A bargain at the price
Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 10/05/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ten CD's containing over 200 songs between them may seem a lot to some, but to anybody who truly appreciates Glenn's music, it is a real treat. That said, this is a budget release so although there appears to be no problem with the sound quality, the packaging is limited. There are no liner notes, so the information is limited to the track listing, which is limited to song title, songwriter credit and running time for each song, without reference to recording dates or to which singers and musicians participate on the various tracks. Nevertheless, you'll find much music to enjoy here.
The track selection mainly focuses on Glenn's music from 1940 to 1942, largely ignoring 1939. Beginning with Speaking of heaven (which entered the Billboard chart in December 1939), all except three (Bluebirds in the moonlight, Starlit hour, Blue rain) of Glenn Miller's Billboard hits, however minor, are here. Of the earlier hits, only two (Moonlight serenade, In the mood) are here. I guess the compilers couldn't leave those two out, but other omissions include the number one hits Wishing will make it so, Stairway to the stars, Moon love, Over the rainbow, Man with the mandolin and Blue orchids. All those tracks, and the other big hits from 1939, are available elsewhere, but it's worth noting that they aren't here.
As with any in-depth collection of Glenn's music, there is plenty of variety within the overall Glenn Miller sound, with plenty of instrumentals as well as vocals by Ray Eberle, Tex Beneke and Marion Hutton.
Despite its budget price, I wouldn't recommend this as the starting point for a collection of Glenn's music. I recommend The Golden Years: 1938-1942, which I reviewed in 2002. It is also a budget boxed set, but contains most of the important hits from Glenn's whole career as well as a booklet with plenty of information. If you enjoy that, or one of the many other hit compilations of Glenn's music, you may enjoy this too. I doubt if you will play everything here at one session (that would take most of the day if you include breaks), but with a set like this, you've got plenty of great music to discover at a bargain price."
Goldmine of Great Glenn Miller Hits
Terry Stuart | State College, Pa., USA | 09/10/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is one of the best CD box sets of Glenn Miller's music that you will ever find. There are 10 CD's in the set and the sound is excellent. I have this box set and have played some of them many times, and the sound is just like it was when I bought it. Songs include: It Was Written In The Stars, Hear My Song, Violetta, April Played The Fiddle, Polka Dots And Moonbeams, Moonlight Serenade, My,My!, In An Old Dutch Garden By An Old Dutch Mill, Danny Boy, Stepping Out With A Memory Tonight, and many more. Those who were living during the Swing Era, and those who didn't, but wish they had, will really enjoy the music. These are the original recordings, and there are almost 300 songs in all. Enjoy!!"
Swing with Miller
Martin L. Saunders | Australia | 06/17/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For lovers of 40's big band jazz, this is terrific value for money. This set covers pretty much all the Bluebird recordings from 1938 - 1942. It features Marion Hutton, Ray Erbele and Tex Beneke and for those who love the Glenn Miller 'sound' as I do this is a must.
Two thumbs up!!!"
