Xavier Cugat - Cugi's Cocktails (1963)

Time to invite some friends over for cocktails and put on your dancing shoes! I have yet to find an album by Xavier Cugat that I didn't like. And I just love this one! The songs all have cocktail names and I guess my favorite (tonight, anyway) is "Zombie" (because tonight is the season premiere of the zombie TV show, "The Walking Dead"). The album cover is cool, too - definitely worth framing! So, mix yourself a few cocktails and dance a little!

Track listing for Xavier Cugat - Cugi's Cocktails:

Side 1:
1. Cuba Libre (Guaracha)
2. One Mint Julep (Cha-Cha Twist)
3. Old-Fashioned (Beguine)
4. Daiquiri (Bossa Nova)
5. Cocktails for Two (Cha-Cha)
6. Rum and Coca-Cola (Mambo)

Side 2:
1. Cugi's Cocktail (Hully Gully Cha-Cha)
2. Grasshopper (Rhumba)
3. Blue Champagne (Bossa Nova)
4. Zombie (Bolero)
5. Manhattan (Cha-Cha)
6. Singapore Sling (Rhumba)

Johnny Crawford - A Young Man's Fancy (1962)

I remember watching Johnny Crawford on "The Rifleman" when I was a little girl. It was one of the TV shows that my father and I would watch together. I had a big crush on Chuck Connors, and really didn't pay much attention to Johnny. Other than this show, I never saw Johnny in anything else, and I don't remember ever hearing his big hit, "Cindy's Birthday", on the radio. I never even knew that he was a Mouseketeer until sometime in the 1990s, when I went to a vintage toy show and he was there signing autographs. Of course, I stopped by and got an autographed pic and talked to him a little bit (by then, I was into collecting the vintage LPs, and trying to find those in the "celebrity vocals" category). That's when I found out that he was now the leader of a big band orchestra. Now, I just love Johnny and love watching him on reruns of "The Rifleman", which are being aired on AMC and the Encore Westerns channels. The title of this album was also the title of one of the episodes of "The Rifleman", and features "Cindy's Birthday", which I hear pretty regularly now on a local "music legends" radio station. I cleaned it up as much as I could, but there are still clicks and pops, and some skips. (If anyone has a better rip, please do share!) Enjoy!


Track listing for Johnny Crawford - A Young Man's Fancy:

Side 1:
1. Cindy's Birthday
2. Sittin' and A Watchin'
3. Debbie
4. Something Special
5. I'm Walkin'
6. Your Nose is Gonna Grow

Side 2:
1. Mr. Blue
2. In the Wee Small Hours
3. Moon River
4. Little White Cloud
5. Young at Heart

Ray Conniff - Broadway in Rhythm (1958)

Hello there! Sorry I haven't been keeping up on here - just had a lot going on. (But I do hope that in the meantime, y'all have been checking out my podcast The Spin-O-Rama Hour!) Well, I am going to try to do better and post more often on here, as I still have a lot of great vintage records that I would love to share!

To get back in the swing of things, I have this Ray Conniff gem from 1958. Ray, his orchestra and chorus, play selections from Broadway hits "Oklahoma!", "The King and I", "My Fair Lady", and "South Pacific". As always, it does not disappoint! Enjoy!


Track listing from Ray Conniff - Broadway in Rhythm:

Side 1:
1. Oklahoma!
2. People Will Say We're in Love
3. The Surrey With the Fringe on Top
4. Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'
5. Hello, Young Lovers
6. Getting to Know You; I Whistle a Happy Tune

Side 2:
1. On the Street Where You Live
2. I Could Have Danced All Night; I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face
3. A Wonderful Guy
4. Bali Ha'i
5. Younger Than Springtime
6. Some Enchanted Evening