5 comments about The Men in My Little Girl's Life.

1. I'm 63 now and a grandmother. When Mike Douglas had his tv talk/variety show, he had a big selling record, "The Men In My Little Girl's Life". This record tells a story from the beginning of his little girl's introduction to boys and continues on through the teenage years, marriage and motherhood. Every time I hear that song, I cry because it makes me think of my dad. I have tried for years to find this song to pass along to my son (whose wife gave birth to a darling little baby girl, who is now 6). This year I purchased the CD for my son's birthday (thanks to Amazon). I know he has the same love for his little girl now that my dad had all those years for me. My son will continue to have these strong, loving feelings until she becomes a mom too. Thank you so very much for the loving moments I have relived and shared with my son because of this song. I love you, Dad, from your daughter, Sharon. (My face is wet with tears.)



2. great sounding cd & source of mike douglas music it's tough to top the song "the men in my little girl's life"



3. It brought me back to the days of watching Mike Douglas with my family on TV. The title and Sunrise Sunset made me cry as I remember my Dad and those songs. Very sentimental.



4. I purchased this CD for the song, "The Men in My Little Girl's Life," but I found I enjoyed every one of the songs. I used to watch the Mike Douglas Show and heard him sing once in a while, but I didn't realize until I heard this whole CD what a great singer Mike Douglas was!



5. I had this song on a 45 RPM record that belonged to my parents and I shared it with someone and lost it. Thank Heaven for the internet and bringing classics like this song to CD.

4 comments about There's Something About You I Don't Know.

1. This CD is the one you want to have with you all the time! Incredible vocals, incredible band and top notch sound quality makes this a winner! I find myself listening to the entire CD from beginning to end and then all over again! These songs will please anyone and is not just for Jazz fans.



2. I just spent the most enjoyable hour listening to Pamela Luss' incredible debut CD. I just loved the selections of the songs and find it almost impossible to pick a favorite. I'm hooked!!



3. Great Jazz/Easy Listening CD with some popular standards performed in a fresh way. Pamela Luss' voice is top notch and the backing band is very, very good. Favorites include 'At Long Last Love' and 'Georgia on My Mind,' a really nice version of a song that has been done by millions of others! I highly recommend this CD!



4. She has a smooth and passionate voice. I highly recommend this album! Makes a great gift too because most of the songs are well-known and it appeals to most any age group! She has arranged these familiar songs in a really unique way. One of my favorite songs is There's Something About You I Don't Know.

5 comments about The Queen of Big Band Swing.

1. The other reviewers have said it all about Helen Ward, one of the top vocalists of the swing band era, and one whom I rank right behind Mildred Bailey. I actually prefer this album to the "Complete Columbia Recordings" because it doesn't have her later work (1950's)which just doesn't have the charm of the 30's and early 40's material, also it is half the price. ASV seems to do a good job at cleaning up their source material, but remember that these are 70 year old recordings. I absolutely love "Night Wind" and "Throwing Stones at the Sun", they capture the spirit of that era.



2. Gentlemen: I have been buying Big Band CD's from your outfit for couple of years now and I find them of top quality. I like your set-up for ordering items, and the fast delivery. I also like the fact that I can listen to a
   few bars of the tracks the CD has. This enables me to Identify it as an original cut and not knock-off.
   Albert R. Jones



3. I would have given this item 5 stars, but I feel that the poor recording process used in making this CD really takes away from fully enjoying it.
   
   When I first put in the CD, I noticed that the recording level was too low, meaning that the music was very quiet. After turning up the volume, then came the excessive background noise. A stereo with a multiband equalizer would have helped to filter out some of the noise in this case, but not everyone has such an item.
   
   I understand that these are old recordings and recorded in mono, but I have heard much better from this era. Actually, I have several of these songs on 10 inch 78 r.p.m. records and find these much easier to listen to. Just call me a vintage audio snob if you want.
   
   As far as the music is concerned, it is great and I would recommend the CD just for that. Helen Ward has a doll of a voice and does great adding to the big band sounds of that time.



4. This is a fine collection of songs from one of the most underrated vocalists of the swing era. Ward had a distinctive, jazzy style; and she expressed the old standybys in ways that nobody else could. Highly recommended; but Ward's biggest fans would be better off with the complete Helen Ward on Columbia 2-CD set, which has a lot of the harder to find material.



5. I first heard Helen Ward while listening to a best of Benny Goodman CD, and was intrigued with her voice. This CD gives a good overview of her work, and it is definitely worth purchasing. For anyone interested in music with vocals from this era, it's a must.

5 comments about Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters: Their Complete Recordings Together.

1. I have wanted this album for months, but I didn't want to spend $50 to $100 buying it used. When I saw that this album was available as an MP3 download for only $18, I bought it immediately!
   Since I have never downloaded from Amazon in the past, I was concerned about the quality, and ease of downloading. I shouldn't have worried... the quality is perfect, and I downloaded it in less than 5 minutes. As this album is extremely hard to find, whether on Amazon, ebay or even your local resale music store, I definitely recommend buying the download. I am very happy with this purchase!



2. This album (CD) is fantastic! I listen to it frequently. My favorite track is "Jingle Bells," my very favorite rendition of this song. I also love the outtake at the end of the last disc where they mess up Jingle Bells! Every song is wonderful. I am a big fan of both der Bingle and the Andrews Sisters. Their style together is jazzy, light and I will bet it helped a lot of people through some tough years! I didn't know the discs were arranged chronologically until I read one of the other reviews, but I will pull mine out and listen with that in mind! I say buy this if you are a fan of either Bing or the sisters. You won't regret it!



3. Bing and the Andrews sisters made such great music together and all of it is collected together on this double CD. There are also a few out-takes (they call them blow-ups on the track listing, and they appear near the end of CD 2) and they provide further proof of just how much FUN Bing and the ladies had recording this music.

   The official recordings are presented in chronological order, beginning with Ciribiribin and Yodelin' jive, which provided them with a double-sided hit in 1939 and 1940, up to and beyond their last hit (Sparrow in the tree top, a top ten hit from 1951). In between, you get all the classics, including two number ones (A hot time in the town of Berlin and the often-covered Don't fence me in).

   The music is happy, upbeat, swinging, good-time music of the type you expect from the Andrews sisters. If you want the slow, romantic stuff, look elsewhere (including Bing's solo recordings).

   The sisters really had only one way of singing, and they were better than anybody else at their type of music. Their contribution to popular music remains unique to this day, and I find their music very addictive. They will always have a special place in my CD collection.

   Bing was more versatile. He could sing all types of song, but he just fitted in with the sisters when he sang with them. What he added to their music was a certain gravitas, and the combination made for some of the best - and most enjoyable - music ever recorded.




4. When I listened to this CD, I was like a child at Christmas. I could not wait to hear the next song! I happened to be in the Air Force at the time, and I knew that my Grandmother had always liked them. So I bought this CD and I was blown over. This CD has everything. And the harmony is legendary, (they ARE the Andrews Sisters, after all!). From the Christmas classics of "Jingle Bells" to "(There's a Hot Time) in the town of Berlin", I know that anyone who wants to hear the core of wartime music on the civilian side should have this CD in their collection!



5. If I'm down I listen to the Andrews Sisters and "bing! --I'm happy." (get it?) Inspiring music, full of happiness and wonder! Sometimes I cry because it's so beautiful! It's the sound of birds chirping in the spring -- the sound of horses' hooves and people laughing. When you listen you feel as if the whole world is your friend. The best remedy yet invented. Buy it!

No comments about Simply Musicals.

2 comments about Guys And Dolls (1976 Studio Cast).

1. There are several truly excellent recordings of GUYS AND DOLLS out there -- the original Broadway Cast album and the 1976 and 1992 revivals being three of them.
   
   But this album (a 1964 studio recording) is possibly the best of the bunch. The "Reprise Musical Repertory Theatre" is a formal name for the Rat Pack -- Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin specifically. Throw in Debbie Reynolds, Dinah Shore, Jo Stafford and the McGuire Sisters, and you've got some of the most legendary talent of the mid-20th Century.
   
   It's more than just the talent, though. These folks take GUYS AND DOLLS to a new level of "hip." The arrangements are pure swing, the deliveries are pure Vegas, and you can tell they're just having a great time recording it. This is everything that GUYS AND DOLLS was meant to be, interpreted in the most appropriate way possible.
   
   The only thing that keeps this album from being sheer perfection is the lack of "Marry the Man Today." Why that song was left off is a mystery to me, as it's one of the true highlights of the show. But Dinah Shore's "If I Were a Bell" makes up for that shortcoming, as it's the best version of the song in existence.
   
   This CD can be hard-to-find, but it's well worth seeking out.



2. I don't know what hole the idiots at Amazon ended up pulling this one out of, but this is NOT the 1976 cast recording. This is the version Sinatra recorded with his buddies in 1963. The recordings include Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, among many others. It's out-of-print now, and in fine stereo, so if you are a Sinatra, and always thought HE should have played Brando's role in the movie, then this soundtrack is for you.

5 comments about For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her.

1. A boy gave me this album in 1964 or 65 for my birthday...(my name is Emily and I looked like the girl on the cover at that time). I listened to that album over and over and over. Glenn has such a wonderful voice. This album is my all time favorite. I love the songs on it....some I have never heard on the radio. I was sad when the record was broken. I have looked in every record store since trying to find it. So glad it is now on CD!



2. As previously stated, instrumental overshadows vocals in 'Crucifixion'. I have the original album, with pops and snaps (actually 2 albums). By utilizing them as a template and boosting frequencies in vocal range, I did manage to restore it more towards the original. I wish someone would redo the mixing of this CD, hopefully nearer to original album, as I would buy it again.



3. "For Emily..." is one of my favorite of Glenn's covers. "The Crucifixion" is another of my Glenn favorites and, sadly, on my copy of the cd the vocal is burried under the instrumental. In parts one simply can't make it out. I faxed this complaint to the record company listed in the liner notes. As it appears they did no take my complaint to heart. Avoid this one.



4. As a long time Glenn Yarbrough fan I was dissapointed in this one. Glenn's voice is great when you can hear it. The instrumental portion overwhelms the vocal.



5. One of the best by Glen Yarbrough. Bought the album years ago and have been looking for the CD for a long time. This is one CD to listen to over and over and it only will only get better.

5 comments about In My Style/Fresh Flavor.

1. In My Style/Fresh Flavor is an outstanding twofer CD that has all the songs from two of Jane's record albums entitled In My Style and Fresh Flavor. The quality of the sound is superb; and I like that artwork. I always appreciate it when the original record album artwork is incorporated into the CD artwork.
   
   "Side By Side" starts the track set with a busting number by the great Jane Morgan. Jane belts this out like the pro she was and the music that goes with her singing complements her style completely! Jane's voice is as clear as a bell--and I love it! "I'm Sorry" is another highlight of this album; Jane performs this number which I believe was originally done by Brenda Lee. The backup chorus harmonizes well but still this number belongs to Jane Morgan--she sings it well. Listen also for a wonderful interpretation of the classic "My Heart Belongs To Daddy;" this was one of the best songs Marilyn Monroe ever performed and I think Jane Morgan's rendition is equally strong. Jane's excellent diction enhances her performance, too.
   
   "You Belong To Me" gives us Jane singing another wonderful cover of this very famous love song; and she aces this as easily as breathing! Jane's an excellent chanteuse. "Fascination" was one of Jane's earliest hits; and just one listen tells you why! "People" is also a major highlight of this album; Jane Morgan sings this with great sensitivity and this impresses me a lot.
   
   "We'll Sing In The Sunshine" gives us Jane doing an upbeat tune that belies somewhat the lyrics about the ambivalence about a love affair. "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" is easily another masterpiece for Jane Morgan; she has some mighty fine music to go along with her singing and she never misses a beat! "Strangers In The Night" features Jane front and center--and I certainly don't mind that one bit!
   
   "When A Man Loves A Woman," which was first sung by Percy Sledge, gets the royal treatment from Jane who delivers this with panache and all her might. This ballad gets a slower tempo than I'm used to but it works very well and it all sounds very pretty. "Monday, Monday" is an interesting cover of this tune by The Mamas and The Papas; I'm not sure that she surpasses their rendition but it isn't a bad number either.
   
   The album ends strong with Jane Morgan performing a wonderful, peppy rendition of "Elusive Butterfly." This tune has a wonderful musical arrangement and Jane was born to sing songs like this!
   
   Overall, Jane Morgan fans will want this CD without any doubt. People who like classic pop vocals will also enjoy this album.



2. Jane Morgan was probably born a bit too late. With a style more reminiscent of the late '40s and early '50s, she first came into prominence around the middle of the '50s, and after her big hit, "Fascination," she faded from public attention as rock'n'roll took over the charts. But she kept singing her way, and as a lover of late-'40s-early-'50s music, I've got to say I liked listening to these songs, most of which came from the '60s.

   The first album which got included in this CD was approximately a 50-50 mix of '50s and '60s tunes, including a remake of "Fascination" (which she'd originally done for a different label, so it wasn't available when Epic made the album). She sounds much the same on this version as she did on the original, but the instrumental backing is rather different. The others vary in her approach: she's obviously trying to imitate Petula Clark's British accent on her version of Clark's "Downtown" -- and ends up sounding more British than Petula! On the other hand, for "Old Cape Cod" she makes no attempt to imitate Patti Page. But they picked a bunch of '50s songs and the kind of '60s songs that would go well with a '50s style, and as a result everything seems to fit.

   The second album was a collection of tunes that were current in the mid-'60s when it came out, and this one doesn't work as well. A song like "These Boots Are Made for Walking" doesn't want a sweet-voiced '50s type singer doing it. But Jane tries her best, and the songs come out sounding better than one might fear. Still, I liked the first set better.

   The whole CD is worth listening to, but it does sound a bit anachronistic, with '60s songs in a '50s style.




3. These 2 albums were a mistake for Jane. Her majestic voice should have been doing Arlen, Kern or Rodgers. Too bad she didn't have Norman Granz guiding her caerer like Ella's. The 1st album is a bit better because it's closer to the kind of songs that suit her very talented voice. Ms. Morgan was very popular on the Kapp label by doing "artistic" albums & not top 10 hits which are what most of these songs are. I keep hoping those lps will be converted to domestic cds SOON! Then, I can write ***** reviews which is what she deserves. But, here, Jane & the band appear to be fighting each other. Instead, they should have been harmonious.



4. I've heard all these songs by other people, often by the original artists, but Jane sings them differently - sometimes only a little, sometimes more so. In each and every case, Jane changes the song enough to make it her own, while retaining the essence of the original.

   Jane covers one of her own, Fascination, which was a big American hit for her in the fifties.

   If there is a slight weakness, it may be her cover of Percy Sledge's When a man loves a woman, with the genders reversed. The swapping of man (one syllable) with woman (two syllables) doesn't quite fit the melody, but that's a minor point.

   On Petula's Downtown, Jane seems to be attempting a British accent - it's not very accurate, but it's much better than any Brit attempting an American accent.

   Among the other great covers are songs made famous by Barbra Streisand, Brenda Lee, Jo Stafford, Teresa Brewer, Gale Garnett, the Young Rascals, the Righteous brothers, Nancy Sinatra, Frank Sinatra, Simon and Garfunkel, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Mamas and Papas, Dionne Warwick and Bob Lind - quite a range.

   These are no mere imitations of the originals, but they are interesting. It is a pity that so little of Jane's lovely music is available. Buy this to encourage further releases.




5. Epic hadn't much of a clue about what to do with Jane Morgan after signing her. She certainly wasn't a rock singer, had a supperclub style and Contiental mentality, was too dramatic and glamorous for the teen crowd, too sophisticated for adult buyers. The ultimate solution were these albums of covers, in turns ridiculous in choice, amusing in execution and delightful in experience. They proved Morgan could sing Anything with a capital A and make it her own. Both albums sold big, to Epic's surprise and delight, and Morgan is the reason why. She was never above doing a song, but when she did a song she did it her way. These albums still are great listening.

2 comments about Lounge Legends.

1. Sammy Davis JR truly was One of the Worlds Greatest all Around Artists to Emerge. this set hgihlights His takes on on 70's TV Themes&also Mr.Bojangles&Other Classics. his Voice is in cool form just as the Brother was.He truly was one of a Kind.



2. Mister Entertainment, Mister Bojangles, The Candy Man, call him what you wish, but Sammy Davis Jr. was the epitome of cool, the consummate performer, no matter what the material. While fellow Rat Packers Frank and Dino were slowing down, Sammy saw the 70's and hit the ground running, singing everything he could. You'd think the break-neck pace would produce less than favorable results, case in point, the unlikely hit with this CD's opener, THE CANDY MAN. They literally had to rope Sammy to the chair in the studio to do it; but it became one of his all time greatest anthems. This CD is jammed with some of Sammy's lesser known sides, all of which are great. They go from the funky (BARRETA'S THEME, JOHN SHAFT, and the superfunkadelic GET IT ON)
   to the groovy (more TV themes LOVE IS ALL AROUND, WE'LL MAKE IT THIS TIME (from Kojak), YOU CAN COUNT ON ME (Hawaii Five-o) and a homespun-folk art version of Jose Feliciano's CHICO AND THE MAN that is wonderful). Others still border on inspirational and let us in deeper to Sammy's world, like the San Remo Festival winner, THIS IS MY LIFE (a big hit for Shirley Bassey) and the touching TAKE MY HAND. The standouts here are the inspired message in I'M OVER 25 to the youth of the day (and it could still be said today), The grand take on the LEGRAND (as in Michel) song SWEET GINGERBREAD MAN that swings perfectly under Sammy's command, the poignant and dignified reading of the Bricusse/Newley song TOMORROW, a song culled from Sammy's THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT album (the only time Sammy and the immortal Nelson Riddle paired up) and a fine reading of the standard GET HAPPY, and finally, the final track, I'LL BEGIN AGAIN, flawlessly interpreted here by one of the greatest performers of all time. This is far from the "greatest hits" package(s) you'll find out there, but for another side of Sammy or complete-ists, this is a must have. Great import.

5 comments about Howard Crabtree's When Pigs Fly (1996 Original Cast).

1. I saw a live production of this show in Phoenix, and this CD is the perfect way to keep my memories of that vibrant evening alive! What a tremendous creative effort this represents, and what an affirming and incredibly funny triumph it is for gay folks everywhere! Buy it -- you won't be sorry!



2. I saw a live production of this show in Phoenix and have such vibrant memories of it! And this CD is a perfect way for this tremendous creative effort to live on and on. A great addition to your collection -- anyone's collection!



3. I personally love this cd, though i am not gay. All of the songs are good, something you rarely find in a newer musical (for instance: Jekyll and Hyde) and all the actors are great. I especially like the one who sings the Torch songs. Some of the funniest songs are "You've Got To Stay In The Game" which has the male actors dressed up as singing and dancing playing cards, "Not All Man" which has a centaur who doesn't realize he is a centaur wondering "Why do they say I'm not all man?", and especially the Carol Ann Knippel skit, a struggling small-town musical theatre lover, who runs the Melody Barn, and decides to write her own musicals. "Annie 3" cracks me up. "Be a cockeyed oculus! Whistle a happy song! Everythings comin' up....Crysanthemums!" Overall I'd say this is one of my new favorite shows, and you should buy it RIGHT NOW, and if you like this one, buy WHOOP-DEE-DOO!, also conceived by Crabtree, but clearly not as good as WHEN PIGS FLY, though very good as well.



4. Witty, imaginative, thought provoking, humable- in a word unforgetable. The world lost a brilliant talent with the death of Howard Crabtree. An of course big Bravos to Dick Gallagher and Mark Waldrop and the entire cast. I can't say which is my favorite number because all of them are great, but special mention to The title number, Laughing Matters, and Sam and Me. Get this cd - you won't be disappointed.



5. This CD is absolutely fabulous! The lyrics are sharp and witty, and the score is a perfect complement. This is Howard Crabtree at his finest.