Search - Glenn Miller :: V-Disc Recordings: Musical Contribution

Buyer beware!

Alan Glasscock | Midlothian, TX | 02/13/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"If you are a fan of the great Glenn Miller, then you will love this CD. Included are many of Miller's hit recordings, as well as some of the lesser-known, but still superb, "Miller thrillers." BUT--if you are a serious collector of Miller, the title to this set in extremely misleading."V-Discs" were recordings made specifically for distribution to the armed forces during World War 2. Hundreds of famous singers and musicians participated in these recording sessions, many of them recording V-Discs did so for no monetary reward, strictly for the satisfaction of knowing that they, in their own musical way, were helping the war effort by supplying the servicemen and women with a touch of "home" in the battle-weary theatres of war.Here is where this CD set is misleading: Much of the music contained herein are tunes performed by the Glenn Miller civilian band, and NOT taken from any V-Disc archive. In other words, the tunes are not taken from V-Discs at all! The tunes I am referring to are the standard, commercial issued songs that anyone could purchase at the local record store, and not from V-Disc sessions at all! And then there are several songs that were recorded by Miller's Army Air Force Orchestra, but, here again, were not from actual V-Disc recording sessions. And to add insult to injury, the sound quality varies from lousy to excellent. I must reiterate that if you are looking for a collection of wonderful Miller music, you will enjoy this set. But if you are a serious collector of rare Miller recordings, you will find nothing new here--all of these cuts have been available in other collections many times before, and most likely with much better fidelity."