If you ask me, this is a masterpiece of budget label deception. Even an experienced "junk" label thrifter like myself was fooled--almost--for a few moments. My first reaction was, "How did Pickwick (Bravo) get tracks by Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Bunny Berrigan, etc.?" Answer: It didn't. This is basically a list of band themes and songs which made "them" (the bands) famous. Which, in fact, is the only way to make grammatical sense of the title. You have to process the heading in two parts: 1) Great Band Themes and Songs 2) That Made Them (the orchestras listed below the title) Famous. In short, none of these orchestras actually appear on the LP. They're listed, yes (in big font, naturally), but they're not present. Ironically, there's no orchestra credit whatsoever, though I suspect it's our old friend Bobby Krane. Or maybe Stanley Applewaite. These are all excellent recreations, by the way.
Meanwhile, at Discogs, the various editions of this LP (International Award, Grand Prix, Design) are listed as if the big-font names were actually performing. Like I said, an ingenious ruse by Pickwick.
And, since the music is very well done, I think this nine-track rack-jobber deserves a post. Now, the one bandleader not listed--Cyril Stapleton--is represented by his 1956 hit, Italian Theme (aka The Italian Theme). Cyril, of course (along with Mitch Miller), also made a hit of The Children's Marching Song (1959), one of the great gifts (not) to the Top 40. Anyway, sit back and enjoy these fine recreations by... whoever. All in "True Monophonic High Fidelity." To quote the liner notes, "Listen...and have music fill your home with pleasure." Or your headphones--whichever.
DOWNLOAD: Great Band Themes and Songs That Made Them Famous (Bravo! K 133)
I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You
Moonlight Serenade
Artistry in Rhythm
Ciribiribin
Let's Dance
When It's Sleepy Time Down South
I Can't Get Started
Lisbon Antigua
Italian Theme
Lee
14 comments:
Looks like they spelled Bunny Berigan's name wrong. Or maybe he spelled it wrong and they were right.
I have a RCA Camden post coming up soon that mentions your work unearthing these gems - the two-volume "Biggest Hits of '57."
At long last, the kind of music I enjoy listening to the most! I may have encountered this LP in my thrift hunts but never picked it up. The Stan Kenton cover is great! Good representation of their sound and style.
I REALLY like this version of Moonlight Serenade. For once, it is just slightly different than the numerous (commercial and radio broadcast) versions that show up on hundreds of Glenn Miller compilations. Whoever did this cover manage to literally put a new sparkle on Glenn's classic theme song.
The Benny Goodman cover (whom I assume is Stanley Applewaite) does not quite have the edge and energy of the Benny Goodman original, although the clarinet player does have some of the sound that Benny would use on some of his later recordings. It is a classic Pickwick Generic Big Band cover in my book.
This take on Tommy Dorsey's "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" is the one that appears on my Bobby Krane Dorsey LP that I told you about on May 19th. The trombone player does a great job playing in Tommy's style and has a tone similar to that of the man who led Tommy's band for decades after Dorsey's passing, Buddy Morrow.
Very good Harry James soundalike here! The trumpeter does a really good job re-creating his schmaltzy style. Best of all, this budget label recording is more upbeat and has more of an edge to it than Harry's recordings of his theme on Columbia in the '40's and Capitol in the '50's. Clearly one of the highlights of this budget label LP.
Compared to the hit Nelson Riddle #1 original, the strings sound just a touch boring compared to the one on the original Capitol recording, plus the piano gets away with a few clinker notes! Even the male vocal chorus sounds just a touch boring compared to the one in Nelson's original. And as much as the trumpeter tried, he just cannot quite recapture the sound of Harry "Sweets" Edison precisely. Even though it is kind of a mixed bag musically, it is a pretty adequate cover of Nelson's biggest hit, with a classic budget label brass ending!
Surprisingly mellow version of Bunny Berigan's signature song! Did you know that he played with Tommy Dorsey in the late-'30's and early-'40's (he plays on the band's two-sided hit "Marie" and "Song of India") and that future Easy Listening Big Band star Ray Conniff was one of his trombone players! This budget label take cuts out a lot of key highlights that made this song one of the certified classics in Big Band and Pop music history.
A Surprising take on "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" The uncredited singer sounds like a cross between Satchmo's style and the great Louis Prima, with the band playing in the Glenn Miller style in the song's bridge. While it may not have Louis' energy, it is a pretty good mellow cover of this Satchmo classic.
The Italian Theme reminds me of a cross between "Never on Sunday" and numerous flip side instrumentals by David Seville (a.k.a. Ross Bagdasarian) like "Almost Good" and "Mediocre" and kind of has a novelty flavor to it. One of my least favorite cuts on the album.
For the most part, excellent Big Band collection! Four out of five stars from me. Thanks for sharing with us.
Yeah, I thought there was something wrong with that spelling... And, cool! I look forward to the 1957 RCA Camden two-fer!
musicman1979,
Thanks, as ever, for your very detailed review! Happy to share, as I'm fond of it, too. And, yes, the Kenton cover is outstanding--I was very pleasantly surprised. Thanks for the Berigan info--I believe I knew that he played with Dorsey, but then again I might have forgotten. Re Conniff, I associate him most with his superb Harry James arrangements, though of course he wrote charts for others, too. And, speaking of Harry, I too think this "Ciriciribin" is a superior sound-alike. By the way, as a kid, I had thrifted the 1954 Bell label version of "Marie," which I loved to death (and still do. My dad, on the other hand, thought the answer chorus was a trashy touch). Thus, when I finally heard the earlier RCA version, it was kind of underwhelming. I guess I still consider the louder, livelier Bell version the "correct" one! It's all in how we experience things. Tommy Dorsey was my favorite big band growing up. Happy to bring this to you!
Thanks. Tommy Dorsey is one of my favorite bands, joining the likes of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Les Brown, Harry James, Woody Herman,Benny Goodman, and Stan Kenton. Most of which, not surprisingly, are also represented on this album.
Regarding "Marie", Dorsey heard his arrangement by a group called the Sunset Royal Serenaders and decided to trade five of his arrangements for the "Marie" one. It's success led to a bunch of songs in that cycle. Glad to know you know about Tommy's Bell years--he cut quite a few records for that then-budget label in the mid-1950's. By that time he and Jimmy had reconciled, and Jimmy was now in Tommy's band as a featured soloist. I do have one Bell 78 of "It's A Woman's World" from "White Christmas" and "In A Little Spanish Town" complete with original 78. I have yet to find one of them, but Colpix Records put out several LP's of Tommy's Bell Records cuts a few years after his and Jimmy's death. I am eventually going to check out your Maury Laws Dorsey Touch Holywood LP rip from a few years ago if the links are still working. Thanks for sharing with us.
Buster,
Looking forward to your Biggest Hits of '57 post! I had '59 Volume Two in Mono a couple of years ago (and have started looking for another copy. The only one i have from the early days of the series is Biggest Hits of '56 Volume Two, featuring early cuts from Polly Bergen and organist-pianist-vocalist Earl Grant, some stunning cuts from former Tommy Dorsey vocalist Connie Haines, Big Band pianist Johnny Guaneri, and some unknown acts like vocal group the Townsmen and male vocalist Kyle Kimbro. Some really good songs on that LP with a blue cover. Still have not found a pristine copy of it yet, though. Also had '58 Volume Two for a while before I purged it.
musicman,
I think I have Vol. 1 from 1956, although I don't remember a thing about it.
The 1957 post is now available:
https://big10inchrecord.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-biggest-hits-of-57-not-by-original.html
Buster: I am planning to check out your links later today. I printed your commentary on Saturday, and I am looking forward to listening to Volume One in particular. Fascinating read on your blog comentary.
Lee: In my last post, I meant to include Glenn Miller in my list of all-time favorite Big Bands, yet somehow I wound up listing Benny Goodman twice! I apologize for the error.
Ray Conniff also arranged for Artie Shaw in the '40's: Conniff's arrangement on the Gershwin classic "S Wonderful" is practically identical to the one Ray would record on his first Columbia LP of the same name in 1956, becoming one of Ray Conniff's first classic under his own name.
Also, since you like Conniff's arrangements for Harry James, be sure to check out "Tango Blues" on YouTube. It is pretty cutting-edge Big Band chart for it's time, considering it was recorded in 1952. It ranks right up there with the Neal Hefti arranged "Chiarina" from Harry's MGM days in my book.
Buster:
I am really enjoying Biggest Hits of '57, Volume One. Stuart Foster does a really superb job on Sinatra's "Can I Steal A Little Love", while the piano work on his version of "Green Door" is much Jazzier, yet it does have some of Hutch Davie's piano style in it. This record really shows off Mr. Foster's range. He really captures all of the best vocal elements of Pat Boone in his take on "Don't Forbid Me." He also does an excellent job of "Love Me Tender", sticking to the sparse arrangement of the Elvis Presley original. He does a pretty good job combining both Sonny James and Tab Hunter's styles on "Young Love", complete with a touch of Vaughn Monroe for good measure, yet it is one of the worst cuts on this disc. I would rather listen to Connie Francis' excellent cover on her Country and Western Golden Hits album.
A real surprise are the Robert Alda cuts. His take on "Party Doll" sounds like what Buddy Knox's (not Jimmy Bowen) only #1 hit would sound like if it was made during the Big Band era. He also brings a different element to the Charlie Gracie take on "Butterfly". Even though the Andy Williams version is still my favorite, this version oomes in as a close second in my book. And I am pretty certain that this George Barnes playing on the electric guitar.
REALLY like the Tex Beneke cuts! He really captures the best elements of Sinatra's style on "Hey Jealous Lover", plus it has got a great Tex Beneke sax solo. He still could wow an audience years after his glory days with the Glenn Miller band. It also is a real kick to hear Guy Mitchell's "Singing The Blues" done in a Big Band style. Tex and his band do an excellent job reimagining this classic #1 hit as a Big Band selection. Plus there is a GREAT trombone solo--pity that we don't know who it is.
The Johnny Guarneri cover has more of a combination Honky Tonk Piano and Rock style. At a mid-tempo pace. this is actually more energetic than Johnnie Ray's original. It sounds like the banjo player on the same one that played on the Ames Brothers hit "The Man with the Banjo."
I will do the Calypso cuts later. Overall, very good collection with only a handful of clinkers. Thanks for sharing.
Buster: The "Why Baby Why" version covered on Volume 2 is the Pat Boone hit, not George Jones. Robert Alda does a pretty good job on it using Billy Vaughhn's original arrangement.
Hi. You can comment directly at Buster's blog. (-: No problem--just suggesting!
musicman - Thanks for all the notes! You're quite right about George and Pat.
Thanks!! I was having trouble getting into his blog to comment. It was easier just to post them here.
Buster: glad you enjoyed my comments.
musicman1979,
That's fine. And Buster receives comment notifications from here, so it all works out!
musicman1979,
My blog is open to all! Let me know if you continue to have problems.
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