14/10/2019 8:58 am  #1


Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

Or Bing goes classical in "Bing At Christmas"

Out in time to enjoy it for a month in the lead up to Christmas!

https://www.udiscovermusic.com/classical-news/bing-crosby-bing-at-christmas/

 

14/10/2019 11:49 am  #2


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

This is wonderful news! I noticed the cd yesterday when searching for new Crosby material on Amazon. The information at that time was not available, so I had no idea whether this was a re-release or something else. What triggered me though was the only snippet of information that was available yesterday: 'Released by Decca Records'.

May I ask attention for the preview of the album on YouTube? It's also in the article Richard linked above, but better twice than never:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opfg34SwMLI

 

15/10/2019 12:43 pm  #3


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

I heard the Ella Fitzgerald CD with the London Symphony, and it was pretty good. I will probably buy it to support Bing, but I prefer the originals.

 

15/10/2019 9:05 pm  #4


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

I have to say that I think it’s a bit optimistic to expect “White Christmas” to be at the top of the UK charts at Christmas - but you never know, and it would be nice to see the album getting a bit of a pre-Christmas TV publicity campaign...

 

15/10/2019 9:08 pm  #5


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

Presumably there’s some BCE involvement in the release..?

 

15/10/2019 10:37 pm  #6


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

jeremyrose wrote:

Presumably there’s some BCE involvement in the release..?

Involvement of the family, obviously, but formal involvement of  the business organisation  BCE is not obvious - no claims of it and no obvious logos displayed. However Bing Crosby.com are promoting it - see 
https://bingcrosby.com/brand-new-bing-crosby-orchestral-album-announced-on-his-anniversary





 

     Thread Starter
 

16/10/2019 2:20 am  #7


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

I listened to the "new" White Christmas". Not to be negative, but I wasn't impressed. The orchestration is way too loud and over powering as it backs Bing's 1942 version.

 

16/10/2019 2:27 pm  #8


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

Hi David, where have you heard Bing with the LSO's  White Christmas? I only know of the promotion video with snippets of songs (which is mentioned above in this thread). I would like to hear the preview of White Christmas you are referring to.

 

16/10/2019 3:26 pm  #9


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

frans wrote:

Hi David, where have you heard Bing with the LSO's  White Christmas? I only know of the promotion video with snippets of songs (which is mentioned above in this thread). I would like to hear the preview of White Christmas you are referring to.

Frans, I suspect that David refers to the short snatch in the promotion video. Malcolm has even managed to detect that they have used the original version (1942).  Personally I have mixed feelings. Part of me says it is wrong to meddle with the originals that we all know and love. And do those lush strings really fit the mood - which I always think of as plaintive longing. On the other hand, it might widen the appeal and gain a new audience.
More realistically possibly the audience will be drawn mainly from existing devotees.
 
 

     Thread Starter
 

16/10/2019 3:44 pm  #10


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

Oh, thank you Richard. I probably misunderstood.

I did give the Ella Fitzgerald allbum with the LSO a listen - thanks for mentioning this, David. You can hear 30 second previews on Amazon (uk) and I guess the entire album is available on Spotify etc. I feel to lazy to log in ;-) but did listen several of the 30 second previews. At first I thought: why? Isn't this superfluous? But after listening, it sounds to me like a very good album.

 

17/10/2019 1:48 am  #11


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

frans wrote:

Hi David, where have you heard Bing with the LSO's  White Christmas? I only know of the promotion video with snippets of songs (which is mentioned above in this thread). I would like to hear the preview of White Christmas you are referring to.

The entire new version of White Christmas is available:




 

 

17/10/2019 6:36 am  #12


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

Thank you for finding that David. 
I had only found the promotional item. Odd that a full track has been released through Youtube in advance of the formal issue.
 

     Thread Starter
 

17/10/2019 4:03 pm  #13


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

I have not been a fan of these "re-recordings" overall. Maybe the one done with Ella is still OK to my ears. However, anything to keep Bing "alive"...even if it's only another Christmas release...is surely welcomed. I am surprised at the rather inexpensive price of the CD despite the rather large undertaking this production was. Alos, that (in these days of "vinyl revival") there is not an LP issue offered.

The "White Christmas" track sounds rather good.


All the best,
Paul M. Mock
 

17/10/2019 4:10 pm  #14


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

paulmock wrote:

I have not been a fan of these "re-recordings" overall. Maybe the one done with Ella is still OK to my ears. However, anything to keep Bing "alive"...even if it's only another Christmas release...is surely welcomed. I am surprised at the rather inexpensive price of the CD despite the rather large undertaking this production was. Alos, that (in these days of "vinyl revival") there is not an LP issue offered.

The "White Christmas" track sounds rather good.

I wish an LP was offered. I would be more excited to buy that. Ella wasn't too bad, but I wasn't impressed with what I heard on the 1942 version of White Christmas. Like Lee, I think the 1947 is the far superior version of White Christmas.
 

 

17/10/2019 4:15 pm  #15


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

These should never be used for comparisons to the originals. These are purely done for sound update/refreshments.


All the best,
Paul M. Mock
 

17/10/2019 4:18 pm  #16


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

I agree. I don't mind these re-orchestras but what Ken Barnes did in the late 70s is where the bar is set for me.

The orchestration seems off or maybe too loud behind Bing's 1942 vocal.

Anyone else have an opinion?

 

17/10/2019 7:26 pm  #17


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

Congrats to the LSO for taking on this project.
Amazing how they can snuff out the original orchestration.
Don’t think I’ll be buying ‘At My Time Of Life’ with much sand at the bottom of the glass and not too many Christmases left, not unless I manage another 85 years.

 

18/10/2019 11:18 am  #18


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

Thank you David, for the link to White Christmas.

I agree with Paul Mock that these recreations should not be compared with the originals.  Why should we do that anyway: we don't compare new (changed or expanded) editions of books with the orginal in this way either.

To me, the orchestra track of White Christmas sounds fine. Having said my piece on comparing, it should be noted though that there is not just a new orchestral track; Bing's voice track is not entirely identical to the voice track of the 1942 original too. I will try to keep an open mind and listen to the cd when released as a new 'abridged as wel as expanded' edition.

 

18/10/2019 11:23 am  #19


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

Talking about the digital wizardry that goes into releases like these and which are becoming easier and easier to make, I recently came across this item:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_su81LCPi8Y

I could not find out who this mr. Dunklint is. A google search leads to scandinavian websites where I cannot find a connection to music of any kind. Could it be this mr. Dunklint just made this video himself for the fun of it? If you know how, it's entirely feasible to do this on your home computer.

Can anyone shed a light on this?

 

18/10/2019 11:29 am  #20


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

I like it...

Like Lee, I wish they’d used the ‘47 version, but I suppose what Lee calls “stereotypical Bing” might make it more appealing to a wider general audience. I miss the whistling and Bing harmonising with The Ken Darby Singers at the end of the song, but I think we’re all agreed that nothing can beat the originals...

Can’t wait to hear the whole thing.

(Go on, Ron, buy it... You know you want to..!)

 

22/10/2019 1:04 pm  #21


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

There's a new and longer sampler available, this time with previews of ALL the songs on the album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RK0tyrvq2U

Can't wait to hear the album!

 

22/10/2019 1:08 pm  #22


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

frans wrote:

There's a new and longer sampler available, this time with previews of ALL the songs on the album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RK0tyrvq2U

Can't wait to hear the album!

Thanks for finding that Fran! Not to be negative, but after listening to the tracks I'll be sticking to the originals.

 

23/10/2019 11:17 am  #23


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

Hi Archiefit,
 
First of all, thanks for your interesting comments.
 
It was my belief that the juridical dispute between Bing Crosby Enterprises and Decca/Universal was solved a number of years ago. I note that at least on the more recent releases of BCE several Decca recordings are included. If you believe BCE hasn't released anything Bing in the past ten years, I urge you to check your retailers, because this is not the case. I refer for instance  to New Tricks and Among your Souvenirs, released in 2017. And then there's the BCE/Time Life set of Bing's TV specials on DVD of last year. Whether one likes that last release or not, it ìs a release. ;-)
 
I find it difficult to ascertain from the sound excerpts that are available now whether or not Bing's voice originates from Decca recordings or not. In the case of White Christmas we have the song as a complete preview and I compared the recordings. Although there is some tampering with Bing's voice track, I am quite certain it is the Decca recording.

And I must say many of the sound excerpts sound quite like the familiar Decca recordings to my ears. Anyway, this new album is actually released on the Decca label, so why do you think they would not use their own back catalogue in favour of radio tracks for which they probably should pay copyrights to the owners of those recordings?
 
Reading your remarks on Bing's version of The Christmas Song, I gave the recording another listen. I never noted a difference in sound quality between this recording and any of his other recordings of the period. Can it be it's your copy that has a lesser sound quality? I am certain any better sound quality of the voice tracks on the new album is due to the continuing advancement of digital technology.   
 
Anyway, it was interesting to read your views and I hope you don't mind me disagreeing with some things you wrote.
 

 

26/10/2019 12:27 am  #24


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

Richard Baker wrote:

jeremyrose wrote:

Presumably there’s some BCE involvement in the release..?

Involvement of the family, obviously, but formal involvement of  the business organisation  BCE is not obvious - no claims of it and no obvious logos displayed. However Bing Crosby.com are promoting it - see 
https://bingcrosby.com/brand-new-bing-crosby-orchestral-album-announced-on-his-anniversary





 

I'm sure the album will be fun to play.  And it'll be a novelty to hear Bing sing xmas songs with 21st century recording technology in the orchestra that backs him up.
But nothing can touch Bing's early xmas recordings, such as him doing Hark The Herald Angels Sing and many others.
 

 

28/10/2019 6:33 am  #25


Re: Bing and London Symphony Orchestra at Christmas

I think the promotional video is well done and I enjoyed the .new' version of 'White Christmas'. Bing's restrained rendition of 'White Christmas' backed by the choir from A CHRISTMAS SING is commendable.

 

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