NOTE: NONE of these albums have yet been officially released on compact disc. However, some CD-Rs mastered from vinyl of certain key albums have been turning up on the Net. A couple of e-mail reports say that they sound decent, but reissues have yet to see true justice.

(Click on the cover art or album title for larger cover art, plus track listings and liner notes.)

I'd like this area of the site to eventually include fan's anecdotes and manifestos. I've gotten a handful of responses so far from Three Suns fans, and I'll some day compile some of the best here. If you'd like to submit some brief comments for consideration, please do!

In the meantime, I've had several requests for recommendations of cool Three Suns records. Given the enormous recorded output of the group (yow, have you seen the still-in-progress complete Discography section?), and knowing some records are hipper than others, it can be tough to know which ones to to only pay a quarter for at the thrift store, and which ones to shed blood over at record shows and on eBay. Below is a list of favorites of mine and some fellow Three Suns fans with brief reviews.

It should be stated that this is biased more toward the tastes of fans of songs like "Danny's Inferno" than "Twilight Time." This represents the interests of fans of Suns contemporaries like Esquivel more than those like Guy Lombardo, and for the kind of listener more interested in Ferrante & Teicher's earlier "prepared piano" albums than F&T's later orchestral LPs.

THE "A" LIST - DON'T BE LIVING WITHOUT 'EM!!!

 

 

FEVER & SMOKE

The album that made a Three Suns fanatic out of me...guitar, organ, and accordion solos swril in a mind-melting maelstrom of beatnik bongos and snappy "exotic percussion." Maniacal mastermind arranger Charles Albertine is in his prime here. A sampling source favorite for recent hipsters like Tipsy and Dimitri From Paris. This is the source for "lounge" compilation CD smashes "Col. Bogey March," "Fever," and "Smoke," appropriately enough. And don't miss the Suns' Oriental twist on "Tequila" and the epic Albertine original "Beyond the Sun."

 

 

MOVIN' 'N' GROOVIN'

This is the Suns' entry in RCA's Stereo Action series of deluxe hyper-stereo-effect extravaganzas. Some of Albertine's most quirky, crazed arrangements move in this LP's grooves, including mid-1990s compilation CD faves "Caravan" and "Danny's Inferno." Like Fever & Smoke, off-the-wall percussion instrumentation also propels this dizzying stereophonic wonder.

Cool trivia: the title track (unavailable on CD) was used in a 2000 "thick-headed husband" A&W Root Beer TV Commercial.

 

 

FUN IN THE SUN

This swell collection of summery-themed numbers arranged by Charles Albertine was released between the above two albums, and it actually holds up almost as well. There's oddball Albertine instrumentation, particularly on tracks like "By the Beautiful Sea" and "Isle of Capri," that is on-par with the above two legendary monsters. In some ways, certain tracks almost have a surf-rock edge. Like the other "A" List albums, it has its own distinctive personality: indisputably sunny and fun!!!

 

 

A DING DONG DANDY CHRISTMAS

Most folks I've encountered who collect these sorts of records agree: this is the wildest instrumental Christmas album in existence. Definitely a case of not merely what you have (our usual guitar, accordion, and organ with tuba and an onslaught of bells and chimes — inarguably a quirky combination to start with), but what you do with it. Entertaining all year round, but preferably curl up by a fireplace on a snowy night and let Albertine melt your mind with his unparalleled, wiggy arrangements of holiday standards.

One of at least four different Suns Christmas song collections, and unfortunately one of the rarest. Unlike the inescapableThe Sound(s) of Christmas, which was in print in various packagings for at least 15 years, this one appears to have only been available for a couple of Christmas seasons.

 

 

THE THREE SUNS IN JAPAN
(a.k.a.“TWINKLE CONSTELLATION”)

Whoa, nelly!!! So rare in the USA as to be almost non-existent, this Holy Grail of Three Suns albums was recorded exclusively for the Japanese market. This Albertine-arranged marvel easily ranks on par with the above masterpieces. Here, Albertine throws exotic Japanese instruments into the Suns mix, with maddening arrangements of primarily Japanese folk songs and children's sing-alongs. Rapturously gorgeous, hypnotically stereophonic, cascading melodies for your wildest dreams.

NOTE: don't be fooled that this cover art is shared with the American RCA-Camden LP Happy-Go-Lucky Sound — this is a totally different record!!!

 

 

VOLCANO b/w CHA CHA CHARLESTON (non-LP single)

Zowie, what a 45!!! "Volcano" is a rockin' "Tequila"-style number with a cosmic female (Gloria Bright?) interjecting the song title at opportune song stops with electronic frequency swoop outer-space noises. As if that wasn't enough, the B-side sounds like a premium, lost Living Stereo-era Perez Prado track with groovy electric organ. No Prado "ugh!"s here, but we've got accordions!!!

 

 

WAILIN' GUITAR b/w THE LOVERS (non-LP single)

OK, the self-explanatory "Wailin' Guitar" is a nifty slow, bluesy-rock-flavored number, but with a gem like "The Lovers," it doesn't matter what's on the flip-side. "The Lovers" features a rollicking, traditionally Three Suns melody line, while brief dialogue bursts and sound effects document a couple meeting, dating, and getting married in about two minutes. Some have declared it reminiscent of Mel Henke's La Dolce Henke antics.

READY TO MOVE ON TO THE ANNOTATED "B" LIST?