Tony wrote:

I've just posted a new selection of songs from BING'S Longines Recordings - See what you Think - Tony

Thanks Tony, for drawing attention to those tracks. Bing's recordings on the Longines set of LPs are much overlooked and very overdue for issue as a set on CD in decent quality. The originals were mis-marketed - they were outnumbered by orchestral tracks with rather pedestrian arrangements on the LPs. Bing singing some very worthwhile material interspersed with soporific background/mood music. Not a good concept. I can't imagine what was in the minds of the producers (apart that is from the sales value of having Bing's name on the cover). 

The sound quality was good however and Bing's songs stand up well - some very well indeed.

I believe that Geoff Love was in the U.K. and Bing recorded later in the U.S. I seem to recall that he had never met Bing.

Tony wrote:

P.S.  I have a total of 36 numbers that I have found in The Longines Set -

- which means, Tony that you have the second version, reissued after the addition of 20 titles, a great improvement on the original 16 tracks, completely outnumbered by the orchestral additions.

I have had a personal e - mail complaining about the my ''cavalier dismissal'' of the orchestral tracks and specifically the work of Geoff Love. I apologise. Geoff Love was a very competent arranger/conductor. I am sure he fulfilled his brief in providing the orchestral tracks 100%.

My complaint is not with the quality of them but that they were included in the package in the first place. My views are also slanted against them by what I thought at the time was to some extent dishonest marketing - the promotion of a set of LPs containing 72 tracks with the implication that they were all by Bing, when only 16 were by him. That was only partly and belatedly ameliorated by the reissue a couple of years later with 72 tracks of which half - 36, as Tony says, by Bing. If I wanted lush orchestral sounds in the Mantovani manner I would have bought such an album. I was buying (I thought) Bing and I only got him in short measure.

However this was all in 1966 and 1968 so perhaps most have forgotten (or might never have known about it at all!)

I recall posting my disappoinment on Steven Lewis's forum when I first encountered these records. (too bad we can't link this discussion back to that one) It struck me as a clear case of deceptive packaging meant to dupe Crosby fans into buying a large record set which barely included enough songs sung by Crosby to fill a single LP.  It pretty much descredited the Longines entity as legitimate for me, though I think I have since heard of something good they issued (but I can't remember what it was).  I seem to recall some good songs hidden in these records, sung well by Bing, but not produced with nearly the distinctiveness that they might have been given.

Strange how the boxed set was called 'The Songs I Love', a treasury of songs by Bing Crosby.
The set I have (BIA) about a 50/50 of tracks, maybe a fraction less.
But what I was surprised at was the title of the album having Bing say 'The Songs I Love". It has been said that
Bing didn't like to say "I love" as quoted by Van Heusen with "Moonlight Becomes You" when he had to write ...'if I say I love you'.  But I've always felt that was a bit of nonsense as Bing recorded "I Love You, Truly" in 1934, 1943, 1945, 1954. Then there are the two songs, both called, "I Love You". Grieg's version 15/12/44 and the Porter version 11/2/44.
"I Love You, Samantha" 1956. There were other "I Love" songs as well...'a piano'; ...'my baby';...'Paris';..'the look of you'; ..'to dance like they used to dance''; ...'to whistle';..'for sentimental reasons'; ...'from coast to coast';...'whoever you are'.
So, did Bing like to say 'I love' or not?

I would hope that the Longines boxed sets wouldn't turn off a new collector from all lp boxed sets, for the Reader's Digest two, larger boxed sets "Bing Sings" and "Bing Sings Again" are quite excellent compilations.  Sometimes these heavy sets, when found at charity shops, turn out to only have wear on the first side or disk, too.