Majestic sounds from Percy Faith

I love this cover--it's tacky in an arty sort of way. And the music contained within is easy listening at its most listenable. Two of the tracks are Vintage Lounge reruns, but they sound better than before, I think. Here, then (I mean, now), is Royale EP 119 in its entirety--four tracks recorded in 1947 for the Majestic label, though they may sound like later, hi-fi-era efforts. That's because, as we frequently note, this kind of music was around way before it was supposed to have been. Someday, this will become the official truth, but not today. Not so long as there is $$ in marketing this music as the progeny of lounges and hi-fi sets. And I have no idea what I just wrote. (I guess I've been wanting to use the word "progeny." To impress people, you know.)

Gotta have at least one big word per essay.

Meanwhile, Vintage Lounge will continue to tell the whole truth, without holes, about easy/lounge/exotica music. We're just gutsy like that.

Oops--I said I was going to present the music "now," and that was two paragraphs ago. So, to the Muzak, er, music. Oh, and please note that the really lousy-sounding portions were in the originals--Royale was either working with damaged masters or slightly hammered copies. They had an ultra-cheap reputation to uphold, you know:

Begin the Beguine (Cole Porter), Percy Faith and His Orchestra, August, 1947. From Royale EP 119.

Dancing in the Dark (H. Dietz, A. Schwartz), Percy Faith and His Orch., June, 1947. Same as above.

That Old Black Magic (J. Mercer, H. Arlen), Percy Faith and His Orch., June, 1947. Same as above.

The Touch of Your Hand (O. Harbach, J. Kern), Percy Faith and His Orchestra, August, 1947. Same as above.

I just got my hands on another Royale EP of Percy Faith. If it plays worth a darn, I'll work some MAGIX on the tracks and post them as a follow-up.

Faith may not rock, but he rules!


Lee