Search - Les Brown :: His Band of Renown

A mediocre radio program

Jeffrey Perrenoud | 11/17/2000

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This is a radio program of 1957, featuring Julie London, Jo Ann Greer, Stumpy Brown, and June Christy. The latter has a hard time keeping on the notes. Stumpy is...well...Les's brother. Julie London is okay, but nothing exceptional. The band sounds great, but its role is almost exclusively accompaniment. The chit chat between the selections is awful. Groucho's "You Bet Your Life" announcer, George Fenneman, has to read lines that must have embarassed him.In short: Not much."

Outstanding Performances, Great Songs, Superb Sound

Jeffrey Perrenoud | Sandpoint, ID | 03/10/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I disagree with the review of November 16, 2000



While Stumpy is... best left undiscussed... he performs on only one track out of 19 (two of which are the Opening Theme and Closing Theme).



The others are uniformly outstanding. Jo Ann Greer sounds like a young Doris Day, with a bit more oomph and better phrasing. Arrangements by Comstock (and some by Martin) on tunes such as September Song, Sentimental Journey, and Love Me or Leave Me. On the latter two she sounds particularly close to Day, who did superb renditions.



Julie London is more enjoyable here than she is on most of her albums, thanks to the band and stellar arrangements.



June Christy is also great, performing several numbers in the style of her then-current Misty Miss Christy album. Arrangements by Rugolo on songs such as Midnight Sun, Willow Weep For Me, and I'll Remember April.



And, here I do agree, the band is excellent. Tight, clean, with several oustanding solo riffs, playing superior arrangements.



Recorded in 1957 for a radio program broadcast for Marines, the sound is unusually good. The inter-song dialogue is sappy, but typical of the period. You either enjoy it or you don't. I did, since it represented a chance to hear the performers speaking voices.



Liner notes are also surprisingly well written and atypically informative.



An outstanding buy for anyone who enjoys music of this style and period, my purchase cost $1.50 plus shipping. I would have paid 10 times as much if there had been samples.



Kudos to Hindsight Records for a fine effort. (And, no, they didn't pay me to write this review.)"