ICC members will have an order form with BING magazine later this month.

- And here are the titles

Date: 21 April 1954
From A Musical Autobiography
1    MG3671       Learn To Croon (Arthur Johnston, Sam Coslow)
2    MG3671       Thanks  (Arthur Johnston, Sam Coslow)
3    MG3669       Muddy Water (Peter De Rose, Harry Richman, Jo Trent)
4    MG3669       Mississippi Mud  (Harry Barris, James Cavanaugh)
5    MG3669       My Kinda Love (Louis Alter, Jo Trent)
6    MG3669       I Surrender, Dear  (Harry Barris, Gordon Clifford, Bing Crosby)

Date: 28 April 1954
7      L7652-A       Oh Tell Me Why (Anon)
Bing is overdubbed on himself to give the impression of a male quartet. Games with a tape recorder!

Date: 30 April 1954
8    L8648-A       If You Love Me (Really Love Me)  (Marguerite Monnot, Geoffrey Parsons, Edith Piaf)

Date: 3 May 1954  From A Musical Autobiography
9      MG3671       Down The Old Ox Road (Arthur Johnston, Sam Coslow)
10    MG3671       Black Moonlight (Arthur Johnston, Sam Coslow)
11    MG3671       The Day You Came Along  (Arthur Johnston, Sam Coslow)
12    MG3671       After Sundown (Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed)
13    MG3671       Temptation (Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed)     
14    MG3671       Love Thy Neighbour (Mack Gordon, Harry Revel)     
15    MG3671       May I? (Mack Gordon, Harry Revel)
16    MG3671       Love In Bloom (Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin)
17    MG3673       I Love You Truly  (Carrie Jacobs Bond)
18    MG3673       June In January (Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin)
19    MG3673       Love Is Just Around The Corner (Lewis E Gensler, Leo Robin)
20    MG3673       It's Easy To Remember  (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)   
21    MG3673       I Wished On The Moon  (Dorothy Parker, Ralph Rainger)   
22    MG3673       Silent Night, Holy Night (Franz Xavier Gruber, Joseph Mohr)
23    MG3673       I'm An Old Cowhand (Johnny Mercer)
24    MG3673       Song Of The Islands (Charles E King)
25    MG3673       Sweet Leilani (Harry Owens)   
26    MG3673       Blue Hawaii (Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin)

Date: 4 May 1954  White Christmas film titles
27    L7649-1       What Can You Do With A General? (Irving Berlin)
28    L7650-1       Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheep (Irving Berlin)
     

Date: 21 May 1954
29    L7704          Liza (Gus Kahn, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin)
30    L7705-1       In The Good Old Summertime (George Evans, Ren Shields)


Date: 16 June 1954 From A Musical Autobiography
31    MG3669       Out Of Nowhere (John W Green, Edward Heyman)     
32    MG3669       Stardust (Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parrish)
33    MG3673       Soon (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers)   
34    MG3673       The One Rose  (Del Lyon, Lani Mc Intire) 
35    MG3675       There's A Goldmine In The Sky (Charles F Kenny, Nick A Kenny)
36    MG3675       My Heart Is Taking Lessons (Johnny Burke, James V Monaco)

Last edited by Richard Baker (23/3/2011 6:08 pm)

Sepia have now added the issue to their published list.

http://www.sepiarecords.com/catalogue.html

ICC members should have order forms with 'Bing' Magazine, just out,  and the CD is also available through Amazon.

Sepia also have an interesting issue from Fred Astaire.

Last edited by Richard Baker (04/4/2011 6:11 pm)

Zane, It's still being considered in conjunction with Sepia.

I've now listened to the 'Through The Years Volume 7' a couple of times. What can be said about this series that has not already been said many times over?

The usual good engineering, superb presentation with comprehensive recording information and some very informative background notes. All present and correct in this issue and well up to the best standards already set.

Possibly less interesting than some of it's predecessors - but only very marginally and only because so much is of the 'Musical Autobiography' tracks.  I'd still recommend all true fans get their copy. Besides who wants anything less than a full set?

I will comment on just a few tracks.

I've always liked 'Oh! Tell Me Why' and been impressed that Bing was able to get the pitch just right to harmonise with himself. Malcolm Macfarlane, in his notes, seems uncertain as to whether we hear an additional two or three voices. I think it's three, making up a male voice quartet. Any other offers?
Malcolm reminds us that the guitarist Les Paul had pioneered the technique of overdubbing to obtain multiple voices or instrumental parts. Given Bing's own role in furthering tape recording and the success of this particular experiment, it is surprising that he did not do it again. 

'If You Love Me' is one of the more under rated of Bing's recordings and deserves to be heard more often. Malcolm points out that Bing's version lacks the attack of Edith Piaf in the French original, but maybe that's just because Piaf was so over the top with the emotion. Bing sings. Piaf cries and  weeps and shouts - all the Gallic histrionics but not much actual singing. (Sorry if there are some offended Piaf devotees out there - but I like her too!)

'Sweet Leilani', here in the 'recreation' for the Autobiography, was once the subject of a whole radio programme presented by the otherwise very knowledgeable and balanced presenter, saxophonist and musical authority Benny Green, (not to be confused with others with the same name) on BBC, demonstrating just why it should NOT have won the Academy Award for best song in 1937.  In his notes Malcolm touches on the controversy. Let me merely say that the competition was pretty tough that year.  And I like Bing's original and the recreation here is good too.

Malcolm tells us that 'What Can You Do With A General' was described as Berlin's least memorable tune. However, in the film it plays a key part in moving the plot along, considered very important in all the best modern musicals, and whether the tune is memorable or not, the performance of it by Bing in the film is.

'In the Good Old Summertime' represents a key moment in Bing's recording career. His last commercial recording with John Scott Trotter. Henceforth, when it wasn't Buddy Cole, Bing was selecting from a wide range of other talent, sometimes very effectively but not always with the very best results. Trotter was not very adventurous but I believe that his work with and musical input to Bing's recordings over many years was, on the whole, for the best.