Backgrouder: Nelson Riddle - Communication

In 1971, Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, the founder of Germany's MPS Records, had an idea. But first he had two questions: Why would an arranger the likes of Nelson Riddle be reduced to composing, arranging and conducting for The 101 Strings, an album released a year earlier? And why would he be compelled to record originals straining to be with-it? Listening to the tracks, Brunner-Schwer realized immediately that the project was a huge mismatch.

The reason for Riddle's participation was simple: For the first time in 25 years, he was without a contract, wanted to stay busy and needed the income. Brunner-Schwer's idea was to bring Riddle to MPS's Black Forest studio and record an album that would be on much more sophisticated level. To take the heat off, Riddle wouldn't have to compose, just arrange and conduct. All of the tracks recorded would be by the hippest German writers of adult contemporary music, which in Europe then was a lot sexier and cooler than the cloying “beautiful music" pouring out of FM radio stations in the U.S.

Riddle loved the idea and set to work arranging his first MPS album, Communication. To sweeten the deal, Claus Ogerman and Willi Fruth produced. The personnel was never disclosed on the album jacket, but I'm guessing the players were top German radio big band and studio musicians. The album was released in late 1971.

The tracks are:

• Born Happy (composer: Frank Pleyer)
• A Night of Love (Franz Grothe)
• Uptown Dance (Claus Ogerman)
• Time and Space (Erwin Lehn)
• Dedication (Georg Haentzschel)
• Volcano's Daughter (Rolf Hans Müller)
• Romantic Places (Willi Fruth)
• It's Your Turn (Heinz Kiessling)
• Rachel (Horst Jankowski)
• Greenwich Village (Rolf Cardello)

Here's Nelson Riddle's Communication (1971) without interruptions from ads. It's so good the album could have been a movie soundtrack...