101 Strings CDs on Alshire Records

101 Strings is one of the most prolific easy-listening instrumental music brands of all time. Originally created by Dave Miller of Somerset Records in the 1950s, the franchise was purchased by Al Sherman in 1963. Al Sherman started Alshire Records and proceeded to crank out 101 Strings releases like crazy. This line of albums was so popular that within 10 years, the 101 Strings sold 50 million albums! (Music Weird previously wrote about 101 Strings' best and weirdest albums.)

The Alshire logo

In 1986, Alshire started reissuing the old Somerset and Alshire albums on CD. The CDs typically featured generic graphic design, minimal notes (if any), and little information apart from a list of other Alshire Records titles that were available on compact disc. Between 1986 and 1994, Alshire released over 100 CDs. 

In 1995, Sherman sold the Alshire catalog to the budget label Madacy, and Madacy subsequently has released countless 101 Strings CDs with even less appealing packaging than the old generic Alshire CDs. I have a bizarre fascination with 101 Strings' old Alshire CDs and have been trying to collect them all, so I created this CD discography to help me—and people like me, if any such people exist—keep track of the titles.

[Update: My discussion of the variations that occurred between pressings of early 101 Strings CDs on Alshire can be found here.] 

The numbered ALCD series

The numbered ALCD series was the main series of 101 Strings reissues on Alshire Records, but a handful of non-101 Strings albums were also included.

Catalog number	Title	Year of release	Artist (if other than 101 Strings)	Notes
ALCD 1	Best of Johann Strauss Jr.			The spine and disc say Best of Johann Strauss Jr., but the cover says Johann Strauss Jr. Best Loved Waltzes. The catalog number on the disc is ALSCD-1 but on the front and back cover is ALCD 1
ALCD 2	Hits of the 50’s and ‘60s	1986
ALCD 3	Best of the Best of 101 Strings	1987		Issued with two different covers but the same catalog number
ALCD 4	Best of Latin
ALCD 5	The Soul of Spain	1986
ALCD 6	Piano Concertos and Rhapsodies	1987
ALCD 7	Love Songs	1986		A “clean” version of the LP Sounds of Love with vocals removed
ALCD 8	Million Seller All-Time Favorites
ALCD 9	Country Greats
ALCD 10	Golden Movie Themes	1986		Issued with two different covers but the same catalog number
ALCD 11	Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein	1986
ALCD 12	George Gershwin	1986
ALCD 13	N/A	N/A	N/A	Was ALCD 13 not assigned because of superstition?!
ALCD 14	Irving Berlin	1986
ALCD 15	Scheherajazz (101 Strings with the All Stars)
ALCD 16	Golden Age of Dance Bands		All Star Orchestra Plus Pipe Organ. Organist: Buddy Cole
ALCD 17	Symphonic Fireworks + Pipe Organ
ALCD 18	Plus*Plus*Plus	1986
ALCD 19	Famous Themes from Broadway Shows	1986
ALCD 20	Romantic Songs of the Sea
ALCD 21	101 Strings with the Alshire Singers
ALCD 22	More of the Best of the 101 Strings
ALCD 23	World’s Greatest Standards
ALCD 24	Strings Have Fun
ALCD 25	Sophisticated Duke
ALCD 26	Hawaiian Paradise
ALCD 27	Nelson Riddle with 101 Strings
ALCD 28	Magnificent Digital Sound
ALCD 29	Concerto Under the Stars
ALCD 30	Cole Porter	1987
ALCD 31	Lerner and Loewe: Songs from My Fair Lady – Camelot – Gigi – Paint Your Wagon – Brigadoon	1987
ALCD 32	Pop Concert Favorites
ALCD 33	101 Strings Plus Guitars	1987
ALCD 34	Soul of Greece
ALCD 35	101 Strings Plus Pianos
ALCD 36	More Hits of the 50’s and 60’s	1987
ALCD 37	The Soul of Poland
ALCD 38	The Soul of Israel
ALCD 39	The Power and the Glory
ALCD 40	I Hear America Singing
ALCD 41	Conquerors of the Ages (London Phiilharmonic)
ALCD 42	Polka Extravaganza
ALCD 43	Ravel: Bolero
ALCD 44	Music from Mexico
ALCD 45	Best of the Great American Composers, Vol. 1
ALCD 46	Best of the Great American Composers, Vol. 2
ALCD 47	Best of the Great American Composers, Vol. 3
ALCD 48	Best of the Great American Composers, Vol. 4
ALCD 49	Best of the Great American Composers, Vol. 5
ALCD 50	The Best of the Great American Composers Vol. 6	1990
ALCD 51	Electric Classics: Latin Style		The Alshire Electronics
ALCD 52	Favorite Selections from Handel’s Messiah
ALCD 53	King of Rock and Roll	1990	Bill Haley	Early, pre-Decca Haley cuts
ALCD 54	20 Years of Beautiful Music	1990
ALCD 55	The Pride of America	1991	U.S. Armed Forces Symphony
ALCD 56	Noche	1991	Los Tres	Originally released on LP on Somerset
ALCD 57	Beer Drinking Songs		Zillertal Band
ALCD 58	101 Strings Play Songs of Italy
ALCD 59	Gypsy Music
ALCD 60	With All My Love: Just for You
ALCD 61	Million Sellers of the 50’s, 60’s & 70’s			Around this time, Alshire switched to generic cover art—only the titles changed
ALCD 62	Romantic Evergreens	1992
ALCD 63	Movie & Television Themes	1992
ALCD 64	Love Songs	1992		Same title as ALCD 7 but different album
ALCD 65	Romantic Latin-American Favorites	1992
ALCD 66	Symphony for Blues
ALCD 67	A Tribute to Nat King Cole	1995
ALCD 68	“Salutes” the Great American Artists Vol. 1	1994
ALCD 69	“Salutes” the Great American Artists Vol. 2	1994
ALCD 70	“Salutes” the Great American Artists Vol. 3	1994
ALCD 71
ALCD 72	101 Strings Play a Tribute to the Beatles Greatest Hits!!

ALCD 73
ALCD 74
ALCD 75	101 Strings Presents a Tribute to Henry Mancini	1994
ALCD 76

Miscellaneous other Alshire CD series

Alshire created other series for some of their non-101 Strings releases, some of their samplers, and a short-lived line of double-CD releases. The double-CD sets were packaged in individual jewel cases, and the same barcode appeared on both discs' tray cards. You rarely find these double-CD sets packaged together as double-CD sets in used bins, because they look like individual CDs. Unless you already knew what was up, you wouldn't guess that they were two-CD sets. 

ALCD SPL	Special Sampler	1987		“24 glorious songs”
ALCD SPL-2	The Worlds Greatest Melodies	1987	101 Strings with the London Philharmonic Orchestra
ALCD SPL-3	30th Anniversary Special
ALCD 201	Handel’s Messiah		The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir	2 CDs
EXCD 300	The Best of Larry Wolff and the Streetbeaters		Larry Wolff & The Streetbeaters	“Over one hour of rapdance breakdance.” This release is on the Exact label but was listed among Alshire releases in some of the 101 Strings booklets. Exact has the same address as Alshire International
CDLX 1400	20 Greatest Movie Hits
ADCD 1000	Waltzing Violins Vols. 1 & 2			Alshire double compact disc series
ADCD 1001	The Fire and Romance of Spain/The Fire and Romance of Mexico			Alshire double compact disc series
ADCD 1002	A Toast to Broadway & Hollywood Vols. 1 & 2			Alshire double compact disc series
ADCD 1003	Strings for Lovers/Romantic Moods Vols. 1 & 2	1993		Alshire double compact disc series
ADCD 1004	Aloha Hawaii Vols. 1 & 2			Alshire double compact disc series
ADCD 1005	Golden Hits, Vols.1 & 2	1993		Alshire double compact disc series
ADCD 1006	Singalongs/Polkas			Alshire double compact disc series
ADCD 1007	Hits of the 50s, 60s & 70s, Vols. 1 & 2			Alshire double compact disc series
ADCD 1008	Accordion Hits/The Best of John Philip Sousa			Alshire double compact disc series
ADCD 1009	Inspiration & Meditation Vols. 1 & 2	1993		Alshire double compact disc series
20DN-135	Academy Awards Film			Japanese CD release

Japanese Teichiku Records CDs

These Japanese CDs were manufactured and distributed by Teichiku Records but issued under the Alshire imprint. Some of the album covers and titles contained typos, such as the tribute to Elvis Presley below, which spells Elvis' last name "Presly." 

TECH-20232	A Gentle Breeze from Waimea: Strings Hawaiian Mood		2011
TECP-20029	In a Persian Market/World Beloved Songs (Around the World)/Ethnic Mood Best 20
TECP-20030	Ethnic Mood-Music from Spain		1990
TECP-20033	Ethnic Mood-Music from Russian [sic] & Germany		1990
TECP-???	History of Screen Music (5), 1956-1959
TECP-20311	History of Screen Music (8), 1965-1968		1990
TECP-20313	History of Screen Music (10), 1972-Today		1990
TECP-20521	[something] in Music: Evening Serenade
TECP-20585	Play a Tribute to Elvis Presly [sic]		1990
TECP-20633	A Portrait of Wedding		1990
TECP-20871	Broadway Show (1)

Print-on-demand CD-Rs on Amazon

Many, many print-on-demand 101 Strings CD-Rs appeared on Amazon in 2014. They're listed as Alshire releases, even though Alshire doesn't exist anymore. I’m not going to list them all, but here are a few.

S-5088	Play Million Seller Hits	CD-R allegedly on Alshire	2014
S-5097	Valley of the Dolls and Other Academy Award Hits	CD-R allegedly on Alshire	2014
S-5105	Featuring Hits Made Famous by the Supremes	CD-R allegedly on Alshire	2014
S-5111	Play Hits Written by the Beatles	CD-R allegedly on Alshire	2014

Other notable 101 Strings CD releases

In no particular order.

Time-Life	Instrumental Favorites	Licensed from Madacy	1996
Scamp SCP 9717-2	Astro Sounds from Beyond the Year 2000	Licensed from Madacy	1996
Hit Parade	Rock & Roll Symphony No. 1: A 1959 Stereo Concert	Contains the complete 101 Strings album Back Beat Symphony (1961)	2014
Columbia Japan JXCP-1095	Orchestral “The Beatles”
EMPRCD009	Are You Lonesome Tonight? Beautiful Arrangements Performed by the 101 Strings Orchestra	Instrumental arrangements of Elvis hits. On Emporio Records, licensed from Alshire	1993

Tennessee Ernie Ford on the cover of Holiday Inn magazine, 1971

Country Music Hall of Famer Tennessee Ernie Ford appeared on the cover of the September 1971 Holiday Inn, a "magazine for travelers" that was given away at Holiday Inn hotels. 

Ford's 1971 hit, "Happy Songs of Love"

Ford had been a major recording star in the 1950s and the host of television's The Ford Show into the early 1960s. By 1971, when this issue of Holiday Inn was published, he was still recording for Capitol Records but wasn't having big hits anymore. He had only one country hit in 1971, "Happy Songs of Love," which you've probably never heard of. It peaked at #58 on Billboard's country chart.

In the '70s, Ford capitalized on his past recording success by working as an advertising spokesman for furniture companies and flour companies and continuing to release records to a shrinking but loyal fan base.

Tennessee Ernie Ford is served by Chef Clary.

The Holiday Inn cover pictured Ford at Oscar's, a revolving restaurant on top of the Holiday Inn in Hollywood, California. The article said, "Tennessee Ernie Ford recently used the Director's Room [a banquet room in the restaurant] for rehearsal during a visit to the Inn. While in Hollywood he previewed a television special for the press and recorded a new album." 

Ford, like most major-label country artists, was cranking out two to three albums a year at that time, so it's hard to say which of his albums from 1971 or 1972 was being recorded.

Despite being featured on the cover of the magazine, Ford is mentioned in only one paragraph in an article about Oscar's restaurant. He also appears in a second photo that is nearly identical to the first. In that photo, the tablecloth, the chef's scarf, the cloth in the basket of rolls, and that weird decorative element on the plate all appear to be made from the same fabric.

The Go-Betweens: Live at the Barbican program (2004)

The Go-Betweens performed at the Barbican, "Europe's largest multi-arts and conference venue" (according to its website), on June 27, 2004. The concert was released the following year as a two-disc set, Live in London, which was sold only at the Go-Betweens' shows and through their online shop. Six songs from the concert were also included as a bonus disc with some pressings of the Go-Betweens' 2005 album Oceans Apart.

My pal Richard Arthur sent me an original copy of the four-page program from the show, so I scanned it for other Go-Betweens fans to enjoy. The notes include several quotations from Forster and are transcribed below. Click on the images to see a larger version. 

The band lineup for this show was: 

Robert Forster – Vocals, electric and acoustic guitars
Grant McLennan – Vocals, electric and acoustic guitars
Glenn Thompson – Vocals, drums
Adele Pickvance – Vocals, bass

With:

Audrey Riley – Cello, arranger
Chris Tombling – Violin
Richard George – Violin
Sue Dench – Viola
Dominic Kelly – Oboe

THE GO-BETWEENS

If there's one band that really gives the lie to the expression 'talent will out', it has to be The Go-Betweens. Described by critic Robert Christgau as 'the greatest cult band of the 80s', Australia's quintessential rock balladeers were always popular with the press. But somehow, they never quite managed to translate cult status into significant record sales. Their 'striped sunlight sound' seemed to fall between the cracks wherever they took it. 

You probably know about their early days in Brisbane in the late 70s. How they swapped the bright light for the bright lights. The bittersweet five-year sojourn in London, and a subsequent messy dissolution in Sydney at the very end of the 80s. The six classic albums they left in their wake – now sumptuously repackaged with bonus discs of loveable leftovers. The Robert Forster and Grant McLennan solo recordings and their periodic, teasingly fleeting reunions during the 90s. And the triumphant reformation for the new millennium, which has so far produced two more albums. Tonight's gig is a celebration [of] The Go-Betweens Mk.2 and a fond gaze over a back catalogue to die for. 

Things have come full circle for Forster and McLennan. They both live back in 'Brissie', and though their lives have changed, the 'creative friendship' which has always been the basis of their work together is back in flower, given added impetus by proximity. In many ways, it's just like the old days, as Robert explains:

'I just get in the car and drive over to his place, and we just sit and play guitar, like, toe to toe, playing the songs and just sitting and talking about them, basically.'

'There's an ever-persistent garage rock revival going on in Australia. So we feel just as much a fish-out-of-water as we ever did.'

Otherwise, they're happy to be home. But it also feels good to be back in this part of the world, with a whole double bill at their disposal. 

'I've wanted to do this for some time. Not just to play the current album and selected bits from the back catalogue, like when we tour, but instead to really get into it. Throw off the shackles and become The Grateful Dead or Bruce Springsteen ... we could play pure quality for, I'd say, 4 and a half, 5 hours! It would not dip.'

Adele Pickvance and Glenn Thompson complete the current Go-betweens line-up, and they'll be helped out by a four-piece string section led by Audrey Riley, a veteran of both Liberty Bell, the Black Diamond Express and Tallulah. They'll be giving an extraordinary pop-rock legacy the red carpet treatment it surely deserves. So enjoy listening out for your favourites. And maybe a few expected treats. 

'I don't wanna give away what we're gonna play. But it's not gonna be some crazy zig-zag though B-sides. There will be excursions into other corners – but from a position of comfort. A lot of thought has gone into what we're playing. And we're enormously excited. We're looking back, we're looking at now and we're looking forward. That's important. And we're scared. But we're confident.'

Jon Lusk

Bob and Ray – "I'd Like to Be a Cow in Switzerland" (1949)

Radio comedians Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding weren't singers, but they did some intentionally bad singing on their radio show from time to time. The duo was on the air from 1946 to 1987, and in those 41 years, although they released a number of spoken-word comedy albums, they released only one record of music: "Mule Train" b/w "I'd Like to Be a Cow in Switzerland," both sides of which were performed by Ray Goulding's Mary McGoon character in 1949.

The record came about after Goulding-as-McGoon performed "Mule Train" on the air to poke fun at the flood of cover versions that appeared when Frankie Laine's version became a hit. "Mule Train" was so ubiquitous that even Mary McGoon—the elderly host of a recipe segment on Bob and Ray's show—was singing it. 

David Pollock's book Bob and Ray, Keener Than Most Persons says:

After first performing ["Mule Train"] live on the program, requests poured in for Mary to repeat the number; some even suggested that she put it on record. Finally, Ray recorded it in Mary's voice, joined on the choruses by Elliott as Tex Blaisdell. Bill Green provided the piano accompaniment. On the flip side, Mary sang, "I'd Like to Be a Cow in Switzerland," with music and lyrics by Charles and Nick Kenny. ... With McGrath's* okay—in exchange for a cut—the record was highly promoted on the station. But when the pressed discs arrived shortly before Christmas, there was no shipping operation in place. Finally, Sam Clark, an owner of a small Boston record distributorship with a taste for offbeat labels, let the boys use his basement. Night after night, after their regular WHDH shifts, the two processed all mail-order requests themselves, including packaging and mailing, in Clark's garage. Everyone involved—including McGrath—made out okay.

*William McGrath, general manager of Boston's WHDH.

On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio says that Bob and Ray's recording of "Mule Train" and "I'd Like to Be a Cow in Switzerland"—released on their own Bob and Ray Records label—"quickly sold out its 3,000-copy pressing and was soon a collectors item."

Although "Mule Train" was the A-side of the single, "I'd Like to Be a Cow in Switzerland" seems to be the best remembered of the two Bob and Ray recordings, perhaps because that song hasn't been as widely recorded as "Mule Train."

Bob and Ray

The David Pollock quotation above says that Charles and Nick Kenny wrote the music and lyrics of "I'd Like to Be a Cow," but the song was actually written by the third person whose name appears on the label: Pat Gorman. 

Gorman was a longtime secretary-treasurer of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters' Union (AMCU). In 1947, the AMCU recorded 10 songs by Gorman and pressed them on records to give to the union's members as Christmas gifts. Billboard reported that Gorman, "for 30 years an executive of the union, has never had any formal education, but has written 735 compositions of all types of music since he was 10 years old." (A book about Gorman, Picket and the Pen: The Pat Gorman Story, was published in 1960.) 

Gorman was inspired to write "I'd Like to Be a Cow" when he took a trip to Europe and felt that Switzerland was the only peaceful place on the continent. 

A 1947 ad for Goldmine Music, Inc.

Nick and Charles Kenny of Bob Hope's Goldmine Music publishing company came across the song and began promoting it in conjunction with Paull-Pioneer Music, another music publishing firm. That must have been when they put their name on the song as "co-writers." Afterward, the song allegedly was recorded by Louis Prima for Majestic and by Irving Kaufman, but I haven't seen these records. (No version by Prima appears on discographies of Majestic's releases.) Al Trace and Nate Wexler definitely recorded the song, at least for a radio transcription. Plans were afoot at that time to incorporate the song into an animated short, but I don't know if that ever came to pass.

After Bob and Ray's reasonably successful debut as musical recording artists, they never did it again. The closest they came was on the 1958 RCA-Victor album Bob and Ray Throw a Stereo Spectacular, which featured songs by various RCA artists interspersed with Bob and Ray skits that mainly serve to demonstrate stereo effects. Bob and Ray themselves don't sing on the album, but most of the album's content is music.

Bob and Ray's recordings of "Mule Train" and "I'd Like to Be a Cow" can be found on RadioArt's 4-CD set The Best of Bob and Ray: Volume 4.

"I'd Like to Be a Cow in Switzerland"

I'd like to be a cow in Switzerland

Where the grass is always green

Where the hunters hide behind the trees

Shooting holes in good ol' Schweitzer cheese

Where the bulls are all such gentlemen

So gently they go "moo"

I'd like to be a cow in Switzerland

I'll bet that you would too

I'd like to be a cow in Switzerland

Where the skies are always blue

Where the milkmaids yodel all the day

To their sweethearts miles and miles away

Odelayheeho (Odelayheeho)

How are you? (How are you?)

How much is two and two? (Twenty two)

Oh, the Swiss are vegetarians

And Swiss cheese is the rage

I'd like to be a cow in Switzerland

And live to a ripe old age

I'd like to be a cow in Switzerland

Where the mountains kiss the sky

Where the bulls, like Ferdinand, are meek

And so shy because the mountains peek

Where the black cows give milk chocolate

And the white cows give ice cream

I'd like to be a cow in Switzerland

Where life is just a dream