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Jolson - The GREATest!

06/21/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have many Jolson recordings, and this is THE GREATEST! The tracks are GREAT selections, the sound is pure and clear, portraying Jolie at his finest. Be prepared to listen to it over and over. A Jolson fan MUST!"

Primo presents a Jolson primer at a nice price!

Robert Badgley | London,Ontario,Canada | 02/17/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This package of mostly Jolson's Decca recordings is certainly a welcome addition to any Jolie fan's collection.In fact it is a fantastic place to start for any new Jolson fan wondering which CD they should get to test the waters with.

There is a bit of confusion here I should try to clear up first.Amazon.ca lists this product as being from Universal(which of course owns all of Jolson's Decca material),while Amazon.com lists it as an import and of no major company ties.I am going with the latter,as the packaging clearly states that this release by "Primo" is made in the Czech Republic.Primo in fact has MANY on going releases out now by a myriad of well known artists from a variety of major labels.If it was connected to Universal in any way there would be a "licensed by" or "property of" addition in the jacket credits,which there is not.It IS however MCPS endorsed(Mechanical Copyright Protection Society in the UK)so the artist and/or their estates will receive royalties from the recordings,which is a good thing.What does this all this mean for we the consumer? The tracks on this Jolson 2 CD set are NOT taken from the original Decca master tapes or pressings but are taken from very good vinyl pressings from private collectors.This usually means the audio quality varies widely on many such releases but I can happily report to you this is the BEST remastering of vinyl pressings I have heard in many a year.These Jolson recordings sound crisp,bright and full of life as if they were from Decca directly.In can hear little to no distortion in the high end at all.They have masterfully presented the songs without sacrificing their integrity(overkilling on the noise reduction).I suppose it is also fair to assume they have picked some excellent source material from which they gleaned this collection.The collection is a real sonic surprise which will have you listening to it again and again.

The only track that seems to be out of place here is the last on CD-1 "Yes,we have no bananas".This has been lifted off of a radio show from the 1930s.

Everyone will certainly have their favourites,as there are plenty to choose from.One track"That wonderful girl of Mine" was a pleasant discovery for me.This has always been one of my top Jolie faves.It comes from the Decca album"You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet".

I advise all you Jolie fans,and any new ones,to get this CD set.The sound is absolutely gorgeous and full(with no echo).The CD itself is encased in a slip case with pretty much the same outward information on each and there is a nice two page blurb on Jolson and the recordings therein.At this VERY,modest price,this 2 CD set is a steal!"