101 Strings Orchestra

An easy-listening icon, the 101 Strings series of orchestral versions of pop standards was launched in the late '50s and would go on to sell over 50 million copies. The series' heyday was in the '60s, but the brand soldiers on, reissuing classic titles and recombining old material into compilations with contemporary themes like Easy Listening: Relax & Spa. Younger listeners may find the smooth, blissed-out arrangements unbelievably kitschy, which isn't far off target: even in its prime, the series also released records by exotica pioneer Les Baxter.