VA - The Golden Age Of American Popular Music: Hits With Strings And Things (2009)

* Here are the orchestral and `easy' instrumental hits, both big and small - but mostly big - that helped define the Golden Age of Popular Music, an era spanning, roughly, 1956-1967, when the US charts were brimming with an eclectic cornucopia of sounds and styles that is unlikely to be repeated in today's age corporate, socially engineered music making. `Hits With Strings And Things' is an important addition to this best-selling Ace series.

* An element of post-modern ironic in our approach makes `Hits With Strings And Things' extremely pleasing on the ear while avoiding the blandness that characterises other releases of this kind. There is a surprise at every turn. Many of the tunes feature strings or horns (or a combination of both) with intrusions from the occasional twangy guitar (`Flying Circle') and even a dash of marimbas (`The Dis-Advantages Of You').

* MOJO rated `Hits With Strings And Things' highly enough to award it 4-stars, describing some of the US-only hits (which the majority were) as `pleasantly alien'.

* Three of the titles by H.B. Barnum, The Minature Men and Frank Slay are completely new to CD. In common with all other selections, these have been mastered from the original tapes.

* Compiled and annotated by Rob Finnis with an exceptionally well presented booklet contains dozens of rare ads and evocative illustrations. Extremely attractive eye-catching cover art.