Customer Reviews

The Golden Age of the Ink Spots: The Best of Everything [ORIGINAL RECORDINGS REMASTERED] 4CD SET

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

 

 

The history of the Ink Spots is long and complex, beginning well before they hit the big time in America in 1939 and continuing long after they disappeared from the charts, but while some of that history is covered in the booklet, the music in this collection focuses exclusively on the period with Decca from 1936 (three years before their breakthrough hit) to 1950, by which time they were struggling to get chart hits. Of course, there is much more to their music than just the hits as this collection proves. Some minor hits are missing, but all the big hits are here and much else besides. Many of the non-hits are obscure songs that I'd never heard prior to purchasing this compilation. It seems that the Ink Spots weren't tempted to record the same songs that so many of their contemporaries recorded.

The Ink Spots actually recorded four tracks for Victor in 1935, but those made no real impact and none are featured here. During their first three years with Decca, the Ink Spots mainly recorded up-tempo material, though they recorded one ballad titled I wish you the best of everything. In 1939, they recorded a second ballad, If I didn't care, and this provided them with their breakthrough; it also made them re-think their recording style. I understand that this is their most famous song in America, but perhaps Brits may be more familiar with Whispering grass, a cover of which topped the UK charts in the seventies. In chart terms, the Ink Spots had their biggest hit with The gypsy, a British song written by Billy Reid and first recorded by Dorothy Squires (the same combination responsible for A tree in the meadow, which later provided Margaret Whiting with her only number one chart hit). The Ink Spots took The gypsy to number one in America and remained there for three months in 1946. However, constant line-up changes were beginning to take their toll, as was criticism from some quarters that their sound was becoming formulaic. After another number one in 1946 with To each his own, they only had two further top ten hits. Meanwhile, it seems that Brits were slow to catch on to the Ink Spots, but the group toured there very successfully in 1947 and again in 1949.

Among the other tracks here, you'll find all of their seven collaborations with Ella Fitzgerald, four of which registered (Cow cow boogie, I'm making believe, Into each life some rain must fall, I'm beginning to see the light) as chart hits. The other three (Little small town girl, I still feel the same about you, That's the way it is) are also worth a listen. Their other major hits include Address unknown (their first number one), My prayer (later revived by the Platters), When the swallows come back to Capistrano, We three - my shadow, my echo and me (another number one), Do I worry?, I don't want to set the world on fire, Don't get around much anymore and I'll get by.

There are smaller collections of Ink Spots music; indeed, I originally bought a single CD but eventually opted to buy this set and I'm very glad that I did.

Here's a compilation so rich and comprehensive it deserves no less than five stars. This is the most thorough and satisfying song collection available of the classic Ink Spots lineup--"Deek" Watson, "Hoppy" Jones, Charlie Fuqua, and Bill Kenny--recording for Decca from 1936 through the 1940s. Digitally processed, the songs sound crisp while retaining their pleasantly period flavor. In terms of quantity, the songs number 101--including all seven duets with Ella Fitzgerald. The set also includes a booklet of detailed and informative liner notes written by Jasmine producer Geoff Milne. Though the songs are not arranged on the four CDs in the precise chronological order of their original recording or release dates, the varied presentation is fun and eminently listenable. Recommended without reservation.

This box certainly deserves the title complete, that is to say for the
"ink spots with Bill Kenny" fans. It would be quite impossible to make
a CD-box with all the ink-spots-named groups, and I don't expect that
there would be a market for it. Anyway, this box already contains some
doubtful material, but it's a good starting point for those of us who'd
like to reconstruct the old LP's song for song. Still I wonder if it would
not be better to release CD-versions of the old LP's instead?

Your not going to find a bigger, more comprehensive set of The Ink Spots music out there from what I've seen and there are some great songs on this set that you can't get anywhere else. That said, the quality of these recordings is a mixed bag at best. Some heavy hiss or tiny sound on songs that sound much better on some Ella Fitzgerald CD sets or even on the MCA Ink Spots greatest hits CDs I've heard. Don't be mislead into thinking ORIGINAL RECORDINGS REMASTERED means they did a good job remastering the songs.

Still, as I said before, your not likely to find a more comprehensive set of The Ink Spots music on CD anywhere and it's great to hear all these songs, just wish the quality was as good as some of the other offerings out there.

Am I a huge fan? No. I'm a metalhead, but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate other styles. The Ink Spots, which I discovered on Fallout 3, have a sound that just soothes. The day that I received this album I experienced a great loss. The songs about love on here you think would be depressing for my situation. Not the case. They hit the spot. It was just what I needed. The Ink Spots is feel good music and you get 101 tracks here. However about 80% of the songs start with the same or very similar riff.

The Ink Spots have a well deserved place in the Vocal genre... but this collection becomes unfortunately repetitive in musical taste and overall musical diversity.

Many of the songs begin to sound the same with the intro progression being the same for numerous songs and the spoken, deep voice bridge section for want of a better term, grates on your listening pleasure... It makes you almost scream out loudly... "enough already".

Numerous classics are present and should convey enough of the Ink Spots classy smooth songs such as "I don't want to set the world on fire" and "If I didn't care" to name a couple. You could easily buy a more appropriate "best of" collection with many of the all time greats and not have to wade through a litany of mediocre songs to select the best. The sound quality is of a reasonable production standard. Especially when you consider the age of the recordings.

Comprehensive collection but not really the best... I would look elsewhere for a smaller but better quality collection.