Various - The "Now" Sound of Young Music 36 Today! (1966, Stereo)

One of my favorite sub genre's of music is "Lounge goes Rock" where jazz bands or softer lush lounge groups covering billboard pop and rock hits in the mid and late 60's, ala' the Ultra-Lounge "On The Rocks" compilations.

I have made quite a few. Unlike Ultra-Lounge's discs, I am not limited from working solely from the Capitol/Liberty catalog. Or limited to semi-commercial recordings. I can gather from vanity presses, small labels, high school marching bands, etc. Sort of an... "Incorrect Rock Companion" so to speak.

That being said, yesterday I came across this gem. At first glance, I assumed it was a budget release of Columbia chart toppers, but with no artists listed, I had to take a chance. Sure enough, 36 tracks of hits done by cover artists... Most likely New York session musicians. Some covers on here are pretty exceptional, others not so much. A more appropriate title would be "They Can't All Be Winners! 36 Meh!"

It's listed as a Columbia Record Club Exclusive, which means if you didn't select all the titles needed, or if you didn't select a record for the month, you probably got screwed and sent this drek in place of some choice music. I'm being overly harsh though. It's not so bad, and I can easily say I got my dollar worth.