Customer Reviews

The Best of Al Jolson: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection

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MCA has re-released these dozen original Decca tracks in a remastered CD as part of a 20th Century Masters collection. The quality is quite good, but you should know that this is a subset of the tracks from the earlier MCA CD The Best Of The Decca Years, shown below. Still, it is a good, clean, CD, and it is good to see MCA continuing to release Jolson tracks. If only they would open those archives!

Jolson was the first great mass-media popular singing superstar.
I grew up with his records and have had a special joy in listening to his music after many years once again intensely.
I try to understand what precisely was and is so 'great' about him as a singer.
It is the quality and tone of the voice. It is in the precise inflection and innuendo. The voice has great richness and mellifluousness. But it is also and perhaps above all in the tremendous energy and feeling there is in so many of the songs. 'Pep' is too small a word for it. The energy the vibrancy has a spirit of youth in it. 'California Here I come' 'Swanee' .Even when there is a 'sad song' like 'April Showers' it has a message of hope and an underlying feeling of joy. The nostalgic and as it were sentimental songs too all bear with them an underlying strong and positive joyous feeling.
This is the music for a young nation looking towards its future with hope.
I would only add. In comparing Jolson's version of 'Kol Nidre' to some of the greatest cantors his came out on top. He just had a tremendous power to transmit feeling through his incredible 'walk a million miles for one of her smiles' voice.

While many Al Jolson fans may have this CD (or these songs on other CDs) already, this album remains a very good choice for newcomers to Al Jolson's artistry; and people who are casual fans of Al Jolson will want this, too, for their collections. Al Jolson remains one of the best entertainers ever; some still insist he was THE best entertainer ever. Anyway you think about it, however, Al Jolson was special; and he had one great set of pipes! The quality of the sound is actually pretty good on this CD although there is some slight surface noise here and there.

While I am usually not too impressed with the CDs in the "20th Century Masters" series, this particular album has twelve great tracks and there's not a weak one in the entire lot. These are songs Al Jolson sang well and sang often, much to the delight of his countless fans. The CD starts off with Al performing "Swanee;" he delivers this with lots of energy and I'm very impressed. The music uses the strings and brass to great advantage, too. "California, Here I Come" expressed the feelings of so many Americans who truly wanted a better life out West; and Jolson does this with all his heart and soul. "April Showers" is very well done; and although "My Mammy" has some embarrassingly dated lyrics, the spirit and the basic message of the tune remains an honest, loving ode to motherhood without prejudice to African-Americans.

"Rock-A-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" shines bright in Al's more than capable hands; he makes it all seem so easy but of course we know it really wasn't--his talents carried him through every time. "You Made Me Love You" was another great song Jolson performed; and listen for more bright gems including "The Anniversary Song" with all its passion and lovely music to accompany Al as he's singing; "Alexander's Ragtime Band" which Al shares with Bing Crosby; "Sonny Boy;" the classic "Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away);" the very popular "Toot Toot Tootsie" and the closing track, "When You Were Sweet Sixteen." I love it!

Al Jolson brought and still brings so much happiness to fans everywhere through his fine music; this album has an excellent selection of his songs if what you're looking for is a single CD retrospective that gives you some of his best without filler material. Of course, as I indicated above, diehard fans would do well to continue looking for more comprehensive CDs and CD box sets by the incomparable Al Jolson.

Like the title says, "The Best Of Al Jolson"! He was & is one of the best all around singer/entertainer of the 20th century!!! This compilation is just fantastic, I love the back & forth diatribe between Al & Bing Crosby on "The Alexander Rag".

In the days prior to WWII, Al Jolson was, perhaps, the most famous of all the singers. his songs are fun to hear.

This cd was bought for a friend. He's an old timer who had trouble finding older music. I was able to track down this cd for him from amazon and he loved it.

My mom asked me to find her a CD of Al Jolson songs. She thought I would have a hard time. I knew I would find what she needed by looking at Amazon.com. Sure enough, I found the CD at a great price and had it shipped in a week. She was very grateful. That made me happy. I find everything I need at Amazon.com and for a great price.

If you were born in the late 30's you remember hearing Al Jolson. This music is old fashioned but great fun. Listen with an open mind and you will enjoy it.

I am enjoying my Cd. I downloaded it to my I Pod and smile every time I hear him sing.

As a lover of older classic music and artist...this collection has all of Al Jolson best known..sound quality could not be better