Search - Bing Crosby :: Bing: His Legendary Years 1931-1957

An Amazing Box Set!

Arnold L. Fogel | St. Louis Park, MN USA | 02/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a beautiful sampling of the work of Bing Crosby during his best years. Wonderfully designed, wonderfully annotated by Will Friedwald (One of the most perceptive writers today on the subject of American pop music of the pre-rock era) and excellently re-mastered. The selections feature something for everyone: Lots of the big hits, for those who have no Crosby in their CD libraries, and a nice selection of the lesser-reissued tunes for the folks who already have enough copies of "Swinging On A Star" on the Crosby shelf. Listen, as Crosby's style matures over a period of 23 years, and as pop music itself morphs profoundly over the course of this remarkable man's reign (Bing fans and fanatics should know as well that Bing's ENTIRE recorded output, from 1926 to 1939, is available on a series of collector's CDs! check out the Bing Crosby Internet Museum website). In the meantime, this box is absolutely the finest collection of Crosby available on CD, and the perfect companion to Gary Giddins' great new book on Bing. grab it!"

THE REAL THING

MOVIE MAVEN | New York, NY USA | 01/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This 4 CD set (which covers songs released from 1931 to 1957) and its accompanying book with great photos and a superbly written appreciation of Crosby by Will Friedhold will take a place of honor in my music collection. I always thought Crosby was just "a good singer---someone who crooned, sang 'buh,buh,buh,boo,' acted in a few serious movies and in alot of silly movies with Bob Hope, and was someone who would not be remembered as an innovator or one of the greats." I was very, very wrong! Every single number on these CD's (approx. 24 per CD) is worth hearing and 90% of them, especially the ballads like "Dancing In the Dark" and a very cool arrangement of the usually hokey operetta number "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise," are unbeatable. There is no doubt that Crosby possessed one of the most beautiful bari-tenor voices--his voice is never less than graceful and beguilingly sexy, but he pays particular attention to lyrics in every song. There are classic songs like Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and Arlen & Mercer's "Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive"; there are novelty songs from WW2 like "There'll Be A Hot Time In The Town of Berlin When The Yanks Go Marching In"; there are duets with stars like Peggy Lee (a gorgeous song by Hoagy Carmichael called "Watermelon Weather") and Louis Armstrong ("Gone Fishin'"); there are songs from Crosby's movies, tv and radio shows; there are even Christmas songs. In each and every song, in each and every style (inc. Spirituals!!!) Crosby makes you aware that he cannot be shrugged off as a footnote to other popular singers. This set would be a wonderful gift for people who were/are his fans and a total revelation for people who have only vaguely heard of him or perhaps saw him on "The Late Show" playing straight man to Hope. Because it is on four CD's, the price is, of course, relatively high, but it is worth every cent. You'll be very, very happy that you bought this set. Bing Crosby is The Real Thing-The Genuine Article! Highly recommended!!!!!!"

Excellent Introduction to Bing

Jon Oye | IL, US | 02/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this set some ten years ago, when I was a budding Bing fan, fearful that I might regret having dropped so much coin on an artist I wasn't thoroughly familiar with. After sampling a few tracks on each of the four discs, however, I realized there would be no buyer's remorse with THIS purchase. If you want to familiarize yourself with Bing Crosby, this is the perfect primer, covering his most prolific and influential years as the world's most popular entertainer. "Prolific" is the key word here. You can't not like Bing Crosby's music, because he masterfully interpreted so many genres that there's literally something for everybody. Popular Standards, Jazz, Country & Western, Hawaiian, Folk, Irish, Christmas Carols, Gospel, even Light Opera - he sang them all as though they were the reason for his existence. And it didn't hurt that he had one of the most appealing voices in the history of recorded sound. This package offers an enticing cross section of that incomparable versatility.The attractive and entertainingly informative booklet by the eminent popular music historian Will Friedwald (author of Stardust Melodies) complements the set perfectly.Be careful - purchasing this collection could start you down the road to full-fledged Crosby fanaticism, as it did me. Now THAT runs into money!"