Customer Reviews

Going Hollywood, Vol. 1: 1930-1936 [ORIGINAL RECORDINGS REMASTERED] 2CD SET

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What a marvelous compilation of Bing's early recordings, many of which are hard to obtain, unless you have the Jonzo series on LP. The two discs allow listeners to sample Bing's different styles and hear the innovation he introduced into popular music. It's too little stated, but it's too true: without Bing, there would have been no Sinatra.

Two highlights here are "I'm Hummin', I'm Whistlin', I'm Singin'" and "Just An Echo In The Valley." Neither are given the ink they deserve and both vividly show the amazing vocal range Crosby had. When he hits those high notes and holds them it sends shivers up your spine.

This is a great introduction to those new to Bing Crosby and a welcome addition to more seasoned Crosbyphiles.

The films from 1930-36 from which these songs were taken include:"King of Jazz," "Reaching for the Moon," "Confessions of a Co-ed," "The Big Broadcast," "College Humor," "Too Much Harmony," "Going Hollywood," "We're not Dressing," "She Loves me not," "Here is my Heart," "Mississippi," "Two for Tonight," "The Big Broadcast of 1936." Bing was best during these years, I believe. Check out "Hollywood Rhythm," a collection of video shorts made in the 1930s too. It has a great short of Bing getting involved with a gal he's never met, who claims to be his fiance. It's where he does "Where the Blue of the night meets the gold of the day." Cheers!

If you're a Bing fan, you'll want to own this one. Bing was never in finer voice than in the early-to-mid 1930s, and he's at his best here. What other singer had his great range and and power? Some come close, but they can't eclipse Mr. Crosby. All of his songs resonate with glowing warmth and charm. The best part of this fine collection are the hard-to-find titles. My personal favorite was "Our Big Love Scene," which is truly under-heard and definitely one of his best. There are a lot of fun novelty songs too including "Boo Boo Boo" and "Bucking the Wind." This two-CD set is chalk full of wonderful stuff. It's well worth the money. Happy listening!

Apart from the Road pictures, these are the songs by Bing that I remember most fondly from my childhood. Not that I was around in the '30s, but I can remember sitting in front of a black and white TV in the '50s and trying to imitate Bing's "babababoom" and golden baritone. "Temptation" may be the greatest of his torch songs, but there's plenty of competition for that honor in the present collection, including "Here Lies Love," "Please," and "I Wished on the Moon," this latter from "The Big Broadcast of 1936," a film that featured Ethel Merman and the Vienna Boys Choir. Go figure. I like the way the compilers have mixed studio recordings with music from the films themselves. I only wished they'd been able to include selections from the series of Mack Sennett shorts Bing starred in as well. Then we'd maybe have "I Surrender, Dear" along with all these other standards. Der Bingle was known for his musical insouciance; he even whistled effortlessly. But it's hard not to be moved by his sensual renditions of these early classics.

Whoa! Somebody at Jasmine Records has been hard at work. You only dream of this kind of CD. Imagine someone dreaming of including all the early movie songs of Bing from his earliest appearance on the King of Jazz. You would have to spend a fortune to get all these songs!

This CBS Special Products collection is one of the best collections of early Crosby. It provides a cross section of his Whiteman sides as well as many of the early Rhythm Boys songs. For the early crosby fan this is a must have.

This is a superb compilation of Bing Crosby songs. The two CD set showcases Bing's most popular movie hits, including Out of Nowhere, Just One More Chance and Temptation. The sound quality also is excellent, capturing the warmth and richness of Bing's exquisite voice while also rendering it crystal clear. As a child, Bing first developed a love for Irish music, then later became a drummer and singer in college and soon after joined the famous Whiteman Orchestra. He crooned his way through over 150 popular songs in the 1930s, with 22 of them becoming #1 hits. I don't recall any other singer who could so equally master a romantic love song, a jazz creation or an Irish ballad with such passion, style and ease. I highly recommend this album as an absolute must for everyone of any age.

Note: Another important CD to own is Bing Crosby The Essentials, which includes 12 of Bing's most successful 1930s songs, such as Dancing in the Dark and Goodnight Sweetheart. Bing's voice in the thirties is truly one of the most wonderful, one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. Also, if you enjoy music of this era, you will not want to miss the brilliant Ray Noble Orchestra with Al Bowlly as well as the delightful music of Hal Kemp, Joe Loss, Eddy Duchin and Carroll Gibbons.