Another Quality British Outlet Provides A Long-Overdue Art M
09/28/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Art Mooney & His Orchestra chalked up 21 Billboard Pop hits for MGM from 1948 to 1960 and in this compact 25-track release you get 18 of them along with six B-sides and one 1955 failed single. The sound quality is excellent and with the insert you get three pages of background notes written in April 2007 by Tony Middleton, two more photos of Art, one with his band, a couple of MGM promotional poster reproductions, and a partial discography of the contents (no MGM label numbers).
According to the notes he was born on February 11, 1911 in either Brooklyn, New York or Lowell Massachusetts. I tend to think the latter is the correct place of birth, and that the confusion comes from details for another orchestra leader named Mooney, in this case Harold (Hal), who WAS born in Brooklyn on February 4, 1911. He backed the likes of Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan and Kay Starr on many of their hits. The two are not related.
After a series of failed MGM singles, in early 1948 I'm Looking Over A Four-Leaf Clover rose to # 1 Pop and remained there for five solid weeks featuring Mike Pingatore on banjo and vocal by the Ensemble (vocalists on all tracks except where noted) b/w The Big Brass Band From Brazil, with vocals by The Galli Sisters and ensemble) on MGM 10119. It would, naturally, be extremely difficult to top that, and while Art never would have another # 1, his next hit took an oldie, Baby Face, to # 3 in April b/w Encore Cherie (not here) on MGM 10156. And his third hit was just as huge. On MGM 10207, The Bluebird Of Happiness made it to # 5 late that summer and even spent more time on the charts (22 weeks) than his first hit. Bud Brees and The Galli Sisters did the vocals with a poem recitation by Art, and on the flipside was the instrumental Sunset To Sunrise.
His next didn't come until early 1949 when Beautiful Eyes topped out at # 18 in March/April b/w Doo De Doo On An Old Kazoo which made it to # 21 on MGM 10357. Then, early that summer Johnny Martin and Madelyn Russell took over the vocals on Again which, from the film Road House, reached # 7 in June b/w Five Foot Two, Eyes Of Blue on MGM 10398. It was also in June that the minor hit, Merry-Go-Round Waltz, peaked at # 29 on MGM 10405 b/w The Heart Of Loch Lomond (not here). Twenty-Four Hours Of Sunshine, with vocal by The Art Mooney Choir, went to # 13 in August b/w In A Shady Nook By A Babbling Brook (not here) on MGM 10446, followed in October by the # 16 The Hop-Scotch Polka (Scotch Hot) b/w Wouldn't It Be Fun (not here) on MGM 10500. A busy 1949 then concluded with Toot Toot Tootsie (Good-Bye) going to # 19 with the Art Mooney Choir on vocals b/w I Never See Maggie Alone, a # 21 with Tex Fletcher and The Art Mooney Choir singing.
In April 1950 his version of If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked A Cake finished a distant 5th at # 28 behind those by Eileen Barton (# 1), Georgia Gibbs (# 5), Benny Strong (# 11), and Ethel Merman & Ray Bolger (# 15), with vocal by Betty Harris and the Choir b/w Silver Dollar (Betty Harris, Johnny Martin & The Choir) on MGM 10660, and in July, M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I , a # 23 with Alan Brooks & The Four Clovers on vocals, finished back of the Kay Starr (# 18) and Red Foley (# 22) renditions b/w The Breeze Is My Sweetheart (not here) on MGM 10721. His next hit didn't come until December 1952 when two charted, Lazy River going to # 29 with vocals by Cathy Ryan and The Clover Leafs b/w Honesty (not here) on MGM 11347, and Heartbreaker reaching # 24 b/w Winter (not here) on MGM 11386.
Nothing worked in 1953 and 1954, but in spring 1955 an adaptation of a traditional army marching song, featured in the film Battle Cry, and called Honey-Babe, made it to # 6 Billboard Pop Top 100 b/w No Regrets on MGM 11900, with vocals on the B-side by The Clover Leafs. Then that Christmas he combined with young Barry Gordon to take Nuttin' For Christmas to # 6 as well, b/w Santa Claus Looks Just Like Daddy on MGM 12092. Unfortunately, neither is included here. In 1956, Daydreams charted twice, once at # 73 Top 100 in July and again at # 94 in September with vocal by The Clover Leafs b/w Somebody Stole My Muchacha (Cha-Cha-Cha) on MGM 12277. Late that year the title song from the film Giant made it to # 77 Top 100 b/w Rock And Roll Tumbleweed from the film The Opposite Sex, with vocal on both by Art and The Art Mooney Chorus on MGM 12320.
Also left out of this compilation are his final two hits: The River Kwai March And Colonel Bogey (# 88 in March 1958) b/w Bullfight on MGM 12590, and Banjo Boy (# 100 in June 1960 with vocals by The Ivys) b/w Captain Buffalo on MGM 12908.
This is my first experience with a product from Sepia Records Limited, but from what I see and hear in this volume, here is yet another U.K.-based distributor (like Ace and Jasmine as examples) which is miles ahead of any North American outfit when it comes to delivering an artist's "best" or "greatest" hits."
Track Listings (25) - Disc #1