Bill Justis • 12 Smash Instrumental Hits

 

Review
by Greg Adams  
Bill Justis Plays 12 Smash Instrumental Hits is the third of five instrumental albums with confusingly similar titles and covers Justis made for Smash Records within a two-year period. The "smash hits" to which the title refers are not Justis', but those of other instrumental artists and combos; Justis had no hit singles to speak of during his Smash tenure, but his first couple of instrumental albums for the label were solid sellers. The tunes are mostly covers of recent instrumental hits, plus a couple of instrumental arrangements of vocal hits such as the Rooftop Singers' "Walk Right In" and the Platters' "Only You." Justis explores a variety of instrumental styles, not all of which can be characterized as rock & roll. He gives "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" a jazzy, piano-based treatment, and turns "Fly Me to the Moon" into a bossa nova. Justis moves into rock & roll territory with covers of the Rumblers' "Boss" and the Rebels' "Wild Weekend," and goes surfing with "Misirlou." Justis' version of Lawrence Welk's "Zero Zero" uses a kazoo and vocal chorus; "Meditation" features an acoustic guitar lead, and "Java" rocks harder than the hit recordings by Al Hirt and Floyd Cramer. This album finds Justis digging deeper for material, probably because he used up so many high-profile instrumental hits on the previous installments of the series.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/bill-justis-plays-12-smash-instrumental-hits-mw0001358287

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Reseña
por Greg Adams  
Bill Justis Plays 12 Smash Instrumental Hits es el tercero de cinco álbumes instrumentales con títulos y portadas confusamente similares que Justis realizó para Smash Records en un período de dos años. Los "smash hits" a los que se refiere el título no son de Justis, sino de otros artistas y combos instrumentales; Justis no tuvo ningún single de éxito durante su etapa en Smash, pero sus dos primeros álbumes instrumentales para el sello fueron sólidos éxitos de ventas. Los temas son en su mayoría versiones de éxitos instrumentales recientes, además de un par de arreglos instrumentales de éxitos vocales como "Walk Right In" de los Rooftop Singers y "Only You" de los Platters. Justis explora una variedad de estilos instrumentales, no todos los cuales pueden caracterizarse como rock & roll. A "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" le da un tratamiento jazzístico basado en el piano, y convierte "Fly Me to the Moon" en una bossa nova. Justis se adentra en el territorio del rock & roll con versiones de "Boss" de los Rumblers y "Wild Weekend" de los Rebels, y se lanza al surf con "Misirlou". La versión de Justis de "Zero Zero" de Lawrence Welk utiliza un kazoo y coros vocales; "Meditation" presenta una guitarra acústica solista, y "Java" rockea más fuerte que las exitosas grabaciones de Al Hirt y Floyd Cramer. En este álbum, Justis profundiza en su búsqueda de material, probablemente porque ha agotado muchos éxitos instrumentales de gran repercusión en las anteriores entregas de la serie.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/bill-justis-plays-12-smash-instrumental-hits-mw0001358287

Tracks:
A1 - Cast Your Fate To The Wind
Written-By – Guraldi*

A2 - Fly Me To The Moon (Bossa Nova)
Written-By – Bart Howard

A3 - Wild Weekend
Written-By – P. Todaro*, T. Shannon*

A4 - Boss
Written-By – Wenzel*

A5 - Misirlou
Written-By – Roubanis*

A6 - Meditation
Written-By – Jobim*, Mendonca*

B1 - Only You
Written-By – A. Rand*, B. Ram*

B2 - Java
Written-By – Toussaint*, Tyler*, Schack*

B3 - Zero Zero
Written-By – Carl-Henrik Norin

B4 - Walk Right In
B5 - Mr. Cool
Written-By – Burgess*

B6 - Acapulco 1922
Written-By – E. Allen*

Label:    Smash Records (4) – MGS 27031
Country:    US
Released:    1963
Genre:    Jazz, Rock, Pop
Style:    Easy Listening, Surf, Instrumental
https://www.discogs.com/release/5772958-Bill-Justis-Bill-Justis-Plays-12-Instrumental-Smash-Hits

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