Cha Cha Cha

Do you think you can handle one more LP tonight? I just can't get enough of the cha cha cha!!! This one is, to me, the most authentic sounding of the records I've shared tonight. Which is odd, because it seems to be the most irreverent. The cover is fairly straightforward, until you read the subtitle "Introducing The Jelly Bean Merengue". What's that all about? Well, you'll have to read the liner notes to find out, it's all explained in there, complete with diagrams. Those notes are penned by Frank Jacobs, contributor to MAD Magazine. Oh, and there's a great doodle by the great Jack Davis. But you want to listen to the music. Best track here is a stunning version of Makin' Whoopee. This one is going in the car for sure. Have I got your interest piqued? Then go download Randy Carlos And His Orchestra-Makin' Whoopee Cha Cha Cha-Introducing The Jelly Bean Merengue (RCA Victor LPM-1689, 1958). If you look close at the back cover of this one, you'll see a price tag from Sears, Roebuck & Co. for what looks like $9.95. Surely this record didn't cost that much back then. Anybody got a guess as to what's going on there?