Customer Reviews

TV Town: Ultra Lounge 13

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

 

 

This is a very enjoyable member of the ULTRA-LOUNGE series. There are quite a few surprises on this one--"One Step Beyond" and "The Human Jungle", which I had never heard before, were instantly appealing. This CD is worthwhile even if you have some of the tracks available elsewhere (e.g., videotaping old TV shows). P.S.: The bonus track is one Powerhouse of a tune!

The Ultra-Lounge series is of course limited to album tracks and singles on the Capitol label, and cobbling together so many different styles of lounge music is bound to create both excitement and dissension, but "TV Town" plays very smoothly, with hardly any ringers, and features some rare, collectible sides besides! Peggy Lee's "Bewitched" is quite a find(for the record, "I Dream of Jeannie"'s theme had lyrics too, but it wasn't on Capitol). Nelson Riddle's "Naked City" is a corker, as are Dave Pell's "Thanks for the Memory" and Jack Marshall's "The Munsters"(a jazzier, yet more toned down version than the theme you hear on TV). Liberty Orch.'s "Burke's Law Suite" is too long but has its moments, and John Barry's "Human Jungle" is very intriguing. A nice addition to the series, with another booklet full of great colorful photos.

I really thought this CD would be better. Sure, some of the tracks are truly great (Naked City theme) but they only even out with the clinkers (Munsters, Batman, U.N.C.L.E.). Just try listening to the sample of "Munsters" and your dog will run out of the room. Get this one after you've got most of the others from the UL collection. (or if it's free).

This CD features recordings of television themes, dating from 1953 to 1970. It was released under the "Ultra-Lounge" banner, although a few or the performers aren't really "lounge" (The Ventures, for example). But it is still a fun CD with a lot of nostalgia value for fans of old TV shows. It should be pointed out that these are not the versions of the themes heard on the TV shows, but rather cover versions made for records. All of the themes are instrumentals, with the exception of Peggy Lee's rarely heard vocal version of the Bewitched theme song (which is a real treat). Fans of old TV shows should enjoy this CD.

What a fun album, full of great tunes from a much better time in the TV world and music world. I play my copy often. The lounge format is adhered to loosely by a couple of the selections. However, there is a cool "lounge" version of the My Three Sons theme. I'm hooked on the Spies theme. My kids like the Batman and Munsters themes a lot.

All too often, no-name artists or musicians try and re-do TV themes that we all know by heart - and they sound weak and cheap especially when they're missing the audio track that goes with it (such as the ODD COUPLE THEME) but NOT here. These are all first class musician and singers who put their own spin on each of these ... for instance, the Odd Couple theme becomes a fun little mambo - every theme gets its own arrangement and intrepretation - now, it's not all 100% successful but it's still intriguing to hear the results. So, if you're putting together a fun lounge compilation for a party or a CD, your friends will love it if you drop in some oh-so-familiar tracks with a slightly twisted spin. Nicely done.

The sound quality of the Ultra-Lounge series is excellent, even though the songs were recorded mostly in the 50's and 60's. Capitol Records packs each CD with carefully chosen tracks consistent with the theme of the particular volume in the series. Many of the selections that appear here aren't available elsewhere, either because the original album on which the song appeared is out of print, or because the song was issued as a single and never collected in an album. A few 'previously unreleased' tracks also appear here. This series is a wonderful introduction to the music of a by-gone era, and each album includes detailed notes on each track (artist, writers, date recorded, how released, etc.). I heartily recommend it to anyone who has an interest in this type of music.

to produce a broad grin on the hearer while listening to these tracks, then this album is a great success.

It's a great nostalgia CD because it contains original versions of great old TV themes from the 1960s and 1970s. I've never heard such a great version of the Dick Van Dyke Show theme (Earle Hagen composer, Nelson Riddle performer) The U.N.C.L.E. and Odd Couple themes get lively playing, too.

Highly recommended. Hope there are more CDs like this one out there.

Town / Ultra Lounge / Prime-time tunes from the tube: Lounge music seems to be something people either love or hate (I love it). This CD feels a little odd as TV themes seem to be a bit of a stretch for the Lounge style, and the result is more `fun' than it is `cool'. Nevertheless, this one really grows on you fast and is another wonderful addition to the Ultra-Lounge series. Note of interest: The Batman theme found here is done by David McCallum's orchestra (the actor from the Man From U.N.C.L.E. series who now plays "Ducky" on the NCIS series) but he does not do the Man From U.N.C.L.E. theme on this disk (No doubt he had had his Fill of hearing that theme).

Love this kind of music - can't get enough - have most all of the CDs. Excellent New Jersey-based company with excellent foresight and retro-understanding for the best party and jazz combos. Excellent choice for any kind of day or evening, party or relaxation time.