Search - Alma Cogan :: Magic of Alma Cogan

This is a CD that will make you smile

06/15/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Alma Cogan, a British pop singer of the 1950s and 1960s, is not well-known in the United States, possibly because a lot of her hits in her native country were covers of songs made popular by American singers. In fact, I learned of her only very recently. I had heard a snippet of "Dreamboat" sung by a character in a movie a few years ago (I can't even remember what movie it was), and when I found out that it was originally sung by Ms. Cogan, I bought this CD solely to get a copy of it. That song was Ms. Cogan's only #1 hit in England. Surprisingly, although lively and clever and cheerful, it was not a hit for her or any other singer in America. It is the type of song that brought success to singers like Rosemary Clooney or Teresa Brewer, and either of them could have done well by it. Even though I bought the CD for one particular song, it was a pleasant surprise to discover that I enjoy a lot of the other tunes. Selections on this CD include Ms. Cogan's version of the awful song "This Ole House," which is actually not nearly as heinous as Ms. Clooney's version. Other songs associated with other singers on this collection are "Little Things Mean a Lot" (with a prettier arrangement than Kitty Kallen's version and a vocal that rivals Ms. Kallen's, and a more traditional treatment than Joni James'), "Bell Bottom Blues" and "The Banjo's Back in Town" (both recorded by Ms. Brewer), "I Can't Tell a Waltz From a Tango" (a minor success for Patti Page), "Sugartime" (sung in an upbeat mode similar to way the McGuire Sisters sang it), and "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (a lively rendition but not as good as the recordings by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers or Gale Storm). Some of the songs are really stupid, such as "In the Middle of the House." "Dream Talk" is a very pretty ballad with a beat, and there is also a pleasant version of "Cheek to Cheek." "Never Do a Tango With an Eskimo," "The Birds and the Bees," "Last Night on the Back Porch," and "You Me and Us" are fun, silly, undemanding examples of the pop music of that era. The bizarre "Just Couldn't Resist Her With Her Pocket Transistor" has to be heard to be believed, and was a #1 hit in Japan! The CD closes with a bland performance of "When I Fall in Love." It is an enjoyable collection of the type of songs that are not recorded any more (for better or for worse, depending on your point of view), and any fan of the great American pop vocalists of the 1950s would also enjoy this CD by this British pop vocalist of the same era. I rate this three stars because while I enjoy most of Ms. Cogan's interpretations, the songs are a mixed bag."

The perfect compilation

Paul James | London | 10/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How marvellous to find a Alma Cogan compilation that actually contains ALL the hits, no matter how minor some of them might have been. The light and fluffy novelty song was what Alma Cogan excelled at and in my opinion there was nobody better at this type of material. She had a reputation as a warm, fun-loving person and this is what comes across in all the 25 tracks featured here. All but the deeply cynical will find her style totally disarming."

One for fans of Teresa Brewer

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 09/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Too little of Teresa Brewer's music has been made available on CD, but Teresa's fans can compensate by investing in the music of Alma Cogan, a British singer who emerged at around the same time as Teresa. Like Teresa, Alma was capable of singing many different types of song in a variety of genres, but is best remembered for her pop songs of the fifties, which included a number of novelty songs. If you're looking for a greatest hits collection, this is the Alma Cogan compilation to choose.Alma's biggest hit, Dreamboat, went all the way to number one in the UK but nobody had a hit with it in America so perhaps somebody missed an opportunity because it is an excellent song.The novelty songs include Twenty tiny fingers, Just couldn't resist her with her pocket transistor and Never do a tango with an Eskimo - all fun songs not to be to be taken too seriously and excellent in their own way. The only really silly song is In the middle of the house, about a house on land wanted for a railroad. It made the UK top 20 so had to be included here.Alma never made any impact in America but that is no surprise since most of the songs she recorded in the fifties were covers of American songs, as was normal for British singers back then. Just some of the songs that Americans will recognize are covers of Bell bottom blues (Teresa Brewer), This ole house (Rosemary Clooney), Little things mean a lot (Kitty Kallen), Banjo's back in town (Teresa Brewer), I can't tell a waltz from a tango (Patti Page), Why do fools fall in love (Frankie Lymon), Story of my life (an early Bacharach-David song), Sugartime (McGuire sisters), Cheek to cheek (the Irving Berlin classic) and the standard When I fall in love.Compared to Teresa Brewer, Alma Cogan has been well served by CD re-issues. This compilation, focusing mainly on the hits, does not do full justice to her talents but serves as a great introduction to her music."