The Sound Gallery, Vol. 1 - Funky Hits from The 70's!

The mainstream always lags way behind the cutting edge, so it wasn't until the end of the '60s that easy listening began reflecting such pop innovations as psychedelia and funk. The Sound Gallery is a collection of 24 tracks cut between 1968 and 1976 for British mood music LPs. The CD was released in 1996, on Caroline Records, Inc.

This is easy listening at its peppiest, with considerably more bite (if that's the right word) than its American lounge/cocktail cousin. Go-go horn charts, wah-wah guitars, and vaguely rock-ish drums make these sound like nothing so much as soundtrack pieces to late-'60s and early-'70s movies that were trying desperately to be mod and trendy.

Occasionally something packs some real oomph -- Neil Richardson's "The Riviera Affair," for instance, is brisk and uplifting '60s soundtrack music at its finest, and other tracks have touches akin to the more mainstream work of great film composers like Ennio Morricone. But it's really stretching credibility to try and pretend that this stuff is any less lightweight in the '90s, when the whole easy listening genre is undergoing rehabilitation at the hands of collectors desperate to find something new to excavate.

Track Listing:
1. Oh, Calcutta! - Dave Pell (2:18)
2. Black Rite - Mandingo (4:09)
3. Punch Bowl - Alan Parker (1:39)
4. The Night Rider - Alan Hawkshaw (2:01)
5. The Riveiera Affair - Neil Richardson (1:31)
6. Jet Stream - John Gregory (2:49)
7. Half Forgotten Daydreams - John Cameron (4:06)
8. Jaguar - John Gregory (3:41)
9. Life of Leisure - Keith Mansfield (2:01)
10. Girl in a Sportscar - Alan Hawkshaw (1:39)
11. Young Scene - Keith Mansfield (1:21)
12. It's All About the Co-Op Now - Alan Hawkshaw (1:13)
13. Funky Fever - Alan Morehouse (2:46)
14. Shout About Pepsi - Denny Wright (2:24)
15. The Headhunter - Mandingo (3:05)
16. Blarney's Stones - Alan Hawkshaw (1:51)
17. The Earthmen - Paddy Kingsland (3:17)
18. I Feel the Earth Move - Johnny Keating (3:40)
19. The Penthouse Suite - Syd Dale (1:54)
20. The Snake Pit - Mandingo (3:11)
21. Boogie Juice - Brian Bennett (1:35)
22. The Detectives - Alan Tew (2:48)
23. Jesus Christ Superstar - Johnny Keating (1:32)
24. Music to Drive By - Joe Loss Concertium (3:54)

Ripped From CD @320 to MP3.

WARNING!! - This CD KICKS ASS!! Please Seed this Bad Boy and Enjoy!

The Sound Gallery, Volume One