Ray Martin's Piccadilly Strings - International Vibrations

British orchestra leader Ray Martin (1918-1988) was at the forefront of easy listening, or what the British preferred to call "light music," in the 1950s.

He held a high position with EMI Music in the U.K., enabling him to become an influential producer. But he often worked under pseudonyms, making some of his career difficult to track.

Martin was born Kurt Kohn in Vienna and changed his name after emigrating to the U.K. in 1937. On top of his recording career as arranger, producer and artist, he composed scores for movies and T.V. Martin worked in the U.S. from 1957 to 1972, then returned to Britain. He lived in South Africa for the final years of his life.

International Vibrations (1957) was one of the half dozen albums Martin recorded for Capitol under the Piccadilly Strings moniker. The LP cover promised "Lush Listening Inspired by the Most Glamorous Girls in the World." Here's a sample.

To Jean



None of the Piccadilly Strings albums are being sold as downloads. But International Vibrations was coupled with another Ray Martin LP, Million Dollar Melodies, on a Vocalion CD in 2005. Strangely the "international" vanished from the title as did the Piccadilly Strings name.

You can buy a used copy on Amazon for a reasonable price.

To finish up YouTube provides another track from International Vibrations.