Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire : Volume 1 - The Gay Divorcee - Top Hat

Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, Ginger & Fred | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 18, 1995)
• Label: Chansons Cinema
• ASIN: B000003DF4
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #333,004 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. The Gay Divorcee (Overture)/Don't Let Me Bother You

2. A Needle in a Haystack

3. Let's K-Nock K-Nees

4. The Continental

5. Final

6. Top Hat (Ouverture)

7. No Strings (I'm Fancy Free)

8. Isn't This a Lovely Day?

9. Top Hat, White Tie and Tails

10. Cheek to Cheek

11. The Piccolino

12. Final

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful music, dangerous rhythm, March 2, 2000

By 

dizzheart "dizzheart" (Los Angeles CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire : Volume 1 - The Gay Divorcee - Top Hat (Audio CD)

I love this CD. I love the musicals Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers did for RKO during the thirties, and this is like being able to watch them in my head while I drive. Their wit, class and style have never been matched. Both Fred and Ginger knew their way around a lyric, and they had such clever and literate lyrics to sing. We even get to hear Edward Everett Horton, Betty Grable and "Tonetti" :) I know the orchestrations aren't in the style we are used to hearing today, but they have a charm that never fades for me. If this is the sort of thing you like, then you'll like this CD a lot.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fred and Ginger movies on CD, May 10, 2005

By 

Nick Chapman (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire : Volume 1 - The Gay Divorcee - Top Hat (Audio CD)

Chanson Cinema has released a number of volumes in this series, of which I have three:

Vol. 2 : Follow the Fleet + Swing Time

Vol. 3 : Shall We Dance + Carefree

They are all superb. The sound quality is great, considering that they were taken from the films. Of course, that also means that you get dialogue, incidental sounds, and the sounds of the dancing - a huge plus for fans of the movies, though perhaps a bit distracting for people who are more focused on the music.

(But if it is the songs that you are primarily interested, there are better choices of CDs - Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Gershwin, etc. all have excellent collections available.)

Vol. 2 is the most rewarding overall since both movies on it are very good, while vols 1 and 3 team a truly superb movie (Top Hat and Shall We Dance, respectively) with a lesser one.

As a side note, I agree that the version of "The Continental" on this CD is a bit tiresome. It would be in the movie as well, if it weren't for the great sets and beautiful dancing to distract. "The Piccolino" is much the same.

For any fan of Fred Astaire movies, these should be considered indispensible.

And if you know where to get the rest of them, let me know!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Irresistably charming..., May 23, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire : Volume 1 - The Gay Divorcee - Top Hat (Audio CD)

Fred Astaire's voice is irresistably charming, and Ginger Rogers' sultry vocals aren't too shabby either. This CD is very enjoyable. I am a jazz record collector, and in my opinion Fred can really swing with his limited but very charming and photogenic voice. This is an essential CD for any comprehensive jazz collectors music library. Recommeded.