Good grief! How does he do it?????

Lobosco wrote:

Ian Kerstein wrote:

Lobosco wrote:

The "Seasons" album holds a special place in my heart. I found a copy at a flea market in 1989, and I saw Bing Crosby fan clubs listed on the back, and it got me into the clubs. Bing's voice might have been tired but some of the songs are so well sung. 

Yes, David. Mine, too. I originally purchased a single sleeve edition but then later at a shop I used to be employed by, that full gatefold sleeved edition. I do so agree with you on the tired sound of Bing's voice. Indeed it was due to my having previously read two years before about his lung operation, that I was keen to hear the store play the first track.

I remember during the first few seconds of its playing that this was indeed a far older sounding Bing than I'd heard before but as the song progressed, I really began admiring those wonderful, resonating low notes that came with his age and the album's wonderful production values. I thought his reflective interpretations of a man then in is mid seventies were as you have noted, so well sung and so beautifully interpreted. 

Do you have a favourite song from the album? 
 

I would say I have always been partial to "Yesterday When I Was Young", but in recent years I really thing the title song "Season" is very pretty. My least favorite song is "Autumn In New York". Bing's voice wasn't strong enough for the song, and it's not one of my favorite songs in general. However, Bing's Seasons album is a fitting way for Bing to end his recording career on.

As much as I love it, my late brother would be with you on that one, David. Knowing my love of Bing and this album, he used to mimic and deride some of Bing's sustained notes on "Autumn in New York", claiming he could hear him struggle. Yes, I also have a soft spot for the title track, too. it certainly does convey the prettiness of all four seasons - and again, is sung with such emotive storytelling by Bing. 
 

Hey, David!
Thanks so much for this - as with so much of Bing's unreleased material, I've never heard this before.
I certainly would have included this on the completed album - even replacing it perhaps with one of the lesser swinging released tracks. But would that have needed to have been? There seemed plenty of physical room on the released LP, compromising of just eleven numbers. Do you have any information or theories as to why this was dropped? I thought within the confines of the album, it was a humdinger of a swinger - seemingly what they were out to achieve in so far as a well known contemporary pop piece from the relatively recent and then given the big band vocal treatment. I thought the tempo and arrangement suited this different approach to the song down to a perfectly placed golf tee!!!!!!
 

Oh I see!!!!!!
Thank you SO much for the explanation,  Archiefit.
You've really cleared that one up for me and I now fully understand.
Renaming films for clarity or familiarity is something I've come across before.

I think the first example I heard of in precisely the same spirit and same number of years between was when the Bob Hope and Shirley Ross (with whom he originally sang "Thanks for the Memory" the year before) comedy "Some Like it Hot" (1939) was renamed "Anything Goes" (only kidding)  - it was actually renamed "Rhythm Romance" for US television after the Billy Wilder/Marilyn Monroe film of the same appeared in 1959.

I believe in the UK for television purposes we may show duplicated titled films under their original names but I'm open to correction, here. I do know during Hollywood's "Golden Age", the UK would sometimes alter first run US cinema film titles to avoid confusion or for reasons of decorum. For example, the 1950 Judy Garland/Gene Kelly  musical "Summer Stock" had it's titled altered for its original UK theatrical release as "If You Feel Like Singing", simply because very few people in the UK would have heard of this concept.

Just a year later, the Astaire musical "Royal Wedding" had its UK cinema title changed to "Wedding Bells"  to show dereference and distinction that our then almost universally popular monarchy and new queen, at whose wedding the film was set four years before - would not be considered in the "same frame" as a "frothy" Hollywood musical. Both films are now shown on UK television under their original titles. How times change. 

Archiefit,

I've just been having  a yet another look at the beautiful restored title sequence of the 1936 version of "Anything Goes", with all its gorgeous black and white imaginative imagery (it's all I currently have in my pathetic life until my freshly ordered DVD copy from Dave (dmgprod) plops through my letterbox) and suddenly a new thought struck me.

Although the working titles of the original stage version of "Anything Goes" went through a couple of alternative names ("Crazy Week" and "Hard to Get"), I'm just wondering if it's possible that you ended up accidentally considering "Star Maker", with any of the various cinematic incarnations of "A Star is Born", whose first unofficial film version was the alternatively titled "What Price Hollywood?" in 1932? This was of course long before we eventually became spoilt for choice by the more known title versions starring Janet Gaynor, Bing's radio friend Judy Garland ("Country Girl" style, wouldn't Bing have made a great James Mason in the role of Judy's husband?), Barbra Streisand and Lady Gaga came along.

As I'm sure you'll be aware none of these versions, unlike "Anything Goes" was set on a ship. Although the sea and its shore, did of course suicidally (as readers of this must now surely feel) play a part in "A Star is Born" -  I just wondered if any of this was worth your consideration?

If not, I'll just have to crawl off, shamefacedly into a corner and comfort myself with a chorus of "Blow, Gabriel Blow" - and hoping that particular rousing song of the original show, made it into my as yet to be viewed DVD copy of the original, now restored film version. 
 

Blonde56 wrote:

Ian, I like Seasons too! I met a few Brits in the city through the years even famous ones. I was a huge Elton John fan at one time. I met him a couple of times. I also met Rod Stewart a few times. I met some Brits in Brooklyn who told me I looked like a smaller version of Princess Di . Ron don't worry about flappers it's something the ladies can hold on to! And like Bing said easy to fly with!

Sorry, Carmela - I missed this comment of yours from way back in August. You really are a mixer with the stars, aren't you? I hope Elton and Rod were as courteous to you as Mr Cagney. Appearance wise, the only thing I can think of either in common with Bing, is the help both he and Mr John received atop their heads. 

What a hat trick it would have been if you'd met their peer and late Bing duettist, David Bowie. I'm delighted to hear you like the "Seasons" albums, too. I've just been referring to our Malcom Macfarlane's invaluable book "Bing Crosby: Day by Day". In it it's noted that Bing began recording "Seasons" just three days after filming his final Christmas TV special, which of course included his "Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy" duet with Mr Bowie.

If you haven't already seen and should it tickle your fancy, we're currently having a nice little chat on "Seasons" as a topic of its own on the link, below.

https://crosbyfanworld.boardhost.com/viewtopic.php?id=1912

Ben,

May I also add my sincere thanks. As our friend Archiefit noted, above - I too on listening really enjoyed it. Bing leant his usual engagingly modest presence to a programme I've been listening to it for the past thirty-five years or so. 2022 marks its eightieth anniversary. For many years after the BBC had formed a huge online presence, Desert Island Discs, due to legal copyright complications with its devisor and first presenter of forty-three years (Roy Plomley's) widow (known as a fairly tricky customer), was unable to repeat its programmes online.

So with Mrs Plomley's eventual demise, came the then wherewithal to negotiate and then finally release online its available archive of hundreds of episodes (mainly from the mid/late 1970's onwards). Its programmes' original website was for more detailed and search/user friendly. But it still, as we've just experienced, adds newly discovered or partly discovered episodes. When it was reported a handful of years ago, ninety thought to be lost episodes had appeared all at once via some freshly discovered home recorded tapes, the BBC did not specify which these were. Thankfully, with their recent release, they now have.  

Until around 1978, they didn't even have a large, active, detailed archiving policy, which resulted in  the majority of its programmes (radio and television) "wiped" or unpreserved for technical, storage and economy reasons.

When the original Desert Island Discs website was released online, knowing Bing appeared in 1975, I knew his appearance had fallen just before the BBC's policy to methodically archive - and therefore the survival of the original would purely be the luck of the draw. I was so disappointed to find that it hadn't -  and would check for it once in a while but had pretty much given up hope.

With all thanks to you now, Ben - I've finally revelled in at least one episode I thought had been lost to the airwaves forever. 

Lobosco wrote:

The "Seasons" album holds a special place in my heart. I found a copy at a flea market in 1989, and I saw Bing Crosby fan clubs listed on the back, and it got me into the clubs. Bing's voice might have been tired but some of the songs are so well sung. 

Yes, David. Mine, too. I originally purchased a single sleeve edition but then later at a shop I used to be employed by, that full gatefold sleeved edition. I do so agree with you on the tired sound of Bing's voice. Indeed it was due to my having previously read two years before about his lung operation, that I was keen to hear the store play the first track.

I remember during the first few seconds of its playing that this was indeed a far older sounding Bing than I'd heard before but as the song progressed, I really began admiring those wonderful, resonating low notes that came with his age and the album's wonderful production values. I thought his reflective interpretations of a man then in is mid seventies were as you have noted, so well sung and so beautifully interpreted. 

Do you have a favourite song from the album? 
 

Me too please, David if you would be so kind. This is just marvellous of you. I'll send a private message if that is agreeable for us to arrange address and postage payment details?

Ah! 
Thanks, Archiefit.
I've just "Googled" again and this article had been posted a few hours later:

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/oct/12/crosby-house-museum-unveils-norman-rockwell-portra/

 

In this spirit, wasn't Bing already showing up in animated cartoon form - or was that perhaps a little later?
It's marvellous to hear of these vintage gems still popping up on television as black & white moving images are ever increasingly marginalised. Thank you Colin.  I must try and hunt down "Bird of Paradise".
A quick "Google" has just prevented me from mixing up my Mexicans and wrongly referring to Dolores Del Rio  as "The Mexican Spitfire" - when it was in fact Lupe Velez.

 

I feel precisely the same of the later tracks. They are so beautifully age reflective and Bing makes them his own. It's so difficult to choose a single one, though. If forced, I previously always  plumped for "Yesterday When I Was Young". I thought Bing's deep interpretation outweighed  its composer, Charles Aznavour's own.

I'm currently favouring though, "Autumn in New York". I so enjoy Bing's intimate and intense opening verse and how he and also the musicians then gracefully and seemingly without effort,  slide on those handful of guitar base notes, into the body of the song. I am a sucker for strings and Pete Moore's arrangement (as with all the songs) is just a dream with those sumptuous violins sometimes giving an almost French like flavour to the proceedings. Certainly giving any of the best, signature things Sinatra did with strings, a good run for his money. 

Archiefit wrote:

There's an album I don't hear enough.  Never transferred it to the computer so it doesn't pop up when playing "random" music.  I'll have to go back and listen again.  Hmm, that makes 2 so far I haven't heard or seen in a while, "High Society" & "Seasons".   Before someone mentions it, I also haven't heard Bing's "Hey Jude, Hey Bing" album in a while.  Maybe it's just as well.

Yes, I don't play it often enough, Archiefit. I think the production has so much depth and resonance, with the wonderful rhythm section, gorgeous, opulent strings and that beautiful, echoed analogue mastering. I felt much of this was subsequently digitally dampened on the still most welcome 2010 extra-laden, Collector's Choice CD release. I must play my LP version soon.

Does anyone have any favourite track choices?