01/11/2026 8:09 pm  #1


George Olsen - The Last Round Up

I am a fan of the early 1930s dance bands and one of the best was George Olsen. Here is the band's version of the Bing hit "The Last Round Up". The vocal is by Joe Morrison, who is no Bing but the record is still nice:



 

 

02/11/2026 7:44 am  #2


Re: George Olsen - The Last Round Up

Interesting to hear a largely orchestral version. Many thanks for sharing, David.

 

02/11/2026 8:05 am  #3


Re: George Olsen - The Last Round Up

It is a very special record, the arrangment was very nice although the Crosby record has a "haunting" quality.

 

02/11/2026 8:55 am  #4


Re: George Olsen - The Last Round Up

This is a slightly quicker version - maybe its main goal was not to create that haunting quality as Pantelis said, but rather this version is purely for dancing the foxtrot.

 

Yesterday 11:57 am  #5


Re: George Olsen - The Last Round Up

Oh this was beautiful. The lighter vocal and swifter dance band treatment suited the song very well.
I am not all familiar with George Olson's band and so will investigate further.

For those who enjoy dance bands, BBC radio up until 2008 used to have weekly  programmes dedicated  to the genre. The late Alan Dell, one of the corporation's long term broadcasters was the best known and perhaps most admired presenter of these programmes - and also of the gentler sounds of the big bands.

He helped produce re-issues on CD of Sinatra's Capital years and of Glenn Miller. Of course, he was the presenter- interviewer who spoke with Bing on what we now know as his "Maida Vale" studio recordings of 11th October, 1977. Originally to be Bing's first musical special for the BBC but it instead ended being broadcast as a posthumous tribute to him. 

Here he is presenting a thirty minute episode of "The Dance Band Days" from February, 1988 and note the first record's most familiar title but not the song of legend. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-lmm-9WgAI

 

Last edited by Ian Kerstein (Yesterday 12:00 pm)

 

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