The Mighty Wurlitzer Pipe Organ

Technically Flawed CD:
Legacy did a very poor job of transferring a very good original tape recording to CD. It actually sounds like they used a duplicate tape intended for a 33-1/3 record pressing instead of the original master tape recordings. The audio equalization is so bad the mighty Wurlitzer organ screeches and grates on the ear. George Wright's Banda CD remasters are far, far, better. Legacy needs to redo this recording and volume two as well. Bill Wood

Dissapointing:
The first two selections are good. The rest are really bland. The capabilities of the organ are not exploited. Definitely does not justify the "mighty" in the title.

George's test tapes:
This CD is a compilation of two tracks from George's first album for the HiFi label back in the mid 50's along with other material which was probably recorded at different times and later released, along with other selections, on two HiFi Life series LP's - "Sweet and Low" and "Tibia & Vox." Except for "Stars and Stripes Forever," "Boogie" (a George Wright original composition) and "Under the Double Eagle" (a cut from a later HiFi release which was misidentified as "Washington Post March" on the original LP), none of the other material was ever intended for release. A friend of George's explained it to me this way many years ago, "Those are all rejects - every one of them. It's some stuff that he just did." Basement tapes, in other words. Some of it appears to have been test material to see how the organ would record, others tracks appear to be outtakes from material which was later released ("All Through the Night," for example, another version of which was released under the title "Evening Hymn" for the "Hymns That Live" album, most of which is available on another Legacy CD). This CD is definitely worth having if you are a big George Wright fan, as I am. It is currently the only CD compilation of the "outtake" material available. It is worth noting, however, that the two opening tracks and the last track are now available on Banda CDs, and the sound is much better since Banda used the original master tapes rather than the tapes used to master the LP's, as Legacy apparently has. One additional note: on all the tracks, the organ is a 5-manual 21-rank Wurlitzer originally built for and installed in the Paradise Theatre in Chicago and at the time of this recording was installed in the basement studio of Richard Vaughn, the founder of High Fidelity Recordings, Inc., the label for which these tracks were originally recorded.

George is Wright:
This was my second theatre organ CD purchase several years ago (after "The Mighty Wurlitzer: Music for Movie Palace Organs"), and I fell in love with it right away! Of course, back then I was just learning about the theatre organ, so I was eager for material. The selections presented here are a good sampling of George's ability and repertoire. I particularly enjoyed the second track, George's own composition, "Boogie." I know personally several theatre organists who have tried to duplicate his technique on that piece and failed miserably trying! I was amused by a reviewer's quip regarding a friend of George's saying these tracks were all "rejects." That reminds me of Virgil Fox's many attempts to bring a recording to perfection, spending countless hours on it if necessary. Well, for rejects, they sure sound pretty good to me! I know that personal taste varies widely. However, I certainly didn't find this CD bland at all, but quite enjoyable. I think you will, too.

BEAUTIFUL VIBRATIONS FROM THE PAST:
I HAVE AN OLD RECORD COVERING GEORGE WRIGHT plays the MIGHTY WURLITZER PIPE ORGAN NO R-701 THERE'S A TITLE #1. "THE BOY NEXT DOOR" (HUGH MARTIN-RALPH BLANE) AND THE OLD RECORD IS PRETTY MUCH SCRATCHED . PLS ADVISE WHERE I CAN FIND IT THANKS..BJORG