Sunday 20 March 2011

Oliver Nelson Orchestra



Oliver Nelson Orchestra.
Impressions of Phaedra.

1962 United Artists. Monaural UAJ 14019

Another super-rare special provided by G.Raf. Carried out some google research, but to little avail. For me, the first track, Phaedra Love theme is just superb and far to short. Ripped from the mono vinyl @ 320.

Some info about the film:

Phaedra was a 1962 motion picture directed by Jules Dassin as a vehicle for his wife Melina Mercouri, after her world-wide hit Never on Sunday.

The film was the fourth collaboration between Dassin and Mercouri, who took the title role. Greek writer Margarita Lymberaki adapted Euripides'Hippolytus into a melodrama concerning the rich society of ship owners and their families, but still containing some of the tragic elements of the ancient drama. The film is set in Paris, London, and especially on the Greek island of Hydra.

Phaedra, second wife of shipping tycoon Thanos (Raf Vallone), falls in love with her husband's son from his first marriage, Alexis (Anthony Perkins). The love is doomed from the very beginning but they are unable to control their feelings.

The movie hit the cinemas in 1962, was a hit in Europe, but a box-office failure in the USA. Although Mercouri and Perkins became friends during the filming, the magazines, and especially Esquire magazine, attacked the film, because of Perkins's vulnerability. Phaedra was the first of several films that teamed Perkins with notable older female stars.

The music was created by Mikis Theodorakis. In the soundtrack, Melina Mercouri sang two songs. The first one was written by Nikos Gatsos, a major Greek poet, and was sung by Mercouri and Perkins after their love scene in Paris. The other one was heard in the film as the main love theme. Both of the songs are popular in Greece and they have been performed by hundreds of singers and actors.


21 comments:

  1. Where's the link ....or are you still in bed having the sunday afternoon love in with Columbo?

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  2. I'm a hardcore fan of Oliver Nelson and so BIG THANKS for this super rare stuff ... and the link :)

    Pekis.

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  4. Thanks for this intriguing post. Can't wait to hear this album once you post the link. In the meantime there's some discographical info at Doug Payne's website. Go to http://dougpayne.com/on51-66.htm and search for "Impressions of Phaedra".

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  5. Duno this one. I like him a lot!

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  6. nice album cover.
    thanks for the wiki links too ;-)

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  7. http://www.mediafire.com/?ruqbhg1sh9bj3dz

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  8. Hurray !
    thnx g raf and katonah :)

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  9. just heard the opening track. it immediately reminded me of "the kennedy dream".

    much gratitude

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  10. fancy typing out a track list pretty please ..

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  11. Loving it, thanks katonah :)

    Here ya go Reza :

    IMPRESSIONS OF PHAEDRA
    The Oliver Nelson Orchestra Presenting Phil Woods
    New York City: c. 1962
    Large orchestra prob. inc. Clark Terry, Bernie Glow, Doc Severinson, Snooky Young (tp); Urbie Green, Paul Faulise, Britt Woodman, Tommy Mitchell (tb); Don Butterfield (tu); Phil Woods (as); Barry Galbraith (g); Lloyd G. Mayers (p); George Duvivier (b); Ed Shaughnessy (d); Ray Barretto (bgo); Oliver Nelson (arr,cond) with strings.

    a. Phaedra Love (Theme) (Mikis Theodorakis) - 3:40
    b. London's Fog (Mikis Theodorakis) - 2:00
    c. Dirge (Oliver Nelson) - 4:50
    d. Phaedra (Tragedy) (Mikis Theodorakis) - 2:20
    e. The Fling (Mikis Theodorakis) - 2:45
    f. Rendezvous (Mikis Theodorakis) - 2:55
    g. Too Much Sun (Mikis Theodorakis) - 2:18
    h. One More Time (Mikis Theodorakis) - 3:22

    Issues: a-h on United Artists Jazz UAJ-15019 (mono), United Artists Jazz UAJS-15019 (stereo).
    Samplers: f also on United Artists Jazz UAJ-91 (mono), United Artists Jazz UAJS-91 (stereo) titled UNITED ARTISTS JAZZ.
    Producer: Alan Douglas
    Engineer: Bill Schwartau
    Notes: Not Listed

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  12. I thought the track titles popped up automatically after extraction !?! don't tell me i've been typing the titles out for nothing all this time

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  13. Yours usually do Katonah, just this time they're all called "phaedra".

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  14. Bollox, dunno how that happened.
    Thanks Simon

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  15. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  16. Great lp & track titles are all coming up perfect for me - just thought you should know!!!

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  17. Now that's just plain spooky ...
    Thanks uppopped

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  18. thnx simon
    wonder how that worked for some people and not others ...

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  19. thanks katonah, titles worked for me too. this looks interesting. oliver nelson doesn't make trivial recordings.

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  20. thank you
    great unknown nelson record

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