Search - Vic Damone :: On the Swingin Side / Angela Mia

New Renditions to Old World Charm

N. Pressimone | West Palm Beach, FL USA | 07/19/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The most beautiful album Damone ever made - if you're weak-in-the-knees for a bit of Italian romance put to music like I am, this is the greatest. His pleasant renditions of each old-world melody brings those old-fashioned lumps to your throat."

What price Nelson Riddle?

JJA Kiefte | Tegelen, Nederland | 07/21/2010

(2 out of 5 stars)

"When it comes to voice quality, Vic Damone has (to quote Ol'Blue Eyes) certainly "the best set of pipes in the business". Warmer than Sinatra's, intenser than Dean's or Perry Como's, less strained in the upper register than Bing's and more relaxed than Andy Williams's (a terribly overrated singer), his voice is likely to win you over quite easily (like Matt Monro's or Nat Cole's). You might expect Damone to win top honours with these two lp's-on-one-cd reissues, but he doesn't. It's not as if it were his fault though. The producer's choice of arranger-band leaders and material is disappointing. Most of the "Angela Mia" Italian songs had been waxed before by Dean Martin, and arranger Glenn Osser clearly decided to go Dean one better, but in trying to do so poured it on in such a way that the string laden orchestra and female chorus smother Damone in thick carpets of lushness. Never is there even a hint of Dean's happy holiday atmosphere of "On an Evening in Roma" or the gay sway of "Volare". The many rubato intros and endings with shimmering strings and who-hoo-ing girl singers become increasingly irritating as tune after tune follows the same pattern. Sadly too, the barcarolle rhythms that conjure up such a nice mediterranean atmosphere are constantly being interupted by two beat rhythm interjections. A missed chance, one star!.

The "On the Swinging Side" is better, to be sure, but not good enough to be wholly satisfactory. Arranger Jack Marshall sometimes relies on instruments that are not standard big band fare such as the percussion on "Falling in Love with Love", the ukulele on "Swingin Down the Lane" that are not always functional, though the harpsichord on "It's Allright with Me" is quite pleasant, (although plagiarised almost note for note from the Dutch Swing College Band's recording of "I've Found a New Baby"!). And why are the selections so short? Nine of the twelve tracks run to under 2:30, so how can a fellow make the most of a tune? Plas Johnson's tenor sax is limited to interjections of only a couple of notes at best and Marshall's propensity for finnicky arranging traits like flute / xylophone interspersions do not make for a musically satisfying amalgam at all. How sad that Damone was not coupled with an arranger of the stature of a Nelson Riddle (but CBS had Mitch Miller at the helm, so what could one expect?). After Damone's switch to Capitol, things turned out a little better for him (and us). Three stars, but to counterbalance the others, two will do.

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