On Vacation with Mitch Miller

You really need to click on the image above to see it properly. When you do, you will see a suburban couple and their furniture transported to an airport tarmac, where they are being serenaded by a diverse assemblage of Europeans in mufti, conducted by a benevolent Mitch Miller. It must have been quite a concert, with guitars, bagpipe, tuba, trombone, violin, horn, and who knows what else.  

I can't say that my own most recent visit to the airport (two days ago) was attended with quite so much ceremony. But we're not in the 50s any more, and air travel isn't quite as glamorous as it once was. 

 The glamour of air travel is what's behind this LP. As you might suspect from the prominent placement of the SAS plane (a Super Constellation?), this record began life as a promotional item sponsored by the airline. The main selection is a mini-musical of sorts that starts with a encounter with a travel agent (who is termed a Dealer in Dreams, which today has a much different connotation). Over the next several minutes we fly over to the continent, whistle stop through numerous countries, and return. The presentation of the SAS menu is particularly absurd, with elaborate foods and wines described in detail. I was reminded of the low point of my airborne culinary career, when I was served a frozen taco - frozen. 

All this (the music, that is, not the taco) is presented by young Columbia artists Jill Corey and Jerry Vale, and Thurl Ravenscroft-style bass Michael Stewart. The character parts are taken by someone named Jonathan Winters - it could be the comedian early in his career, but he doesn't sound like himself here, if you know what I mean. 

The other side contains three Miller chestnuts - good ones, featuring Stan Freeman and his harpsichord, best known for their contribution to the Mitch-produced "Come on-a My House."

I mentioned that this began life as a promotion for SAS airlines. Not sure, but I think the original presentation was through travel agents, inside the cover below (the record, not the travel agents). The commercial version came later, with the cover above. The SAS package substituted three classical excerpts from Scandinavia.