Best of the Concord Years

Rosemary Clooney | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 7, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Concord Records
• ASIN: B0000C9JDG
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #103,820 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Hey There

2. I've Got a Crush on You

3. Pennies From Heaven

4. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)

5. I Cover the Waterfront

6. How Long Has This Been Goin' On?

7. Meditation

8. Will You Still Be Mine?

9. Just One of Those Things

10. Stormy Weather

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. I Wish I Were in Love Again

2. Nice 'N' Easy

3. Do You Miss New York?

4. As Long as I Live

5. Let's Get Away From It All

6. Mambo Italiano

7. People Will Say We're in Love

8. Sentimental Journey

9. Medley

10. The Coffee Song

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Girl Singer is still with us ~ Rosie & Concord Years", December 2, 2003

By 

J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of the Concord Years (Audio CD)

Concord Jazz presents one of the ultimate vocalist of our time, "Girl Singer" (aka) Rosemary Clooney in the essential musical companion special 2-CD set "Best of the Concord Years" ~ her warmth and personality comes through with wonderful performances, only matched by a God given talent ~ what a distinctive voice. Always a pleasure serving up a relaxing and soothing style, so list enable. All thirty-two tracks are beautiful, Rosie puts her heart and soul into the lyrics.

This collection has to be one of her best, the tunes cover many years of recordings with the Concord Label. Many stand outs come to mind "LOVER MAN" (Davis/Ramirez/Sherman), "A NIGHTINGALE SANG IN BERKELEY SQUARE" (Mashwitz/Sherwin), "SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY" (Brown/Green/Horner), "I'M BEGINNING TO SEE THE LIGHT" (Ellington/George/Hodges/James), comprised of so many great arrangements by Nelson Riddle, Peter Matz and John Oddo. Rosie's voice is still strong with unwavering interpretations, in my opinion still one of the great interpreters of a song. Given to ballads or swing, she's in complete control and the polish is extraordinary.

Needless to say, I am a "Girl Singer" fan, Rosie performs each song in a straight ahead style (which she is famous for) ~ her approach is still as fresh and you know you're going to hear the best...gotta love it!

Total Time: Two Disc Set ~ Concord Jazz 2163 ~ (10/07/2003)

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superbly recorded, two-CD set collection, March 6, 2004

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Best of the Concord Years (Audio CD)

Rosemary Clooney: The Best Of The Concord Years is a superbly recorded, two-CD set collection showcasing some of the most memorable and beloved works of popular singer Rosemary Clooney as drawn from more than 25 years of her remarkable career. These selections range from her remarkable and attention-getting 50's debut, to music from her grand comeback album in 1977. An audio treat for Rosemary Clooney fans, Disc One has tracks Hey There (2:36), I've Got A Crush On You (3:19), Pennies From Heaven (4:15), Lover Man (4:30), I Cover The Waterfront (3:35), How Long Has This Been Going On? (4:53), Meditation (4:43), Will You Still Be Mine? (3:04), Just One Of Those Things (4:07), Stormy Weather (5:42), I'm Beginning To See The Light (3:37), Cheek To Cheek (5:15), A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square (3:10), I Thought About You (5:11), and Something's Got To Give (3:16). Disc Two has tracks I Wish I Were In Love Again (3:03), People Will Say We're In Love (4:51), Sentimental Journey (4:23), Straighten up And Fly Right (4:53), Nice 'N' Easy (3:08), Do You Miss New York? (5:09), As Long As I Live (3:19), Let's Get Away From It All (4:06), The Coffee Song (2:42), Mambo Italiano (2:29), A Foggy Day (3:16), Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams (3:16), Old Devil Moon (4:00), Brazil (6:50), I'm The Big Band Singer (2:26), God Bless America/They Can't Take That Away From Me (4:14), and White Christmas (3:32).

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Her Musical Taste Was Always Impeccable", February 2, 2010

By 

Rebecca*rhapsodyinblue* (CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Best of the Concord Years (Audio CD)

"It is with great love and affection that we invite you to sit back and listen to this special two-disc-set containing some of Rosemary's most incredible performances. We hope that these gems will touch you the way Rosemary touched all of us. Here's to the Girl Singer. With love and remembrance." ~ Glen A. Barros, President, Concord Records ~

The material on this double-disc compilation represents Rosemary Clooney's very best recordings from 1967 through 2002 under Concord Records where she had the exclusive privilege of selecting the particular songs that she would record. Her choices have always been impressive. I totally agree with Nick Clooney when he wrote on the album's Liner Notes that his sister's "musical taste was always impeccable."

The Wall Street Journal once described Rosemary Clooney as "a Pop icon and spoken in the same breath as Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald." In addition, the music world has unamimously named her as "Girl Singer" and "a song's best friend."

Clooney brings along on this two-disc-set a touch of happiness, a tinge of melancholy, a trace of Christmas, a dose of wistful thinking, a little bit of sadness, a dash of fun, an ounce of patriotism, and a hint of hope.

"As a singer, I can just tuck my songs under my arm and go sing them anywhere." ~ Rosemary Clooney ~

Each song--all 32 of them--is very special and memorable. Her exceptional and distinctive voice blends flawlessly with the instrumentations by some of the greatest musicians in the industry - the likes of John Clayton, Monty Budwig (bass), Scott Hamilton (tenor sax), Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli, Cal Collins (guitar), Warren Vache (cornet), Nat Pierce, Dave McKenna (piano), Jeff Hamilton (drums), Cal Tjader (vibes), from among many others. The superb musicianship on all performances can be attributed to the top-notch arrangements courtesy of Nelson Riddle, John Oddo, Earl Brown and Peter Matz.

While I especially enjoyed listening to the complete set, I have to say that I'm extremely pleased with her renditions of "Hey, There," "How Long Has This Been Going On?" and "Meditation" on Disc One. On Disc Two, the standout tracks include "A Foggy Day," "Brazil" and "Let's Get Away From It All," a delightful song from the pens of a great pair of songwriters, Thomas Adair and Matt Dennis.

"Let's take a boat to Bermuda
Let's take a plane to Saint Paul
Let's take a kayak to Quincy or Nyack
Let's get away from it all..."

On February 28, 2002, four months before her death, Clooney was honored with the highest award given to any long-standing artist who made an impressive mark in the music industry--the Grammy for Lifetime Achievement Award. She truly deserved it and this double disc set,"The Best of The Concord Years," is one of the testaments of the Girl Singer's greatness.