On top of the spectacular flow of issues from ‘Collector’s Choice’ we have had a continuation of the ‘Through The Years’ series from ‘Sepia’ which takes us in chronological order through the 1950s.  Again picking up in November last year we have


SEPIA 1139 BING CROSBY - THROUGH THE YEARS VOL. 4
This kicks off with ‘On the 10:10 From Ten-Ten-Tennessee’ 98 May 1952) and gets as far as ‘A Quiet Girl’ (9 February 1953) with a total of 26 tracks including several with old friends – Bob Hope,  Peggy Lee, The Andrew Sisters,  Connee Boswell, and there is also Gary Crosby and Jane Wyman.


SEPIA 1146 BING CROSBY - THROUGH THE YEARS VOL. 5
From ‘Tenderfoot’ 10 February 1953 to ‘Changing Partners’ of 14 November 1953 and totalling 28 tracks.  This encompasses the songs from the LP ‘Le Bing’ several sung in French and English, some of which have been very difficult to get in recent years in any form. A couple of duets with Gary but my favourite is the rousing ‘Y’all Come’.  Indeed,  we will.



SEPIA 1158 BING CROSBY - THROUGH THE YEARS VOL.  6
‘You Are Too Beautiful’ of 1 December 1953 to ‘A Ghost Of A Chance’ of  21 April 1954,  29 tracks.  Included here are the studio recordings of the songs from ‘White Christmas’ and the first group of songs with Buddy Cole and His Trio that were made for the Musical Autobiography LPs of 1954.  There has been much discussion about these tracks which are here presented in the chronological sequence of recording, which is different to the sequence in which they appeared on the original LPs. Some of Bing’s introductory dialogue has had to be edited slightly in consequence,.  I think that the producer made the right decision.  It preserves the logic of the series.

These CDs cover songs from a  time Bing was producing a number of memorable hits.  All are very well re-mastered with the usual informative notes.  We are rapidly reaching the point at which Sepia have declared they will cease this fantastic series, which, taken with the preceding 'Jonzo' 'The Chronological Bing Crosby' series will cover all Bing's studio recordings from the start up to the end of the association with Decca.

Now a distinct oddity, again from Sepia

SEPIA 1159 ONCE UPON A MATTRESS/ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES
The main part of the ‘menu’ here is nothing to do with Bing – the London West End production of Mary Rodger’s show ‘Once Upon a Mattress’.  But Mary Rodgers also wrote the music for Bing’s children’s story with music of ‘Ali Baba’ from 1957.  Bing narrates and sings,  his songs being ‘Year In,  Year Out’,  ‘My Own Individual Star’, ‘Open Sesame’,  ‘One Rich Brother’ ‘I Love You Whoever You Are’,  and ‘They all Lived Happily Ever After’.  Several of them are presented additionally as a reprise.  To be honest I doubt that many will be buying this for the songs.  The ‘completists’ will want it anyway. As a children’s story I suspect it’s time has past but it has a slight period charm of it’s own.  It has never before been issued on CD. There were several other such children's productions from around the same time and they also lack any representation on CD.

Sepia Records can be found here http://www.sepiarecords.com/  but their records are also listed in the USA by Collector’s Choice and Amazon