Although Efrem Zimbalist Jr. (Stu Bailey), Ed Burns (Gerald Lloyd Kookson III) and Roger Smith (Jeff Spencer) are prominently displayed on the outer jacket artwork, they don't actually appear on this album, which consists of Warren Barker-led orchestrations. Likewise worth mentioning is that the original soundtrack to #77 Sunset Strip doesn't include Burns' million-selling solo hit Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb), either. Featured within are a baker's dozen of atmospheric instrumentals and moody melodies that aided in giving the show its unmistakable and highly stylized persona. In addition to the finger-snappin' theme song -- which is discernibly different here from the broadcast version -- Jerry Livingston and Mack David penned the provocative 77 Sunset Strip Cha Cha and the cool -- if not nuevo-hip -- up-tempo bopper Swingin' on the Strip. Alex North's ambience-heavy Late at Bailey's Pad, and the surreptitiously jazzy Cleo's Theme most accurately capture the darker edginess of the unfolding on-screen drama. The cover tunes are given fitting personas, such as the space-age-bachelor-pad kitsch of Cole Porter's I Get a Kick Out of You, as well as Rodgers Hart's laid-back ultra-serene You Took Advantage of Me. Similarly, the breadth of the score turns up a frisky Lover Come Back to Me and the bluesy If I Could Be With You, the latter previously being a selection of note for Kay Starr and Helen Humes. While 77 Sunset Strip has been available on pricey German and Japanese import CDs for several years, in 2004 Collectors' Choice Music issued a domestic pressing with an exclusive liner essay. ~ Lindsay Planer, Rovi

1		77 Sunset Strip
2		Late At Bailey's Pad
3		I Get a Kick Out of You
4		Cleo's Theme
5		Caper At the Coffee House
6		You Took Advantage of Me
7		77 Sunset Strip Cha Cha
8		Kookie's Caper
9		The Stu Bailey Blues
10		Lover Come Back to Me
11		Blue Night On the Strip
12		If I Could Be With You
13		Swingin' On the Strip