Ultra-Lounge, Vol. 8: Cocktail Capers

Performer: Various Artists
Producer: Brad Benedict (Compilation)
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Recorded between February 23, 1951 and April 13, 1967. Includes liner notes by RJ Smith. Digitally remastered by Bob Norberg at Capitol Recording Studios, Hollywood, California. This is part of Capitol Records' Ultra-Lounge series. If you've been following the Ultra-Lounge series this far, you know what to expect: a mixture of stars (Les Baxter, Nelson Riddle) and no-names from the Capitol vaults, playing space age pop/cocktail music of all hues in the 1950s and 1960s. Yet this has an edge over most of the previous titles in the series: there's more of a sense of swing, groove, even (dare we say) danger on much of this, albeit danger of a very safe sort. Hints of rock'n'roll and spy music even creep in from time to time, with James Bond-type reverb guitar decorating cuts like Al Caiola's "Underwater Chase," and top rock & roll session drummer Earl Palmer getting into the bongo/lounge vibe on "Binga Banga Bongo/Percolator." Another highlight is the highly sought-after theme song to Stanley Kubrick's 1962 film Lolita, performed as a tongue-in-cheek rock & roll satire by Nelson Riddle (with surfish twangy guitar, orchestration, and a chipper chorus of young girls adding wordless "ya-ya" vocals throughout). ~ Richie Unterberger

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