Strings Around the World Vol 3
London Pops
Orchestra
OSL 60 |
This
release marks a change in the Omegadisk line. After being defunct for quite a while, the label was revived as a vehicle to reissue other people's recordings. This is the exact same LP as OSL 67, but with a different title and cover. This cover was taken from a Broadway LP. |
Strings Around the World Vol 4
Broadway
Pops Orchestra
OSL 61 |
The front
credits The
London Pops, the back says The Broadway Pops. Numbers etched around
the label tell us this is a Hallmark lp (HLP 393). But it also appeared
on Coronet and other budget labels. The ultimate source was a tape
licensed from a Hamburg music producer, the actual performers a
50-piece orchestra under the direction of Heino Reese.
Reissued as an iTunes download by
Crownstar.
Red Sails in
the Sunset / Maori's Farewell / Blue Hawaii / Hawaiian War
Chant / Sweet Leilani / Aloha Oe / Moon of Manakoora / Dark Dawn /
Drowsy Waters |
Strings Around the World Vol 5
Broadway
Pops Orchestra
OSL 62
PLAY
|
Etched
numbers identify this as an album of music from movies,
played by Kurt
Jensen and his
orchestra. The gensis appears to be Hallmark, a short-lived label from the late 1950s that made little impact with their low-budget
vinyl,
despite a predilection for eye-popping cheescake covers.
The
High and the Mighty / When You Wish Upon a Star / The Long, Hot Summer
/ Unchained Melody / From Out of Nowhere / April Love / Secret Love / A
Very Precious Love / Two Hearts in 3/4 Time / September Song / You'd Be
So Nice to Come Home To
|
Dixieland Buck Clayton Sextet
OSL 63 |
 Some
Omega listings suggest this duplicates OSL
52,
a reasonable conclusion since the front covers are the
same. But the contents are completely different. If you trace back through incarnations on Sutton and other labels, you would conclude that the performers are The Empire City Six:
Tony Spair,
trumpet; Harry DiVito, trombone; Kenny Davern, clarinet; Johnny Varro,
piano; Pete Rogers, bass; Phil Failla, drums. The most
likely
source for the Sutton release was an Empire City Six album on Hallmark
312--but the only track they have in common is the Battle
Hymn.
Members of the Six say they only made two records (the other was a
collection of college football fight songs on ABC Paramound). According to Buck Clayton's Jazz World (by Buck himself) the tracks heard on OSL 52 were recorded in Boston during June 1959. But so were several others not on that earlier LP, and they show up here: Synthetic Blues, When the Saints Go Marching In, Billboard March. Blue Blues is performed by Wild Bill Davison with Abram Lincoln, Joe Rushton, Matty Matlock etc. If we ascribe the Battle Hymn to the Empire City Six, that leaves two tracks unidentified.
Battle Hymn
of the Republic / Pee Wee Blues / Synthetic Blues / Ciribiribin / When
the Saints Go Marching In / Billboard March / Blue Blues |
Music from Silent Films
Mike di
Napoli
OSL 64
PLAY
|
From SSTB 883.
Reissued on CD by Peter Pan. Available on Apple Music.
Poet and
Peasant / Charge
of the Ulans / William Tell
Overture / Toyland / My Hero / My Buddy / A Bird in a Gilded Cage /
Curse of an Aching Heart
/ Hearts and Flowers / Frankie and Johnny / The Villain Theme / Chloe |
Honky Tonk in Percussion
OSL 65 |
Surprise! It's another Synthetics Plastics LP (this time Spin-O-Rama) by Mike
di Napoli.
Schubert
Serenade / Largo /
La Donna e Mobile / Melody in F / Chopin Nocturne / Mozart Sonata /
Turkish March / Madame Butterfly / Grieg Piano Concerto / Minuet in G /
Toreador Song / etc
|
The Soul of Spain:
Percussion and Castanets
OSL 67 |
 Gotta love the
subtitle. Um, castanets are
percussion! This is a rebranded Hallmark LP; the disc still has the Hallmark record number (HLPS-382) etched around the label. (Manny Kopelman purchased Hollywood/Hallmark when they went belly-up.) The Omega branding is in a white box because it was necessary to cover up the Hallmark logo. No artists are identified; these tracks were performed by a Hamburg ensemble under the direction of Heino Reese. Some of these titles appeared on 3HT-20008 and the record’s contents are identical to OSL-60.
Granada / Espana / Cordoba / Ravel's Bolero / Diva Navarra / Estudiantina / Estrellita / La Paloma / Serenata Espanol / Capriccio Espanol |
Schubert: Symphony 7 in e
Ataulfo
Argenta / Cento
Soli Orchestra of Paris
OSL 69 |
This
is the same music and recording (except for the
increasingly cacaphonous vinyl surfaces and generic cover) as OSL 12. Somebody didn't realize that
Schubert's 9th used to be counted as his 7th, which is how it was
listed on OSL 12. So they
put it out again, this time getting the key wrong. Licensed
from Club Francais du
Disque. |
Schubert: Symphony 8 in b
"Unfinished"
Ataulfo
Argenta / Cento
Soli Orchestra of Paris
OSL 70 |
Sorry, but
Ataulfo
Argenta never recorded the 8th. The performance is actually by Gunter
Wand and the Cologne Gurzenich orchestra.
Another
sloppy error that has even found its way into
CD
booklets. With just one of the two
movements on each side of the disc, this is probably the shortest lp
ever pressed under the once-noble Omega imprint. Licensed from Club
Francias du
Disque.
Reissued on CD by Testament. |
Tchaikovsky: Symphony 4 in f
Rudolf
Albert / Paris
Radio Defusion Orchestra
OSL 71 |
Apparently they
thought
Radiodiffusion was two words. Not that it mattered actually since the
ensemble was actually the Cento Soli Orchestra of Paris!
Licensed from Club
Francias du Disque.
Reissued on CD by Accord. |
Tchaikovsky: Symphony 6 in b
"Pathetique"
Rudolf
Albert / Paris
Radio Defusion Orchestra
OSL 72 |
As above.
Licensed from
Club
Francias du Disque.
Reissued on CD by Accord. |
Grofe: Grand Canyon Suite
London
Pops Orchestra
OSL 73
PLAY
|
This
recording appeared on multiple budget labels under many different
names. It was actually performed by the Hamburg Philharmonia conducted
by Hans
Jurgens-Walther. The work has only five movements but,
just
like the Crown LP, whoever
produced this record couldn't even get them in the correct order!
From STT 845. Available on Amazon Music. |
The Sound of Sound
OSL 74 |
A
stereo sound spectacular featuring sounds of jets, boats, trains,
sports cars, nature, the magic mechanical orchestra. Also (originally?) appeared on Coronet and Sutton. |
Big Band Blaze
Bob
Freedman and his
Orchestra
OSL 80 |
Coronet
LP (CXS 153). Unconfirmed |
Flamenco
Jose
Barroso
OSL 91 |
Unconfirmed |
Music from Silent Films
Mike di
Napoli
OSL 94 |
Unconfirmed. |
Way Down Yonder on Broadway
OSL 97
PLAY
|
But the title on
the back
reads "Say
Yonder on Broadway"! By now that's expected from these pseudo-Omega
lps. This was a Sutton LP rebranded as an Omega. We traced this one
from the etched number (UTS 144); that took us to "Al Price Swinging on
Broadway" on Hallmark, Silver Seal etc. But a little more digging revealed that
Premier Albums had recycled this record several times before. It began
as "Broadway Escapade" on Spin-O-Rama, and later reappared as "Jazz and
Swinging Percussion" on Directional Sound (more subsidiaries of
Premier). Actual performers: the Bill Berry quartet.
Old Devil
Moon / Dream
Street / June Is Busting Out All Over / Almost Like Being in Love /
Manhattan Blues / Times Square / Broadway by Night / How Do You Speak
to an Angel? / Blow Gabriel Blow / The Night Was Made for Love /
Broadway and Tenth / Schubert Alley |
Congo Percussion
OSL 99
PLAY
|
This
LP certainly
traveled the distance to arrive at OSL 99. The front gives a number
(SSU-210) belonging to the Sutton label, while a sticker covers up the
original imprint to claim it's part of the "Omega Records Hallmark
Series". This record did appear on Hallmark (among many other
labels), but etched numbers
(UTS-139) indicate the pressing is from Silver Seal (one of
many
Premier Albums imprints) where it was credited to Chief
Walataghi and his Afro Drummers. In its many incarnations this record has also
been issued as by
Chief Bey, Kaino, Cawanda Group, and Sabu the Jungle Boy!
To clear up the confusion somewhat, it all began with "Jungle Beat", a release on the RKO label by Subri Moulin and the Equitorial Rhythm Group. Tops/Mayfair inherited the short-lived RKO catalog, so it went there next. Before long it spread to other labels, sometimes with several tracks (mainly the Carribean themed ones) replaced by music from other sources, possibly unused tracks by Moulin. On Pirouette the mixture was credited to Cawanda Group and each track acquired a left-right ping-pong percussion intro. As the migration to multiple supermarket labels continued, somewhere along the line all songs, both from RKO and wherever, were renamed to fool the unwary buyer.
Omega's version has the altered names and substituted tracks, but at least they’re not encumbered by the silly ping-pong intros. Since only some of the tracks are from the first RKO release, we have parenthetically identified the genuine titles in our track lists. The original is available on Apple Music.
Arabini (Awiwanda) /
Charinde /
Eow-Nes (Fukiiya) / Lesha-Kal (Sha Sha Calor) / Facii (Aiylong) / Aboo / De Voo /
Rejagee (Ben Je Engay) / Hope / Od Amit (Yowcolule)
|
Charlie Everett Sings Jolson
Charlie
Everett / Robert
Feilding
and his
Orchestra
OSL 101 |
This program, actually sung by Norman Brooks with orchestra allegedly conducted by Al Goodman, duplicates a Viking Records LP. The Viking label appears to be something akin to Sutton in its mimicking of Omega's design. In any case, the recordings originated with Synthetic Plastics and its cornucopia of labels (Pirouette, Diplomat, Promenade, Spin-O-Rama etc).
Rosie, You
Are My Posie /
My Wild Irish Rose / Shine on Harvest Moon/ Honeymoon / Frankie and
Johnny / Wait 'Til the Sun Shines Nellie / Cuddle Up a Little Closer /
Gee I Wish That I Had a Girl / Ida / When You Were Sweet Sixteen / On
the Banks of the Wabash
|
The Ink Spots
OSL 103 |
If
I Didn't Care / Shine on Harvest Moon / Into Each Life Some Rain Must
Fall / Maybe / I Love You Truly / It's a Sin to Tell a Lie / I Love
Coffee, I Love Tea / It Had to Be You / Gypsy / We'll Meet Again |
Tribute to Tommy Dorsey
OSL 111 |
Only some of these songs have any real connection with Dorsey; most appear to be recycled from previous releases of dubious origin.
Song of India / Swing Low, Sweet Chariot / Battle Hymn of the Republic / Low Life / Peasant's Theme / Going Home / Sea Breeze / When Johnny Comes Marching Home / Army Theme / By the Light of the Silvery Moon
|
Sing Along with Me
OSL 112 |
 |
Tchaikovsky: Symphony 6
Muir Mathieson / Sinfonia of London
OSL 114 |
This is a recycled Hallmark LP (as can be seen by the number on the label: HG-502) like HLG 511 below, but the front cover is different from the plain text Hallmark original. The sticker covers up the name of whatever label this picture was filched from (possibly Avon). The recording wasn't original with Hallmark either; they licensed it from England's World Record Club. |
Wagner: Overtures
Vittorio Gui / Florence May Festival Orchestra
OSL 115 |
Another recycled Hallmark LP only lacking a cover to paste an Omega sticker on, they resorted to the cheapest possible option (the 'Mannix' design). This recording originated with Livingston, a pioneer in early stereo tape releases, where it undoubtedly sounded better than on the sandpaper surfaces common to last-legs Omega pressings.
Tannhauser / The Flying Dutchman / Die Meistersinger |
Pervasive Percussion
OSL 118
PLAY
|
Don't let the
cover fool
you. This is a collection of bullfight music, and the etched numbers
(CSX-54) identify it as a Coronet record: The Brave Bulls.
La Virgen de
la Macarena / España Cani / Toque Torero /
Toreador Song / Cielo Andaluzia / El Relicario / Novillero / Gato
Montez / Toque / La Sorella / Banderillero / Angelina / Galito / Toque
de Merte / Granada |
Erotic
Percussion
OSL 119 |
Another Coronet
recording, this time a knock-off of drummer Chaino. The Coronet was
subtly and cleverly
named "Kaino" and his Afro-Percussion Group. But why does the Omega
pressing have
pipe organ music instead of the listed tracks? Well in addition to OSL
119 we find UTS-139 etched in the grooves. Another
Silver Seal? No, this time it's a Celebrity LP, yet another fine
product of
Premier Albums. And that particular Celebrity record was a concert of
pipe
organ music by "Charles Rand" (probably aka John Kiley). Didn't
anybody
listen to these records before releasing them? The provocative cover art is lifted from an LP on the short-lived Hollywood Records label, put out by the same fine folks who produced Hallmark Records. (Both those labels were acquired by Manny Kopelman when they closed up shop.)
Aizeica /
Dance of the Cockatoo / Spirits of the Night / The Sea of
Green / Man and Beast / Jungle Paths / Wild River / Rain Drops / Torrid
Drums / To the Sea |
Big Band Swings the Classics
Bob
Freedman and his
Orchestra
OSL 120 |
The
front gives a Plaza number, the back says Omega. The grooves give no
hint except for an odd OLSF prefix. Some of these tracks
showed up earlier from "Tex
Morgan", but most were harvested from Freedman's Coronet sessions.
Drigo's
Serenade / La Cinquintaine / Polovtsian Dances / Hymn to the
Sun / Anvil Chorus / When Johnny Comes Marching Home / By the Water of
the Minnetonka / Dark Dawn / When the Saints Go Marching In /
Greensleeves |
Holiday in Hawaii
OSL 123 |
No performers are named but the recording itself, like so many of these ersatz Omegadisks, comes from an old Coronet LP, credited to Harry Kaapuni and his Royal Polynesians. The players weren't very Polynesian, however. They were a group of studio musicians who assembled in Boston's Ace Studios (favored by the Synthetics Plastics labels), with Eddie Cunningham on steel guitar.
Red
Sails in the Sunset / Harbor Lights / Hawaiian Holiday / Luau Lei /
Drowsy
Waters / Dance of the Cockatoo / Hawaiian Love Song / Kula Ha / To You
Sweetheart Aloha / Hawaiian Starlight / Aloha Oe
|
Taboo
OSL 127 |
The front gives
a number
(PLS-3013) belonging to the Plaza label, and indeed if you peel off
the
Omega sticker on the cover underneath it says "Plaza". Etched numbers
(UTS-139) indicate the record is actually a Silver Seal and it turns
out to be OSL 99 all over again.
Aribini /
Charinde / Eow-Nes / Lesha-Kal / Facii / Aboo / De Voo /
Rejagee / Hope / Od Amit |
Swinging Stephen Foster
OSL 129 |
Beautiful Dreamer / I Dream of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair / Nellie Bly / Old Boy Trey / Ring Ring de Banjo / Old Folks at Home / My Old Kentucky Home / Gentle Annie / Oh Susannah / Hard Times / Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming / Camptown Races |
Swinging on Broadway
OSL 132 |
The front gives
a number
(PLS-3034) belonging to the shadowy Plaza label, but the back and the label give the Omega number. Performers are not identified, but the track titles point to Buck Clayton and friends.
Bugle Call Rag / St James Infirmary / When the Saints Go Marching In / Sweet Sue / Muskrat Ramble / Ballin' the Jack / Synthetic Blues / Billboard |
Swinging Sound Tracks
OSL 149 |
Reissue of OSL
50; the design of the Omega logo suggests a cover design lifted from a Sutton LP. |
Salute to Tommy Dorsey
Orchestra
OSLF 16 |
An odd variant
of OSL 16:
it has that number on the front but OSLF 16 on the back. Side one
duplicates OSL 16 with Francis
Bay performances. Original contents of
side two are replaced by "Tex
Morgan" performances of uncertain origin:
Side two: Going
Home / Evening Star / When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again / On
Brave Old Army Team / Clair de Lune
|
Francis Bay Big Band Salutes
Ted Heath
OSLF 17 |
As
above; this variant
replaces Bay tracks with "Tex
Morgan" performances of uncertain origin.
Side two: Song of
India / Swing Low / Sweet Chariot / Battle Hymn of the Republic
/ Traumerei / Volga Boatmen
|
Strings Around the World Vol 1
London Pops Orchestra
OSLF 23 |
This variant is entirely different from OSL 23, despite borrowing its name and number and slapping on a generic cover used in the later volumes of the series. Side two has been lifted from a Tiara LP where the performances were credited to "Johnny King" (possibly the same person as Johnny Kay). The origin of side one is undetermined.
Gelsomina / Mama, El Baion / Rosa Rosa Nina / Scampolo / Musica Proibita / Estrellita / Arabesque / Plaisir d'Amour / La Copla Fu / Dancing in Castile
|
Salute to Stan Kenton
OSLF 27 |
As
above; this variant
replaces Bay tracks with " Tex
Morgan" performances of uncertain origin.
|
Dukas's Sorcerer's Apprentice Vittorio Gui / Florence May Festival Orchestra
HLG 511 |
Hallmark was a product of Paramount Productions, purveyor of budget labels like Hollywood Records. They made a short-lived attempt to make a dent in the stereo market with Hallmark, but it was a failure. Manny Kopelman bought out the company and ran it for a while, then started rebranding them as Omega LPs. This is a Hallmark release but with an Omega Records sticker plastered on the front. The packaging is otherwise unchanged, from the "Hallmark Stereo Record Index" on the back to the consistent misspelling of composer Paul Dukas's name. The record label says Omega, with the Hallmark HLG 511 number on it. Another Hallmark release ('Punch and Judy') has been seen with a sticker proclaiming it Omega OSL 145.
Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice / Sibelius: Finlandia / Sibelius: Valse Triste / Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun / Strauss: Rosenkavalier Waltzes
|