Pantelis Kavouras wrote:

More than 44 million people listened to Bing's music only in Spotify, This is a record breaking year for Bing. Its nice to see that so many people are still enjoying his music.

Isn't this an amazing thing? I know all of us don't want Bing to be pigeonholed solely for Christmas music. But think how wonderful it is that nearly a half-century after he died, and almost 100 years after his first professional success as a singer, so many people are still drawn to his music during a time of year that helps them be open to it. That's a blessing. And I have to believe at least a small number of them wind up listening to more of his music, too!

Merry Christmas, all!

Blonde56 wrote:

Wow! Amazing sound on this CD. Double the Bing and double the pleasure! Can anyone tell me more about the version of Rudolph on this Cd? I don't remember hearing this version. I like it a lot.

Must admit I haven't heard anything about this release yet. Does anyone know more that they can share?

I do wonder about the possibilities of new technology giving us new ways to hear clarity in Bing's old recordings. There are the Beatles releases that used technology developed by the filmmaker Peter Jackson, who got amazing new sonic resonance out of them. And there is the new 2-CD Glenn Miller release from the Glenn Miller Birthplace Society that has truly incredible fidelity. A guy can dream!

Isn't it said that Trotter subcontracted a number of the arrangements credited to him? I'm curious how common that was.

Pantelis Kavouras wrote:

That would be wonderful to see. Bing Crosby performed many wonderful songs in television during the 1950s 1960s and 1970s. He also made many memorable duets and medley’s, but his single songs were also amazing. His Hollywood Palace episodes along have so many materials. I agree that Bing presence in television is less researched, compared to radio movies or records. THE CHRONOLOGICAL BING CROSBY ON TELEVISION-Compiled by Lionel Pairpoint, Malcolm Macfarlane and Greg Van Beek is a great source of information for a project like this and it is available on our Clubs website. 

This raises a question I've wondered about - who actually owns the rights to the "Hollywood Palace" shows today? I've also always wondered if there might be prerecordings of the various musical numbers, or if everything was sung live. Imagine if there are prerecordings of all those songs Bing never did in the studio during the '60s?

Great find, David. Had no idea it existed. Thanks as always!

Does anyone know of any updates on Giddins Vol. 3?

The Longines sessions are long overdue for a reissue on streaming by BCE (I assume that's who owns the rights). There are many gems in there, and Bing was in solid voice.

That's great. Who cares if they are just repackaging the same recordings? I admit I'm surprised that a bit of new cover art finds a new audience for the same music, but better than the alternative!

ModernBingFan0377 wrote:

Yes, "It's Christmas" was featured on the 1959 and 1960 editions of the Christmas Sing. Here's an upload of it from YouTube; https://youtu.be/qRlpgV05VKc?si=UX3LjwzL6dS1woHm

Ah ha! Thank you - and I'm even MORE surprised now to know that there is a rare Bing Christmas song that has gotten so little distribution. Wonder why they didn't put THAT on the new "Christmas Gems" release? Unless I'm mistaken in thinking that the Crosby Archive must have pristine versions of all the "Christmas Sing" recordings in the vault.

Heard a Crosby show at noon today on SiriusXM's Holiday Traditions channel while driving around with my family. They had a bunch of recordings featuring him with Rosemary Clooney, and a song I had never heard before. (I think it was called "It's Christmas"?) I assume it's from a "Christmas Sing with Bing" edition I'm unfamiliar with?

Wonderful to hear Bing get such star treatment on that channel. 

While I hate to be negative, I must admit I'm not very enthused about this release. It pales in comparison to "The Crosby Christmas Sessions" back in 2010, which really was full of rare gems in wonderful sound quality. In some ways it feels to me like a rebranded version of the "Christmas with Bing!" CD that the Bing Crosby Archive put out via Sony in 2013, though I acknowledge that seems to have had a limited release.

I guess my disappointment stems partly from a feeling that they could have done much more with this. Could someone do a better remastering job on "Just What I Wanted for Christmas"? Could they find some more pristine recordings from the "Christmas Sing with Bing" shows? What about seeing if they can get high-quality versions of the songs he did for The Hollywood Palace but never recorded commercially, like "The Christmas Waltz" and "This is That Time of the Year"?

Just my two cents.

ModernBingFan0377 wrote:

One song that finally got a full version because of Christmas Sing With Bing was Good King Wenceslas, which I am thankful for!

Has anyone done a full discography for the eight "Christmas Sing with Bing" shows? There are bits and pieces in the (wonderful) Bing Magazine discography but it seems more based on whether the recordings got a commercial release.

I have to think most if not all of those recordings are in the Crosby vault in high quality, right?

Blonde56 wrote:

Maybe Bader should look in Bing's basement for it. He found a lot of stuff in that basement.

He definitely should. Not only would it be a musical treasure to find this - it would be a goldmine for everyone involved!