Calcutta! – LAWRENCE WELK***

Calcutta/Sailor(Your Home Is The Sea)/Perfidia/April In Portugal/Humouresque Boogie/Corrine Corrina/Bombay/Mam’selle/The Mountain King/Blue Tango/Ruby/Save The Last Dance For Me

Bandleader Lawrence Welk was at the peak of his popularity when he released Calcutta! which topped both the American singles and album charts. Within a decade his music would be largely forgotten. (US:1)

“Calcutta might be the least remembered number one hit of the '60s; its brisk rhythm, hand claps, wordless chorus, and prominent melody add up to an infectious instrumental, but anything associated with the name Lawrence Welk tends to be dismissed out of hand.”

“Welk’s early '60s Dot albums, with their weirdly generic cover designs and crazy assortments of rock and pop tunes, were often quite good. On Calcutta Welk covers a number of recent hits, including Perfidia (with electric guitar) and Corrine Corrina. Ruby is the kind of string-laden, easy listening music most listeners would expect from Welk, but Save The Last Dance For Me performed with what sounds like a harpsichord on lead, returns to rock & roll territory.”

“Lawrence Welk may have been your grandparents’ music. But if you listen carefully, you'll understand what a craftsman he was. No orchestra sounded better than The Champagne Music Makers.”

“Care to recall a time when music was easy to listen to? Pick up a copy of this LP and pop a bottle of champagne.”

“A big part of me enjoys these old instrumentals. A big thanks to Mr. Welk and other easy listening orchestras for saving my sanity. Too bad music became so trashy after 1990.”

“Calcutta is a very lovely dance tune and very soothing. You know you are getting older when you enjoyed the Lawrence Welk Show with your grandma.”

“Dates from the good old days when people had class and the audience just sat gracefully and appreciated the dance instead of acting like savages. We have surely come a long way from these days of class and refinement. I laughed at this stuff when I was younger, but grew to appreciate it more and more.”