Jane Morgan and Fascination

Following up on my recent post of the abbreviated Love in the Afternoon soundtrack, I thought I might as well post the big hit record of "Fascination" from that soundtrack, along with its special picture sleeve. The vocal is by, and probably made the career of, Jane Morgan, an accomplished night club singer who became associated with the song.

Here, Morgan sounds wistful, which is right for the lyrics. On this and her other records, she is too bland for my taste - but she was popular at the time. She pronounces "fascination" as "fasceenation," which sounds wrong to me, but I am no expert on such things.

Morgan was backed by the Troubadors, who made other records for Kapp at the time. The aural evidence suggests they comprised violin, bass, accordion, vibraphone and guitar. This combination of accordion and vibraphone allowed them to simulate the sound of the cimbalom used on the soundtrack. I can find no other information on the Troubadors, and I don't own any of their few LPs.

This single has Morgan's vocal version of "Fascination" on one side, and a "whistling instrumental" of that tune on the other. The unidentified whistler sounds like Muzzy Marcellino of "The High and the Mighty" fame, although that's just a guess as to his identity.