Customer Reviews

Complete Recordings

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bing and the Andrews sisters made such great music together and all of it is collected together on this double CD. There are also a few out-takes (they call them blow-ups on the track listing, and they appear near the end of CD 2) and they provide further proof of just how much FUN Bing and the ladies had recording this music.

The official recordings are presented in chronological order, beginning with Ciribiribin and Yodelin' jive, which provided them with a double-sided hit in 1939 and 1940, up to and beyond their last hit (Sparrow in the tree top, a top ten hit from 1951). In between, you get all the classics, including two number ones (A hot time in the town of Berlin and the often-covered Don't fence me in).

The music is happy, upbeat, swinging, good-time music of the type you expect from the Andrews sisters. If you want the slow, romantic stuff, look elsewhere (including Bing's solo recordings).

The sisters really had only one way of singing, and they were better than anybody else at their type of music. Their contribution to popular music remains unique to this day, and I find their music very addictive. They will always have a special place in my CD collection.

Bing was more versatile. He could sing all types of song, but he just fitted in with the sisters when he sang with them. What he added to their music was a certain gravitas, and the combination made for some of the best - and most enjoyable - music ever recorded.

Crosby and the Andrews Sisters were made for each other.
The harmony is great, the music unforgetable.

One small warning... If you find tunes get stuck in your head,
beware... this album is full of tunes that just won't go away
(not that you'd want them to anyway.)

From the songs I knew and have always loved to those that I
had never heard before... There isn't a bad one in the bunch.

The first song on Album 2 has been running thru my head for
days. "Tomorrow Morning is My Wedding Day" and I don't recall
ever hearing it before. The last 5 cuts on Album 2 are bloopers
and show the great fun Bing and the girls had making these
records.

They all started on vinal, but have beeen remastered to be
better than ever.

If you pass this one up you'll end up kicking yourself...

Roger - Tampa

This box set is the cat's meow! I have been a fan of the Andrews Sisters since I had to learn the words of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy in 1984 for an event in high school. Well, I couldn't stop at just one song. These ladies could really sing. The lyrics are fun, the music is great, and the harmonies between the sisters and Bing are hot!! I received this box set from my husband (who thinks I'm nuts for liking the music), but the more you listen the more you love it. The songs are fun to sing along with and you can't help but feel good after listening. What a great set!

If I'm down I listen to the Andrews Sisters and "bing! --I'm happy." (get it?) Inspiring music, full of happiness and wonder! Sometimes I cry because it's so beautiful! It's the sound of birds chirping in the spring -- the sound of horses' hooves and people laughing. When you listen you feel as if the whole world is your friend. The best remedy yet invented. Buy it!

When I listened to this CD, I was like a child at Christmas. I could not wait to hear the next song! I happened to be in the Air Force at the time, and I knew that my Grandmother had always liked them. So I bought this CD and I was blown over. This CD has everything. And the harmony is legendary, (they ARE the Andrews Sisters, after all!). From the Christmas classics of "Jingle Bells" to "(There's a Hot Time) in the town of Berlin", I know that anyone who wants to hear the core of wartime music on the civilian side should have this CD in their collection!

Although this collection excludes three duets by Bingo & Patty, it does contain just about everything else The Groaner recorded with the Andrews Sisters on Decca Records from 1939-1952 (for lots more info on those years, check out my book, "Swing It! The Andrews Sisters Story," right here on Amazon.com). Most of the selections here are in pristine audio (except for "Happy Wedding Day" and a parody of "A Hundred and Sixty Acres," which contain surface noise and have been reissued at a very slow speed), and all of the hits, including the Christmas recordings, prove why this combination of two separate acts was the most successful pairing in the history of American popular music (Crosby sold over 300,000 records, the sisters approximately 100,000--and Crosby was the only artist of the '40s to outsell the girls on vinyl, making both artists Decca's hottest commodities). the discs even includes blow-ups of Bing fluffing his lines and breaking the girls up on "Don't fence Me In," "Ac-cent-tchu-ate the Positive," "The Three Caballeros," and others. And there's a musical category for everyone: swing, ballads, country-western, samba, seasonal, war, novelty, and more. A collection to treasure!

This album (CD) is fantastic! I listen to it frequently. My favorite track is "Jingle Bells," my very favorite rendition of this song. I also love the outtake at the end of the last disc where they mess up Jingle Bells! Every song is wonderful. I am a big fan of both der Bingle and the Andrews Sisters. Their style together is jazzy, light and I will bet it helped a lot of people through some tough years! I didn't know the discs were arranged chronologically until I read one of the other reviews, but I will pull mine out and listen with that in mind! I say buy this if you are a fan of either Bing or the sisters. You won't regret it!

Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters were never planned as an established recording act. But their first attempts went so well, Decca kept combining them and eventually this large catalog emerged. The harmonies here are as beguiling as the give-and-take between the artists. The songs are enchanting in their variety and surprise and some big hits most people have never heard, such as "Quicksilver," prove as hypnotic as when they appeared on 78s. The sound is dramatically improved over the shellac releases but what is most impressive is the sheer spirit and bounce of these recordings. What energy! What style! What class! A wonderful album, endlessly listenable.

This is a fantastic find! Complete recorded collection of the vocal collaboration between "der Bingle" crooning and swinging with the imcomparable Andrews Sisters! How much praise can I give these talented artists?? Not enough! Xmas holiday songs included along with a few funny outtakes. Do add this to your collection ESPECIALLY if you are a fan of music of the 40's. An incredible era of musical talent that to me never seems to age!

1000 words isn't enough! When I play this CD at the office, people come in and bask...this is classy... Very fun collection, and though I know only Bing fans will be reading this, I wish I could get the word out to the World, this Guy is better than Martinis!