Crooners

[Joe Hutch]

I watched a programme on BBC4 last night about the likes of Bing Crosy, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. Apart from having the annoying twat Jamie Gollum on it, and a pre-train crash Amy Winehouse, it was quite interesting.

HOWEVER, the thought struck me, as a clip was shown of Andy Williams' TV show, that when the Beatles came along in 1962/3 and blew this stuff away, that they were doing the world a service. A shame they couldn't hold things together till the job was properly done, though.

 

[prowla]

Well, it's not what I would normally listen to, but some of those blokes were pure class.

 

[Mark EJ]

A shame they couldn't hold things together till the job was properly done, though.

I know it's probably sacrilege, but I entirely agree. For me most of these come into the my personal 'avoid like plague' category, namely "solo artists who require backing bands", and share that status with the likes of M'donner, Prince, Killie, etc. It seldom works, if one is honest.

 

[vuk]

consider yourselves lucky to be outside of canada and successfully avoiding michael bublé.

vuk.

 

[concrete]

consider yourselves lucky to be outside of canada and successfully avoiding michael bublé.

vuk.

oh he has a presence in the uk too. certainly one i avoid like the aforementioned plague, but his smug face is around.

 

[Zombie]

a killer is the Austrian Helmut Lotti, even has his own brand of throat lozenges or whatever your anglos call them...avoid it all

 

[Joe Hutch]

consider yourselves lucky to be outside of canada and successfully avoiding michael bublé.

vuk.

He was on the programme too. I wondered who he was.

 

[Kit Taylor]

I'm no expert, but most crooning's too claustrophobic and airless.

Regardless, you can't be without this album.

 

[vuk]

a killer is the Austrian Helmut Lotti

so true. he also occasionally wears the sort of outfit only a male figure skater (or the sort of gay banana republic dictator we've not yet seen) would consider appropriate.

i don't even like nat king cole or the coletrane/hartman record (which a grilfriend made me buy once upon a time).


vuk.

 

[Peter Stockwell]

Sinatra will sneak up on you. For me, he's one of the greatest singers of all time. Sinatra effectively slams the door on anybody else. Gollum, Bublé what's the point.

Mind you, I was at least 45 years old before I "got" Sinatra.

regards

Peter

 

[andyoz]

Sinatra will sneak up on you.
Mind you, I was at least 45 years old before I "got" Sinatra.

He "got me" about 2 years ago as my wife always made me play him at BBQ's. Elvis too (his later slower stuff is wonderful)!!

And the recording quality is so good. Seriously, they are the type of material that sound good on both good and bad gear and it takes real talent to do that (both the artist and producer).

 

[Peter Stockwell]

Andy,

I limit my listening to the Capitol years with an odd foray into the Reprise years; I like The Antonio Carlos Jobim album, for example. But it's taken a while to assimilate, I also like Jobim now, I think the world has suffered from too many versions of "The Girl from Ipanema".

What do people think about the album he did with Count Basie ?

regards

Peter

 

[andyoz]

I've only been limited to some compilations!

Just finished reading Lee Server's book on Ava Gardner's. It's only interesting because of Frank's involvement and that "issue" basically takes over half of the book. The guy was seriously driven to succeed.

 

[kasperhauser]

All of you saying shun the crooners... surely you don't mean Mel Torme as well?

Infidels.

 

[Joe Hutch]

All of you saying shun the crooners... surely you don't mean Mel Torme as well?

He was the voice of Bugs Bunny, right?

 

[ian r]

Mel Torme ...... I own none or know a single tune he sang ....BUT I understood he was a hot jazz singer in the late 50's -60's ,,,,,, before the easy listening marketers got hold of his career ....... he sang with some very serious jazz musicians as I understand it ...... which is probably a good thing

I might be wrong but crooning was later in his career.

 

[Peter Stockwell]

I know somebody who rates Tormé over Sinatra. The person in question is more concerned by the orchestrations, which they find too agressive with Sinatra.

Peter

 

[tones]

He was the voice of Bugs Bunny, right?

I think Mr. Blanc's sole singing effort was on Spike Jones's "Clink, clink, another drink", one of the earliest of the City Slickers' records. More gooning than crooning.

 

[Joe Hutch]

I think Mr. Blanc's sole singing effort was on Spike Jones's "Clink, clink, another drink", one of the earliest of the City Slickers' records. More gooning than crooning.

Surely he also sang 'I tought I saw a puddy tat a cweepin up on me'?

 

[jackbarron]

When I was growing up Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr were on the radio. Even The Beatles and Rolling Stones couldn't do away with them.

To rub it in my parents played Sinatra, crooners, and soundtrack albums to films like West Side Story on their radiogram unit.

Sinatra, Martin and Davis Jnr were all pretty cool aside from having great voices. They got high, made a lot of money and hung out with the mob.

A bit better than Pete Doherty I think.

Jack