SR-90144: Hi-Fi A La Española
Eastman-Rochester “Pops”, Fennell

	Label Type :	Maroon Mercury Stereo Living Presence High Fidelity
	Matrix Number :	SIDE-A	SR 90144A FR1    B1    P17    I
		SIDE-B	SR 90144B FR1    A1    P17    I

Comments

Equivalent release: Mercury MG-50144 (mono).

FR pressing: Ka-boom! Unreal dynamics. Full of transiency, dynamic sonics, tight and solid bass sound, as well as sharp and crisp mid-high range. Great stereophonic soundstage.

Personal Impression (and brief notes)

Too-famous Mercury album, in the sense that this LP has been on the TAS (The Absolute Sound) “Best of the bunch” list. I can't say here that I believe this album is really the best recorded Mercury (since I don't have too-expensive hi-end audio components to fully appreciate this great-sounding LP), but at least on my “poor-man's hi-fi system” I really enjoy this highly-acclaimed awesome recordings.

The music itself is also very attractive and interesting - as the title says, these tracks were written by nine composers from six countries (Spain, Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, USA and Australia). Frederick Fennell conducts such pretty compositions in very emotional and thrilling way.

Strictly Personal Rating (to what extent I could enjoy this album)

9 out of 10

Track Listing

Personnel

Personnel/recorded date/master numbers confirmed with the Ruppli's discography.
(“The Mercury Labels - A Discography” by Ruppli and Novitsky, Greenwood Press, 1993)

Eastman-Rochester “Pops” Orchestra, Frederick Fennell (cond).
Roland Valdés-Blain (g on A-3).
Recorded at Eastman Theatre, Rochester, NY on March 25, 1957.

Wilma Cozart, recording director.
Harold Lawrence, musical supervisor.
C.R. Fine, engineer and technical supervisor.
Tape to disc transfer by George Piros.