The San Sebastian Strings

Artist: The San Sebastian Strings

LP: La Mer/The Sea

Song: "Le Vent, La Mer, L'ete (Beyond the Bend Ahead)"

[ listen ]

"The most successful, beautiful mood album of our age, now in French" seems like a good way to bid adieu to October of 2013. It's been a beauty. This collaboration between Anita Kerr (music), Rod McKuen (words), Marc Ogeret (voice), Rumi (translation) and The San Sebastian Strings (strings) makes for perfect after-work bubble bath music. It's another wonderful thing I found at Goodwill last weekend. 

Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five

Artist: Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five

LP: 7" single

Song: "Uminari"
aka. "The Sound of the Waves"

[ listen ]

In this pretty ballad by Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five you can hear the voices of the cool five imitating the sound of ocean waves as they advance, crash upon the shore, and then recede. According to my Japanese friend, "uminari" is the word for the sound the waves make, but we couldn't come up with an English-language word that means the same thing. This song made it to #45 on the Japanese singles charts when it was released back in 1974.

Keith Marshall

Artist: Keith Marshall

LP: 7" single

Song: "Only Crying"

[ listen ]

Though the ocean, pictured here, plays a large role in this sad little love song by Keith Marshall, the singer wouldn't allow himself to be photographed on its sandy, windswept shores. In fact, he insisted that photos for the sleeve of his 1981 "Only Crying" single be taken only within the controlled environment of the studio, where his carefully arranged hairstyle wouldn't be compromised by the elements. You can read about Keith Marshall (formerly of Hello) here, and find the "Only Crying" lyrics here.

 [ Keith Marshall, with guitar and hair. ]

Boney M.

Artist: Boney M.

LP: Oceans of Fantasy

Song: "Calendar Song"

[ listen ]

Happy New Year! I took a little road trip up to Bellingham for the occasion—a small, fairly quiet coastal college town near the Canadian border. I stayed at the charmingly dumpy Aloha Motel (they advertise free wireless internet, but it only reaches rooms 1—12 and I was in room 15) and I had my last 2010 dinner and my first 2011 breakfast at downtown Bellingham's neat old 24-hour diner, The Horseshoe Cafe. Of course I also found some records on my trip, including this 1979 LP by Boney M. If you still haven't got your 2011 wall calendar up, this song can help you keep track of what will be happening over the next 362 days.

 

[ Aloha Motel — Bellingham, WA ]

 

 [ Horseshoe Cafe & Ranch Room ]

 

 

 [ My first breakfast of 2011. ]