TV Radio Mirror (Jul - Dec 1962)

■■■"■• ■'■: M :' '' tfi,. PIECES OF EIGHT • Jackie Wilson, well again, after accident, is shouting in fine form on his new Brunswick album release. . . . Another compilation of "Greatest Hits" on Capitol's "Starline" series features Kay Kyser and his gang rattling off his big ones, Tennis, anyone? . . . RCA Victor has Sam Cooke twistin' on his new album. ... On the classical .side, Angel Records has a marvelous piano album by the exceptionally talented Russian pianist, Sviatoslav Richter. Teresa Brewer's new Coral album is all slam bang, from the Gay '90s to the Rockin' style. . . . Camden, the $1.98 RCA Victor line, has the "Living Strings" traveling again. The title, "Souvenir D'ltalie." Good for the money. Command Records, possessors of the finest line of stereo recordings, added two more to the list. "Vibrations" with Enoch Light and the band and "Roman Guitar" with Tony Mottola's smaller ensemble. Both excellent sound ventures. Atlantic has added some new jazz packages to their already impressive list. "Herbie Mann," live from the Village Gate, and Charlie Mingus' always vital excursions in another. Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, Howard Keel and William Warfield are just a few of the stars on the new M-G-M album, featuring the best tunes from the movie screen. Steve Lawrence, with the able backing of Don Costa, came up with a heck-of-a-good single, "The Lady Twists," or something resembling that title. Should get a lot of air play. Rumor has it that this year's Newport Jazz Festival will be televised nationally. At least, a good part of it. The Twist albums have been coming in less frequently to your reviewer. (Not that they constitute a potion of pain to said reviewer, but a good ninety percent are second-rate attempts.) Dave Brubeck's FM station, WJZZ in Bridgeport, Conn., is having. some financial difficulties. Any help is graciously accepted. Bobby Darin is coming East for an engagement at N.Y.'s Copacabana. Film work has been keeping him busy. . . . George Maharis of "Route 66" is recording vocally. ALBUM COVERS: PROS AND CONS • It seems that, as we all build record libraries, some thoughts about the value and longevity of the containers of the records should be considered from time to time. Among the classical lines, it is your reviewer's humble opinion that Command Records has the most outstanding packages. All doublejacketed, the covers are actually bound like a book and capable of withstanding a bit of punishment. (As to their beauty, their covers are generally first-rate, if not exceptional in the art department.) Columbia releases, from time to time, a gem of a package. Their "Swan Lake Ballet" package came with a booklet attached, of some twenty or so pages full of the history of Swan Lake performances and photographs of the ballet artists involved. Of course, this is not a regular feature with their line. Angel always encloses a booklet of information where necessary. The edgings on their albums, in the binding sense, are helpful to the life of the packages. The popular albums rarely get the long-lived treatment. It might be worthwhile to write the companies of your favorites and ask that they be packaged for better wear. (I can't promise you they'll do anything, but who knows!) The jazz fans, after years of bad packages, are finally getting the doublejacketed deluxe treatment. (At least from Verve and Impulse.) The option with flimsy covers is tobuy the regular albums for records. (You may recall keeping 78's in them.) You can throw the cover out and house them in these book-like jobs. Of course, it doesn't make for ease when you begin looking for something. (Catalogue-style would help. Keep a listing inside the front page.) At any rate, these album-holders are available in a size that will cover LP records. One thing to remember is to be careful when buying an album that's covered with a cellophane wrapper, to slit the paper just at the opening and thereby leave a protective covering over the rest of the jacket. Some people in haste rip all of it off. This is foolish. A thumbnail will suffice to open it sufficiently enough to slide the record out. Keeping it intact will preserve the cover art work, if you so desire. It pays to treat them well. 19