Two Exotica Classics That Deserve A Better Release
Mark Riddle | Southern California | 06/18/2010
(2 out of 5 stars)
"Ok, so I'm torn about this release. On the one hand, these are rare and important Exotica releases. On the other hand, I am disappointed in the quality of the source material. I have both of these (Tak Shindo's "Mganga" & Ethel Azama's "Exotic Dreams") on LP. When I saw these listed as being released on a single CD together, I jumped. These are both classic examples of vintage Exotica from America's Tiki past. Both these albums are well knows to the mai tai sippin' set that lurk in dark tiki environments. They are requisites for anyone who is serious about collecting Exotica (tiki music).
The problem with this CD is that the source material is from LP's. Don't get me wrong; the fidelity of this CD is quite good. The LPs used are very clean and the sound is very crisp. However, the Ethel Azama portion is presented complete with surface noise, pops and clicks and all. The Tak Shindo portion is a bigger disappointment--it is mono! The frustrating thing is that "Mganga" was available in stereo LP (I ought to know, I own a copy). I understand that some releases from the 1950's and 60's (especially ones on small labels), the source tapes may have been lost, destroyed or deteriorated beyond recovery. I could understand this with "Mganga", but Azama's release was on Liberty Records and produced by Martin Denny. Obviously the source tapes are in a vault somewhere. If this record label wasn't able to obtain the master tapes, the liner notes should say that--they don't.
Having said all that, both of these LP's tend to fetch rather hefty prices on the collector markets and Ebay--especially for the stereo copies. So, the other edge of the double edged sword is that now, anyone can own these 2 LP's for substantially less than the cost of obtaining just one of these LP's--and the fidelity is quite good. The highs sparkle and the bass is deep. Being an audiophile, my two beefs are the facts that the sources are LP's and that Tak Shindo's album "Mganga" is presented in mono, when the stereo release really shines. So my recommendation: go ahead and buy this CD becuase if you want these recordings, you'll have to shell out a good deal and here you can have them for pennies on the collector dollar and in very listenable condition. And you won't have to bother with digitizing them yourself at home."
Track Listings (24) - Disc #1