Search - Graham Dalby :: Let's Dance Vol. 1

Good strict tempo dance music

J. Wakefield | SLC, Utah | 10/24/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Graham Dalby and the Grahamophones deliver all instrumental, strict-tempo dance music that compares favorably with recordings by the Columbia Ballroom Orchestra and the Swiss Ballroom Orchestra. These recordings were made in August, 1994, and the selection of music was supervised by Sarah Seagers. She is both a dance teacher and a member of the London Ballroom Society.



The strict tempos are helpful for newer dancers because the beat does not change except for a slight slowing at the end of the track. The waltzes tend to be a little faster than today's competition standards. The foxtrots are listed with two speeds: foxtrot and slow foxtrot. The slow foxtrots are closer to current Dancesport expectations. All of this is fun to dance to.



If you are just beginning to collect strict-tempo ballroom music, click on "See all my reviews" for more than 100 album reviews. Remeber to always search by the band's name, because many albums are issued more than once and vary dramatically in price. Here is a strategy for new comers: Buy Graham Dalby's "Let's Dance, 1-4, the Swiss Ballroom Box set and their Let's Dance 5, and all of the Columbia Ballroom Orchestra's albums. Your yield is 256 tracks, with less than ten percent as duplicates. If you buy Dalby's "Let's Dance, Volumes 1-4," you will want to skip the individual (all waltz, or all tango) dance albums. They seem to be largely drawn from these first four volumes, and so they will not yield much new.



Here are the titles, durations, and suggested dance for each track:

Am I blue 2:59, Slow Foxtrot

Isle of Capri 2:58, Tango

True love 2:57, Waltz

Top hat, white tie, and tails 2:45, Foxtrot

Brazil 2:56, Samba

I've got you under my skin 4:19, Rumba

Cumparsita, La 2:05, Tango

Cheek to cheek 4:07, Slow Foxtrot

Anything goes 2:11, Quickstep

Great waltz, The 3:25, Waltz

Golden earrings 4:15, Tango

Continental, The 3:49, Chacha

Salamanca 3:17, Pasodoble

What'll I do 4:11, Waltz

American patrol 3:28, Foxtrot

In the still of the night 2:43, Tango"