Customer Reviews

20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anyone who's spent time combing thrift-store record bins will recognize Roger Williams' name, if not his music. Williams made his mark on the charts as an easy listening pianist with a string of instrumental hits that spanned the rock 'n' roll years of the late 50s and early 60s. His best-known release, "Autumn Leaves," leads off this 12-track collection with atmospheric piano arpeggios that echo the flutter of falling foliage.

Williams second hit, "Almost Paradise," was borrowed from the pen of Buddy Holly producer Norman Petty, and sets dramatic chording against a backing chorus and full orchestration. Williams also worked some of the same songbooks as exotica musicians like Martin Denny, but with a more lush sound. His arrangement of "Yellow Bird" is playful, with strings and bongos supporting Williams' piano runs, but doesn't capture the island breeze of Arthur Lyman's then-contemporary hit.

Like others in the piano instrumental trade (notably, Ferrante & Teicher), Williams also had success with stage and movie themes. His renditions of the title theme to "Born Free," West Side Story's "Maria," Dr. Zhivago's "Lara's Theme," and Man of La Mancha's "The Impossible Dream" kept his name on the pop and adult contemporary charts throughout the. Williams continued to produce vital movie music into the 1980s, as evidenced by his soundtrack performance of John Barry's title song to "Somewhere in Time."

Late-90s cocktail culture made lounge stars of Martin Denny, Les Baxter, and others, while Roger Williams seems to have been mostly overlooked. Geffen's collection provides a concise introduction to his playing that combines jazz, classical and pop sounds into a sometimes showy, but quite appealing blend.

To answer my own question - apparently not. We get either shoddy re-makes of his hits, or compilations like this one which mix legitimate hits [this IS labelled "The Best Of Roger Williams" after all] with a number that were never counted among his best by any definition of the word.

To get those out of the way first, they are tracks 5 (Yellow Bird - a failed single), 7 (Softly As I Leave You), 8 (Cumana), and 12 Somewhere In Time), each culled from one of his many LPs. That's one quarter of the album. Of the eight legitimate hits included, the best, of course, was his first for Kapp back in 1955, Autumn Leaves, which was to be his only # 1 Billboard Pop Hot 100.

In early 1957, Almost Paradise reached # 15, followed late that year by Till [# 22] - both solid hits by any standard, especially coming, as they did, right in the midst of the birth of Rock & Roll. He continued that trend in late summer 1958 with a cover of the Francis Craig 1947 smash, Near You, which peaked at # 10.

Maria, from West Side Story, rose to # 11 Adult Contemporary (AC/Easy Listening charts introduced in 1961) and # 48 Hot 100 in January 1962, and in May 1966 Lara's Theme from Dr. Zhivago hit # 5 AC/# 65 Hot 100 followed late that summer by Born Free, the title song from the film of the same name, which went all the way to # 1 AC (where it stayed for six weeks) and # 7 Hot 100. The last of the solid hits in this volume, The Impossible Dream from Man Of La Mancha, made it to # 5 AC/# 55 Hot 100 in August 1968.

What would have made this a 5 star release was the deletion of those four non-hits mentioned above and their replacement with any of the following: Wanting You, a tune based upon the French song Les Feuilles Mortes which reached # 38 Billboard Top 100 in late 1955/early 1956; La Mer [Beyond The Sea] which hit # 37 Top 100 in May 1956; Arrivederci Roma, a # 55 Top 100 from 1958; Temptation, a # 56 Hot 100 from 1960; Amor, # 16 AC/# 88 Hot 100 in March 1962; Summer Wind , a # 20 AC in August 1965 under the billing Roger Williams & The Harry Simeone Chorale; Autumn Leaves - 1965, a # 10 AC/# 82 Hot 100 in November 1965; Sunrise, Sunset, a # 5 AC/# 84 Hot 100 in March 1967 from Fiddler On The Roof; Love Me Forever, a # 3 AC/# 60 Hot 100 in summer 1967; and More Than A Miracle, a # 2 AC in the fall of 1967 from the film of the same name.

Looking at what's out there one has to wonder if the producers of truly definitive Roger Williams "best of" compilations suffer brain cramps, although I do have to admit that what is here, and in other 20th Century Masters releases, is presented in the best sound quality possible and more often than not come with some informative liner notes. In this case three pages written by Scott Schinder in 2003 in which he sums up with a quote from Roger: "I'm a lousy golfer, but I do play pretty good piano, so there's not much reason for me to stop ... I'll be 80 on my next birthday [October 1], and I am so amazed that people still want to come out and hear me ... as long as they keep coming, I'll keep playing."

And Roger, we also want to see someone put together a decent 30-track compilation of your greatest Billboard Top/Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary hits.

As a Roger Williams fan, I am glad to see he has been included in the 20th Century Masters - Millennium Collection. Mr. Williams is one of the true "Stars" of Adult - Easy Listening Music with a career of hits spanning from 1955 to 1980. His magic behind the piano has earned him the title of best selling pianist in recording history.

Memorable songs played by Mr. Williams, include "Autumn Leaves" which spent over four weeks at the Number One spot. This song alone has sold over three million copies and it was his first recorded single back in 1955. This was and remains incredible for a piano recording. "Born Free" which hit the top ten in 1966 and "The Impossible Dream" which is my favorite are included here.

Mr. Williams compiled the music on this collection so I can't help wonder if these are his favorites, our favorites or both. This is a welcome addition to anyone's collection.

This was purchased as a Christmas gift. The individual does not know about it yet. I know he will be pleased. Received in a timley manner.

This is an excellent recording of Roger Williams. My wife has been a fan of his for many years, but I did not appreciate Roger until I attending a solo concert he gave at Butler University, where I was teaching. Watching Roger Williams play is impressive. He and the piano seem to become one.

In this recording, I was looking for quality sound and good production. I was not disappointed. The sound reproduction is outstanding. The production carefully orchestrates the performers. Not only is Williams presented well on the piano, but the performers on each song are blended beautifully.

"Till" and "Born Free" are exceptional for merging of choir and piano. "Lara's Theme" is wonderfully orchestrated. "Cumana" is exciting and "Maria" is dolcissimo and majestic. Finally, in "Autumn Leaves" Williams' arpeggiato technique is much better than on other CDs I have located.

When I compare this CD to others that I have recently heard, the quality of this one becomes apparent. The sound is richer and deeper. The instruments are coordinated and blended into a wonderful whole. This CD is a credit to the musicians who perform in it.

I highly recommend this CD, especially to fans of Roger Williams.

I've enjoyed listening to Roger Williams play the piano for many years. These days with music so often synthesized, it is always a thrill to hear someone at a REAL piano.

When all of us (the hard lovers of the easy to listen music) made a retrospective gaze about the most legendary, sensitive, aristocratic and overwhelming pianist who amused and captivated five generations of listeners, the name of Roger Williams well would deserve a status honor among the rest of his contemporaries.

His notable arrangements have made meritorious title of the king of pianists in this nothing easy genre to remark.

He is since a long time ago, a true musical legend.

The reason why I cannot give this album five stars is because the best of the best is not complete at all.