Thursday, April 17, 2025

K SPECIAL VA - Decca: The World of Easy Listening - The Complete 1973 Collection - Volumes 1-6 (50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) (6CD Box Set) (2023)

K SPECIAL

VA - Decca: The World of Easy Listening - The Complete 1973 Collection - Volumes 1-6 (50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) (6CD Box Set) (2023)

The World of... is a series of budget albums released by Decca Records and its subsidiaries.

Launched in 1968, the series showcased a wide variety of the label's output including classical music, pop, folk, jazz, blues, world music, showtunes, comedy and spoken word releases. Among the editions are compilations, reissues, samplers and several collections based upon the BBC Radio programme Your Hundred Best Tunes. The World of... brought Decca’s catalogue to retailers like supermarkets, encouraging new buyers to "dip in". By 1975, it was described as "probably one of the best-selling series ever devised by a record company". The World of... albums are commonly found in charity shops in the UK.

The World of... series was formulated after Decca head Sir Edward Lewis was shown Germany's Phase 4 Stereo sampler albums on a business trip to the country. The series marked Decca's entry into the budget market, with the cut-price albums intended to entice consumers who didn’t usually buy LPs. Promoted with window displays, browser cards and colour posters, the series was an immediate success. By 1973, The World of... held 18-20 percent of the budget albums market in the UK, behind MFP with an estimated 28 percent. In 1975, the albums retailed at £1.29. By 1986, the dealer price had increased to £2.12.

The first release, the 14-track compilation The World of Mantovani, was issued in September 1968 in a gatefold sleeve and priced at 17/6d. The album reached number six on the UK Albums Chart, while a second Mantovani volume made number 4 in 1969.

Among the early entries in the series was The World of Johann Strauss (1969), the first of several releases that "treated classical music much like pop: compiling the most popular pieces and presenting them across two sides".

By the end of 1969, 54 titles were available in the series.

Several releases spotlighted Decca's contemporary pop signings. The World of David Bowie (1970) was issued after Bowie left the label and features most of his 1967 debut album alongside 1966 B-side "The London Boys" and three previously unreleased songs.

Further releases were dedicated to Tom Jones, Lulu, Cat Stevens, Lynsey de Paul, the Zombies, Amen Corner, Alan Price, the Flirtations, Them and Billy Fury, among others.

Seven The World of Hits albums featuring acts such as Small Faces, the Move and Thin Lizzy were issued between 1969 and 1973.

Dedicated World of releases appeared for blues, soul, folk, easy listening, hard rock, country, music hall, television themes, sacred music and brass bands.

Comedy releases featuring the Goons, Tony Hancock, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, Benny Hill, Marty Feldman, the Goodies and Bernard Manning among others were also issued.

In classical music, several The World of Your Hundred Best Tunes compilations were among the best-selling releases in the series, leading to the publication of a companion book by Alan Keith in 1975 "for the millions who have shown their needs by buying the discs".

Some albums in the series dropped the World of designation. These releases can be identified by their catalog numbers, which are prefixed SPA as with all others in the series. They include Nova Sampler (1970), comprising selections from Decca's short-lived progressive music series, I Thought Terry Dene Was Dead (1974), a companion to Dan Wooding's biography of the same title, and a 1975 reissue of The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp (1968).

The release schedule slowed during the 1980s, with some of the final original albums appearing in 1986.

The series inspired the title of Morrissey's World of Morrissey album, released in 1995.

The World of... was revived in 2019 when five new titles were released to celebrate Decca’s 90th anniversary.

The albums included in this box set are:

The World of Easy Listening - Volume 1 - Decca UK (2023 Digital Remaster) (1973)

The World of Easy Listening - Volume 2 - Decca UK (2023 Digital Remaster) (1973)

The World of Easy Listening - Volume 3 - Decca UK (2023 Digital Remaster) (1973)

The World of Easy Listening - Volume 4 - Decca UK (2023 Digital Remaster) (1973)

The World of Easy Listening - Volume 5 - Decca UK (2023 Digital Remaster) (1973)

The World of Easy Listening - Volume 6 - Decca UK (2023 Digital Remaster) (1973)


"THE WORLD OF EASY LISTENING" - how dull the world would be without the magic of music! Though we don't always realize it with the pace of modern living, music is often there in the background, calming our nerves and subtly raising our spirits.

This series has been designed, either for enjoyable listening, or for use whenever background music is desired.

The melodies featured - some instrumental, some vocal - are modern imaginative arrangements by leading musical directors.

We hope, in fact we know, that these six volumes will bring you many hours of delightful listening pleasure.

Eric Lotinga.

C. 1973, The Decca Record Company Limited, London.

None of these albums have ever been released on CD or digitally, so this is a true first in this presentation of all digital files.

This 6CD set contains superb quality vinyl rips from the original Decca record albums, meticulously cleaned up and digitally edited for superior sound and enjoyment.

Enjoy!

K

=========================================================

ALL 

OR

ALL 

===========================================================

Track lists

Volume 1 

01 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - Me and My Shadow 2:49

02 Primo Scala and his Accordion Band - Up, Up and Away 2:39

03 The Les Reed Sound - Call Me 3:01

04 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - The Last Waltz 2:28

05 José Pirata and his Orchestra - Always True to You in My Fashion 2:39

06 The Laurie Steele Combo and Chorus - Albatross 3:21

07 The Les Reed Sound - There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World) 2:44

08 The Ivor Raymonde Orchestra and Chorus - Everyone's Gone to the Moon 3:01

09 The Ray Miranda Orchestra - Tea for Two 2:46

10 Gordon Franks and his Orchestra - La Dolce Vita 2:46

11 Gordon Franks and his Orchestra - Brazil 2:45

12 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - You Made Me Love You 3:03


Volume 2

01 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - Dream 2:45

02 Bert Melia and his Orchestra - I Wish You Love 2:35

03 The David Whitaker Orchestra - The Look of Love 2:50

04 Primo Scala and his Accordion Band - Blue Skies 2:49

05 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - Michelle 2:43

06 Gordon Franks and his Orchestra - I Remember You 2:43

07 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - Hit the Road to Dreamland 3:06

08 The Hawaiians - A Walk in the Black Forest 2:18

09 The Ivor Raymonde Orchestra - Fly Me to the Moon 2:47

10 Gordon Franks and his Orchestra - Rocco's Theme 2:11

11 Les Reed Orchestra - Desafinado 2:56

12 Roberto Mann, his Orchestra and Chorus - Monya 3:02


Volume 3

01 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - Moonlight and Roses 2:33

02 The Ray Miranda Orchestra - Tico-Tico (Tico-Tico no fubá) 1:45

03 The Les Reed Sound - Autumn Leaves 2:51

04 Gordon Franks and his Orchestra - It's Nice to go Trav'ling 2:15

05 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - A Man Without Love 3:19

06 The Ivor Raymonde Orchestra - I'm Sitting on Top of the World 2:06

07 The David Whitaker Orchestra - Samba de verão (Summer Samba) 2:27

08 Les Reed Orchestra - Imogene 2:46

09 Gordon Franks and his Orchestra - Never on Sunday 2:27

10 The Ivor Raymonde Orchestra and Chorus - Over the Rainbow 2:37

11 José Pirata and his Orchestra - I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles 2:20

12 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - J'attendrai 2:43


Volume 4

01 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - Moonlight Serenade 3:27

02 The Ivor Raymonde Orchestra and Chorus - I'm Always Chasing Rainbows 2:08

03 The David Whitaker Orchestra - Amapola 2:31

04 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - Moon River 3:35

05 The Hawaiians - Music to Watch Girls By 2:14

06 Gordon Franks and his Orchestra - Les Parapluies de Cherbourg 2:24

07 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - Joanna 2:39

08 The Les Reed Sound - Nicola 2:42

09 Gordon Franks and his Orchestra - Sweet Georgia Brown 2:41

10 The Ivor Raymonde Orchestra and Chorus - Beyond the Blue Horizon 1:50

11 Roberto Mann, his Orchestra and Chorus - Lonely Ballerina 3:05

12 The David Whitaker Orchestra - Meditation 2:57


Volume 5

01 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - Lollipops and Roses 3:10

02 The Ivor Raymonde Orchestra and Chorus - My Blue Heaven 2:16

03 Gordon Franks and his Orchestra - Rififi 3:10

04 Bert Melia and his Orchestra - Tiptoe Through the Tulips 2:42

05 Roberto Mann and his Orchestra - Till the End of Time 2:20

06 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - Lara's Theme from Doctor Zhivago 3:30

07 Gordon Franks and his Orchestra - The More I See You 2:47

08 Les Reed Orchestra - Quiet Nights 3:14

09 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - Love Is Blue 2:31

10 Primo Scala and his Accordion Band - See You in September 2:44

11 The Hawaiians - Caravan 2:59

12 Les Reed Orchestra - Our Day Will Come 2:55


Volume 6

01 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - I Left My Heart in San Francisco 2:55

02 Gordon Franks and his Orchestra - You Only Live Twice 2:04

03 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - A Man and a Woman 3:40

04 The Ivor Raymonde Orchestra and Chorus - Hurry! It's Lovely Up Here 3:16

05 The Ray Miranda Orchestra - Mélodie d'amour (Melody of Love) 2:30

06 The Les Reed Sound - South of the Border 2:54

07 The Johnny Howard Orchestra - More 3:19

08 José Pirata and his Orchestra - With a Little Help from My Friends 2:45

09 The Les Reed Sound - Strangers in the Night 2:36

10 Gordon Franks and his Orchestra - Carnival 2:40

11 The Ivor Raymonde Orchestra and Chorus - Catch a Falling Star 2:33

12 The Laurie Steele Combo and Chorus - Hushabye Mountain 3:22

=============================================================

=============================================================

3 comments:

  1. I used to have all of these releases on vinyl. To be able to hear them again is very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Fantastic, I like instrumental, a trip back in time, thank you, Heribert.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sensational. Thanks so much BB and K.

    ReplyDelete