Afternoon in Amsterdam

This was one dollar.  I have been holding on to it for some time meaning to tie it in to Amsterdam. A couple months back, flights were $500 or so.  When I looked last month, they were $1,300 but I need to make sure I have the right dates.  Really want to go in December for the Lights on the Canals Festival, but it is not the most fiscally prudent thing to do at this time.

But when I do go, I occasionally see these large organ type machines this album is showcasing, usually on the street mentioned on this album, on Kalverstraat just south of Dam Square.  Big, colorful, and with many moving parts, these things called Gavioli Draaiorgel Jupiter on this record, have been pretty noticeable while I was there.  Yet I do not have a picture of one.  Funny that.

Well, I now have a record of it from Capitol Record’s International series.  Released in 1956, this is record is a collection of tunes grouped by categories. There are songs of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Tangos, waltzes, marches, and Dutch South African songs among others.  It is an ok little album that sounds just like you would imagine.

For a sample, I decided to go with a trio of songs about Dutch towns, “Just Give Me Amsterdam”, “My Own Rotterdam”, and “There is Only One Den Haag”.

Decent album.  Satisfactory.  I mean if you bought it thinking it would sound any different, shame on you.  As far as going there this year, we shall see. I have always said where there is a will, there is a way.