Search - Fred Astaire :: Fred Astaire At MGM: Motion Picture Soundtrack Anthology

Never Again

hoegerbooks | Santa Clara, CA USA | 10/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sobering fact: There will never again be another Fred Astaire. Sure, you'll hear someone say about so-and-so, "He's the next Fred Astaire!" I think not.Fred Astaire is simply the greatest song-and-dance man the world has ever known. Why? Because he could do both very, very well. Fred is, of course, known primarily as a dancer, and it's unfortunate that not enough is said about his singing. In Fred Astaire at MGM, we get a few hours to sit and enjoy the vocal talents of Fred Astaire just as they were introduced in the MGM films in which he appeared. From Dancing Lady and Broadway Melody of 1940 to Silk Stockings, to those who've never heard his performances, this is indeed a rare treat.Now, Astaire is not Crosby, nor is he Sinatra, but one thing he has mastered that the other singers haven't is the way he "sold a song." There is such tender persuasiveness as he handles the lyrics some songwriters, such as Gershwin, Berlin, and Kern, wrote especially for him. Astaire sings directly to the listener's heart, another talent which made him the legend he know him as today. In a word, he is simply untouchable."

Yeah For Astaire!

Karen M | Northern Virginia | 06/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a lovely two CD set that focuses on Fred Astaire's songs from the 11 musicals he made with MGM(See the list at the end of this review). The two CDs are aranged from his first musical with MGM,in 1933("Dancing Lady"), to his last in 1957 ("Silk Stockings"). All of the songs are digitally remastered and 8 of the 39 songs were recorded in stereo. Also included is a 43 page booket that contains detailed information about Fred Astaire,his carrier,his musicals, and the songs feautured on these 2 CDs. My favorite songs included on these two CDs are: "Shoes with Wings On","A Shine On Your Shoes", the first from "The Barkleys Of Broadway", and the second from "The Band Wagon". I highly recomend this two-CD set, it really swings! The songs on this 2 CD set are from the following movies:(Also noted are the number of songs from each movie that are on the 2 CDs,and the year the movie came out.) "Dancing Lady" (1933): 1 song "Broadway Melody Of 1940" (1940):2 songs "Ziegfeld Follies" (1946): 3 songs "Yolanda And The Thief" (1945): 1 song "Easter Parade" (1948): 4 songs "The Barkleys Of Broadway" (1949): 5 songs "Three Little Words" (1950): 4 songs "Royal Wedding" (1951): 4 songs "The Belle Of New York" (1952): 5 songs "The Band Wagon" (1953): 6 songs "Silk Stockings" (1957):4 songs"

A Great collection of songs!

Frankie | Los Angeles, Ca. United States | 06/28/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I really love classic musical movies of the forties and fifties (especially MGM musicals) When I bought this CD i mostly bought it for the songs from silk stockings but because I like it so much I have to bribe myself to listen to something else! The first few songs have poor quality because the songs are from very early films of fred astaire. There are many great songs and my favorite are "this heart of mine" and "here's to the beautilful girls" because thier orchestrations are Gorgeous! There is a lot of instrumentals because of dance breaks (after all it's fred astaire) I bought this cd just for three songs and i am so glad i did because the music is so beautiful from the melodic "lime house blues" to the fast "fated to be mated" If you like fred astaire then it's almost impossible to not like this CD! BUY IT!"