Linda Ronstadt with Nelson Riddle And His Orchestra - Round Midnight Disc 1 And Disc 2

Album: Round Midnight Disc 1

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1986
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 60:31
Size: 138,7 MB
Art: Front

(3:53)  1. What's New
(3:29)  2. I've Got A Crush On You
(4:14)  3. Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
(3:35)  4. Crazy He Calls Me
(4:12)  5. Someone To Watch Over Me
(4:10)  6. I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance
(4:09)  7. What'll I Do
(4:21)  8. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be)
(4:50)  9. Good-Bye
(2:27) 10. When I Fall In Love
(3:11) 11. Skylark
(4:23) 12. It Never Entered My Mind
(4:13) 13. Mean To Me
(4:23) 14. When You Lover Has Gone
(4:53) 15. I'm A Fool To Want You

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Album: Round Midnight Disc 2

Time: 61:31

Size: 141,0 MB

(2:25)  1. You Took Advantage Of Me

(3:42)  2. Sophisticated Lady

(2:33)  3. Can't We Be Friends?

(3:27)  4. My Old Flame

(2:39)  5. Falling In Love Again

(3:54)  6. Lush Life

(3:50)  7. When You Wish Upon A Star

(4:27)  8. Bewitched Bothered & Bewildered

(3:37)  9. You Go To My Head

(5:28) 10. But Not For Me

(3:01) 11. My Funny Valentine

(4:19) 12. I Get Along Without You Very Well

(2:59) 13. Am I Blue

(3:44) 14. I Love You For Sentimental Reasons

(2:15) 15. Straighten Up And Fly Right

(4:36) 16. Little Girl Blue

(4:27) 17. Round Midnight

Round Midnight is a two-disc box set that compiles all three of the traditional pop albums Linda Ronstadt recorded with Nelson Riddle (What's New, Lush Life, and For Sentimental Reasons). Only dedicated fans will need to own all three of the albums, and, for those listeners, this is a classy way to purchase them.

Credits of 'Round Midnight with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra: Bob Magnusson Bass;  Bob Mann Guitar;  Johnny Mercer Composer;  Nelson Riddle Arranger, Performer, Conductor;  Tommy Tedesco Guitar;  Ray Brown Bass;  Dennis Budimir Guitar;  John Guerin Drums;  Jim Hughart Bass;  Linda Ronstadt Vocal;  Louie Bellson Drums.

Round Midnight Disc 1, Disc 2

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Various - Capitol Sings Hollywood

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 58:43
Size: 134.4 MB
Styles: Vocal, Easy Listening
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[2:57] 1. Betty Hutton - Stuff Like That There
[2:56] 2. Bob Manning - That Old Feeling
[2:41] 3. Bobby Darin - There's A Rainbow 'round My Shoulder
[1:53] 4. Dakota Staton - On Green Dolphin Street
[2:17] 5. Dean Martin - Louise
[3:01] 6. Ethel Ennis - My Foolish Heart
[3:04] 7. Johnny Mercer - If I Had A Talking Picture Of You
[3:13] 8. Julie London - It Could Happen To You
[2:39] 9. June Christy - They Can't Take That Away From Me
[3:29] 10. June Hutton - My Baby Just Cares For Me
[3:12] 11. Keely Smith - When Your Lover Has Gone
[2:48] 12. Lena Horne - Singin' In The Rain
[2:46] 13. Mark Murphy - Put The Blame On Mame
[3:11] 14. Mel Tormé - Again
[4:02] 15. Nancy Wilson - But Beautiful
[2:54] 16. Nat King Cole - Smile
[3:07] 17. Peggy Lee - Stormy Weather
[4:17] 18. Sue Raney - I Remember You
[2:06] 19. Trudy Richards - You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me
[2:00] 20. Vic Damone - Stella By Starlight

Capitol Records has one of the most distinctive buildings in Los Angeles and if a movie shows the city begin destroyed by aliens or tornadoes it usually involves the destruction of the round building that bears the company's name. Capitol was founded by songwriter Johnny Mercer in 1942, the first major label on the West Coast competing with New York City's Columbia, Decca and RCA-Victor. Starting with artists like Paul Whiteman and Martha Tilton, by the end of the decade the label was recording Bing Crosby, Peggy Lee, Les Brown, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra. While the works of Crosby and Sinatra are exempt from the Capitol Sings series, you will always find familiar singers singing familiar songs, as with the title track sung by Lena Horne, as often as you hear unfamiliar songs sung by forgotten singers, such as Ethel Ennis singing "My Foolish Heart."

"Captiol Sings Hollywood" is Volume 20 in the series and one brings together twenty tracks representing a particular venue (e.g., Broadway) instead of a specific songwriter (e.g., Irving Berlin). Just be aware that if a song originated in a Broadway show that was made into a Hollywood musical then it is exempt from being included in this collection. That would explain why you may well be unfamiliar with most of these twenty songs. "Singin' in the Rain" and "Stormy Weather" are recognizable classics, and the same should be said for Charlie Chaplin's "Smile," sung here by Nat King Cole in one of the best tracks on the album. and June Christy's swing version of "They Can't Take That Away From Me." But after that you may recognize singers like Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, and Mel Torme more than "Louise," "There's a Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder," and "Again." Still you will find a few new little gems on this album, what with Sarah Vaughn's "I Remember You" and Nancy Murphy's saucy "Put the Blame on Mame." That last is from the movie "Gilda" (I mention this because I was drawing blanks on the vast majority of these tracks as to what movies they were culled from and this one immediately jumped to my mind, as did the fact that Anita Ellis sang it for Rita Haywroth).

Despite the unfamiliar songs this is still an enjoyable album, even if it is a lesser one by the standard of the Capitol Sings series. But if you like one of these albums you will certainly enjoy the rest of them. Final Note: On this album Peggy Lee sings Harold Arlen's "Stormy Weather," but on the "Over the Rainbow: Capitol Sings Harold Arlen" the song is sung by Keely Smith. So even when a song by a particular composer or lyricist shows up on more than one album, you will find different cover versions on each album. Again, this simply reflects how deep the Capitol vault is when it comes to these songs. ~Lawrence Bernabo

Capitol Sings Hollywood

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Various - Capitol Records From The Vaults: Capitol Goes To The Movies

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 73:07
Size: 167.4 MB
Styles: Vocal, Stage & Screen, Standards
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[3:02] 1. Johnny Mercer - On The Atchison, Topeka & The Sante Fe
[3:10] 2. Jo Stafford - It Could Happen To You
[2:54] 3. Johnny Mercer - San Fernando Valle
[2:57] 4. Margaret Whiting - In Love In Vain
[2:38] 5. Paul Weston And His Orchestra - Ole Buttermilk Sky
[2:51] 6. Johnny Mercer - Baby, It's Cold Outside
[2:55] 7. The Dinning Sisters - Buttons And Bows
[3:15] 8. Jo Stafford - Blues In The Night
[2:58] 9. The Pied Pipers - The Trolley Song
[3:03] 10. Johnny Mercer - If I Had A Talking Picture Of You
[2:59] 11. Gordon Macrae - It's Magic
[2:55] 12. Mel Blanc - I Taut I Taw A Puddy Tat
[3:08] 13. Mel Tormé - Again
[2:48] 14. Bob Hope - Home Cookin'
[2:30] 15. Sammy Davis Jr. - Laura
[3:03] 16. Peggy Lee - Where Are You
[3:17] 17. Nat King Cole - Mona Lisa
[2:52] 18. Les Baxter - Ruby
[2:43] 19. Tex Ritter - High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me)
[2:59] 20. Jane Froman - I'll Walk Alone
[2:39] 21. Bob Hope - Wing-Ding Tonight
[2:51] 22. Hoagy Carmichael - When Love Goes Wrong
[2:31] 23. Tennessee Ernie Ford - River Of No Return
[3:14] 24. June Hutton - Never In A Million Years
[2:43] 25. Les Baxter - The High And The Mighty

It's a no-brainer that the Capitol From the Vaults series would dedicate a volume to their affluent association with the cinematic side of Hollywood. This is especially true since label co-founder Buddy de Sylva was previously the head of production for Paramount Pictures. As pop music artist and scholar Billy Vera points out in his liner notes essay, the label's first hit -- "Cow Cow Boogie" by Ella Mae Morse -- was featured in the all-star propaganda film Reveille With Beverly (1943). The tradition served Capitol well throughout their first decade and there are over two dozen examples -- which Vera also notes as being nowhere near complete -- on this single CD compilation. Many of these sides not only scored big at the box office, but held their own on the national pop and country & western charts as well. Included are a bevy of Top Ten hits such as "The High and the Mighty" (Les Baxter), "It Could Happen to You" (Jo Stafford), "Buttons and Bows" (Dinning Sisters), and even the animated antics of "I Taut I Taw a Puddy Tat" (Mel Blanc). This collection also features a couple of chart-toppers -- "On the Atchison, Topeka & the Santa Fe" (Johnny Mercer) as well as "Mona Lisa," the latter of which was also given an Oscar as "Best Song" in 1950 for its use in Captain Carey U.S.A. As an obvious labor of love, the audio in the Capitol From the Vaults series is unsurpassed -- rising to the occasion of such memorable pop music. ~Lindsay Planer

Capitol Records From The Vaults: Capitol Goes To The Movies

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Junior Cook Quartet & George Coleman Octet - Stablemates

Styles: Saxophone Jazz
Year: 1977
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 79:58
Size: 183,5 MB
Art: Front

( 5:28)  1. Sweet lotus lips
( 4:44)  2. The crucifier
( 4:46)  3. Not quite that
( 8:51)  4. Yardbird suite
(11:00)  5. Moment to moment
(11:00)  6. Green dolphin street
( 7:59)  7. Frank's tune
( 4:55)  8. Big George
( 5:05)  9. Joggin'
(10:31) 10. Body and soul
( 5:35) 11. Revival

Known as two of the pre-eminent modern mainstream tenor saxophonists of the '60s with Horace Silver or Miles Davis respectively, Junior Cook and George Coleman each blazed their own trails in post-bop jazz with styles and techniques that influenced their much more renowned peer, John Coltrane. These sessions from 1977 showcase the horn players in their prime of life, invigorated to play their own music, and surrounded with like-minded experts of contemporary expressionism that lifts this music to the rafters. Legitimate stablemates in the eight-piece group, Cook's quartet with the reliable pianist Mickey Tucker, and the mighty octet of Coleman featuring Cook split the program, and both consistently prove their distinctive mettle throughout. Cook's small ensemble offers the flowing modal waltz "Sweet Lotus Lips" with an outstanding solo from bassist Cecil McBee, the light shuffle "Not Quite That" similar to Duke Pearson's "Jeanine" with Cook in a restrained Coltrane-ish mode, while the outstanding modal version of Henry Mancini's "Moment to Moment" has a bossa nova feel and palpable Joe Henderson inferences. The band does "Yardbird Suite" with Cook's tenor, not alto as Charlie Parker played on his original, sporting fluid dynamics, executed in a loose fashion, and with a delightfully playful facade. Coleman's exceptional octet, with fellow Memphis musicians, alto saxophonist Frank Strozier and pianist Harold Mabern, baritone saxophonist Mario Rivera, and trumpeter Danny Moore form one of the great front lines of all time. 

But sheer talent is not so much the key as is their teamwork and innate ability to play these tough, intriguing, and uplifting charts. A crazy fast unison approach contrasting mad changes by Coleman and Cook hardly suggests the melody of "Green Dolphin Street," a unique touch that sets the tone for the octet. Drummer Idris Muhammad fires up "Big George" with a hard bop fervor rivaled only by Elvin Jones not surprising considering this track sounds like it is based on a merge of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" and the Miles Davis classic "Tune Up." Rivera naturally underpins the Latin feel of a starkly dramatic "Joggin'," while the bright big-band feel of "Frank's Tune" suggests the progressive bent of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra. Coleman's octet saves the best for last, as "Revival" is an epic modal anthem, with Moore's burnished trumpet up front working in counterpoint with the other horns over a dense, delicious, and dramatic baseline reverting to a tuneful repeat phrase over constantly changing dynamics and shifting rhythms. It's one for the ages. Special kudos goes to Mabern, the glue of the band from a supportive rhythmic and melodic standpoint, and again to Muhammad for his intelligent design in navigating rhythm in a manner far from stock, standard timekeeping. 

This is an important album in many ways, not only for the status of Cook and Coleman, but for the highly original classic music that clearly is identified with the '50s, brought into contemporary times, and everlasting. ~ Michael G.Nastos http://www.allmusic.com/album/stablemates-mw0000311269

Personnel:  Lisle Atkinson – Bass;  George Coleman Octet - Primary Artist;  Junior Cook - Primary Artist, Sax (Tenor);  Frank Eyton – Composer;  Johnny Green – Composer;  Edward Heyman – Composer;  Harold Mabern – Piano;  Henry Mancini – Composer;  Cecil McBee – Bass;  Johnny Mercer – Composer;  Idris Muhammad – Drums;  Mario Mártires Rivera - Sax (Baritone);  Robert Sour – Composer;  Frank Strozier - Sax (Alto);  Mickey Tucker - Composer, Piano;  Azzedin Weston – Percussion;  Leroy Williams - Drums

Stablemates

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Various - Capitol Records From The Vaults: Love Letters

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 74:15
Size: 170.0 MB
Styles: Easy Listening, Vocal
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[2:51] 1. Nat King Cole - (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons
[2:58] 2. Margaret Whiting - Come Rain Or Come Shine
[3:06] 3. Andy Russell - Besame Mucho
[3:12] 4. Johnny Mercer - Candy
[2:32] 5. The Dinning Sisters - Love Letters
[3:01] 6. Nat King Cole - ou Call It Madness (But I Call It Love)
[2:55] 7. Johnnie Johnston - Laura
[3:10] 8. Margaret Whiting - Guilty
[3:01] 9. Jo Stafford - The Things We Did Last Summer
[2:52] 10. Andy Russell - Amor
[3:02] 11. The Pied Pipers - Mam'selle
[3:01] 12. Nat King Cole - I Miss You So
[2:57] 13. Martha Tilton - That's My Desire
[3:12] 14. Judy Garland - Old Devil Moon
[3:01] 15. Nat King Cole - What'll I Do
[3:08] 16. June Christy - Soothe Me
[2:57] 17. Andy Russell - Laughing On The Outside (Crying On The Inside)
[2:38] 18. Margaret Whiting - A Tree In The Meadow
[3:04] 19. Mel Tormé - You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me
[3:11] 20. Al Martino - Here In My Heart
[3:00] 21. Dean Martin - You Belong To Me
[3:04] 22. Bob Manning - The Nearness Of You
[2:45] 23. Helen O'Connell - Be Anything (But Be Mine)
[2:33] 24. Bob Eberly - You Are Too Beautiful
[2:52] 25. Nat King Cole - Somewhere Along The Way

This fourth installment of Capitol Records' label retrospective, Capitol From the Vaults, is hopelessly and head-over-heels devoted to love. The label presents a cornucopia of primarily post-WW II pop tunes that have become standards over time. This collection, subtitled "Love Letters," offers up 25 tracks about love: lost, found, forgotten -- and every other applicable emotion. With amour as a backdrop, this compilation contains hits from practically every pop music genre from the mid-'40 and early '50s. Among those strongly represented on this volume are soundtrack tunes from the stage and screen. These include Mel Tormé's "Your Getting to Be a Habit With Me" which was featured in two Warner Bros. films inspired by the Big Apple -- Lullaby of Broadway and 42nd Street. Another cinematic tribute to the five boroughs is also included with "What'll I Do" by Nat "King" Cole's Trio. This Irving Berlin composition was a Top 40 hit featured in the film The Big City. As with every Capitol From the Vaults installment, the focus of the package is on the songs which made the Hit Parade. 23 of the 25 tracks on Love Letters are in fact chart hits. "Candy" featuring Johnny Mercer and Jo Stafford, Margaret Whiting's "A Tree in a Meadow," and the leadoff track, "I Love You (For Sentimental Reasons)" featuring the Nat "King" Cole Trio are all certified Number One hits by Billboard magazine. The sound quality continues to deliver infinitely better quality recordings than what has previously been available -- that is if consumers could find them at all. Producer Billy Vera has once again inked some wonderfully insightful liner notes. This is a cleverly compiled addition to the Capitol From the Vaults series. ~Lindsay Planer

Capitol Records From The Vaults: Love Letters

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Various - Capitol Records From The Vaults: The Birth Of A Label

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 75:04
Size: 171.9 MB
Styles: Assorted
Year: 2000
Art: Front

[3:11] 1. Freddie Slack And His Orchestra - Cow Cow Boogie
[2:56] 2. Johnny Mercer - Strip Polka
[2:59] 3. Martha Tilton - I'll Remember April
[2:45] 4. Bobby Sherwood And His Orchestra - I Don't Know Why
[3:19] 5. Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra - Serenade In Blue
[2:47] 6. Tex Ritter - Jingle Jangle Jingle
[2:41] 7. Connie Haines - At Last
[3:00] 8. Ella Mae Morse - Mr. Five By Five
[3:15] 9. Billie Holiday - Trav'lin' Light
[3:00] 10. Gordon Jenkins & His Orchestra - There Will Never Be Another You
[3:07] 11. Johnny Mercer - I Lost My Sugar In Salt Lake City
[2:54] 12. Bobby Sherwood And His Orchestra - Moonlight Becomes You
[3:00] 13. Gordon Jenkins - White Christmas
[2:38] 14. Margaret Whiting - That Old Black Magic
[2:45] 15. Six Hits And A Miss - You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
[2:59] 16. Freddie Slack - Riffette
[3:09] 17. Ray Mckinley - Big Boy
[3:15] 18. Ray Mckinley - Hard Hearted Hannah
[3:03] 19. Ella Mae Morse - Get On Board, Little Chillun
[2:49] 20. Billy Butterfield - My Ideal
[3:09] 21. Ceelle Burke & His Orchestra - From Twilight 'til Dawn
[2:53] 22. Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra - The Old Music Master
[3:21] 23. Nat King Cole Trio - All For You
[2:38] 24. The Pied Pipers - Pistol Packin' Mama
[3:19] 25. Johnny Mercer - G.I. Jive

From the Vaults is a multi-disc series commemorating the 60th anniversary of Capitol Records. Volume one, Birth of a Label, compiles 25 of the earliest sides issued by the label's collective brain trust: songwriters Buddy DeSylva, Johnny Mercer, and record shop proprietor Glenn Wallichs. Although many of these tunes quickly became pop standards, several have never been issued on CD before -- and of those that have previously entered the digital domain, most were transferred from sonically challenged vinyl. Tremendous care has been taken on the From the Vaults series to track down the best possible source materials. The extra effort pays off immeasurably. Capitol's incipient recordings were, as one might imagine, an ideal vehicle for Mercer's dynamic compositions. "Strip Polka," "Trav'lin' Light," and "G.I. Jive" are among his earliest pieces for the label and are included on this volume. However, the label quickly became recognized for the variety of sounds released under their moniker. Some of Capitol's earliest hits were taken from motion picture soundtracks. "My Ideal," "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," "Moonlight Becomes You," and the seasonal favorite "White Christmas" are among the baker's dozen of movie songs featured on this release. Other genres to be represented by Capitol ranged from jazz ("Trav'lin' Light") to boogie-woogie ("Cow Cow Boogie"), and even early R&B ("Riffette"). A 10-page liner notes booklet contains memorabilia, vintage photos, and other previously unpublished eye candy, as well as an essay by musician and music historian Billy Vera. Initial pressings -- limited to 10,000 -- are cleverly packaged in a digi-pack designed to replicate the 78 rpm records and sleeves of the era. With such attention to sonic as well as visual detail, Vol. One: Birth of a Label is a promising start to the series. ~Lindsay Planer

Capitol Records From The Vaults: The Birth Of A Label

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Various - Puttin' On The Ritz: Capitol Sings Irving Berlin

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 69:03
Size: 158.1 MB
Styles: Vocal, Traditional pop, Easy Listening
Year: 1992/2007
Art: Front

[1:11] 1. Mary Martin, John Raitt - There's No Business Like Show Business
[1:47] 2. Judy Garland - Puttin' On The Ritz
[1:59] 3. Vic Damone - Marie
[3:19] 4. Dinah Shore - The Song Is Ended
[2:31] 5. Crew Chiefs - Heat Wave
[2:32] 6. Dick Haymes - Isn't This A Lovely Day
[2:31] 7. The Starlighters - Play A Simple Melody
[3:01] 8. Nat King Cole - What'll I Do
[3:07] 9. Bobby Darin - All By Myself
[4:39] 10. Nancy Wilson - You Can Have Him
[2:27] 11. Gordon MacRae - Steppin' Out With My Baby
[3:23] 12. Kay Starr - You're Just In Love
[3:08] 13. Andy Russell - Easter Parade
[2:30] 14. Johnny Mercer - Alexander's Ragtime Band
[2:44] 15. Peggy Lee - Cheek To Cheek
[2:37] 16. The Four Freshmen - Be Careful, It's My Heart
[2:50] 17. Betty Hutton - Blue Skies
[3:23] 18. Ian Bernard - How Deep Is The Ocean
[2:23] 19. Nat King Cole - Let's Face The Music And Dance
[3:27] 20. Sue Raney - How About Me
[2:25] 21. Vic Damone - Change Partners
[2:41] 22. Dean Martin - I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
[3:00] 23. Jo Stafford - White Christmas
[2:33] 24. Gordon MacRae - Always
[2:43] 25. Margaret Whiting - God Bless America

The songs of Irving Berlin are I-beams in the towering edifice of 20th century popular music. This sampler of predominately pop recordings from the Capitol catalog may serve as both a grab bag of enjoyable entertainments and a useful introduction to some of this composer's nicest tunes. Each of the 25 tracks perfectly illustrates the essence of a given song, and would be especially useful for anyone seeking to learn the rudimentary contours. Jazz is only marginally represented here, in spite of the fact that jazz grew up on Irving Berlin's often jazz-inspired melodies, many of which survive today primarily as jazz standards. Certainly jazz is manifested in Nat King Cole (with both trio and big band), Nancy Wilson, Johnny Mercer and bandleaders Red Norvo and Billy May. Several ex-big-band singers are in the mix, including Peggy Lee and Kay Starr. Jo Stafford sings like an angel, Dinah Shore's gentle rendering of "The Song Is Ended" comes across as a marvel of sensitivity, and Betty Hutton's handling of "Blue Skies" is among her prettiest performances on record. The timeline represented here (1944-1963) almost exactly traces the golden age of the post-WWII, pre-Beatles star pop vocalists. The core sample contains measurable amounts of Judy Garland, Mary Martin, Margaret Whiting, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, Gordon MacRae, Dick Haymes and Vic Damone, as well as pearly white group vocals by the Starlighters, the Crew Chiefs, the Pied Pipers and the Four Freshmen. ~arwulf arwulf

Puttin' On The Ritz: Capitol Sings Irving Berlin

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Johnny Mercer - My Huckleberry Friend: Johnny Mercer Sings The Songs Of Johnny Mercer

Bitrate: 320K/s

Time: 76:47

Size: 175.8 MB

Styles: Tin Pan Alley pop, Standards

Year: 1974/1996

Art: Front

[2:54] 1. You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby

[2:59] 2. Little Ol' Tune

[3:37] 3. Moon River

[2:29] 4. I Wanna Be In Love Again

[3:16] 5. The Days Of Wine And Roses

[3:14] 6. Talk To Me, Baby

[2:26] 7. Goody Goody

[3:34] 8. Summer Wind

[3:14] 9. Little Ingenue

[2:30] 10. Something's Gotta Give

[2:48] 11. Satin Doll

[2:27] 12. It's Great To Be Alive

[2:42] 13. That Old Black Magic

[2:51] 14. Tangerine

[2:39] 15. The What-Cha-Ma-Call It

[4:09] 16. Midnight Sun

[3:18] 17. I'm Old Fashioned

[3:21] 18. Come Rain Or Come Shine

[2:33] 19. Too Marvelous For Words

[3:47] 20. Autumn Leaves

[3:36] 21. Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home

[2:48] 22. The Air-Minded Executive

[2:43] 23. Pineapple Pete

[2:42] 24. I Thought About You

[3:56] 25. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)

Recorded in London just two years before his death, My Huckleberry Friend includes nearly an hour and half of singer Johnny Mercer updating his own compositions. The American musical giant is accompanied by the Pete Moore Orchestra and the Harry Roche Constellation. Mercer's voice is solid throughout this 25-track record that marries his Tin Pan Alley lyrical style with diverse pop arrangements. The song "It's Great to Be Alive" says it all about this release: "It's great to be alive, to work from nine to five." Fans of Mercer will enjoy this record, while purists may prefer his earlier (and more traditional) recordings. Mercer's career may have slowed down due to the onslaught of rock & roll, but he was never intimidated by the new styles. (After all, he founded Capitol Records, the home of the Beatles.) So in 1974, he flew to London to record new interpretations of some of his old classics. The results are often stunning. The "Shaft"-like version of "That Old Black Magic," with its funk-fortified guitar and soul-splashed keyboards, is an archival treat. Mercer truly gets down when he sings "Every time your lips meet mine/Down and down I go/All around I go/Loving the spin I'm in/Under that old black magic called love." This tasty morsel will be jarring for listeners who only associate the name Mercer with '40s songs like "G.I. Jive" or soundtrack cuts like "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" or "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah." Mercer and arranger Pete Moore, however, do not abandon the big-band swing sound closely associated with these songs. And sometimes that is a problem. The moody and ethereal "The Days of Wine and Roses" is out of place next to some of the more modern-sounding tracks. The typical '70s instrumentations (dual use of flute and trumpet, etc.) make some songs sound hilariously familiar. The piano in "Too Marvelous for Words" hints at the "Theme From the Odd Couple." But if you are listening to Mercer, you expect some nostalgia, right? The only real criticism of this collection (besides the purists' crazy notion that funk and rock have no place in these standards) is that the pop flavors of the time are not embraced more completely: The funk guitar in "Something's Gotta Give" is strangely married to a brassy, swinging orchestration. There are some traditional takes here, especially on "Summer Wind," "Autumn Leaves," "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home," and "One for My Baby." Fans of lounge music and neo-swingers who appreciate Mercer will particularly like this collection. Who else would the island sounds of "Pineapple Pete" be for? My Huckleberry Friend" ends with a great reflection on Mercer's career: "Don't let it be said Old Unsteady can't carry his load. Make it one for my baby and one more for the road. That long, long, long, long road." ~JT Griffith

My Huckleberry Friend: Johnny Mercer Sings The Songs Of Johnny Mercer

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