Guitar
 Jerry Byrd's Guitar Magic
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Pop guitar starts and nearly ends with Roy Smeck. Disciples and peers ranged from Arthur Godfrey and Cliff Edwards (Ukulele Ike) to Billy Mure, while Les Paul somehow got credit for several Smeck milestones. Roy Smeck did everything from the serious to the gimmicky, including playing guitars with teeth and behind back, long before anyone else. And he did it with style, class, and humility, night after night on the Vaudeville circuit and all day in practice. He helped make the steel guitar equally at home on Gene Autry records as Hawaiian. Roy Smeck, with the unlikely name and no rock-star looks, remains the original guitar hero. Bandleader and steel-guitar hero Alvino Rey found a second career in playing slide guitar, notably for Esquivel. Buying: Generally the LP are instrumental covers of pop and rock hits. It is very hard to single out specific albums, only odd tracks. |
[Pop] Guitar LPs
| Rating | |
| 9 | George Barnes: Country Jazz; Colortone C33-4915 |
| 7 | Vinnie Bell: The Soundtronic Guitar of Vincent Bell; Independent 8012 |
| 7 | Vinnie Bell: Pop Goes the Electric Sitar; Decca DL-74938 (pop sitar) |
| 6 | Vinnie Bell: Good Morning Starshine; Decca DL-75138 (some pop sitar & Moog) |
| 6 | Vinnie Bell: Airport Love Theme; Decca DL-75212; 1970 (some pop sitar & Moog) |
| 6 | Jerry Byrd's Guitar Magic 10"; Mercury MG-25134 (jacket: Pagan Love Song) |
| 6 | Jerry Byrd: On the Shores of Waikiki; MG-20230 |
| 7 | Jerry Byrd: Steel Guitar Favorites; Mercury MG-20345; 1957 |
| 6 | Jerry Byrd: The Man of Steel; Mercury SR-60932/MG-20932; 1957 |
| 5 | Jerry Byrd: Hawaiian Beach Party; RCA LPM-1687; 1958 |
| 7 | Jerry Byrd: Blue Hawaiian Steel Guitar; Mercury SRW-60856 |
| 5 | Jerry Byrd: Byrd of Paradise; Monument SLP-18009 |
| 4 | Jerry Byrd: Burning Sands, Pearly Shells & Steel Guitars; Monument SLP-18081; 1967 |
| 6 | Jerry Byrd: The Polynesian Suite; Monument SLP-18107; 1968 |
| Al Caiola: [10" LP on RCA Victor] | |
| Al Caiola: Guitar, Guitars, Guitars; United Artists UAS-6077; 1959 | |
| 6 | Al Caiola: Greasy Kid Stuff; United Artists UAS-6287 |
| 6 | Al Caiola: The Best of; United Artists UAS-6310; 1963 |
| 6 | Al Caiola: Tuff Guitar; United Artists UAS-6389 |
| 4 | Al Caiola: Guitar for Lovers; United Artists UAS-6403 |
| 5 | Al Caiola: Solid Gold Guitar Goes Hawaiian; United Artists UAS-6418 |
| 8 | Al Caiola: Sounds for Spies & Private Eyes; United Artists UAS-6435 |
| 6 | Al Caiola: Tuff Guitar Tijuana Style; United Artists UAS-6473 |
| 4 | Al Caiola: Romantico; United Artists UAS-6527 |
| 7 | Al Caiola: All Strung Out; United Artists UAS-6553; 1966 |
| 6 | Al Caiola: Let the Sunshine In; United Artists UAS-6712 (partly electric sitar) |
| 7 | Al Caiola: Blockbuster Movie/TV Themes; United Artists/Two Worlds TW-9102 (Theme from the "Magnificent 7 Ride" '73; United Artists/Avalanche AV-LA058-F; 1973) |
| 7 | Cliff Edwards; Glendale GL-6011; 1978 (Ukukele Ike; compilation) |
| 5 | Bill Justis: Alley Cat/Green Onions; Mercury/Smash SRS-67021 (good only for "Green Onions," which is organ) |
| 7 | Jack Marshall: The Marshall Swings; Capitol ST-1351 (guitar/Hammond treatments of Western songs) |
| 6 | Leon McAuliffe & his Swingin' Western Band: The Dancin'est Band Around; Capitol ST-2016 |
| [Buddy Merrill] | |
| 6 | Billy Mure's Supersonic Guitars: Teen Bossa Nova; MGM SE-4131 |
| 7 | Billy Mure & his Combo: Tough Strings--Great Guitar Hits; Kapp KS-3253; 1961 |
| 6 | Billy Mure: Songs of Hank Williams; Everest SDBR-1072/LPBR-5072 |
| 5 | Tony Mottola Joins the Guitar Underground; Project 3 PR-5035-SD; 1969 |
| 7 | Herbie Remington: Steel Guitar Holiday; United Artists UAS-6167 |
| 6 | The Revengers: Batman & Other Super Men; MGM/Metro MS-565 (guitar instrumentals, mainly spy themes) |
| 6 | Alvino Rey: A Drowsy Old Riff; Golden Era 15002 (compilation of 1940s material) |
| 6 | Alvino Rey: The Uncollected (Vols. 1-3); Hindsight |
| 7 | Alvino Rey: Swingin' Fling; Capitol ST-1085 |
| 7 | Alvino Rey: Ping Pong; Capitol ST-1262 |
| 4 | Alvino Rey: That Lonely Feeling; Capitol ST-1395 |
| 3 | Alvino Rey w/Ralph Carmichael Orchestra: Refreshing Melodies; Sacred LPS-76002; 1966 |
| 6 | Alvino Rey: Dance with Me--The Big Band Sound of Alvino Rey; Alysa R-1000; 1980 |
| 6 | Red Rhodes: Steel Guitar Rag & Other Country & Western Favorites; Crown CST-555 (steel) |
| 8 | Freddie Roulette: Sweet Funky Steel; GRT/Janus JLS-3053; 1973 (soul-jazz steel guitar) |
| 7 | Conjunto Sempre Alerta: Feito para voce; Sempre Alerta SA-2001; 1968 (Brasil/guitar rock) |
| 6 | Roy Smeck: Difting & Dreaming 10"; Coral 56013 |
| 6 | Roy Smeck & his Paradise Islanders: Memory Lane 10"; Decca DL-5458; copyright 1953 |
| 6 | Roy Smeck & his Paradise Islanders: Songs of the Range [in Dreamy Hawaiian Style] 10"; Decca DL-5473; copyright 1953 |
| 6 | Roy Smeck & his Serenaders: Memories of You; Decca DL-8674 (mono only) |
| 5 | Roy Smeck & his Paradise Serenaders: South Seas Serenade; ABC-Paramount ABC-119 |
| 6 | Roy Smeck & his Paradise Serenaders: Melodies with Memories; ABC-Paramount ABC-174 |
| 5 | Roy Smeck & his Paradise Serenaders: Hi-Fi Paradise; ABC-Paramount ABCS-234 |
| 8 | Roy Smeck: The Magic Ukulele of Roy Smeck; ABC-Paramount ABCS-279 |
| 7 | Roy Smeck & his Dixie Syncopators: The Happy Banjo; ABC-Paramount ABCS-309 |
| 8 | Roy Smeck "The Wizard of the Strings" & his All Star Serenaders: Stringing Along; ABC-Paramount ABCS-412 |
| 7 | Roy Smeck: I Love to Hear a Banjo; ABC-Paramount ABCS-484 |
| 7 | Roy Smeck & his Paradise Serenaders: Hawaiian Guitar Hits; Kapp KS-1491 (steel guitar) |
| 7 | Roy Smeck: Wizard of the Strings; Blue Goose BG-2027; 1980/1979 |
| Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith & his Crackerjacks: Mister Guitar; Starday SLP-173 | |
| 8 | Frank Sorrell [& his 4 Guitars]: The Magic Sounds of Frank Sorrell; Coral CRL-757324 |
| 7 | Julian Tharpe: The Jet Age; Midland ML-JT-1001 (steel guitar) |
| 7 | The Ventures: Going to the Ventures Dance Party; Liberty/Dolton LST-8017 |
| 6 | The Ventures Play Telstar & the Lonely Bull; Liberty/Dolton LST-8019 |
| 7 | The Ventures: Surfing; Liberty/Dolton LST-8022 |
| 5 | The Ventures Play Country Classics; Liberty LST-8023 (I Walk the Line) |
| 5 | The Ventures: Let's Go; Liberty LST-8024 |
| 8 | The Ventures in Space; Liberty LST-8027 |
| 5 | The Ventures: The Fabulous Ventures; Liberty LST-8029 |
| 6 | The Ventures: Walk, Don't Run Vol.2; Liberty LST-8031 |
| 6 | The Ventures Knock Me Out ; Liberty LST-8033 |
| 5 | The Ventures on Stage; Liberty LST-8035 |
| 6 | The Ventures A Go-Go; Liberty LST-8037 |
| 4 | The Ventures Christmas Album; Liberty LST-8038 |
| 6 | The Ventures: Where the Action Is; Liberty LST-8040 |
| 8 | The Ventures: Batman Theme; Liberty LST-8042 |
| 6 | The Ventures: Go with the Ventures; Liberty LST-8045 |
| 6 | The Ventures: Wild Things; Liberty LST-8047 |
| 6 | The Ventures: Guitar Freakout; Liberty LST-8050 |
| 7 | The Ventures: Super Psychedelics; Liberty LST-8052 |
| 6 | The Ventures: Golden Greats by; Liberty LST-8053 (compilation) |
| 5 | The Ventures: 1,00,000.00 Weekend; Liberty LST-8054; 1967 |
| 4 | The Ventures: Hawaii Five-O; Liberty LST-8061 |
| 4 | The Ventures: Swamp Rock; Liberty LST-8062 (arr. w/Mike Melvoin) |
| 6 | The Ventures: Rock & Roll Forever; United Artists UAS-5649; 1972 |
| 8 | Speedy West: Steel Guitar; Capitol T-1341 |
Partly Guitar LPs
| Rating | |
| 7 | The Bernard Ebbinghouse Orchestra: The Big Band Sound/Orchestral Sounds/Rhythmic Moods/In a Quiet Mood; Bosworth Backgrounds BLP-147; 1976 ("Sounds Cool"; production/mod) |
| 8 | Various: Rock & Roll/Space-Fantasy; CBS Records EZ Cue "Golden Minutes" CSM-930 (production; space-electronic/organ/mod/guitar; partly Pat Prilly) |
[Pop] Guitar 45s
| Rating | |
| 8 | The Gongettes: Gong, Gong--I'm Blue/Trouble; Original Sound OS-21; 1962 (B-side instrumental) |
| 7 | The Motivations: The Slow Fizz/The Squeeze; DynoVoice 216 (Herb Bernstein/Bob Crewe) |
| 6 | The Wild-Cats: Gazachstahagen/Billy's Cha-Cha; United Artists UA-154 (w/Billy Mure) |
Hyp Records is a 3-part guide:
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