Manuel and the Music of the Mountains - Reflections/Carnival (1998 compi of LPs from '69 and '70)

Don't know about you, but I could do with some more rest & relaxation... and a nice bit of escapism.  So here's a twofer reissue from one of my favourite easy listening-bordering-on-exotica bandleaders, the mysterious and exotic Manuel, and his Music Of The Mountains band.

Well, only mysterious and exotic for a few months at the end of the 50s - the Manuel persona was intended to be kept secret, but as soon as his popularity took off 'Manuel' was quickly unveiled as Geoff Love (1917-1991) from Todmorden, West Yorkshire.  The next 20 years saw the release of dozens of these beautifully arranged, sumptiously recorded (the EMI Studio Two sound has aged well) albums, including Reflections in 1969, and one of my all-time favourites in this genre, Carnival from 1971.

Reflections

Carnival