The heavy presence of strings on Vaughn Monroe's "Ballerina" is a reminder that the swing era had long ended by 1947 -- it also tells us just how sophisticated recording itself had become by then, on the cusp of the LP (and 45 rpm) eras (plus the advent of magnetic recording tape). On technical grounds alone, then, this volume is worth hearing, even if one doesn't go for pop such as Ray Noble's "Linda" or the Monroe number. There is some cool music mixed in here -- Tex Williams' "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" and ...
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The heavy presence of strings on Vaughn Monroe's "Ballerina" is a reminder that the swing era had long ended by 1947 -- it also tells us just how sophisticated recording itself had become by then, on the cusp of the LP (and 45 rpm) eras (plus the advent of magnetic recording tape). On technical grounds alone, then, this volume is worth hearing, even if one doesn't go for pop such as Ray Noble's "Linda" or the Monroe number. There is some cool music mixed in here -- Tex Williams' "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette)" and the ever-reliable Louis Prima with "Civilization (Bongo, Bongo, Bongo)," plus a late-career triumph by Al Jolson on "Anniversary Song." But one must also appreciate sophisticated pop such as "Guilty" by Margaret Whiting, and Frankie Laine at his most restrained ("That's My Desire") to fully embrace this volume. The sound throughout is excellent, and, as usual in this series, there's no annotation but nice graphics. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
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