Not Your Romeo And Juliet

With the exception of the title cut on the first album, Those Were The Days (which is given a rather stodgy treatment), this CD is vintage Percy Faith. The second LP, Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet, came out in 1969, when Faith's new sound of orchestra with female chorus had just hit its stride. The trademark harpsichord is there, too. I had this album on LP when I was eight years old, and am pleased to discover that it is absolutely delightful all these years later. The two tunes from Hair are highlights of the album, brimming with energy and delicacy at the same time. Faith also commemorates the tenth anniversary of his big instrumental hit, Theme from A Summer Place, by writing a new version with female chorus. It doesn't displace memories of the original, but it is a welcome piece on this album. If you like your '60's music in a form that is evergreen, this Percy Faith CD is for you.
-Amazon-

Through his soft, lush instrumentals of the 1950s and '60s, he essentially created what became known as easy listening.
Percy Faith was one of the most popular easy listening recording artists of the '50s and '60s. Not only did he have a number of hit albums and singles under his own name, but Faith was responsible for arranging hits by Tony Bennett, Doris Day, Johnny Mathis, and Burl Ives, among others, as the musical director for Columbia Records in the '50s.

In the beginning they were called the Fenways. Hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, they were a major draw on the regional circuit. Spunky singles such as “Be Careful Little Girl” and “The Walk” translated into huge local hits. The Fenways also played on “You’re The One” by the Vogues, which peaked at the No. 4 spot on the nationwide charts late in 1965. But as was the story with a host of bands, they were floored by the newfangled nuances of psychedelic music, and wasted not a second altering their outlook and approach. Garbed in Nehru jackets and love beads, the Fenways switched their name to the Racket Squad in 1967, and signed a contract with the Jubilee label. During their tenure, they recorded two full-length albums for the roster, which have been scrabbled together in 1999 by Collectables Records as a solitary disc. Bonus tracks are a plus, as well as informative history of the group…