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From the Vault...
03/10/2002
#776 |
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info
Jimmy Dorsey
"Amapola: His 24 Greatest Hits"
© ASV Ltd. Records
Year of Release: 2000
Rating:
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track listing
I'm An Old Cowhand
Never In A Million Years
Too Marvelous
For Words
I Fall In Love
With You
Everyday
Change Partners
Hold Tight Hold Tight
(Sea Food)
Deep Purple
Six Lessons From
Madame La Zonga
The Breeze And I
I Hear A Rhapsody
High On A Windy Hill
Amapola
(Pretty Little
Poppy)
Yours
(Quéreme Mucho)
My Sister And I
Maria Elena
Green Eyes
(Aquellos
Ojos Verdes)
Blue Champagne
Jim
Tangerine
My Devotion
Bésame Mucho
(Kiss Me Again)
Star Eyes
They're Either Too
Young Or Too Old
When They Ask
About You
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Jimmy Dorsey
"Amapola: His 24 Greatest Hits"
My interest in the music of the Pre-Rock years (1940-early 1955) hit full
stride in 2001, where I was busy locating the #1 songs from this era. The
music of the 1940s and its Big Band Era is truly an era where music was very
unique, and much enjoyable, despite World War II. This music certainly
kept everyones minds off the war, and a good choice it would be. Big Band music
was recently brought back into the spotlight, thanks to Brian Setzer and his
Orchestra; and an interest of the original bandleaders of this era was quickly
noticed, and experienced to many for the first time, and the rest of us, easily
re-discovered.
Jimmy Dorsey (likewise his brother Tommy) were two of many famous bandleaders
from the Big Band Era. Both the Dorsey brothers accomplished many #1 hits --
7 for Jimmy, 3 for Tommy (note: These numbers were determined from Billboard
Magazine (1940-1955)). Actually, The Dorsey Brothers had a combination of
29 #1 hits (12 for Jimmy, 17 for Tommy) throughout their careers. Tommy Dorsey's
17 #1's can be found on the RCA release, The Seventeen Number Ones.
ASV Ltd.'s Amapola: His 24 Greatest Hits features Jimmy Dorsey's 12 #1
hits, likewise 7 #2's, 3 #3's, and 2 #4's.
What's interesting when listening to famous bandleaders, are the
vocalists on their popular hits. Bing Crosby starts out this compilation on
"I'm An Old Cowhand" (1936), and you have to listen twice; Bing's voice
is not as husky, and sounds much different than his most popular hits on his own.
Crosby is also the star vocalist on the next two songs from 1937 -- "Never
In A Million Years" and the #1 "Too Marvelous For Words". Again,
his voice is young, and you have to listen twice to realize that it is Bing
Crosby, a voice that would later be more popular and famous in the 1940s.
Two very popular singers for Jimmy Dorsey were Bob Eberly and Helen
O'Connell. Bob Eberly was the featured vocalist on 7 #1 hits -- "Change
Partners" (1938), "The Breeze And I" (1940), "I Hear A Rhapsody"
(1940), "High On A Windy Hill" (1940), "My Sister And I" (1941),
"Maria Elena" (1941), and "Blue Champagne" (1941). Both Eberly
and O'Connell would share vocals on three #1s in 1941 -- "Amapola," "Green
Eyes", and "Tangerine". They would also share vocals on other
tunes, which would reach #2 -- "Yours" and "Jim". Of the 24
songs from this compilation, either or both Eberly and O'Connell represented
vocals on 16 songs. Eberly would share vocals with another singer, Kitty
Kallen, on two songs. O'Connell provided the vocals herself on only one
song, "Six Lessons From Madame La Zonga" (1940), and Kallen's vocals
shines on her own on two 1943 songs -- "They're Either Too Young Or Too
Old" and "When They Ask About You."
There is one song with vocals by the Andrews Sisters -- a song that would
become one of their famous hits, "Hold Tight, Hold Tight (Sea Food)"
(1938).
Truly a great album for the Big Band fan, Jimmy Dorsey's Amapola
features his most famous hits. Each hit reached the top 4 of the charts,
which is a great accomplishment to add to any musician's resume. This album
also will bring true enjoyment for those in discovering and re-discovering
the Big Band Era.
England's ASV Ltd. has been busy reissuing the music of the Big Band Era.
Jimmy Dorsey's music was restored to CD from the original 78s transciptions,
likewise its audio restoration and remastering. Our first review from this
company was Cab Calloway's Hi-De-Hi!; another
exceptional release of songs from the Big Band Era. You can visit the ASV Ltd.
website, at www.asv.co.uk.
Its amazing how these recordings can be restored to clear quality CD sound.
However, some recordings are remastered to the best availability, yet there
could be a slight touches of pops and hisses from the original recordings.
This is enjoyed more, because it gives these old recordings a more nostalgic
and historic sound; yet having them sound crystal clear is also acceptable.
Whatever how clear the sound, the Big Band Era is definitely a sound that
is much clearer than today's music. It's more relaxing, the vocals are easy
to understand, and it showed the "innocence" of music, before it was taken
over by Rock Music, and its many associated types of styles.
To get away from today's common sound, re-live the Big Band Era -- spend
some time down old-time memory lane with Jimmy Dorsey's Amapola.
It's worth the trip.
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Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
ASV Ltd. Records
and is used for reference purposes only.
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