Archiefit, I don't know if I've ever really listened to Mitch Miller to compare, all just a bit before my time BUT I have listened to all of Bing's "Sing Alongs" and find the first one to be maybe the corniest but that the remaining are all pleasantly listenable with "On the Sentimental Side" to be the best of the bunch. 

However, even at their best, they make you long that Bing had invested his time and talents on something just a bit more deserving of them. 

I Bought the  Seoia CD of the sing a long albums last year and found that Bing's voice was drowned out on a lot of the medleys i would have preferred another dixie land album like "Bing With A Beat" with Bob Scobey than sing a long drivel.

I think that Bing having got  married again for the second time and raising a second family decided too take things a bit easier but those albums were indeed horrible a complete waste of Bing's talents thank goodness Frank Sinatra Reprise came along with the idea to do those Musical Theatre albums which of course had Bing sing a few songs on them it reignited his recording career.

I think the idea came from the success of the Mitch Miller sing a long albums incidentally the "Jon In And Sing Along" album was sadly only one of two Bing albums to reach the UK top 10 albums chart the other was the London Palladium concert 2 LP set but that entered the chart after Bing's death a year after it's original release date.

Funnily enough Stepo, there is as I'm sure you'll remember, another nice (albeit very slight) and most warm connection with the singalong albums and Bing's live Palladium released LP, where for a brief period of The Crosby Medley, the audience spontaneously joins in to Bing's charmed pleasure, his singing of "Blue Skies" and "It's Been a Long, Long Time" . Equally charming is when Bing becomes slightly distracted and the audience continues to sing with the orchestra with praise from the ever courteously, affable star. I think it must be one of my most pleasurable Crosby listening experiences, while so wishing I had been there. 

Pantelis, my grandmother really enjoyed both Bing singalong albums when I took both LPs to her for us to jointly listen. She was in her early twenties when Bing became international and she always had a soft spot for him. Born in 1911, she was definitely of the singalong era, which was why these particularly appealed. 

In America, Mitch Miller even had his own singa long television show for a while and over here, in the UK and for over forty years on BBC radio, we had weekly show called "Sing Something Simple" with a small close harmony group (The Cliff Adams Singers) who, accompanied by an accordionist, was of the same intent as Bing's bigger sounding productions. There was also a UK entertainer by the name of Max Bygraves, who from the 1950's performed with a nostalgic, singalong sensibility, producing a number of well selling albums in this vein.

I agree that Bing's first album of these was the better effort and the choice of songs instantly familiar. Praise be to Bob Thompson and his other contributions to the Bing oeuvre. I particularly enjoy his racy, punchy arrangement of Bing's 1960 and little heard recording of Peggy Lee's "It's a Good Day". The "I Wish You a Merry Christmas", as we've previously discussed elsewhere, has Bing at his festive best.  

Last edited by Ian Kerstein (12/10/2024 12:05 am)