Search - Enoch Light :: Persuasive Percussion

One of the best instrumental albums of all time?

Henry R. Kujawa | "The Forbidden Zone" (Camden, NJ) | 02/07/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'd heard about this album, as if in legend, for years. So when I finally heard it... WOW! It's even BETTER than I expected! Enoch Light, in his time, was a band leader, label owner and engineering pioneer-- often all at once. And this album is a prime example of what he was up to. Incredibly, PERSUASIVE PERCUSSION hit #1 on the charts for 13 weeks-- staying in the Top 40 for 105 weeks-- almost all from "retail exposure" and very little AM radio airplay! My faves include "I'm In The Mood For Love", "Aloha Oe", "Blue Is The Night", "Blue Tango", "Brazil" and especially, "Miserlou" (for fun, I like to play this version back-to-back with Dick Dale's!). Only the tiniest fraction of Light's output is currently available on CD (while old LPs are high-priced items on the market). Someone should definitely correct this situation!"

The pinnacle of lounge music

Henry R. Kujawa | 11/20/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Picture your typical lounge of the early '60s. Full-stocked bar, those weird-shaped chairs, a kidney-shaped coffee table, some abstract paintings on the wall maybe, a stack of Look magazines in the corner, maybe a pool table...and a hi-fi stereo system with this album playing on it. This, martinis and lounge lizards are unseparable. If you're into lounge, snap this one up right away. It's also quite an amazing technical achievement. Light experimented with the latest stereo techniques, sound sampling, and strange instruments light-years before anybody else. He truly is THE unrecognized king of Lounge. And this album is his finest hour. (it was at one time among the 25 best-selling albums of all time.)"

Sound of the Sixties

Long Distance Voyager | Hong Kong, China | 08/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In the 60's, Command Records had put out a lot of high quality instrumental music albums, the "Persuasive Percussion" series is one of them. I grew up with this kind of music, the original LP was the signature Hi-Fi Album of that era. Terry Snyder and the All Stars' (Command All Stars) performance is second to none and the producer Enoch Light had created a unique sound for this series. If you want music to reminisce the old days, this is the one to have. This CD incorporated the whole LP of Vol.1 and 3/4 of Vol.2 of the "Persuasive Percussion" as a single CD which make this a great bargain. Enoch Light who originated and produced this album also has another album which is equally great, titled "Far Away Places starring Enoch Light and His Orchestra", I hope that it will be available in the coming years. (Still haven't seen the release of the CD "Far Away Places" on 12 Apr 2007 when this review is updated)"