Bethlehem Years [Original recording remastered]

Mel Torme | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 20, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Shout Factory
• ASIN: B000AP2YZ4
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #107,909 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

In 1955, Mel Tormé, already a successful pop singer, signed to a new label, Bethlehem, that gave him complete artistic control, and he used it to completely redefine his career. According to The Independent, "As a singer, his name ranks in the top echelon along with Crosby and Sinatra, but he excelled them when it came to jazz stylings, particularly with the series of superb recordings he made with arranger Marty Paich starting in the mid-Fifties."

The Bethelehem Years is the first overview of Tormé groundbreaking jazz recordings, featuring arranger Paich, and it’s a collection no fan of jazz vocals should be without.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tuxedo Pressed, October 6, 2005

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bethlehem Years (Audio CD)

"The Bethlehem Years" is an excellent compilation covering the 1956-1958 period when Mel left the larger Capitol label for the artistic freedom offered by the smaller Bethlehem label. This Shout Factory release compiles tracks from each of these albums. The sound is crystal clear making the years melt away as Torme's inventive vocals grace the material. The first couple tracks are from "It's A Blue World" and are closer to the "velvet fog" vocals of Mel's previous era. Then Torme breaks out with the title track of "Lulu's Back In Town," sounding like Bobby Darin must have played the record repeatedly before recording "Mack the Knife." Marty Paich's arrangement has punch that backs Mel's blockbuster shotgun vocal, "I've gotta get my tuxedo pressed, got to sew a button on my vest 'cause tonight I've got to look my best for Lulu; I've got to find a few bucks somewhere, polish up my shoes & slick my hair, gotta get myself a boutonniere; You can tell all my bets, all my blondes & brunettes Mr. Otis regrets that he won't be around." It's stunning. This is followed by the Hart/Rodgers tune "The Lady Is A Tramp" with Red Mitchell's wild bass & Torme's teasing tongue, "She gets too hungry for dinner at eight, she loves the theatre but never comes late, she never bothers with people she hates." Another stunner! The Gershwin shuffle "Fascinating Rhythm" is another delight with Torme's vocals traversing the scales with dexterity. "I Got Plenty of Nuttin'" from "Porgy & Bess" has a sweet swing & sway groove. Torme's album celebrating the dancing of Fred Astaire offers several Gershwin gems, "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and "They Can't Take That Away From Me." There is a definite difference in sound quality on the live recording "Mel Torme @ the Crescendo," but the recording is clear and sparks from the live format on Duke Ellington's "I'm Beginning to See the Light." Cole Porter's "It's Delovely" and "It's All Right With Me" from the "Songs for Any Taste" LP read well. The CD concludes with a track from the "California Suite" LP, "Poor Little Extra Girl" that's a slow smooth weeper. "The Bethlehem Years" is an excellent compilation from one of Torme's most creative periods. Wow!

5.0 out of 5 stars Velvet Excellence, March 2, 2011

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Nicholas Alesso "music programer" (Long Beach, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Bethlehem Years (Audio CD)

This is a superb collection of early Mel Torme recordings. I miss him more every day. He was a definite trend-setter. His voice is flawless. His style is terrific. What more can one say?