Description
Les Baxter 4 Les Baxter Vol 2 (Eight Classic Albums) – 4 Compact Discs
Les Baxter – Les Baxter Vol. 2: Eight Classic Albums is a richly packed compilation that brings together eight influential albums from one of the most important figures in the development of exotica, lounge, and orchestral pop music in mid-20th-century America. This volume captures Baxter at his most adventurous, cinematic, and sonically luxurious, offering a deep dive into the lush orchestrations and globe-spanning fantasies that made his sound so distinctive.
Baxter, a classically trained composer and arranger, rose to fame in the 1950s and early 1960s for his ability to blend Hollywood-style orchestration with global rhythms, wordless vocals, and imaginative instrumentation. While some may view his work through a kitschy or nostalgic lens today, Baxter was a pioneering figure in space-age pop, creating immersive soundscapes that influenced generations of film composers and lounge revivalists.
Les Baxter Vol. 2 provides an immersive overview of Baxter’s ability to conjure entire worlds with his orchestral palette. He wasn’t just a bandleader—he was a sonic architect, creating what could be considered early examples of concept albums long before the rock world adopted the idea. His music evokes imagined lands, lost civilizations, and space-faring adventures, blending Hollywood drama, lounge elegance, and cultural fantasy.
While today his work is sometimes critiqued through a modern lens for its appropriation of global musical motifs, it’s also widely respected for its innovation, arrangements, and influence on genres like ambient, new age, film scoring, and even electronic music.
This eight-album set is perfect for both longtime fans and curious newcomers, offering a sweeping introduction to exotica and mood music at its most inventive. It also works wonderfully as a sonic backdrop for reading, relaxing, or just stepping into another world entirely.
Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic
Track Listing
Kaleidoscope (1955)
Tropicana 2:06
April In Portugal 2:41
Julie 2:52
Cornflakes 2:34
Elaine (Gitane) 2:44
Invitation 2:47
Blue Tango 2:55
Festival Hop 1:45
Ruby 2:52
Gigi 2:40
Atlantis 2:13
The High And The Mighty 2:43
Tamboo (1956)
Simba 2:40
Oasis Of Dakhla 3:35
Maracaibo 2:52
Tehran 2:21
Patan 2:35
Havana 3:03
Mozambique 4:07
Wotuka 2:21
Cuchibamba 2:14
Batumba 3:11
Rio 3:09
Zambezi 3:17
Caribbean Moonlight (1956)
Taboo 2:37
Deep Night 3:06
The Breeze And I 1:16
Nightingale 1:48
Temptation 2:33
Poinciana 2:57
Ay, Ay, Ay 3:00
Adios 2:31
Carnival 2:43
Green Eyes 2:49
Out Of This World 4:04
Sway (Quien Era) 2:13
Les Baxter & Frank Pourcel – La Femme (1956)
Les Levres 2:45
Les Bras 2:42
Les Yeux 2:45
La Taille 2:32
Les Doigts 2:56
Les Seins 2:25
Les Hanches 3:03
Le Lope Des Oreilles 4:11
La Chevelure 2:34
Le Mollet 3:13
Les Cuisses 3:09
La Nuque 3:54
Round The World With Les Baxter (1957)
Buenos Aires 2:27
Melodia Loca 2:04
The Poor People Of Paris 2:23
Japanese Parasols 2:39
The Clown On The Eiffel Tower 2:00
Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart 2:49
Venezuela 2:44
Purple Islands 2:44
Padam, Padam 2:33
Normandy 2:29
Monika 3:05
Romantic Rio 2:23
Skins (1957)
Afro Deesia 1:59
Brazilian Bash 2:34
Bustin’ The Bongos 5:10
Conversation 2:35
Poppin’ Panderos 2:27
Talkin’ Drums 3:47
Reverberasia 2:08
Shoutin’ Drums 5:51
Gringo 2:08
Mood Tatooed 2:14
Midnight On The Cliffs (1957)
Midnight On The Cliffs 3:01
Wake The Town And Tell The People 2:31
End Of Spring 2:47
Take My Love 2:38
The Shrike 2:22
Blue Mirage 2:27
Unchained Melody 2:28
The Medic Theme 2:37
Suddenly 2:30
If You Were Mine 2:45
When Your In Love 2:49
Dream Rhapsody 2:05
Ports Of Pleasure (1957)
Tahiti, A Summer Night At Sea 2:30
Hong Kong Cable Car 2:47
The Gates Of Annam 4:39
Shanghai Rickshaw 1:17
Tramp Steamer To Singapore 3:28
Spice Islands Sea Birds 1:46
City Of Veils 4:15
Monkey Dance Of Bali 1:34
Harem Silks From Bombay 2:24
Sidewalk Cafes Of Saigon 2:38
The Pearls Of Ceylon 3:26
Bangkok Cockfight
