Alfred Newman - Ports of Paradise
I've heard people refer to this album as overly orchestrated, and that may be true, but its not orchestrated like an ultra-saccharine easy listening record. The way this one is orchestrated reminds me more of a 1950s movie soundtrack which, for all I know, it may very well be. This is another LP that I ripped long ago and I don't have the cover with liner notes available to me just now. Anyhow, the highlights are the opening track "Ports of Paradise," track six "Isa Lei" and track eight "My Little Grass Shack." Those latter two tracks feature the vocals of Mavis Rivers.
"My Little Grass Shack" is a smoking version of the hapa haole classic. Suggestive rhythms and slightly suggestive tweaking of the lyrics with some pretty comical background singing adds up to being one of my favorite Hawaiian haole tracks of all time. When I first heard it I pictured Mavis Rivers to look something like Doris Day so imagine my surprise to find out that Mavis is Samoan!
Mavis Rivers
Here's the album:
Ports of Paradise
"My Little Grass Shack" is a smoking version of the hapa haole classic. Suggestive rhythms and slightly suggestive tweaking of the lyrics with some pretty comical background singing adds up to being one of my favorite Hawaiian haole tracks of all time. When I first heard it I pictured Mavis Rivers to look something like Doris Day so imagine my surprise to find out that Mavis is Samoan!
Mavis Rivers
Here's the album:
Ports of Paradise
posted by Kono at 7:22 PM
8 Comments:
Kono, again a big Thank-you for this great post. It's now the second time I found something completely new and it's again exciting!
I'll have to peek along again soon ...
Max
Heh. I was sitting here listening to my copy of 'Ports of Paradise' while cruising the net, and I decided to google it.
You're right about it not being easy listening: it's more in the tradition of Arthur Lyman or Martin Denny, although it turns out that Alfred Newman *is* a famous filmscore composer (9 Oscars qualifies him, I think).
The album comes with a very nice 12 page insert full of color pictures that might be worth scanning & posting sometime. Oh - almost forgot - the album itself is a souvenir album that Matson Lines put out for their passengers in 1960. I found it at a garage sale....
Thanks for the post.
Fred
Hi, Kono, I was looking to this album for years! I'm a great mavis Rivers fan and this one is especially out of stock everywhere. The problem is that I link to download and it's really impossible. Can you fix the link, please? Or, if this is impossible... can you link it again? Thanks anyway. I really was looking for this and it was like find a treasure but loose it in the last second. Bye. Rio Veneno. Madrid. Spain
Hi Kono. I first heard Ports of Paradise when I was 5 years old {1963}.It was on a reel to reel tape. I am now 49 and I own the original album which a friend converted onto CD and I in turn uploaded it to my computer and burned several copies as back-up. I listen to it all the time. "Isa Lei" is my favorite piece. Mavis Rivers will never be matched in voice even though I have tried to perfect it myself all these years. I am hoping to someday see it performed on a stage as a Broadway Musical. Maybe someone can script it? Aloha! Ann Geddes-Tennesee USA
I have the original album with the beautiful 16 page brochure. The cover has been scotch taped up a bit, but the original inner sleeve is in great shape, as is the album. If you are interested in buying it, I will sell it to you. You can contact me fuzzyparker@yahoo.com
Sara
1950s movie soundtrack are spectacular, so I think that it is so interesting, I really like the old mocies because the music is so good, I think that it was the best time of the soundtracks!22dd
It won't work in actual fact, that is what I suppose.
This can't have effect in reality, that's what I think.
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