Statler Dance Orchestra Let's Dance to Hits of The Fifties (remastered From The Original Somerset Tapes)

This compilation gives us a world tour of stringed, percussive instrumental music – guitar, zither, banjo, and all the rest! The collection comes courtesy of Countdown Media's restoration of the master tapes from renowned legacy label, Ashire/Somerset.

HE ORIGINAL LP OS 3550 (1970) STEREO/SQ 30993 QUADRAPHONIC. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book by George Furth. Musical direction and orchestra conducted by Harold Hastings. Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick. Dance music arrangements by Wally Harper, except* David Shire. Remastered from the original analogue tapes by Michael J. Dutton. This hybrid CD can be played on any standard CD players.

This compilation of the great swing-band hits of the 30s and 40s, performed courtesy of the New World Theatre Orchestra. The collection comes courtesy of Countdown Media's restoration of the master tapes from renowned legacy label, Ashire/Somerset.

101 Strings, not unlike Dalmatians, is a wondrous sight to behold. Apart from being a monumental mass of “the finest musicians in Europe today” (circa: 1961), the wistful beauty discharged from these prominent performers is seductively pleasing to both the visual, as well as the hearing senses. Coupled with (The Wondrous World of) Stereo Fidelity, a US based subsidiary of Somerset Records, these 10 Italian hits that make up, well, Italian Hits, emerge from the stereo with a protuberant level of piercing and erotic joy, that is seemingly unheard of today, let alone in 1961.

101 Strings Orchestra An easy-listening icon, the 101 Strings series of orchestral versions of pop standards was launched in the late '50s and would go on to sell over 50 million copies. The series' heyday was in the '60s, but the brand soldiers on, reissuing classic titles and recombining old material into compilations with contemporary themes like Easy Listening: Relax & Spa. Younger listeners may find the smooth, blissed-out arrangements unbelievably kitschy, which isn't far off target: even in its prime, the series also released records by exotica pioneer Les Baxter.

The 101 Strings Orchestra established a reputation as one of the finest ensembles in the easy listening genre. Yet the group actually never existed as a performing orchestra: it was a recording-only ensemble made up of musicians whose personnel often changed from one recording to the next. Moreover, many early albums released under the name 101 Strings were actually reissues of recordings made by such groups as the Rio Carnival Orchestra, New World Orchestra, and others. Under its now-familiar name, more than 100 recordings were issued by two labels – both of which owned the name, hired the players in the ensemble, and, most importantly, provided for the music arrangements that have been crucial to maintaining the orchestra's familiar sound – a dreamy, silken sound not dissimilar to that of Mantovani.

The legendary 101 Strings Orchestra present a set of wedding themes on A Bridal Bouquet from 101 Strings. The collection comes courtesy of Countdown Media's restoration of the master tapes from renowned legacy label, Ashire/Somerset.
101 Strings Orchestra was a brand for a highly successful easy listening symphonic music organization, with a discography exceeding 150 albums and a creative lifetime of around 30 years beginning in 1957. 101 Strings had a trademark sound, focusing on melody with a laid-back ambiance most often featuring strings. Their LPs were individualized by the slogan "The Sound of Magnificence." The 101 Strings orchestra included 124 string instruments, and was conducted by Wilhelm Stephan.

The legendary 101 Strings Orchestra present a set of West Coast-inspired standards with I Left My Heart in San Francisco. The collection comes courtesy of Countdown Media's restoration of the master tapes from renowned legacy label, Ashire/Somerset.
101 Strings Orchestra was a brand for a highly successful easy listening symphonic music organization, with a discography exceeding 150 albums and a creative lifetime of around 30 years beginning in 1957. 101 Strings had a trademark sound, focusing on melody with a laid-back ambiance most often featuring strings. Their LPs were individualized by the slogan "The Sound of Magnificence." The 101 Strings orchestra included 124 string instruments, and was conducted by Wilhelm Stephan.

101 Strings Orchestra was a brand for a highly successful easy listening symphonic music organization, with a discography exceeding 150 albums and a creative lifetime of around 30 years beginning in 1957. 101 Strings had a trademark sound, focusing on melody with a laid-back ambiance most often featuring strings. Their LPs were individualized by the slogan "The Sound of Magnificence", a puffy cloud logo and sepia-toned photo of the orchestra. The 101 Strings orchestra included 124 string instruments, and was conducted by Wilhelm Stephan. The orchestra's famous official photograph was taken in the Musikhalle Hamburg.