Saturday, June 20, 2015

Have to admit I had never heard of bandleader James Last and his 'happy sound' until reading this New York Times obituary


James Last, Bandleader Known for ‘Happy Sound,’ Dies at 86.  (The New York Times, 6/12/2015)
Primarily an arranger, Mr. Last purveyed a style he called “happy sound,” characterized by jaunty brass; lush, swirling strings; a pulsating beat; and the homogenization of his musical sources into the aural equivalent of comfort food. The result won him hordes of enthusiasts and a thicket of detractors.
Among Mr. Last’s best-known original compositions is “The Lonely Shepherd”...



3 of his albums appeared on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart:
  • Music From Across the Way
    • February 19, 1972, debut
    • peaked at #160
    • charted for 5 weeks
  • Well Kept Secret
    • August 16, 1975, debut
    • peaked at #172
    • charted for 3 weeks 
  • Seduction
    • June 28, 1980, debut
    • peaked at #148
    • charted for 8 weeks

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