No comments about Ella Fitzgerald: Portrait.

No comments about Great Vocalists.

1 comments about Golden Years of Helen Forrest : I Had the Craziest Dream.

1. I'm not at all a Helen Forrest expert, but I picked this up
   on sale not long ago, & I'm really glad I did. 4 CDs, studio, radio & 'ballroom' recordings & I think a few fairly rare.
   Seems a good cross section of her recordings with Goodman, Shaw & James, as well as Nat King Cole, Gordon Jenkins, Johnny Mercer & others, including a few also from films. The sound quality is really very good overall. Warm, compelling voice that sounds great in big band setting IMO. I love Jo Stafford, & think Helen similar caliber of singer (not that they sound exactly alike).

3 comments about Legendary Perry Como.

1. While discussing Perry Como with a friend recently, I compared his style to Frank Sinatra-- my friend said she preffered Como! I can see why. Como has a voice and sings with the kind of style long since brushed aside by several generations of music fans-- too bad for them! I know this is more "my parent's music" than mine (and they got married late so it's really two generations difference there, not one) but as I listened to LEGENDARY PERRY COMO I was amazed at just how many of the songs I knew, and just how enjoyable the collection was.
   
   The selection ranges from folk tunes to romantic standards to jazz-laced pop ("Juke Box Baby", "Glendora"-- THE song I bought the whole set for!) and novelty songs (a REALLY forgotten genre on top-40 radio for the last 25+ years). By the way, I'm pretty sure that IS Mitch Miller And The Gang on "Delaware". (I used to play their albums as a kid, too!)
   
   While listenable, there's a certain quality in the SOUND that strongly suggests to me this BMG AUSTRALIA comp was duped off of VINYL. Alright for a casual listener, but "serious" Como fans might want to check out the pricier "remastered" collection, PERRY COMO: GREATEST HITS (also with 50 songs).
   
   Maddenning (and it may be just MY copy), ONE track on this skipped-- wouldn't you know it was "Glendora"? (I had the 45 when I was a kid, but it disappeared 30 years ago.) Fortunately I was able to copy it on my computer-- otherwise I'd have to exchange it. For the price (especially from one of the "Marketplace" stores) this was a real bargain!



2. If your interested in hearing some of Perry Como's takes on 1970s era hits, this package will be well received. He turns his mellow vocals on Snowbird, Close To You, We've Only Just Begun, Something, Yesterday and many others with good results. This three CD set does contains some of his big hits, It's Impossible, And I Love You So, Papa Loves Mambo, but not all and it is not meant to be a greatest hits collection. The sound quality for the most part is excellent, but a few selections are over modulated and this distracts from the overall quality. But this is the best compilation available that offers listeners an excellent array of Como's covers of 70s hits.



3. This is an excellent collection from Australia covering a lot of ground; includes his biggest hits from the 1950's ("Catch A Falling Star", "Papa Loves Mambo", "Kewpie Doll", and the novelty tune "Delaware", which plays off the names of states). Also included are a lot of covers he recorded in the 1960's including "Yesterday", "We've only just begun", "(They Long To Be) Close To You),"I Left My Heart In San Fransisco", and "Moon River".

   The sound quality is very good (having never heard some of the songs from other sources it's hard to say, but as far as I'm concerned the sound quality is very good to excellent, considering a lot of the songs are 40+ years old).

   Perry's smooth and easy going style interpret these songs very well. He was able to take a song that somebody else may have done first and put his own mark on them.

   For those of you who have been fans of Perry for many years (like myself), this is an excellent collection for the money that sounds great (a lot of these songs are very hard to find separately). Also for new Perry fans, this is a good starting place.

   Highly Recommended.

5 comments about Judy Garland: The Complete Decca Masters (Plus).

1. Some of Judy Garland's best recordings are on this extensive four CD set. We get all the recordings she made for Decca Records which had her recording contract while she was working in films at MGM Studios. This set, therefore, gives us all of Judy's songs from her MGM years with the exception of the last two or three films that she made when she was then recording on the MGM record label.
   
   The CD set presents these fine numbers in chronological order; and that's fine with me! Each of the four CDs boasts some great artwork and the quality of the sound is very good.
   
   Disc One is full of great songs. "Stompin' At The Savoy" features a very young Judy with a big band arrangement using the brass very well. Judy's excellent diction bolsters her performance; and the musical interlude awes me. "Dear Mr. Gable: You Made Me Love You" was a huge hit for Garland; we don't get the movie version but it's pretty close. The piano sounds great on "Dear Mr. Gable: You Made Me Love You." In addition, listen for "Embraceable You;" this starts with the strings on a musical flourish and when Judy comes in this number takes flight!
   
   Disc Two continues the hits. "It's A Great Day For The Irish" features Judy singing at her best with a lush orchestral accompaniment. How Judy belts this out! "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" gets the royal treatment from Judy with a beautiful musical arrangement. "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" is slower than usual; but oh how sweet this is! "That Old Black Magic" is a great song by Arlen and Mercer. Judy sings this flawlessly. Great!
   
   Disc Three offers Judy performing many songs including "For Me And My Gal" with Gene Kelly; they never sing a superfluous note and this impresses me very much. "Meet Me In St. Louis" is absolutely wonderful and Judy does this justice as only she could. Listen also for the classic ballad entitled "The Trolley Song;" Judy sings this wonderfully. Love the sound of that trolley car bell!
   
   Disc Four has alternate takes, a must have for any true blue Judy fan; Judy also does "On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe" with The Merry Macs. The Merry Macs harmonize so beautifully and Judy's voice is in excellent form. The alternate take of "I Got Rhythm" features a loud brass intro and Judy performs this very well. The alternate take of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" is also guaranteed to please the Judy Garland fan.
   
   We get a lavish booklet with all the recording information with recording dates. The pictures of Judy and her peers in the booklet are a wonderful addition to this package!
   
   Overall, the Judy Garland fan simply must have this wonderful set in their collection. I am mystified that this is out of print; but don't let that bother you. You won't regret this purchase; even people new to Judy's artistry will be hooked once they hear these four albums.
   
   Thank you, Judy! We will never forget you!



2. Most of the songs on this comprehensive Decca collection have been released and re-released to death in crappy versions. The songs on this set are crystal clear, and have obviously been remastered and cleaned up from original source material. The downfall is that if you are to compare the Decca versions vs. Judy's MGM studio versions of these songs, the MGM versions blow these away. The orchestral arrangements are much simpler and I would even go so far as to say that there is less emotion in Judy's voice. If you want a nice Garland collection, buy "Judy Garland: Collectors' Gems From The M-G-M Films - Motion Picture Soundtrack Anthology" or "Judy Garland In Hollywood: Her Greatest Movie Hits - Original Soundtrack Performances 1936-1963."



3. I must admit that I was not a Judy Garland fan until recently. Like most people, I have seen her movies and remember her fondly from childhood. However about 2 months ago I went to a website which had a few MP3's of her singing and I was in for a revelation. I heard her sing



4. I have been a fan of Judy's since I first watched her in the "Wizard of Oz" as a child, but lately my interest in her has resurged with the recent books and television shows made available this past year. However, I credit this CD set for really doing it as I listen to it almost every day.

   Put off by some of those cheaper, low quality sounding boxed sets, I went with this CD set because of the collection of music which spans almost fifteen years of her career. Judy's voice is strong, rich and beautiful and exactly how she should always sound. Disc one spans recordings from 1936-1941 and includes hits like "Over the Rainbow", "Dear Mr. Gable: You Made Me Love You", and "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart". My personal favorites from this disc are "Stompin' at the Savoy" and "Everybody Sing". The latter always makes chills run down my spine.

   Disc Two includes recordings from 1941-1945 and it's is interesting to see how Judy's voice takes on a more condfident tone, adding to an already rich and powerful voice.

   Disc Three is my personal favorite, encompassing years 1942-1945. It includes music from her most famous movies like "The Harvey Girls", "Meet Me in St. Louis" and "For Me and My Gal". The title song of the latter, sung with Gene Kelly is charming as well as "Yah-Ta-Ta, Yah-Ta-Ta, Talk Talk, Talk", with Bing Crosby. Other favorites are "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and The Trolley Song".

   Half of Disc Four is just a compilation of songs already found in the previous discs, so I was not too happy about that, but the first half included songs from Gerswin and Rogers and Hammerstein.

   There is a great booklet enclosed which gives a background history of Judy's career with Decca including some beautiful photographs.

   Yes, most of the music can be found in smaller collections and it is pricey, but it's worth every penny and a must have for the serious Judy Garland fan.




5. Judy Garland began making feature films in 1936, predating MGM Records and the advent of the "soundtrack" album. So most of her movie songs were re-recorded and released on Decca. Without exception, the movie versions are superior and all the classics can be found on the more economical "Judy Garland in Hollywood: Her Greatest Movie Hits, Original Soundtrack Performances 1936-1963." But this box set is still indispensible because of the wealth of great songs included here that were not from her films. The four discs are programmed chronologically, so that the listener may observe the development of Judy's singing and artistry. The packaging is quite lovely, lots of good photos and informative liner notes. Everything she recorded for Decca is here, including alternate takes of several songs. The sound quality is excellent. This collection is a must-have for any serious Judy fan. (Warning: there are numerous abbreviated compilations derived from these recordings. On the whole, they are sloppy, haphazard packages with varying degrees of sound quality. I recommend avoiding them all and springing for this box set.)

1 comments about Mercury Blues 'n' Rhythm Story 1945-1955.

1. This INCREDIBLE 8-CD set covers all of the Mercury blues, R&B and jump music from post-WWII -- the music that laid the foundation for the rock 'n roll revolution of the late '50's. The set is divided by geographic styles; West Coast, Southwest, East Coast and Midwest. There are many artists featured who are all but unknown today, but were popular in the club sub-culture and with returning GI's. I love the small orchestral arrangements of fast, jumpin' blues, boogie, and R&B tunes. The lyrics in many songs are hilarious, and demonstrate the subconscious relief of ending the world wars. Anyone who is remotely interested in R&B and the foundations of rock HAS to get this set. It's expensive, but worth every single penny. I've been listening non-stop since the set arrived, and I walk around all day with the jumpin' and jivin' tunes in my head!

5 comments about The Beat Generation.

1. The Beat Generation is a term used to describe both a group of American writers who came to prominence in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and the cultural phenomena that they wrote about and inspired (later sometimes called beatniks though this is considered by many to be a pejorative term). This box set features material by genuine beats alongside "commercial" recordings made to cash in on the beatnik "fad". The CDs include poetry, jazz, news reports and other recordings related to the beat phenomenon. It is interesting and informitive if you are curious to learn about the Beat Generation.



2. This is, outside of the first "Nuggets" box set, the most played multi-artist compilation in my collection. The greatest thing about this collection is the wide variety of peices included. There are readings by the major players of the generation (Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs), beat Jazz (Don Morrow, Lee Konitz), various parodies or outsider views of the movement (the "Basic Hip" recordings, the clips from the cult film "High School Confedential", Bob McFadden), the comedians (Lord Buckley, Lenny Bruce), and the sucessors (Tom Waits). In other words, this is an absolute must-buy for anyone with a passing interest in America's first counterculture movement. This was one of the most fascinating and unique eras in American history, and the Beat Generation was a blow against the conservative American ideals and dreams. The highlights of the collection are obviously the readings. Hearing the geniuses of the time read their own work is just as fun, if not more so, as reading the books themselves. Each one of the top three (Ginsberg, Burroughs, Kerouac) has an unique style of writing and an unique style of delivery so that you can tell each one apart from the other. Outside of the readings, some of the selections are odd but none don't fit in with the overall concept of portraying the movement. This is almost as much an essential as the writings of the Beats, and is a fascinating portrait of America's original counterculture movement. Why did Rhino let this go out of print?



3. It's January, 2005 and sleeting outside in Shin-Urayasu, Japan, but I'm here wailing with Jack Kerouac. Steve Allen is tinkling away on the piano, and Ben Hecht is waiting to ask Jack some smart-aleck questions, which Jack will answer in an innocent, pure-heart, eternal good-guy way before heading back out on the road. This three-CD set is incredible. Not only do we get a sense of what the big names of beat-dom were up to, but we are treated to little-heard beat-fare, like a hyper-beat effusion on falling in love with a horse from Lenny Bruce, and zany reflections of beat-dom from such square media dogs like Perry Como crooning about his young beat honey, and Howard K. Smith, who gives us the low-down on THE COOL REBELLION. Kenneth Patchen's "The Murder Of Two Men By A Young Kid Wearing Lemon Colored Gloves" is a gem, and Kenneth Rexroth's hang-dog rendition of "Married Blues" is yet another great cut I would never have heard otherwise. Langston Hughes fronting his own jazz band is a treat too, but there's lots more. After listening to all 3 CDs one can get a pretty good idea of the scene, both from the inside, hipster's angle, and from the square's point of view, too. Generous cuts from Gerry Mulligan's Quartet have me snapping my fingers and reaching for my sunglasses. Forget the sushi and pass the nutmeg!



4. What I love about the Beat Generation Box Set is that in addition to serving as a great social portrait of the era, as well as hipster culture, throughout it maintains a sense of humor and focuses on its strange relationship and rivalry with American pop culture. Beyond mere literary readings, a colorful cast of charactors make the scene... from beboppers to hipsters, bongo beating philosophers to comedians and pop icons arise. One track might be Annie Ross's bebopistic tribute to Schizophrenia "Twisted", the next a recitation by Lord Buckley or Ken Nordine - in other tracks, square singers try to cash in on bebop and hipster culture... reporters go out on the streets of Greenwich village in search of America's lost youth, while others show beat generation icons in action from Dizzy Gillespie to Slim Galliard and Ray Brown Jr. - - Cuts from the rare, "How to Speak Hip" and even Lenny Bruce's Psychopathia Sexualis (I'm in Love With a Horse That Comes from Dallas) appear.

   While by no means comprehensive, the three CDs along with the illustrated booklet are not only educational but incredibly entertaining.

   If you enjoy this album, be sure to check out a reissue of Ken Nordine's Colors, as well as stuff by Harry The Hipster Gibson, Slim Galliard and Leon Watson, as well as the movie, "Sweet Love Bitter" (based on the life of Charlie Parker.)




5. Great Jazz, poetry, and spoken word. A diverse group of artists are included in this boxed set. It is a window to another time that suspiciously looks similar to our own. I cherish this collection. I don't know how I survived without it. Highly recommend!

4 comments about Young Anita.

1. I purchased this box set with very little prior knowledge of this genre of music and I am extremely pleased with it. I played this at my workplace and many of my coworkers complimented the music. Some people might criticize the albums' quality of sound but I think that's just part of the allure -- to give you that "old-time" feel. It's a great starter set at a great price. This music lifts the spirits and makes a room smile!



2. Having owned several expensive French imports for the various years of early Anita O'Day performances, I can say that the Proper Box set is an incredible value. They have taken almost all of her early performances with various small groups and large bands (including Krupa, Kenton, and Basie!) and put them all in one place, in chronological order and with decent sound. What's more, they put out an excellent booklet, with biography, photos, and complete discocraphy...kind of a mini-mosaic! Unlike some of her later, more sophisticated (and occasionally flat) performances, she is heard on these discs with a slightly less husky voice and always spot-on in tune and musically swinging.
   
   As another viewer has pointed out, this set contains material that has fallen out of copyright while the artist is still living and she won't receive any royalties from this issue. I suggest he send her a check to salve his conscience and then go back to enjoying the music! Proper has done other great box sets of Django Reinhardt, Fats Navarro, Charlie Parker, and Bud Powell among others and I say more power to them! Another british company, JSP, offers similar box sets with remastering and extensive documentation and Mosaic, the leader in this field actually buys limited copyrights from the parent labels. If you can afford it, Mosaic puts out the highest quality sets.



3. Anita O'Day was a singer whose particular virtues become apparent to post-bebop ears only after time. She didn't have the subtle inflection of Billie Holiday, the sheer beauty of Ella Fitzgerald, or the romantic elaboration of Sarah Vaughan. Directness, lack of affectation, energy, enthusiasm, and projection of a working-class, non-kittenish femininity marked her singing.
   Unfortunately, O'Day wound up being buried, for the first part of her career, in muscle-bound big bands like the Gene Krupa and Stan Kenton orchestras. Since she only sings during some of the numbers, and even then may be paired with unendurable male romantic leads, and surrounded by corny soloists who belong in Vegas, collecting her work can be like digging around in Paul Whiteman for Bix Beiderbecke solos. People used to put up with it because she danced the whole time, but you don't get that part listening to an old record.
   This set fixes that. You're still listening to a lot of second and third-rate jazz music, but at least you know she'll sing in this number.
   Of course, this is one of those "re-issue" labels that take advantage of lapse of copyright. You may not care about the record company - they're all jerks, as well as owned by somebody in some country you've never heard of, right? - but the last I heard, Anita O'Day was still alive, and shouldn't artists get some fruits from their labors? She won't get a penny from this.
   Five stars for O'Day. Three stars for band mediocrity and questionable re-issue practices.



4. It would be difficult to find a better deal for a jazz fan. Compilatons for artists of the stature of Anita are usually much more expensive. Anita O'Day's early recordings have been difficult to find and when available have been costly. This 4 CD set brings together all her comercial recordings from the 40's with a few air-checks and alternate takes.

   Anita O'Day is probably best known for her solo career in the 50's, 60's and 70's when she created a style of singing that is still being immatated. Her early recordings show that in her younger years as a big band singer she had as strong an influance on that era as she did in later years. She was one of 4 or 5 female vocalists who defind the the big band style. During the time of these recordings, she was THE big band singer. She was the coolest, the hippest, the swingingest, the brattyest, and the one who taught everyone how to sing a fast song with style and without sounding rushed. You can easily hear this on "Green Eyes" where another singer sings the first chorus in a tense rushed manner, to be followed by Anita at a faster tempo but sailing through it like a cloud on a summer's day. Even Ella Fitzgerald, although promising, was still too young at that time to be at Anita's level. Anita's recordings with the Krupa band are some of the hottest of the big band era. These CD also cover the beginning of her solo career, and the emergance of an even more interesting and intimate style that was to facinate audiences in the 50's 60's and 70's. This collection shows that Anita was always a great artist, even in the beginning of her career, and the price of the collection makes it an unbelievable steal.

3 comments about The Scepter Records Story.

1. I don't write many reviews, but the one below which labelled BJ Thomas as "Cheeze" is absurdly uninformed and lazy. Scepter, of course, was Florence Greenberg's label and one of the most interesting and successful imprints of the late '50s and all through the '60s into the '70s. Greenberg was a housewife whose daughter discovered a group at school which turned out to be the Shirelles. Turned out that Florence, with no experience in the record biz, had a gift for recognizing hits and for promotion.
   
   The "cheeze," Texan BJ Thomas, was another Florence discovery. Not only did he sell millions of records, he won both a Grammy and an Oscar for "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head," his biggest seller. Recordings like "I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry," "The Eyes of a New York Woman," "Hooked on a Feeling," "I Just Can't Help Believing" and "Rock and Roll Lullaby" are something special -- great songwriting that holds up over several decades just fine with the Shirelles, Isley Brothers, Chuck Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Ronnie Milsap and the others on tthis disc. This is a really fun recording, from beginning to end.



2. I give it between a 4 and 5. BJ Thomas is a great singer not a Cheeze, whatever that means. Some of his songs may be a put off for soul types and "Everybody's out of town" is a loser but the rest are great. He forever stamped Hank Williams "I'm So lonesome I could cry" with his definitive version that is a classic keeper. BJ does have most of Disc 3 but I like all styles and he has a killer voice. Just a little bit by Roy Head is a welcome addition and "My Pledge of Love"-Joe Jeffrey Group and "Oh no not my baby"-the awesome Maxine Brown are 10's on a scale of 1-10 not to mention Anyday Now, Walk on by etc etc. The Shirelles never made a bad record. Dionne Warwick is a superstar with a superstar songwriting team. Its not a soul or pop or whatever compilation, its just good music that sold many records and a worthwhile purchase and at 65 songs its worth $25 easy to me.



3. This is a bit of an oddity, in that Scepter wasn't a "Soul" label or a "Rock" label, but a "Pop" label, which encompasses quite a few different genres. There's the smooth (The Dionne Warwick/Bacharach/David Canon is superbly represented here), the girl group sound (Shirelles), the rough (gospelled-up soul of Maxine Brown and Chuck Jackson), the garage (The Kingsmen) and the cheeze (BJ Thomas). Discs one and two are both stellar, but the chronologically-ordered set gradually goes to pot towards the end, with BJ (possibly the least coolest singer ever) blathering and crooning his way through some of the '70s worst pop sludge. Still, this set is worth it simply because the first two discs are quite good, and Maxine Brown's previously unreleased take on "Baby Cakes" on the third disc will simply blow you away. Get it cheap, or don't get it at all.

1 comments about The Prestige Records Story.

1. 
   
   A diverse, thrilling selection of music is contained here...it definitely made me curious to check individual titles from the artists contained in this 4-CD set.