Customer Reviews

Quiet Village/Enchanted Sea

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Martin Denny wasn't the architect of exotica, but he was its chief innovator & master, and his first six records are absolutely essential. "Quiet Village" and "The Enchanted Sea," his fifth and sixth albums respectively, make up this disc. It's slightly more brash than other Martin Denny albums, but it still has plenty of its quiet moments. The trademark Denny sounds are present throughout; the exotic birdcalls, the varying light percussive instruments, and the dueling vibraphone and piano. Miles Davis, Sade, and Frank Sinatra all make music that is equally relaxing to the mind, but nothing relaxes me more AND takes me on a mental vacation to the South Pacific like Martin Denny.

Fortunately for all us fans, most of the great lounge composers have many works that have been wisely combined into 2-for-1 albums when the record lengths allow so. This includes most of Martin Denny's output from the late 1950s. Any one of Denny's albums would be an ingredient for a mini-vacation to Hawaii in your own backyard. Just find a warm breeze, get comfortable, grab the Polynesian cocktail of your choice, and put on a Martin Denny album. If this music is any indication, Hawaii must be expensive to travel to cause this makes it sound like heaven!

Have always loved Martin, so swank, so hip, so timeless. Transport yourself to locations tropical where all you should worry about is if the cabana boy can see that your drink needs a refill.

Denny has always been the master of tropical lounge. Not as silly and quirky as Arthur Lyman Group.

A must, to bring out the jet set in you!

I completely wore out the LP I had of this incredible album and was just so thankful when I found out a CD had been made! It's retro, fun and just a great listen. Bird calls, exotic instruments, lots of percussion and a lounge feel to it makes this music one of a kind. I highly recommend this to fans of lounge and retro music and to anyone who wants a serious change from the norm.

My parents and older brother listened to Martin Denny a lot in the late 50's, early 60's. The music has never left me and still sounds great 40 years later. Great stuff and a joy to listen to after all these years.

I was a young teen when I first heard Martin Denny's Quiet Village. It was great then and even greater now. From the viewpoint of an adult, I can now appreciate his talent even more. Enchanted Sea, what can I say other than I have been to the place Martin plays about in this one and the place IS enchanted and so is his music. The haunting melodies of the islands are played best by Martin Denny! Listen and you will be swept away and be left wanting more!

We all love this album, a refreshing change from our usual choices. The arrangements are imaginative and some of them make you smile (especially the exotic bird noises!) Of course I'm old enough to remember when the Quiet Village song was a hit but my kids all like it too. In fact I've been asked to order it for them. If you're in the mood for an alternative, this is an excellent choice.

Great easy listening music with the sound of birds and the tropics--puts you in the relax mode.

My father bought Quiet Village Lp while he was in the USAF. This is one of my favorite records I remember us listening to while growing up. The music relaxes the mind and body. It's like a quick vacation to paradise. This is a must have for lovers of the south pacific. Some of my favorites include Stranger in paradise, Paradise found, and Tune from Rangoon.

Perhaps what he's best known for, Quiet Village is an alltime classic marking the exotic islands fad of the fifties. At this time "Islands" tropical food restaurants sprang up with rocks, bamboo, streams and tropical prints with bird calls and Martin Denny music. Denny and Lyman surely made their mark of the enchanted islands. This was post-war America when people needed that lift--relaxation into peace was MD's tropical island gift.

Martin Denny created this music in the 1950's. He is a genius. Experimental people, buy this album.