Continuing in the vein of posting threads on ancient history, I thought the next logical record to discuss, following those of Martin Denny, would be the 1959 classic Command recording, Persuasive Percussion.

Enoch Light owned Command Records, and his first release, Persuasive Percussion, launched the label with what was then the best recorded album - ever. Not only was the music pleasant enough, but the recorded sound was so far superior to that of just about anything else available at the time, that people were amazed that their systems could sound that much better when listening to this record. Touted also as a "test" record, each of the song beginnings on all of the record's tracks starts off with a "ping-pong" switching from left to right, not for the sake of gee-whiz stereo, but for the purpose of making certain one's system was properly balanced. The double-album jacket was loaded with liner notes informing the listening as to what he should be listening to specifically on each track.

Over the years, I accumulated about 45 or so Command records, all of which I threw away (along with my mono Martin Denny albums) when I moved from NY to Denver, CO in 1993. Most of the music on Command became repetitious and dull, but I did keep Persuasive Percussion. Even today, despite the rather hokey musical arrangements, it's a sonic stunner.

One aspect many don't remember is that the record was pirated, with thousands of bogus copies sold before Enoch Light took legal action and stopped the pirating. I don't recall that ever happening to another record, and such pirating gives Persuasive Percussion a very unique note of distinction.