THAT'S WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT

That’s What Life Is All About is a 1975 vinyl album recorded by Bing Crosby for United Artists at Chappells in London in February 1975. He was accompanied by Pete Moore and his Orchestra.

The songs from the album were included on a 3-CD set called Bing Crosby: The Complete United Artists Sessions issued by EMI Records (7243 59808 2 4) in 1997. This included several previously unreleased alternate takes and studio chat.In January 1974, Crosby was seriously ill and after two weeks of tests, he underwent three and a half hours of major surgery. Two-fifths of his left lung and an abscess the size of a small orange were removed. The tumor was a rare fungus called nocardia. There were concerns initially that he would not be able to sing again and his recuperation took many months. Record producer Ken Barnes later heard that Crosby was thinking of recording again and he quickly presented his credentials and eventually met Crosby on September 9, 1974 at the singer’s home. Arrangements were soon made for two albums to be made in London. As a prelude, two songs were recorded with Johnny Mercer and a rhythm section at Mercer’s own “Heritage” recording studio at Oak Street in Burbank, California on October 17, 1974. Orchestra was added in February 1975.

Crosby flew to London on February 18 and that afternoon visited the Chappells recording studio. He was shown the vocal booth where he would be singing but said that he did not want to work in that way. He wanted to be with the band and said, “I didn’t come seven thousand miles to sing to a pane of glass.” This worried sound engineer John Timperley who was concerned about separation problems because of the large orchestra which was to be used. Crosby was adamant however and, in the event, he successfully overcame the problems of recording in front of a full orchestra.

Over a period of eight days, Crosby, in six sessions, recorded twenty five tracks. Eleven of the tracks, plus the two Crosby had recorded with Johnny Mercer were issued on this LP. Thirteen, with the addition of another song to be recorded in 1976, were issued on an LP called At My Time of Life and the final recording was included with eleven others made in 1976 and issued on an LP called Beautiful Memories...

RECORD SPOTLIGHT: BING CROSBY'S TREASURY

Bing Crosby's Treasury – The Songs I Love is an LP set by Bing, issued in both mono and stereo formats by a mail-order firm, The Longines Symphonette Society, which was an educational service from the Longines-Wittnauer Watch Company. A similar LP set had been issued in 1966 (Bing Crosby's Treasury – The Songs I Love), and this updated version had a total of 36 Crosby vocals.

Very similar to the 1966 set, this was a six-LP album comprising seventy-one tunes chosen by Bing Crosby. The previous set had sixteen Crosby vocals and for this set he over-dubbed his voice to another twenty of the original orchestral tracks. The remaining tracks on the album were orchestral. On each side of all six LPs there were included three Crosby recordings and with the set there was an additional free "souvenir" LP (Bing Crosby's All Time Hit Parade) which consisted of 1930s and 1940s recordings by Crosby. The cost in the UK was £7.18.6d plus 8/6d postage and payment for it could be made in monthly instalments of £1 for seven months plus a final payment of 18/6d.

The director of the Society, Mishel Piastro, described as "Dean of American conductors, famed violin virtuoso and leader of the sessions" seemed, implicitly, to be the conductor of the orchestra and such was assumed until several years later when the popular British conductor and arranger Geoff Love revealed that he had made the arrangements and orchestral recordings in England. Crosby over-dubbed his voice later at Coast Recorders, San Francisco.

Ralph Harding writing in the fanzine "The Crosby Collector" said: "I have played and replayed all these tracks and paid particular attention to the 'new' and previously unissued tracks. The recording is excellent and quite up to the standard of the first 16 sides on the first Longines album issue. Without a doubt, they have captured a very pleasant and happy balance. No real complaints in this direction. And it would be impossible to choose any one side that towers above all. Each and every track is good and excellent Bing. Crosby appears perfectly at home on these oldies – 'standards' if you like – because they occupy a firm niche in any catalogue...

SONGS SUNG BY BING ON THE ALBUMS:

1. That Old Gang Of Mine

2. Marie

3. River, Stay Away From My Door

4. What'll I Do

5. When My Sugar Walks Down The Street

6. Ballin' The Jack

7. Ole Buttermilk Sky

8. The Song Is Ended

9. I've Heard That Song Before

10. Remember

11. Puttin On The Ritz

12. Always

13. Thank You For A Lovely Evening

14. Love Makes The World Go Round

15. All Alone

16. Coqueete

17. Sentimental Gentleman From Georgia

18. Lonesome And Sorry

19. There's Danger In Your Eyes, Cherie

20. Say It Isn't So

21. Tenderly

22. South Of The Border

23. Say Si Si

24. Friendly Persuasion

25. Amapola

26. I Hear Music

27. In The Chapel In The Moonlight

28. Stormy Weather

29. How Come You Do Me Like You Do

30. My Prayer

31. Rock-a-Bye Your Baby 

32. Dance With A Dolly

33. Isn't This A Lovely Day

34. The Breeze And I

BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES

Beautiful Memories is a 1976 vinyl album recorded by Bing Crosby for United Artists Records, and the last album of new material to be released during his lifetime. Eight of the songs were recorded at Devonshire Sound Studios, Magnolia Boulevard, North Hollywood on October 19 and 29, 1976.[1] The orchestral accompaniment was recorded in London on September 10 and 11, 1976 and Crosby dubbed his voice in Los Angeles. Of the other four songs on the LP, one had been recorded on February 26, 1975. The title song was dubbed by Crosby on November 5, 1976, also at United Western Studios, using the track recorded in London. Crosby was accompanied by Pete Moore and his Orchestra throughout the album and by The Johnny Evans Singers on certain tracks

The UK magazine The Gramophone reviewed the album saying: "Sadness inevitably surrounds “Beautiful Memories” by the late Bing Crosby, which must be one of the last LPs we will enjoy by this splendid gentleman with fifty years of consummate artistry to his credit, although we are advised of at least one more in the pipeline from Polydor. It is not his best album by any means, but Crosby never made a bad one to my knowledge, and there is much of value and interest in his versions of mostly recent pop ballads such as “A Little Love and Understanding,” “My Resistance Is Low,” “When a Child Is Born,” and “The Woman on Your Arm.” It is certainly a very adequate valedictory souvenir from a singer who has left beautiful memories for a multitude around the world.

Track listing:

SIDE ONE:
1. "Beautiful Memories" Roger Cook, Herbie Flowers 3:46
2. "A Little Love and Understanding" Gilbert Bécaud, Marcel Stellman 3:17
3. "My Resistance Is Low" Hoagy Carmichael, Harold Adamson 2:18
4. "Children" Cyril Ornadel, Hal Shaper 3:52
5. "Déjà Vu (As Tho’ You Never Went Away)" Pete Moore, Ken Barnes 3:12
6. "When a Child Is Born" Ciro Dammicco, Fred Jay 3:22


SIDE TWO:
7. "The More I See You" Harry Warren, Mack Gordon 2:26
8. "What I Did for Love" Marvin Hamlisch, Edward Kleban 3:22
9. "Yours Sincerely" Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart 2:43
10. "We've Only Just Begun" Roger Nichols, Paul Williams 3:55
11. "The Woman on Your Arm" Randy Edelman 3:53
12. "The Only Way to Go" Marvin Hamlisch, Tim Rice 2:56

BING CROSBY - THE VOICE OF CHRISTMAS

The Voice of Christmas: The Complete Decca Christmas Songbook is a two-disc collection of Christmas music recorded by Bing Crosby for the Decca label between 1935 and 1956, released by Universal Music Group on October 6, 1998. Crosby was the first popular singer to record Christmas songs, and his 1942 recording of "White Christmas" for the movie Holiday Inn is the best-selling single of all time. The most prolific period for his Christmas recordings was between 1942 and 1955, including his Christmas songs recorded with The Andrews Sisters. Crosby continued to record Christmas titles for other labels later in his career.

Most of the tracks included were originally issued on 78 RPM records. This collection contains all of Crosby's Decca label Christmas recordings, including some duplications of titles recorded at different times. The 1947 recording of "White Christmas" is the most played and considered the "standard" version; this re-recording was made due to the acetate of the 1942 version, and its flip side "Silent Night," becoming too degraded in quality to reproduce further copies.

Tracks are presented in loose chronological order, with collaborations appearing in chronological order on disc two from tracks nine through twenty. Two tracks are previously unreleased songs: an alternate version of his original May 29, 1942, recording of "White Christmas"; and a February 21, 1935, recording of "Silent Night." The 1935 version of "Silent Night" was not released due to Crosby's feelings that a popular entertainer should not profit on such a religion-based song however, once the proceeds were arranged to be donated to charity, a second recording of the song was released as a single in 1935 and was later packaged as part of a 1940 album...

HOLIDAY IN EUROPE

Holiday in Europe was a long-playing vinyl album recorded for Bing Crosby's own company, Project Records at Radio Recorders in Hollywood and issued by Decca Records (DL-4281) in 1962. The album consists of twelve European songs. The orchestral arrangements were by Bob Thompson and the orchestra was conducted by Malcolm Lockyer at Decca's West Hampstead, London studios in October 1960. Crosby had recorded four of the songs with Lockyer on October 15, 1960, in London but a decision was taken not to use these vocal tracks. Crosby subsequently over-dubbed his vocals on all of the orchestral tracks in May 1961. Malcolm Lockyer does not receive a credit on the album cover.

The album was issued on CD by MCA Victor, Inc., Japan (MVCM-294) in 1993. The album was also reissued as "Holiday In Europe (And Beyond!)" released in February 2019 by Sepia Records. The album included the original songs and along with other 14 songs.

Variety magazine reviewed the album saying “In an indie master deal with Project Records, Bing Crosby comes under the Decca banner once again. The package peg is a global song roundup which has Crosby working his way through such entries as “Under Paris Skies,” “Morgen,” “Never on Sunday” and “Domenica”. It's flavorsome and pleasing.”

TRACKS:
Side one
1. "April in Portugal" 
2. "C'est si bon" 
3. "Never on Sunday" 
4. "More and More Amor" 
5. "Moment in Madrid" 
6. "Morgen" 

Side two
1. "Two Shadows on the Sand"
2. "Under Paris Skies" 
3. "Domenica" 
4. "Pigalle" 
5. "My Heart Still Hears the Music 
6. "Melancolie"

AT MY TIME OF LIFE

At My Time of Life is a 1976 vinyl album recorded by Bing  for United Artists, mostly at Chappells Studios in London in February 1975. He was accompanied by Pete Moore and his Orchestra.

The songs from the album were included on a 3-CD set called Bing Crosby – The Complete United Artists Sessions issued by EMI Records (7243 59808 2 4) in 1997. This included several previously unreleased alternate takes and studio chat.

In January 1974, Crosby was seriously ill and after two weeks of tests, he underwent three and a half hours of major surgery. Two-fifths of his left lung and an abscess the size of a small orange were removed. The tumor was a rare fungus called nocardia. There were concerns initially that he would not be able to sing again and his recuperation took many months. Record producer, Ken Barnes, later heard that Bing was thinking of recording again and he quickly presented his credentials and eventually met Crosby on September 9, 1974 at the singer’s home. Arrangements were soon made for two albums to be made in London. Bing flew to London on February 18, 1975 and that afternoon visited the Chappells recording studio. He was shown the vocal booth where he would be singing but said that he did not want to work in that way. He wanted to be with the band and said, “I didn’t come seven thousand miles to sing to a pane of glass.” This worried sound engineer John Timperley who was concerned about separation problems because of the large orchestra which was to be used. Crosby was adamant however and, in the event, he successfully overcame the problems of recording in front of a full orchestra.

Over a period of eight days, Crosby, in six sessions, recorded twenty five tracks. Eleven of the tracks were issued on an LP called That's What Life Is All About. Thirteen, with the addition of the title song to be recorded in 1976, were issued on this album and the final recording was included with eleven others made in 1976 and issued on an LP called Beautiful Memories.

The UK magazine The Gramophone reviewed the album saying: "The arrival for review of “At My Time of Life” by Bing Crosby coincided with his outstanding triumph at the London Palladium heading a bill shared by members of his family and Rosemary Clooney…Crosby brings his special brand of affable authority to all fourteen numbers, aided and embellished by Pete Moore’s arrangements and orchestrations which incorporate some deft modern touches without jeopardizing the essential nostalgia of much of this material. The sympathetic and totally aware production work of Ken Barnes also asserts itself in a practical but unobtrusive fashion, and this album is a genuine piece of popular music history of inestimable value...

SOURCE

ST. PATRICK'S DAY ALBUM

St. Patrick's Day is a compilation album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby released in 1947 featuring songs with an Irish theme. This includes one of Crosby's most-beloved songs, "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral" which was number four on Billboard for 12 weeks, and topped the Australian charts for an entire month, on shellac disc record. This version, the 1945 re-recording, was released earlier in another Crosby album, Selections from Going My Way.

Billboard liked it:Aiming at maximum holiday sales, this package of five platters brings together 10 Erin faves cut at varying times by Bing Crosby, getting vocal assist on some of the sides from the Jesters and the King's Men, while the music making belongs to Bob Haggart, Victor Young and John Scott Trotter. Der Bingle in good Erin form for each of the sides and song selections are tops ... Photo of the smiling Bing on the album cover, with notes on the singer and the songs in the accompanying booklet.

Down Beat was not impressed however saying:Bing's album, despite his usual graceful ease of interpretation, lacks his old fullness of voice. If Crosby is going to keep on making records with his evident sloppiness and lack of interest, it would be better if he would stop now and let his millions of fans remember him by his older and far better discs.

The album quickly reached No. 3 in Billboard's best-selling popular record albums chart in March 1947 and was still selling well the following year when it reached No. 1 in the same chart on 20 March 1948. It was 18th in the annual chart of top selling record albums for 1948.
Original track listing

These previously issued songs were featured on a 5-disc, 78 rpm album set, Decca Album No. A-495.

Disc 1 (23495):
A. "McNamara's Band"
B. "Dear Old Donegal" 

Disc 2 (23786):
A. "Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder?" George L. Giefer December 6, 1945 the Jesters, and Bob Haggart and His Orchestra 2:27
B. "It's the Same Old Shillelagh" Pat White December 6, 1945 the Jesters, and Bob Haggart and His Orchestra 2:44

Disc 3 (23787):
A. "Did Your Mother Come From Ireland?" 
B. "Where the River Shannon Flows" 

Disc 4 (23788):
A. "The Rose of Tralee" 
B. "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" 
Disc 5 (23789):

A. "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral" 
B. "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen" 

SOURCE

BING WITH A BEAT

Bing with a Beat was Bing Crosby's seventh long play album but his first with RCA Victor. It was recorded at the Radio Recorders "Annex" Studio in Los Angeles and released on vinyl in September 1957. Bing with a Beat is a 1957 concept album where the songs feature "hot" jazz and dixieland arrangements by Matty Matlock, played by Bob Scobey's Frisco Jazz Band.

The album was issued on CD by BMG Music and Bluebird Records in 2004. Variety liked the album, saying, "Bob Scobey's Frisco Jazz Band has put Bing Crosby in one of his happiest and swingiest vocal frames. The evergreens are ever-bright when Crosby and Scobey match wits."

Record producer, Ken Barnes, wrote, "After his high-powered outing with Buddy Bregman, Bing probably felt a desire to get back to the roots of his singing style and this pleasantly swinging album with Bob Scobey's Frisco Jazz Band was probably the best artistic therapy for him at this point in his career. Bing always responded enthusiastically to a Dixie-style backing and with songs like 'Some Sunny Day', 'Whispering' and 'Mama Loves Papa' he is in top-notch form. Scobey plays some tasty trumpet and there are telling solos from others in the band - notably Ralph Sutton on piano. The cleanly crisp arrangements are by Matty Matlock and the album is almost a total joy from beginning to end. The only mild disappointment is a rather lack-lustre version of 'Mack the Knife' which should have been a standout.

The writer Will Friedwald, in his book Jazz Singing: America's Great Voices from Bessie Smith to Bebop and Beyond, commented, "Communicating the obvious joy the music arises in him, Crosby fairly oozes with charming insouciance above and beyond even the call of Crosby, expressed in semi-spoken asides and lyric alterations."

Track Listing:

1. Let A Smile Be Your Umbrella

2. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself A Letter

3. Along The Way To Waikiki

4. Exactly Like You

5. Dream A Little Dream Of Me

6. Last Night On The Back Porch

7. Some Sunny Day

8. Whispering

9. Tell Me

10. Mack The Knife

11. Down Among The Sheltering Palms

12. Mama Loves Papa

BING'S HOLLYWOOD

One of my favorite series of LPs of all time was Decca's Bing's Hollywood series. The Bing's Hollywood series was a Decca Records 15-album set by Bing Crosby of commercial recordings of songs used in his films from 1934 to 1956.

Numbered in order from Decca DL4250 to DL4264, the LPs included "Easy to Remember", "Pennies from Heaven", "Pocket Full of Dreams", "East Side of Heaven", "The Road Begins", "Only Forever", "Holiday Inn", "Swinging on a Star", "Accentuate the Positive", "Blue Skies", "But Beautiful", "Sunshine Cake", "Cool of the Evening", "Zing a Little Zong" and "Anything Goes." 

In the UK, Brunswick Records issued the set with the numbers BING1 to BING 15. In 1988 MCA Universal began reissuing "Bing's Hollywood" on compact disc, but poor sales abruptly halted the series following the release of "Holiday Inn", "Swinging on a Star" and "Blue Skies."

Variety gave the background in its issue of March 14, 1962: “The timing was just right for Decca's massive release of Bing Crosby's Hollywood story. It fits perfectly into the programming pattern being adopted by so many radio stations, which in veering away from Top 40, are going in for marathon spinning of an individual personality. This Crosby release is tailor-made for them, in that it consists of 15 separate L.P's containing 189 songs from over 40 pictures. No singer has come close to that mark and it's a record that's sure to stand for a long, long time. For the average consumer the purchase of the complete series will obviously be hard on the pocket-book but each LP can be obtained separately (the suggested retail price is $3.98) and each one is a gem. Not only did Crosby have a solid song-selling way right from the beginning, but he had top tune-smiths turning out material for him all the way...The series is virtually a recorded history of the film musical genre and a credit to all concerned"

On a personal note, I used to have all the albums, but a decade or so ago all of them were damaged in an apartment flood. I have not gotten all of them back in my collection except four. They are rare and hard to come by, but I highly recommend them all!

BINGO VIEJO

Bingo Viejo is a 1975 vinyl album recorded by Bing Crosby at his own expense during two sessions in 1975 at United Recorders, Hollywood. "Viejo" means "old" in Spanish. He was accompanied by Paul Smith and his Orchestra. Crosby, who called the LP his "Mexican album", leased the tracks to the English branch of Decca following negotiations with producer Geoff Milne and the album was issued on Decca's London label.

He also leased the tracks to a USA based label called Anahuac. They remixed the tracks and used some alternate takes (tracks 6, 7, 9 and 10). Bing Crosby himself felt that this improved the album and he wrote to his friend Leslie Gaylor in a letter dated July 11, 1977."The Bingo Viejo record has been remixed and it sounds much better than ever it did before. I don’t know what they did to it but they brought up the vocal a little more and cut down on the background, which made it sound a little more intimate and a little more personal."

The album has never been issued on CD.

The UK magazine The Gramophone reviewed the album saying: "Bingo Viejo" by old Bing Crosby himself is a typically warm Crosbyian salute to south of the border with ten songs sung in English and Spanish which will undoubtedly please his numerous adherents of either tongue. The numbers are mostly familiar ones like Green Eyes, Besame Mucho, Frenesi and The Breeze and I, and the arrangements are less than impressive, particularly the messy accompaniment for Amapola, which almost undermined the Old Groaner’s customary vocal serenity."

Record producer, Ken Barnes, felt that the album was a less successful effort than A Southern Memoir and he considered that the "main fault lies in the choice of some of the songs—notably ‘The Breeze and I’ and especially ‘Spanish Eyes’ which were clearly too rangy for any septuagenarian to sing, although sing them he does...





TRACKS:
1. "Maria Bonita"
2. "Green Eyes"
3. "Amapola"
4. "Bésame Mucho"
5. "Cuando calienta el sol"
6. "Eres tú"
7. "La Borrachita"
8. "Frenesí"
9. "Spanish Eyes"
10. "The Breeze And I"

                                  

SEASONS: A PERSONAL REVIEW

To start out the month of June, here is another great article from rising Bing Crosby guru, ModernBingFan0377...

I am here again for another review, today's being Bing's masterful last album, Seasons. I might review Bing's last BBC sessions at one point, but as of now it will just be Seasons. I will give each song a description and review then an overall review at the end.

Seasons - A really nice song sung by Bing with a great vocal performance. This song is like Sinatra's 'It Was A Very Good Year" in many ways, although the funny thing is that this song had the original French melody with lyrics added for Bing, whereas Bing's equivalent of 'My Way' (That's What Life Is All About) was written in English and had English writers which is the opposite of the Frank equivalents.

On The Very First Day Of The Year - A very nice overlook of the year with a very bouncy arrangement from Pete Moore that I find personally very catchy.

June In January - This song is hard to review as it is a great classic from Bing, and personally I can't decide between this one and the original 1934 version.

Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year - This is a wonderful classic, although it's interesting performed as a swinger, that is not a complaint though.

April Showers - Although his '50s version is vocally superior I much prefer the arrangement on this one, so this might be my favorite version of it from Bing. His vocal is a little weak on this one, but being 74 and a few weeks before his untimely and sad death it's still very amazing.

June Is Bustin' Out All Over - A somewhat cheesy song gets given a great performance that makes it less cheesy. Bing's voice is a little weak on the slow parts on this one, but on the faster parts he's great.

In The Good Old Summertime - Another good old chestnut, that is given the same treatment as the previous only it helps the chestnut quality of it and Bing's voice is good throughout.

Summer Wind - I know this is blasphemy to say, but I prefer Bing's performance of this compared to Sinatra's. Bing had a great way to portray his vocal as reminiscing on the past and this song really deserves and rightfully gets that treatment from Bing, Frank's swinger doesn't fit the song as much to me.

Autumn In New York - Another Frank staple I prefer Bing's version of, Frank's Capitol comes very close to me. Pete Moore did an amazing job on the arrangement on this beautiful song.

September Song - Another definitive, to me anyway, version of a great song, that gets given the same reminiscing treatment as Summer Wind and it works out great for this song, Bing's vocal is great on this song. Pete Moore on these slower songs has really outdone himself.

Sleigh Ride - This might have to been my least favorite Christmas song Bing sang, his Decca version is great, but this one? The first 30 second and the bridging parts are pretty good, but the rest of it gets this very dated arrangement that doesn't fit Bing or the song well at all. Crosby's vocal on it is okay, but the arrangement really brings this version down

Yesterday When I Was Young - This song is great, Bing does great on it and it's a great last song for Bing's last album.

                          

Album overview: I gotta say this is one of the best concept albums I own. Besides it being Bing's last album which makes it a staple enough to listen to, it's a masterpiece of an album I'd say, and even Sleigh Ride, my least favorite, has it's charms. By this point he had came a long way from 'I've Got The Girl', and it shows, but in a great way. This album is one that should be known, it's amazing. Most of Bing's album were great in the mid-late 70s, but this, to me, takes the cake for the best one. Seasons is more of a passage through life, than a concept album of seasonal songs. It leads you through the start, a happy beginning, a love lost that is then found again, the middle of life with all it's glories and triumphs, the slowing of the age once you retire and reminisce, with it ending off with a family and friend filled last few years, and then finally looking over your own life. I can't say this is a 10/10 because of a certain winter song, but in my book it's a winner!

ModernBingFan0377'S rating: 9.75 out of 10
My Rating: 9 out of 10

ST. VALENTINE'S DAY

Just in time for Valentine's Day, I wanted to spotlight a little compilation album that I used to have on an old 10 inch album. It was a cute album. St. Valentine's Day is a Decca Records compilation album of recordings by Bing. Bing Crosby had enjoyed unprecedented success during the 1940s, with his output including six No. 1 hits in 1944 alone. His films, such as Going My Way and The Bells of St. Mary's, were huge successes as were the Road films he made with Bob Hope. On radio, his Kraft Music Hall and Philco Radio Time shows were very popular. Decca Records exploited this by issuing a number of 78rpm album sets, some featuring freshly material and others using Crosby's back catalogue. Ten of these sets were released in 1946, nine in 1947 and nine more in 1948. Most of these 78rpm albums were reissued as 10" vinyl LP's in subsequent years.

St. Valentine's Day includes two of Crosby's No. 1 hits from 1944 – "I'll Be Seeing You" and "I Love You" – two other chart entries ("You and I" and "Miss You") plus re-recordings of the singer's first ever recordings for Decca in 1934 "I Love You Truly" and "Just A-Wearyin' for You".

Track Listing:
1. "I Love You Truly"
2.. "Just A-Wearyin' for You"
3. "The Sweetest Story Ever Told"
4. "Mighty Lak' a Rose"
5. "You and I"
6. "Miss You"
7. "I'll Be Seeing You
8. "I Love You" 

The album was also issued as a 10" vinyl LP in 1949 with the catalogue number DL 5039...

FEELS GOOD, FEELS RIGHT

One of my favorite albums that Bing did in later years was this album. It is hard to believe it is 41 years old now!

Feels Good, Feels Right is a 1976 vinyl album recorded by Bing Crosby for Decca Records during four morning sessions in 1976 at Decca Studio No.3, Broadhurst Gardens, London. He was accompanied by Alan Cohen and his Orchestra. Cohen also did all the orchestral arrangements.  All of the tracks recorded in July were issued on the LP with the addition of "What’s New?" recorded on August 17. The other three tracks recorded on August 17 were issued for the first time on a Decca double album called “Bing – 1931” and “Bing – 1975-76”. The expanded album was first issued on CD by London Records in 1988 as No. 820 586-2.
Reception

Billboard was not impressed saying: “The spirit’s willing, but Bing’s tired pipes aren’t what they once were despite his choice of nine splendid standards and three more recent tunes recorded last summer in London. One must overlook faulty intonation, an inability to sustain notes and an overall feeling of fatigue in this program produced by Kevin Daly and with orchestra conducted by Alan Cohen. For Crosby filberts, however, the LP will hit the mark."

Bert Bishop, writing for BING magazine felt that the album was "...a superb surprise bonus that keeps us reeling in amazement at the resurgence of our new, top-form, Bing. Yes, let's not lose sight of the fact that Bing is singing better than he was, and this LP is as good an example as any to prove the point". Bishop described the orchestrations as "...mostly traditional without losing sight of the contemporary big band sound and there’s no doubt that the modern recording techniques do full justice to every member of the orchestra", and concluded by writing that "In several recent recordings Bing has given us verses which must be quite new to many listeners and happily, that’s a prominent feature of the presentation of the ballads to which Bing brings his unique vocal nuances on this LP."

Track Listing:
1. "Feels Good, Feels Right"
2. "Once in a While"
3. "As Time Goes By" 

4. "Old Fashioned Love"
5. "Time on My Hands"
6. "The Way We Were"
7. "There's Nothing That I Haven't Sung About"
8. "The Night Is Young and You're So Beautiful"
9. "Nevertheless"
11. "What’s New?"
12. "When I Leave the World Behind"

Additional tracks on Decca double album
13. "That Old Black Magic"
14. "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" 

15. "At Last"

Reportedly, as song writer Johnny Mercer laid dying in 1976, the last record he listened to was Bing's version of "When I Leave The World Behind"...

SOURCE

BING 'N' BASIE

When I first discovered this album in the early 1990s when I was beginning my acquiring of everything Bing, I had high hopes for the album. I am a big fan of both Bing and Count Basie. The album was sort of a let down, but it is worth a listen to...

Bing 'n' Basie is a 1972 vinyl album recorded for Daybreak Records by Bing Crosby, accompanied by Count Basie and his Orchestra. The orchestral tracks were laid down over three days at the end of February and the beginning of March, 1972 at Amigo Studios, North Hollywood. Crosby added his voice to the pre-recorded orchestral tracks during three sessions on March 14, 15 and 16, 1972 at Coast Recorders Studio, Bush Street, San Francisco. Bing Crosby also added his voice to "If I Had A Hammer" and while this has appeared on pirate issues it has never been commercially released.

The album was issued on CD by EmArcy Records (824 705-2) in 1988.

Howard Lucraft writing in Variety commented:"Interesting that Bing sounds better today to many than in his Paul Whiteman days over 40 years ago when his keys were about a third higher. He could be more adventurous range-wise back then. He used to feature ‘Old Man River’ in D flat, going to a top F. On this new LP wisely tunes are mainly up-tempo. Crosby reportedly sang to tracks prerecorded by the Basie band. Sam Nestico’s charts are swinging. Something should have been done about that final top D flat on ‘Put Your Hand in the Hand’. Otherwise album is highly effective - simple with charm. The slower ‘Sugar, Don’t You Know’ by Louis Bellson is a great new number."

Down Beat said: "This release is likely to do considerably more for Crosby’s reputation than for Basie’s. That’s usually the way it works when a jazz group teams with a popular vocalist. On the other hand, it is Crosby’s reputation that is in considerably greater need of a boost than Basie’s, so perhaps in the long run it’s a fair shake for everyone... (Crosby) is in fine voice all the way, and the choice of material is from among the best contemporary tunes, excepting two ringers (Hangin’, Day), which are the sort of nonentities that singers use to open TV variety specials."

Track listing:

SIDE ONE
1. "Gentle on My Mind" John Hartford 3:45
2. "Everything Is Beautiful" Ray Stevens 3:19
3. "Gonna Build a Mountain" Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley 2:36
4. "Sunrise, Sunset" Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick 2:43
5. "Hangin' Loose" Sammy Nestico, Johnny Mercer 2:32
6. "All His Children" Henry Mancini, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman 3:01


SIDE TWO
7. "Put Your Hand in the Hand" Gene MacLellan 3:12
8. "Snowbird" Gene MacLellan 2:56
9. "Little Green Apples" Bobby Russell 3:15
10. "Sugar, Don't You Know" Peggy Lee, Louis Bellson, Jack Hayes 3:23
11. "Have a Nice Day" Sammy Nestico. Johnny Mercer 2:55

SOURCE

THOROUGHLY MODERN BING

Often it is said that Bing's "Hey Jude Hey Bing" album from 1969 was his worst outing in his great recording history. I tend to disagree. I think it is Bing's prior album "Thoroughly Modern Bing" which was much worse in my opinion...

Thoroughly Modern Bing was a long-playing vinyl album recorded by Bing Crosby for Pickwick Records at Mastertone Recording Studio in Long Island City, New York. The orchestral tracks were conducted by "Bugs" Bower with a vocal group under the direction of Don Marshall. Crosby subsequently over-dubbed his vocals at two separate sessions in February 1968.

Another song, "Where the Rainbow Ends" was also recorded on February 12, 1968 but did not appear on the original vinyl album. It was included on a LaserLight CD in 1991. A song called "That's All I Want from You" (written by M. Rotha) was also recorded on the same day but has never surfaced.

The album was issued on CD in 1991 by LaserLight as "Bing Crosby - A Visit to the Movies (CD: 15 411) and by Pickwick Records in 1997 as "Bing Crosby at His Best" (1128-2).The song "(I Call You) Sunshine" was not included on the LaserLight CD.

The British publication "The Gramophone" commented: "Meanwhile there is overwhelming evidence that Mr. Crosby has lost none of his charm or skill in Thoroughly Modern Bing (Stateside SL10257). He works his lasting magic on “Talk to the Animals,” “Love Is Blue,” “Chim Chim Cheree,” and other modern songs of quality plus the oldie “Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead” with the same ease and warmth that was discernible in 1928. He even transforms a blatant flag-waver like “What’s More American” into something tolerable, and is the first singer to hold my attention throughout “Puff (The Magic Dragon)” without causing a single wince."

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BING & SATCHMO

Bing & Satchmo is a 1960 studio album by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong, arranged and conducted by Billy May. It was recorded for Crosby's own company, Project Records, and released through MGM. Crosby and Satchmo had worked together many times before they recorded this album, appearing in films such as Pennies from Heaven (1936), Here Comes the Groom (1951) and High Society (1956) together, and making several radio broadcasts between 1949 and 1951. The lyrics of the tunes on Bing & Satchmo were specially adapted for them by a number of notable songwriters.

Only eleven tracks were issued on the original vinyl LP with "(Up A) Lazy River" being held back as it had been previously recorded by Louis Armstrong for another company. Special permission was, however, granted for it to be included in the "All Star Festival" LP issued in 1963 on behalf of the United Nations in aid of the world's refugees. Johnny Mercer sings a few lines with the chorus on this track.

The tracks "Dardanella" and "Muskrat Ramble" from Bing & Satchmo were both released as singles in October 1960. Billboard magazine commented that the tracks would be popular with "jocks".

The entire album, including "(Up A) Lazy River", was issued on CD in 2009 by DRG Records

The initial Billboard review from 31 October 1960 selected the album for its pop spotlight, and described the album as a "group of nostalgic tunes that provide excellent easy listening programming".

Variety said: “Teamup of Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong provides a lot of listening pleasure. Both are masters of their craft and know how to pack a vocal punch with seemingly little effort.

SIDE ONE
"Muskrat Ramble" (Kid Ory, Ray Gilbert) - 3:03
"Sugar (That Sugar Baby O' Mine)" (Maceo Pinkard, Edna Alexander, Sidney D. Mitchell) - 5:13
"The Preacher" (Horace Silver) - 2:21
"Dardanella" (Fred Fisher, Felix Bernard, Johnny S. Black) - 2:50
"Let's Sing Like a Dixieland Band" (Alan Bergman) - 2:21

SIDE TWO
"Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" (Joe Turner Layton, Henry Creamer) - 3:09
"Brother Bill" (Silver) - 3:01
"Little Ol' Tune" (Johnny Mercer) - 3:07
"At the Jazz Band Ball" (Nick LaRocca, Larry Shields, Johnny Mercer) - 3:02
"Rocky Mountain Moon" (Mercer) - 3:42
"Bye Bye Blues" (Fred Hamm, Dave Bennett, Bert Lown, and Chauncey Gray) - 3:48

BONUS TRACK
"(Up A) Lazy River" (Hoagy Carmichael, Sidney Arodin) - 3:14

SOURCE

FANCY MEETING YOU HERE

Fancy Meeting You Here is a 1958 RCA Victor studio album of duets by the American singers Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney, arranged by Billy May.

In its review, Time magazine called this album, "An infectious musical dialogue between two of the sassiest fancy talkers in the business. C. & C. give slick and witty readings to a selection of retreads — On a Slow Boat to China, You Came a Long Way from St. Louis — and introduce a punchy, potential hit named Calcutta. One of the most intriguing vocal entertainments since Noel Coward had his famous chat with Mary Martin."

In 1969, the album was reissued on the budget RCA Camden label under the title Rendezvous with a truncated track listing.

In 2000, Taragon Records issued a twofer CD including the album and a Rosemary Clooney album called "Clap Hands! Here Comes Rosie!" In 2001, the album was given a 24-bit Digital remastering and reissued on CD on RCA's Bluebird Records label. Bonus tracks from both Clooney (2 duets with Bob Hope) and Crosby (audio duets with Jo Stafford from a March 2, 1959 "The Bing Crosby Show" on ABC-TV) were also included.

Clooney and Crosby would record a second album of duets, That Travelin' Two-Beat for Capitol Records in 1964.

Track listing:
"Fancy Meeting You Here" (Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 2:31
"(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China" (Frank Loesser) – 2:40
"I Can't Get Started" (Vernon Duke, Ira Gershwin) – 3:50
"Hindustan" (Oliver Wallace, Harold Weeks) – 2:53
"It Happened In Monterey" (Billy Rose, Mabel Wayne) – 2:44
"You Came a Long Way From St. Louis" (John Benson Brooks, Bob Russell) – 3:07
"Love Won't Let You Get Away" (Cahn, Van Heusen) – 2:03
"How About You?" (Burton Lane, Arthur Freed) – 3:14
"Brazil" (Ary Barroso, Bob Russell) – 3:31
"Isle of Capri" (Will Grosz, Jimmy Kennedy) – 2:40
"Say "Si Si"" ("Para Vigo Me Voy") (Ernesto Lecuona, Francia Luban, Al Stillman) – 2:22
"Calcutta" (Ray Evans, Jay Livingston) – 2:55
"Love Won't Let You Get Away" – 3:41

LE BING: SONG HITS OF PARIS

Le Bing is a 1953 album by Bing Crosby. It was Crosby's first long-playing album, and was released by his longtime label Decca Records. Le Bing is a concept album where all the songs are sung in French.

Crosby recorded the album in Paris on May 16, 1953, during an extended visit to Europe that spring. He had filmed parts of the movie Little Boy Lost in France the previous year. The orchestrations were by Paul Durand, a French arranger who also worked with Edith Piaf, among others.

Le Bing was released later in 1953 as a 10" LP and in December Billboard magazine called it "very nice," saying: "This set could move very well."

Two songs - "Embrasse-Moi Bien" and "Mademoiselle de Paris" - were recorded separately in English at the May 16 session but weren't released on Le Bing. All 10 tracks were released by Sepia Records on the 2010 CD Through the Years: Volume Five (1953).

In 1958, after Crosby had left Decca, the label issued a compilation album titled Bing in Paris, subtitled "Bing Crosby Sings the French Hits." Unlike Le Bing, some songs on Bing in Paris are sung in English.

Track listing
1."Mademoiselle de Paris" (Paul Durand, Henri Contet)
2."Au bord de l'eau" (Paul Durand, Henri Contet)
3."Mon coeur est un violon" (Maria Laparcerie)
4."La vie en rose" (Louiguy, Edith Piaf)
5."La Seine" (Guy La Farge-Flavienmonod)
6."Embrasse-moi bien" (André Grassi)
7."La mer" (Charles Trenet)
8."Tu ne peux pas te figurer" (Paul Misraki)

PHOTOS OF THE DAY: GREAT BING CROSBY ALBUMS

Here are some great Bing Crosby album covers. Most of them I had in my collection when I was actively collecting records. Compacts discs are great, but there is nothing like the artwork on a good old fashioned album...