I agree that "Bing Crosby: Sings the Great Country Hits" would be very worthy of a it's own CD release, and ideally a special edition! I think it's a very strong album, especially for the era,  that show's Bing in fine form. 

In fact, I think all your suggestions are good ones! I enjoy "Bing 'n' Basie" and I LOVE "A Time To Be Jolly" would love to see both released properly on CD, with any extras available. 

But, I think like most fans I would clamor for a release of those albums that have never been on CD before, "Hey Jude/Hey Bing!" and "Bingo Veijo"!

Graham Pascoe wrote:

I like your suggestions Ron.

Thank you, and I've been thinking about this quite a bit, "Bingo Veijo" was released by two different companies with a little remastering done on the second release, this should mean a "deluxe edition" could include both versions of the release. For "Hey Jude/Hey Bing!" could include some extras in the way of live performances of some of the songs on the album. I think Bing also covered a few other "Beatles" songs during televisoin appearances and those would fit in with the "Hey Jude" theme too!

I am implored to return here again as I’ve came up with a few ideas on CD issues.

“Feels Good, Feels Right,” I believe this could make a great expanded and remastered/remixed album with the love and care put into it like the Seasons release. We could get the 3 tracks left out and possibly the alternate takes. This has been issued a couple times in the past, but it is not in issue today and is rather rare.

“Bingo Viejo,” I am very surprised this (And Feels Good) was not released in the original Collector’s Choice run or even in the UMG releases to follow. It goes along great with the A Southern Memoir with similar histories. There’s already a good couple mixes with the Anuhac and London releases leaving you with a couple of possible alternate tracks used to fill out the rest of the expanded release. This is a very good album, not Bing’s best but pretty good.

The Longines Recordings, they wouldn’t even have to package these together in one 2 CD pack (although it would make a great 3rd Treasures From The Crosby Archive) I would more think arranging the songs into 3 CDs with each CD being themed would be great. These are tracks that need to be available to the public as some of Bing’s best recordings of the sixties. We’ve got his Sing Along albums that are more in circulation than these tracks, which is almost a crime.

“Hey Jude!/Hey Bing!” This is by far Bing’s worst solo studio album, it’s not bad but it’s not great. It’s very mediocre, but I believe it stills deserves a expanded remix/master as it’s contemporary Crosby before the 70s. It has some horrible sounding versions of YouTube as well which doesn’t help the album any. This could still be a good expanded edition though with some of his TV versions of these songs including the beautiful version of Both Sides Now, maybe the single he made for the UK in ‘73 with Tie A Yellow Ribbon, maybe some alternate takes if there are any and his Bing ‘n’ Basie version of Little Green Apples in contrast.

Honorable Mention, “Holiday In Europe” if  BCE has the original master tapes, as even though the Sepia release is great those recordings could get treated even better. Don’t get me wrong though I love that Sepia release probably my favorite Crosby release of their’s especially with that rehearsal track.

I don't know if any album is "the worst" Bing album for me. Even albums like Thoroughly Modern Bing and Hey Jude, Hey Bing each had great tracks and bad tracks on them. I would love to see more radio songs put out on CD. I pretty much have 99% of Bing's commercial recordings.

Does anyone know if the Project Records recordings from the 1960s that weren't released on LP are still in existance? I believe some of them haven't been released.

Lobosco wrote:

I don't know if any album is "the worst" Bing album for me. Even albums like Thoroughly Modern Bing and Hey Jude, Hey Bing each had great tracks and bad tracks on them. I would love to see more radio songs put out on CD. .

I suspect that most of us would still find the odd track or two that we might like on albums that we might otherwise prefer to neglect, just as we might want to skip one or two on some of our favourites!

Lobosco wrote:

Does anyone know if the Project Records recordings from the 1960s that weren't released on LP are still in existance? I believe some of them haven't been released.

Of what might you be aware David? 
But I'd suggest that any lurking in the vaults that have not seen the light of day might well not deserve it. 

Personally, before delving in the vaults for discarded tapes that did not "make the cut"  I'd like to see decent copies  from the original tapes of
- the Basie "If I Had A Hammer",   
- of the "Australian" EP (Four tracks issued in 1960 by RCA in Australia, two of which were also available on a single elsewhere (The Music Of Home; The New Ashmoleon Marching Society; It's A Good Day; Aloha Means I Love You). 
-  the single from 1973 It's Not Where You start (It's Where You finish) and Tie A Yellow Ribbon round the Old Oak Tree. 
45 rpm records in general seem to have been treated much more roughly than LPs and the Australian EP seems  impossible to find in halfway decent condition. 
And I agree with earlier ideas relating to the Longines set.
 

The Bing ‘n’ Basie album isn’t Bing or Basie’s greatest work, but I find it to be enjoyable with, in my opinion, some of Bing’s best contemporary songs.

It would be great to see official CD releases of Hey Jude/Hey Bing and Bingo Viejo, if only to “square the circle” of CD releases of Bing’s LP albums. These two would seem to be the only two which haven’t seen any form of “official” CD release - from budget direct-from-LP transfers all the way up to the BCE de-luxe re-packagings.

I agree with Richard about “If I Had a Hammer”. I’ve got a very muddy version of it on Barry Whittingham’s privately-produced CD of Bing’n’Basie and it certainly deserves to be heard in better quality.

The other titles Richard mentions - including the Longines sides - were released on CD on the privately-produced Harry Lillis label, but these CDs are becoming increasingly hard to find. The Longines sides would make a fantastic 2-CD set. (Are you listening, Sepia..?!)

I would also love to see a properly remastered and annotated release of the “High Society” soundtrack. I’ve got a couple of budget-label CD versions - on one of which the “swish” of the LP is clearly audible! - but it would be great to hear some out-takes, studio banter, rehearsal tracks, piano demos, etc.

Last edited by jeremyrose (06/10/2020 10:21 am)

As for "Het Jude Hey Bing" , i received a used copy from Ebay yesterday there were scratches and pops in places and record skipped after i cleaned record it played okay the title track was ruined by thre pom poms like Tony Bennett's rendition of Eleanor Rigby" with an overblown introduction however i think the best track was "Those Were The Days" which also has a Beatles connection as Sir Paul Mcartney produced Mary Hopkins hit recording of the song it had a good dixieland jazzarrangement which reminded me of Bing's versions of country songs like "I'm Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes" and "Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy" now if the rest of the album had been like that it would have been considered one of Bing's best albums of the 1960s not the worst.