The Three Suns
Movin’ ‘n’ Groovin’
RCA Victor LSA-2532, 1962

The Three Suns broke out in the mid-40s with their own “Twilight Time” (co-written by the group and Buck Ram), and continued cranking out instrumental records through the ‘50s and into the ‘60s. This LP, from 1962, is their entry in RCA’s “Stereo Action” line (which also featured LPs from Esquivel, Bernie Green and others), with arrangements built to maximize the soundstage, both by placing instruments broadly across the stereo image, and by panning instruments as they play. As they say, it’s “the sound your eyes can follow.”

Original liner notes:

RCA Victor Stereo Action – The Sound Your Eyes Can Follow
Stereo Action is a new concept of music in motion; a new dimension in recorded sound. Stereo Action brings you unmatched fidelity through the full sound spectrum, plus the exciting new illusion of sound in motion. Soloists and entire sections of the orchestra appear to move thrillingly back and forth across the room. Stereo Action is musical movement so real, your eyes will follow the sound.

Sound, Dimension and Movement find the Three Suns once again Movin’ ‘n’ Groovin’. Add to this—Performance brilliante, Blend araomatique, Taste magnifique—and we sit down to a Suns-Stopper.

The imaginative artistry of Al Nevins is again combined with the magic of arranger-composer Charles Albertine and, for the first time on records, that talented team—which gave NBC-TV its theme music for Midnight Movie (Alone with the Blues) and Movie Four (Night Theme)—paints a picture for us in true depth of focus. Albertine has extended his musical thinking into fresh and unexplored worlds with his exciting arrangements for this stimulating new medium, Stereo Action. A very special bow to Alan Lorber (one of America’s youngest arrangers) for his help musically in making this album possible.

The musical core of the Three Suns—the familiar guitar, accordion and organ—has been here augmented by an extraordinary assortment of instruments, including jaw bone, wind bells, chains, tapping shoes, harpsichord, ad infinitum—all gliding and sliding in a whirlwind of pattern and a maelstrom of motion, sometimes subtly and variously violent, but always Movin’ ‘n’ Groovin’.

Recorded in RCA Victor’s Studio A, New York City. Recording Engineer: Ray Hall. Mastering: Dick Gardner.

The Story of Stereo Action
Stereo Action is a revolutionary new concept of stereo recording in which instruments, singers, whole sections, and even full orchestras are placed into movement so that the listener has, literally, music his eyes can follow.

Stereo Action is a conscious and deliberate effort to set music in motion by utilizing actual movement of instruments and sounds from one speaker to the other, and even, at times, suspending an instrument or sound between speakers. It is a pioneering concept in stereo listening, and resulted from years of extensive experiments and remarkable technical break-throughs by the RCA Victor corps of engineers.

Stereo Action requires a wholly new approach to recording. Musical motion is first conceived by the composer and arranger. Every note of the music to be recorded must be scored with Stereo Action in mind, as if it were a new and dominating musical instrument or voice. An elaborate system of charting each and every instrument for proper stereo placement guides the actual scoring. In addition to the musical annotation, a companion series of non-musical diagrams for the studio work is developed.

This wedding of musical artistry and electronic creativity produces Stereo Action – literally, the sound your eyes can follow.


Side 1

April Showers In this evergreen, the accordion is surrounded by solo and bass guitar sliding from side to side. There is a brief duet between the melody organ, with an obbligato, and a second organ, ad the arrangement moves into a double-tempo bridge. The accordion and organ carry the melody, while the guitar, harpsichord and marimba move in syncopated figures from speaker to speaker.

Caravan Against a Far Eastern backdrop of rhythm, guitar and chromatic bongos, the melody is introduced by the high-pitched nasal organ. A living caravan of sound passes the “listening” eye, beginning with the Jew’s-harp and chromatic cowbells, followed by the koto guitars and tambourine, and, finally, tuned temple blocks, twisting and turning through a very real procession. The feel of the number shifts with a humorous swing guitar solo and moving chromatic bongos. The second chorus is a ping-pong effect of organs and accordion swinging from side to side in mimicry of the swinging camel gait. The number ends with a return to the original caravan sound.

Autumn Leaves The falling leaves whirl around and through the speakers in startling clarity and movement, with two marimbas and harpsichord serving as dramatic background for a beautifully executed accordion solo. The guitar takes the melody for a while, and the second chorus is introduced with bass accordion playing melody and two new guitars added to the delicate background.

Dancing With Tears in My Eyes In this number we have a tap dancer, with the solo guitar as dancing partner. The organ takes the melody for awhile, is briefly interrupted by a swinging staccato accordion, and then goes into a ping-pong routine with the guitar. The tap dancer (a pair of real tap shoes handled by a percussionist) closes the number with some fancy footwork from speaker to speaker.

Jungle Drums The hot, exotic feel is created by chromatic bongos, timbales and Spanish guitar, while the bass accordion takes the melody, and the bamboo drum and log drums move through a very real jungle. A solo melody guitar takes over with the Flamenco guitar playing a rhythmic backdrop, accentuated by wood blocks, marimba and harpsichord combination in constant motion. After a brief interlude by organ and blending bass guitar, the number ends with the original jungle sounds.

Movin’ ‘n’ Groovin’ Charles Albertine specially created this number as a sprightly vehicle to demonstrate the full mobility of Stereo Action used to the nth degree.

Anniversary Song This side features movements from left to right and right to left, etc., with two marimbas and harpsichord playing cascading figures in the background and a highly stylized accordion playing melody in the center. The organ joins the pattern in the second chorus, playing the melody in unison with the accordion, while a second organ ad libs figures from speaker to speaker. In the next chorus, the organ takes over the melody while two new guitars—a fourth higher, in “F”—play double-time figures in the background. The side ends with a return to the cascading figure pattern.

Side 2

Beyond the Sea A moving background of bamboo wind bells, jaw bone, kettledrums and organ rolling from side to side faithfully reproduces the sounds of sea and surf behind the centered melody, carried first by the bass accordion and then by the regular accordion, with chromatic bongo punctuation. In the release, the guitar carries the melody line, with percussive overtones from the chromatic wood blocks and chromatic bongos. The arrangement returns to the opening effect with the addition of a marimba in the background and a dry organ taking over the melody for a while. The release is repeated, with a harpsichord melody complemented by a twangy bass guitar. Finally we return to the original mood in closing.

Some of These Days The accordion carries the melody, accentuated by a percussive bas guitar and regular guitar swinging from side to side. Then the organ takes over, with a happy background-guitar figure. The arrangement switches to a honky-tonk harpsichord solo, and then returns to the original trio effect of accordion and two guitars.

Danny’s Inferno In this unusual adaptation by Charles Albertine, the full depth-of-focus effect of Stereo Action is captured. The opening sounds of the “Inferno”—African xylophone, timpani and the jaw bone of an ass—dramatically underscore the rapid-fire ping-pong of the melody, carried by bass accordion on the right and chromatic bongo and bass guitar on the left. The organ answers the melody with bass guitar punctuation, while the chains of the Damned are dragged back and forth in an almost visual effect. The arrangement returns to the opening Inferno effect, and then the organ breaks into a macabre jazz solo while a frightened-sounding guitar flies back and forth from speaker to speaker. The staging ends with a reprise of the first chorus.

The Vagabond King Waltz This number opens with a sweeping glissando movement on piano, xylophone and organ, in contrary motion. The solo organ takes the melody, while the piano spins an ethereal Chopinesque web around it and the staccato accordion joins in. An entirely new feeling is introduced as two guitars do a Spanish waltz behind the melody accordion. The side ends with a repeat of the opening glissando movement.

Stumbling After a short guitar introduction, the tap dancer reappears, stumbles his way through his routine, sliding and tapping from speaker to speaker to the melody of a syncopated accordion, accompanied by ping-ponging organs and guitars.

Side 1
April Showers (B.G. DeSylvia, L. Silvers)
Caravan (Ellington, Tizol, Mills)
Autumn Leaves (Prevert, Mercer, Kosma)
Dancing With Tears in My Eyes (A. Dubin, J. Burke)
Jungle Drums (Lecuona, Lombardo, O’Flynn)
Movin’ ‘n’ Groovin’ (C. Albertine)

Side 2
Anniversary Song (A. Jolson, S. Chaplin)
Beyond the Sea (J. Lawrence, C. Tenet)
Some of These Days (S. Brooks)
Danny’s Inferno (C. Albertine)
The Vagabond King Waltz (R. Friml, B. Hooker)
Stumbling (Z. Confrey)

Song notes by Faith Whitehill
Produced by Nevins-Kirshner
Arranged by Charles Albertine

1/1 #aldon (320kbps, 87.7MB)