from completely imaginary (and totally great) TV shows, like 'Korla Rides Again.'