Hugo Winterhalter "Goes...Hawaiian" (1961)

                So, I’m just going to say it. I am a sucker for “Hawaiian War Chant.”  My wife has been singing it to our 1 year old boy all day and he has been laughing his butt off to it.  I have been playing it on the guitar and it just feels so doggone right.  The first time I heard this tune was on Arthur Lyman’s “Hawaiian Sunset.”  I liked the heck out of it then, even though I would later find out that it was not a very “straight” version.  In fact, it may well be the most laid back version on record.  Every other interpretation is always kicking in some way.  Hugo Winterhalter’s version is no exception.    

                The best way for me to describe this song and record as a whole is to say it that sounds like a heartbeat underwater. The way the upright bass and drums hit against the massive reverb wall is astounding.   You thought “Pet Sounds” had a lot of reverb.  Hugo has taken the plunge and has invited us to drown with him.  The strings, however, seem to float on top of the rhythm, slightly out of the reverb.  It makes for a great combo.  I wonder if old Hugo had any say in the amount and placement of the reverb, or if it was just the engineer.  Either way, it’s a defining quality of the album.  The guitar is also awash and totally beautiful in both tone and affect. 

                The song selection is mostly Hawaiian standards with no originals that I can see.  This is not a bad thing though.  “Hawaiian Wedding Song,” “Sweet Leilani,” and “Hawaiian Sunset” were all played to death in the 50’s and 60’s, but they were done so for a reason.  The melodies are beautiful and stick with you.  

Cover Note:  What’s not to like?  There is a lone Hawaiian girl, a lone pineapple, and a lone straw hat.  None of which are interacting.    I’m not even sure the girl is really Hawaiian, but who the heck cares.  When I’m looking through record bins, these kinds of covers make me stop and at least give the song list a second look. 

Price paid: $1.00 at a pawn shop.  When I asked the lady behind the counter if the store got records in very often, she said that they do not buy them anymore.  That’s a shame because I picked up about 7 cool records there, and they were all in nice shape, and all $1.00. 

Botton line:  Far above average Hawaiian record with tons of reverb, cool strings, and good song selection.  This is better than background music and worth a listen with headphones if you got ‘em.  Pick it up if you find it.