Through the Years, Vol. 7: 1954

RELEASE
May 09, 2011
LABEL
Sepia Records
GENRES
Vocal Music, Vocal Pop, American Popular Song, Traditional Pop

Album Review

In the sixth volume of Sepia Records' chronological series of Bing Crosby's commercial recordings called Through the Years, the series reached a major re-recording project for Crosby, the five-LP box set Bing Crosby: A Musical Autobiography, in which he introduced and sang songs from throughout his career to mark the 20th anniversary of Decca Records in 1954. Through the Years, Vol. 7: 1954 is largely given over to more material from the box set. Crosby, accompanied by Buddy Cole's organ playing in his spoken reminiscences, then sings over Cole's piano trio on evergreens from the '20s and ‘30s (many of which, in their original versions, were cut for labels other than Decca). These often brief renditions are heard in Crosby's relaxed, resonant later style (he celebrated his 51st birthday in this period, though thinking himself only 50). A few new recordings are interspersed with the Musical Autobiography tracks, notably a couple from Crosby's upcoming film White Christmas with a score by Irving Berlin, "What Can You Do with a General?" and "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep." As the extensive liner notes by Crosby expert Malcolm MacFarlane point out, Crosby's statements in the introductions are not always entirely factual (he gets some dates wrong, for instance), but they have the jocular tone of his radio shows, and, in fact, this disc comes off more like a radio show than a set of commercial tracks, making it an unusual entry in the chronological series.
William Ruhlmann, Rovi

Track Listing

  1. Learn to Croon
  2. Thanks
  3. Muddy Water
  4. Mississippi Mud
  5. My Kinda Love
  6. I Surrender, Dear
  7. Oh! Tell Me Why
  8. If You Love Me
  9. Down the Old Ox Road
  10. Black Moonlight
  11. The Day You Came Along
  12. After Sundown
  13. Temptation
  14. Love Thy Neighbour
  15. May I?
  16. Love in Bloom
  17. I Love You Truly
  18. June in January
  19. Love Is Just Around the Corner
  20. It's Easy to Remember
  21. I Wished on the Moon
  22. Silent Night
  23. I'm an Old Cowhand
  24. Song of the Islands
  25. Sweet Leilani
  26. Blue Hawaii
  27. What Can You Do with a General?
  28. Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep
  29. Liza
  30. In the Good Old Summertime
  31. Out of Nowhere
  32. Star Dust
  33. Soon
  34. The One Rose
  35. There's a Gold Mine in the Sky
  36. My Heart Is Taking Lessons