Cassette Tape entitled "16th and 17th Century Spanish Guitar"

[dave b]

I hesitate to take up your time with this ID question. Sometime between 1970 and 1973 I had an audiocassette tape as titled above. Does it sound familiar to anyone at all? It had some really good classical selections on it,so much so that I am still wondering who recorded it and if there is a present CD of it. But I did an amazon search just now and came up with nothing, so this is a longshot. It is a recording question, though, and not the ID of a piece that I know the tune of but cannot name, so I thought it belonged in this section of the forums rather than Name that Tune. It is a cassette recording, but who it is, and what it is, I have no idea.

[Sergeant Rock]

I did some research, including looking through Penguin Guides from the 70s and 80s but couldn't find anything, Dave.

Sarge

[dave b]

Muchas gracias.....I tried a search some time ago and also came up with nothing. Maybe there is a slight slight chance that someone will recall this or even have the old cassette on some dust covered shelf somewhere. But what beautiful guitar pieces those were!

[dirkronk]

OK, I'm going by pure memory here--ALWAYS an iffy proposition--but I recall four widely-available budget labels that had multiple recordings (LP and cassette) of historic guitar back then: Musical Heritage Society, Vox/Turnabout, Nonesuch, and the Everest labels. Frankly, the title "16th and 17th Century Spanish Guitar" sounds like an MHS title. While there were a number of guitarists on each label, I do remember a Torres that played on Nonesuch, and Alirio Diaz's "Five Centuries of Spanish Guitar" was (I believe) on Everest.

Do you recall what the cover of the cassette looked like? IIRC, in a departure from their generic black type on white look, the MHS guitar tapes had black covers, decorative type styles reversed for titling, and thematic inset illustrations; however, these designs may have been introduced well after the time period you're talking about--I recall them from the late '70s and into the '80s. Vox/Turnabouts were a completely mixed bag design-wise, at least until the mid-70s and later, when the orange with black type and black frame around the illustration became their norm.

Sorry I can't remember your exact tape. But are any of my descriptions ringing a bell?

Dirk

[dave b]

I know for sure that the cover was not black. Maybe it was a light color or cream color but definitely not black. And I can't remember if it had various performers but it must have, given its title.....and I think I do have the title correctly named.....someone, somewhere on these forums will come up with it. I cannot believe the accumulated knowledge of classical music on this GMG forum. It is amazing. (Not buttering you up so you will find the cassette for me , although that would be a nice by-product of my compliments.

[dirkronk]

Well, I recall the Ray de la Torre (NOT Torres...sorry) LP album on Nonesuch as being cream colored. Maybe its cassette counterpart was, too. But I still can't recall if the repertoire on that recording was all Spanish, let alone 16th and 17th century. Amazon lists a CD transfer of an early '50s album that de la Torre did and which the description remarks was once on Nonesuch LP, but the music includes a Boccherini quartet and other items that would hardly fit what you're looking for.

Was there any illustration at all on the cover? If not, THAT would certainly argue for your tape being an MHS product, and anyone with an old MHS catalog might be able to look up the item for you.

Still thinkin'...

Dirk

[dave b]

Cover illustration may have been just a guitar, an outline of one, it was not a photo. And maybe it was just 16th and 17th Guitar but I think the word Spanish was in there......let me look on amazon now for that LP you mentioned

[MN Dave]

Just buy a different one. Don't they all sound the same? 

[Bogey]

Just buy a different one. Don't they all sound the same? 

[dave b]

I think THAT was the cassette cover.

[dirkronk]

Dear lord, Bogey. I just spewed hot coffee.

Dirk...still laughing

[dave b]

Now that I have seen the cover, I think it was entitled " Don Knotts' Plays the Spanish Guitar." Mystery solved.

[dave b]

Pretty amazing how a photo will sometimes jog your memory.

[Bogey]

Now that I have seen the cover, I think it was entitled " Don Knotts' Plays the Spanish Guitar." Mystery solved.

Now I am the one with cofee all over my computer screen. 

[dave b]

And this was kind of a hush-hush thing, evidently, because in no episode of Andy Griffith do we ever see Don actually playing any guitar, much less a Spanish one.

[MN Dave]

Now I am the one with cofee all over my computer screen. 

You guys definitely have drinking problems.

[Brian]

And this was kind of a hush-hush thing, evidently, because in no episode of Andy Griffith do we ever see Don actually playing any guitar, much less a Spanish one.

The British were much more forthcoming about the classical guitarists cast in their sitcoms....

[dave b]

REAL good thing I am not drinking coffee at this very moment. I check these posts between sips so to be safe.

[dave b]

http://www.guitars101.com/forums/f73/don-knotts-belated-condolences-42660.html

It is things like this that further confirm me in my belief, considering the forum this link is from.

[Bogey]

You guys definitely have drinking problems.