 |
It's Easy to Remember |
|---|
|
|
| Styles: |
Easy Listening |
| Media: |
Audio CD |
| Release Date: |
26 November 2001 |
| Label: |
Proper |
| | |
| UPC Catalogue No: |
604988993424 |
| Amazon Sales Ranking: |
18921 |
| Number of Discs: |
4 |
|
Description |
 |
| |
An apt title, It's Easy to Remember: after all, Crosby was arguably more popular than Sinatra (he outsold him by a very long way) and more influential (like Louis Armstrong with popular instrumental music, Crosby virtually invented the popular singing style that came to dominate from the dawn of the 1930s onwards. Yet Crosby is less and less remembered for his truly great years (1930-50) and more for his 1950s and 1960s cameos in Hollywood. That is partly because his most staggering vocal achievements were committed to wax discs and suffer, sound wise, when compared with latter-day recordings, but more centrally because the vaudeville singing traditions that Crosby used as his starting point, and which never fully evaporated from his style, have more completely fallen into disuse and ill repute than the swing and voice-with-strings stimulus that prodded Sinatra in front of the spotlight. Crosby, of course, had impeccable jazz credentials from the first and stayed true to them throughout his long career, turning time and again to old buddies such as Louis Armstrong, Jack Teagarden, his brother Bob Crosby, Connee Boswell and the Eddie Condon gang to make superior Dixie-style jazz sides with, but his major popular breakthroughs were a million miles from jazz-"White Christmas" and a hundred other sentimental ballads. This selection is an intelligent balancing act between all the myriad styles Crosby handled with consummate ease and artistry, from country and western through Tin Pan Alley to hot jazz sessions with Duke Ellington (a truly impressive 12" 78 rpm single of "Dinah" b/w "St. Louis Blues"). In between comes an unbelievably varied set of sparring partners and accompanists, from Xavier Cougat and Al Jolson to Bob Hope and Mary Martin. The set starts with Crosby as one of three vocalists in the Paul Whiteman band of 1927 and ends with him the most famous vocalist on the planet singing at his avuncular best on 1950's "If I Were a Bell! ". Enjoy the ride! --Keith Shadwick |
|
Tracks |
|
| 1 |
I've Got The Girl |
| 2 |
Muddy Water |
| 3 |
Side By Side |
| 4 |
From Monday On |
| 5 |
Mississippi Mud |
| 6 |
'Tain't So, Honey, 'Tain't So |
| 7 |
If I Had You |
| 8 |
Can't We Be Friends? |
| 9 |
Happy Feet |
| 10 |
You Brought a New Kind Of Love To Me |
| 11 |
Three Little Words |
| 12 |
I Surrender, Dear |
| 13 |
Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away) |
| 14 |
Just A Gigalo |
| 15 |
Out Of Nowhere |
| 16 |
Just One More Chance |
| 17 |
I'm Thru With Love |
| 18 |
I Found A Million Dollar Baby (In A Five-&-Ten Cent Store) |
| 19 |
Dancing In The Dark |
| 20 |
Where The Blue Of The Night (Meets The Gold Of The Day) |
| 21 |
Dinah |
| 22 |
St. Louis Blues |
| 23 |
Sweet Georgia Brown |
| 24 |
Please |
| 25 |
(I Don't Stand a) Ghost Of A Chance (With You) |
| 1 |
Brother Can You Spare A Dime? |
| 2 |
You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me |
| 3 |
I've Got The World On A String |
| 4 |
The Last Round-Up |
| 5 |
Love In Bloom |
| 6 |
June In January |
| 7 |
Soon |
| 8 |
It's Easy To Remember |
| 9 |
Red Sails In The Sunset |
| 10 |
Silent Night, Holy Night |
| 11 |
Moonburn |
| 12 |
The Touch Of Your Lips |
| 13 |
Pennies From Heaven |
| 14 |
Shoe Shine Boy |
| 15 |
The Way You Look Tonight |
| 16 |
Sweet Leilani |
| 17 |
Too Marvelous For Words |
| 18 |
The Moon Got In My Eyes |
| 19 |
Remember Me? |
| 20 |
Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight?) |
| 21 |
Don't Be That Way |
| 22 |
I've Got A Pocketful Of Dreams |
| 23 |
You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby |
| 24 |
If I had My Way |
| 25 |
An Apple For The Teacher |
| 1 |
Sierra Sue |
| 2 |
Mister Meadowlark |
| 3 |
Trade Winds |
| 4 |
Only Forever |
| 5 |
Along The Santa Fe Trail |
| 6 |
Tea For Two |
| 7 |
Yes, Indeed! |
| 8 |
San Antonio Rose |
| 9 |
The Waiter & The Porter & The Upstairs Maid |
| 10 |
The Birth Of The Blues |
| 11 |
You Are My Sunshine |
| 12 |
Deep In The Heart Of Texas |
| 13 |
Wait Till The Sun Shines, Nellie |
| 14 |
White Christmas |
| 15 |
Moonlight Becomes You |
| 16 |
Sunday, Monday Or Always |
| 17 |
People Will Say We're In Love |
| 18 |
San Fernando Valley |
| 19 |
Swinging On A Star |
| 20 |
I Love You |
| 21 |
Night & Day |
| 22 |
I'll Be Seeing You |
| 23 |
There'll Be A Hot Time In The Town Of Berlin |
| 24 |
Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral |
| 25 |
Don't Fence Me In |
| 1 |
Mine |
| 2 |
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive |
| 3 |
Put It Ther, Pal |
| 4 |
Baia |
| 5 |
You Belong To My Heart (Or Solamente Una Vez) |
| 6 |
If I Loved You |
| 7 |
Clos As Pages In A Book |
| 8 |
Along The Navajo Trail |
| 9 |
It's Been a Long, Long Time |
| 10 |
I Can't Begin To Tell You |
| 11 |
Day By Day |
| 12 |
Sioux City Sue |
| 13 |
After You've Gone |
| 14 |
South America, Take It away |
| 15 |
A Couple Of Song-&-Dance Men |
| 16 |
I Still Suits Me |
| 17 |
Alexander's Ragtime Band |
| 18 |
Now Is Your Hour (Maori Farewell Song) |
| 19 |
Embraceable You |
| 20 |
But Beautiful |
| 21 |
Sam's Song |
| 22 |
Autumn Leaves |
| 23 |
I've Never Been In Love Before |
| 24 |
If I Were A Bell |
|
Customer Reviews |
|
| |
|
Excellent compilation covering Crosby's peak years. |
Rating: 5.0 |
This excellent compilation has been put together by the ever reliable Stan Britt and covers Bing Crosby's career from his very first recording until the early 1950s. The quality of reproduction is very good throughout even though some of the tracks are over 70 years old. Stan's well-written notes in the superb 36 page booklet are comprehensive and overall this very reasonably priced 4-Cd issue gives anyone who wants an overview of Bing Crosby's work an ideal collection. |
|
|
|
