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From the Vault...
10/20/2002
#808 |
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info
Kay Starr
"Collectors Series"
© Capitol Records
Year of Release: 1991
Rating:
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track listing
I'm The Lonesomest Gal
In Town
You've Got To See
Mamma Ev'ry Night
(Or You Can't
See Mama At All)
You Were Only Fooling
(While I Was
Falling
In Love)
So Tired
Hoop Dee Doo
Bonaparte's Retreat
Mississippi
I'll Never Be Free
Wheel Of Fortune
I Waited A Little
Too Long
Kay's Lament
Fool Fool Fool
Comes A-Long A-Love
Side By Side
Half A Photograph
Allez-Vous-En
When My Dreamboat
Comes Home
Changing Partners
The Man Upstairs
If You Love Me
(Really Love Me)
Toy Or Treasure
Lazy River
Foolin' Around
Crazy
The Rock And
Roll Waltz
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Kay Starr
"Collectors Series"
My memories of Kay Starr was as a child, discovering what is now called
Easy Listening music, was listening to my mother's record collection. The likes
of Johnny Ray, Frankie Laine, Teresa Brewer, Mario Lanza, and Kay Starr
(just to name a few) were always enjoyable to listen to, next to the rock
and roll records my older brothers were collecting.
One Kay Starr 45 rpm record (and it was the only one that I had seen),
was "The Man Upstairs" -- a song with easy lyrics to listen and
understand, it was one of the many tunes that I could memorize each lyric to
sing along with. (I'd say my first one was Tennessee Ernie Ford's "Sixteen
Tons.") "The Man Upstairs" hinted about religion so-to-speak,
where such lyrics as "Have you talked to the man upstairs, he would like to
hear from you..." stated to speak to God in prayer.
At a local record store many years ago, I noticed the Kay Starr Capitol
Collectors Series, and familiar with other tunes by Kay Starr (such as
"Wheel Of Fortune," a popular tune my mother had also told me about,
where she used to have this record when she was growing up) and one song that
reached #1 in the early stages of Rock & Roll (1955), "The Rock And Roll
Waltz."
When I spotted this greatest hits collection, right away I was looking for the
songs that I was most familiar with, and noticed that all 3 of these songs,
likewise 22 others, were on the same cd, which is always a treat to find all
of your favorite songs by an artist/group on ONE compilation such as this.
Capitol Records has always developed great Collectors Series for
many of the pre-Rock artists, as well as artists during the Rock & Roll Era.
Capitol Records included 25 of Kay Starr's popular hits for this collection.
Starting out the first two songs is the enjoyable Big Band sound: "I'm
The Lonesomest Gal In Town" and "You've Got To See Mamma Ev'ry Night (Or
You Can't See Mamma at All)" Having a more standard Jazz sound are "You
Were Only Fooling (While I Was Falling In Love)" and "So Tired."
The Happy-Go-Lucky Easy Listening style is best described on "Hoop Dee
Doo," "Bonaparte's Retreat," and "Mississippi." Early Country has
the sound for "I'll Never Be Free" (with Tennessee Ernie Ford helping
on vocals) and the Steel Guitar and Les Paul-sounding guitars stand out on
this one. Another standout is "Fool Fool Fool" -- it has the early
1950s Doo-Wop vocal style provided by The Lancers.
"Side By Side" was another standard popular tune, and features
harmonies where Kay Starr would record the separate harmonies, and when merged
together, it's a great blend, likewise where there sounds like two voices
interchanging lyrics (which was also heard on "The Man Upstairs").
Recording technology was creative as early as then. "If You Love Me
(Really Love Me)" was another song that I easily recognized from hearing
on pre-Rock radio programs. The Willie Neslon-penned "Crazy" (made
famous by Patsy Cline) is on this collection, and a very good rendition.
Happy-Go-Lucky music sums it up for Kay Starr's Collectors Series.
Easy Listening and Big Band fans will enjoy this collection, and it's always
interesting to listen to the music that was popular before Rock & Roll was born.
They may not make music like this anymore, but it still draws interest to old
and young music fans today. Kay Starr was one of the great talents from this
era, and her music is never tiring.
© WSVNRadio.net. All rights reserved.
Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
Capitol Records
and is used for reference purposes only.
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