4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great tunes by a great songwriter, November 4, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Best Things in Life Are Free (Audio CD)
Henderson, though one of the giants of American popular music, was, strangely, only one of three great songwriters from his neighborhood, since Harold Arlen & Jack Yellen grew up within walking distance of him on the east side of Buffalo. All of Henderson's music is great, & much of it is well known, although his name isn't anymore (in fact, his name never was, since Henderson wasn't his name - his real name was Ray Brost). The only two drawbacks are that (a) Henderson wrote so much that even 25 songs don't cover all of his best known works (e.g. "I Wanna Be Bad" isn't here), & (b) some of the songs were better done by performers other than the ones here. The most glaring example is "Let's Call it a Day", which in this CD is performed in a saccharine fashion but which was recorded elsewhere in a much more up tempo manner, all to the good.
And one other criticism - 1920s mono recordings don't need a CD - a tape would be fine.
Criticism notwithstanding, the guy was a phenomenal writer. If you like Irving Berlin, you'll like Henderson also.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
