Where do all those no-name CDs in the discount bins and at the dollar and thrift stores come from? A lot of them (in fact, most of them) originate in Europe -- case in point, the Studio Sound Orchestra's 20 Melodies from Paradise: Romantic Hawaii. It first floated across from the Netherlands in 1989 on both CD and cassette.
Now, most of these anonymous productions aren't even worth the dollar or two you might spend on them. A few are passable and even fewer are worth hearing more than once.
20 Melodies from Paradise happens to be one of the better ones. In fact, it fact it's a pretty good example of the fascination with Hawaiian music in some European countries, notably the Netherlands and Belgium. Such groups as the Waikikis, whose Hawaii Tattoo was a worldwide hit in the 1960s, and the Kilima Hawaiians were widely popular.
In any case, here's a sampling of 20 Melodies from Paradise.
Ajoen, Ajoen
Buyer beware! Much of the material on these anonymous CDS is endlessly recycled, under different titles and even credited to different artists. 20 Melodies from Paradise is also available as Souvenirs from Hawaii. The tracks are in a different order but it's again credited to the Studio Sound Orchestra. You can buy a used copy for as little as 19 cents via Amazon.
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