Fred Astaire "Top Hat: Hits From Hollywood" (Sony Legacy, 1994)
The ultimate '30s tap-dancin' smoothie, Fred Astaire projected an unaffected everyman charm with his modest vocal talents. It's all about phrasing and his considerable personal charm -- that, and the fact that his movies were showcases for some of the best material by the upper eschelon of American pop songwriting: Irving Berlin and Cole Porter, to name a few. This particular collection is heavy on Berlin, the Gershwins, and Jerome Kern... fancy stuff, and packed with pep. Astaire's voice invariably led to fairly brisk versions of songs that later became lush standards -- there's a certain unique appeal to his approach; while he seems to be zipping through the tune and doesn't linger on the sentiments, he always manages to capture and convey the meaning. It's a nice twist on Jazz Era crooning, and certainly evocative of the times. This is a nice collection, with a little tapping on a few tunes, but generally little of the intrusions of film dialog which are sometimes so distracting in these movie music collections. Recommended.
Al Bowlly - see artist profile.
Bing Crosby - see artist profile.
Russ Columbo "Prisoner Of Love" (ASV, 1998)
For a brief, glimmering period in the early 1930s, Russ Columbo was Bing Crosby's big rival as King of the Crooners... He was certainly made fun of just as much as Crosby was for championing the goofy new vocal style. Columbo died young and, of course, left with only Rudy Vallee as his competition, Crosby won out... Still, I've always been a bit partial to Columbo's singing -- generally speaking he played things somewhat smoother and straighter than Crosby did, and seemed less stylized, or at least not so partial to overt vocal trickery. It's a pity he only recorded 32 songs total (!) and that so little of it remains in print, but this collection on the ever-fab ASV label should whet your appetite. 25 out of 32 tracks ain't bad... A highly recommended record!
Russ Columbo "Prisoner Of Love" (Take Two, 1999)
More great material by Columbo, with considerable overlap between this and the ASV collection. This disc may be a little harder to find, but Take Two releases are usually worth the search.
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra w/ Frank Sinatra "All Time Greatest Hits, v. 1" (RCA, 1990)
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra w/ Frank Sinatra "All Time Greatest Hits, v. 2" (RCA, 1990)
I've never been a big Sinatra fan (guess I grew up hearing too many of his overinflated cornball pop records), but I do have these two excellent CDs of his early work as the star singer for the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, and I have to admit, they're worth keeping around. Even as a young man, Sinatra was a little too showy and full of himself, and his immense star power as a singer was almost unprecedented in the dance-oriented big band era. Still, he sings these bobbysoxer ballads with gusto and pep, and Dorsey's band was really a force of nature. So what if Sinatra killed the big bands? While he was in the scene, he made some good swing recordings, with syrupy splashes of old-fashioned crooning and a hint of the pop vocal era to come.
Charlie Palloy "Vocals And Guitar" (The Old Masters, 2002)
Not much is known about the jovial, guitar pickin' crooner Charlie Palloy, other than of course his unabashed imitation of the young Bing Crosby. These recordings, made between 1932-33 for the cheapo Crown label, were sold through Woolworth's stores as a bargain-basement version of the new crooning fad. Nonetheless, even though Palloy's act was patently derivative, these recordings are just as entertaining as any others of the era. Palloy was a robust, cheerful performer and, as the liner notes point out, a fairly pioneering jazz guitarist. Plenty of hits of the day, including "It Don't Mean A Thing," "Brother Can You Spare A Dime?" and "Try A Little Tenderness," as well as less reknowned tunes like "Hustlin' And Bustlin' For Baby" and "On Word Led To Another" that convey the offbeat, cutesy charm of the old Tin Pan Alley repertoire. As with other TOM releases, this disc has great sound quality, and is a real find for fans of Depression era pop.
Dick Powell "Lullaby Of Broadway" (ASV, 2000)
24 songs
Dick Powell "The Man From 42nd Street" (Flapper, 1996)
Dick Powell "In Hollywood: 1933-1935" (Sony, 1995)
Dick Todd "The Canadian Crosby" (ASV, 1996)
27 songs
Mel Torme "Sings Fred Astaire" (Rhino, 2000)
Rudy Vallee "Heigh-Ho Everybody, This Is Rudy Vallee" (ASV, 1994)
Rudy Vallee "Vintage Vallee: 1928-1930" (Diamond Cut, 2000)
Various Artists "LULLABY OF BROADWAY: THE BEST OF BUSBY BERKELEY AT WARNER BROTHERS" (Rhino, 1995)
If you haven't seen the musicals these recordings come from, the songs may seem a bit thin, or overlong. But if you have an appreciation of the lavish nuttiness of Berkeley's best work, then these tunes may conjure delightful images of Dick Powell and all them leggy dames, and the crazy kaleidoscopic dance routines that made these films so fab. This 2-CD set includes material from 42nd Street, Gold Diggers of 1933, Footlight Parade, Wonder Bar, Fashions of 1934, Dames, Gold Diggers of 1935, In Caliente, Gold Diggers of 1937, and Hollywood Hotel. Harry Warren's scores are often frivolous and dingbatty, part of what made them so much fun in conjunction with the spectacles on screen. They also work fine on their own, at least to a certain degree. For fans, this collection is a must.
