Zane

We all have different tastes so I can't take any responsibility for this lot.

My personal recommendations would include the multi disc sets which I'm fairly sure are still available-



SWINGIN' WITH BING - Bing Crosby's Lost Radio Performances - issued by Shout! Factory Cat. Num.: D3K31507 in 2004

- a 3 disc set mixing Philco. Chesterfield and GE material
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BING CROSBY MEETS AL JOLSON- The Complete Radio Duets  on SEPIA   Cat. Num.: SEPIA 1053 issued in 2005
particularly if you like Jolson (but perhaps not if you don't)

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Parrot  and JSP both issued a series in the mid nineties of pairings with Judy Garland and others but I suspect you would find it hard to get them.
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More recently JSP issued a 4 disc set which covers the mid 1930s to 1950 - a very good mixture from a wide range:-



BING CROSBY - THE VINTAGE YEARS  Cat. JSP934    Rel. Year: 2007

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Finally two single discs which have been around for quite a time

[img]http://www.google.co.uk/url?source=imgres&ct=img&q=http://p.playme.com/cspv/91-31-94-50-00-AudioPreview-Cover-JPEG256x256/bing-crosby/answer-me,-my-love.jpg%3Fts%3D1291892521&sa=X&ei=3NcpTb2MDtGK4QbdkdiEAg&ved=0CAQQ8wc&usg=AFQjCNEaRctMNcZxvUV4UQvoLZiGMy6FAg[/img]

BING CROSBY - THE RADIO YEARS  on GNP CRESCENDO     Cat. Num.: GNPD9051     issued in  1987



BING CROSBY - THE RADIO YEARS  on GNP CRESCENDO     Cat. Num.: GNPD9052   

Both of these are still available from Amazon. Correction - Amazon US are out of stock but they list them as being available through others.

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I list all of these in my discography. Search against the cat number on this page to find what is on each -

http://www.jazzdiscography.com/Artists/Crosby/crosbyIssuesCD.html

All of these have good audio quality and have adequate supporting information. The  Al Jolson and the Swingin' With Bing Sets are particularly well presented. All are of songs rather than shows but there is linking dialogue from time to time - much in the case of the Jolson set.

Some CDS of radio material not only suffer from poor sound but wholly lack any identification of sources.
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I see Amazon US now stock an extremely long run of CDs made to order for $9.99 or downloadable for $1.78 of complete radio shows - They don't seem to give much information -  merely Vol 1, 2, etc  and they are not listed in order but at first glance there seem to be well over sixty. They seem to have been drawn from all over the place - from the early 1930s to the mid 1950s. In some cases they give dates and major guests and there seem to be about two shows per disc but I have only looked at a few. Anyone tried them?

Since first writing this I have listened to Amazon's sound clips of some of them. The sound quality is not up to the levels achieved by many commercial issues of radio material and I suspect that they have been subject to severe digital compression.  The CDs I list above are much superior.

Last edited by Richard Baker (09/1/2011 3:55 pm)

From time to time I get stupefied by prices that opportunistic sellers request.

I get angry because I fear that there might be people sufficiently foolish to pay these silly amounts, or who, already owning the item, get fooled into thinking they own something of priceless rarity.

In an earlier post on this thread I recommended 'The Radio Years' volumes 1 and 2. These two remain among my favourites of radio show material. I had the original LPs and replaced them with the CDs on their issue.

On Ebay Volume 1 is currently listed at a starting price of $1,000 with the vendor stating he has four copies!!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Radio-Years-Vol-1-Bing-Crosby-CD-Feb-1988-/190488068805?pt=Music_CDs&hash=item2c59f942c5#ht_640wt_909

There are several other vendors with much more sensible starting prices, one of $4.99, ranging up to $19.

(BTW, the Mosaic set is listed at $229 yet is still available direct from Mosaic at $119).