Customer Reviews

My Ideal: The Definitive Collection - 113 Tracks [ORIGINAL RECORDINGS REMASTERED] 4CD SET

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Margaret Whiting had the reputation during the 40's and `50's as a vocalist who could handle all song genres from show tunes and movie themes to country ballads, standards, pop ditties and even kids nursery rhymes set to music. In other words, a singer with all-round versatility who budded at Capitol in 1943 and bloomed there until 1957 when she sought pastures new and renewed popularity elsewhere. This anthology is a fine tribute to Margaret's vocal talent as it touches all bases described above, with no fewer than 113 tracks spread over four discs brim-full of quality songs like IT'S A MOST UNUSUAL DAY, HOW DEEP IS THE OCEAN and I COULD WRITE A BOOK.

Thanks to Johnny Mercer signing her to his newly-launched label in 1943, Margaret's hits began as featured vocalist on Freddie Slack and his Orchestra's THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC and continued through MOONLIGHT IN VERMONT with the Billy Butterfield Orchestra until her solo name was sufficient to propel IT MIGHT AS WELL BE SPRING, ALL THROUGH THE DAY, IN LOVE IN VAIN, GUILTY, A TREE IN THE MEADOW, NOW IS THE HOUR,, FAR AWAY PLACES and many others into the Hit Parade.

Being the daughter of songwriter Richard Whiting who had died in 1938, growing up in the circle encompassed by other songwriters enabled Margaret to appreciate a good song when she heard it and of course she had her father's song catalogue to explore with MY FUTURE JUST PASSED and MY IDEAL prime examples. Capitol certainly ensured she had the best orchestral backings with Frank DeVol, Paul Weston, Nelson Riddle, Jerry Gray, Billy May, Lou Busch and others guilding the vocal lily while duets with Bob Hope (LUCKY US and three others), Jack Smith (IT'S A BIG, WIDE, WONDERFUL WORLD), Jimmy Wakely (Try Jasmine's TILL WE MEET AGAIN (JASMCD 2603) for all twenty-nine sides they recorded together) and Johnny Mercer (BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE) contain charm, humour and musical excellence in equal measure. Joining Mercer, Peggy Lee, Benny Goodman and The Pied Pipers for Irving Berlin's THE FREEDOM TRAIN was also a highlight of Margaret's career and a 1947 released album of Rodgers and Hart numbers ensures LITTLE GIRL BLUE, MY FUNNY VALENTINE and LOVER brightly shine here thanks to her emotive sincerity.

The tracks are generally sorted for variety rather than chronological order and no recording dates are listed but with excellent sound quality and very informative notes, this collection from the excellent and caring UK reissue label Jasmine, is by far the most comprehensive Whiting appraisal currently available. Its strength lies not only for including her well-known songs but also ensuring that many neglected recordings are rounded up for renewed appraisal. It is highly recommended to those who revere classy girl vocalists - of which Margaret Whiting was up there with the best of the period - and those who enjoy a wallow through superbly sung standards and popular songs of the 40's and 50's.

WOW! 113 songs by a lady with one of the most versatile voices from the golden age of popular music. With a warm, smooth, clear alto/contralto voice along with perfect pitch, excellent diction, and complete control, Margaret Whiting could effectively sing in a soft, intimate style (MY DREAM IS YOURS, DON'T TELL ME), straight down the middle of her range (IT MIGHT AS WELL BE SPRING, TRUE LOVE), in her deep sultry register (MY FUNNY VALENTINE, OVER AND OVER AND OVER), or in full voice against the lustiest orchestrations (ALONE TOGETHER, WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME?). She also was very adept at singing upbeat tunes and novelty songs (A WONDERFUL GUY, OOPS!, C.O.D., BLIND DATE, ALL I WANT IS ALL THERE IS AND THEN SOME). I never get tired of listening to her.

This is definitely the definitive collection so far of Whiting's Capitol years. Many of her million sellers and hits are here as well as great standards and wonderful lesser known performances. The arrangements backing her by such luminaries as Paul Weston, Frank DeVol, Nelson Riddle, Billy May, Lou Busch and others are inventive and outstanding, and the sound throughout all four discs is crisp and clear.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Jasmine Records for this wonderful tribute to a GREAT singer.

The first thing to say about this compilation of Magic Maggie's music is that a lot of hits are missing. None of her duets with Jimmy Wakely are here, these being covered in a separate single CD Till we meet again that contains every duet they ever recorded, plus a few solo tracks. However, some of Maggie's solo hits are also missing, though all the hits that really matter are here including Moonlight in Vermont, Guilty, Oh but I do, You do, Now is the hour, A tree in the meadow (a British song originally recorded by Dorothy Squires), Far away places, Forever and ever and her Christmas duet with Johnny Mercer, Baby it`s cold outside, together with some of her lesser (but still brilliant) hits that I haven`t mentioned. Maggie's top ten hits with Freddie Slack (That old black magic) and Paul Weston (It might as well be spring) are also included here, though it doesn't normally appear on compilations of her music. Another hit she had with Freddie Slack, Silver wings in the moonlight, is mentioned in the liner notes but not included; I've yet to find this track anywhere though I haven`t actually looked for it specifically.

With over 100 tracks included here, there are many great songs that you won't find Maggie's versions of elsewhere. Some of these may be familiar via versions by other artists including True love (Bing Crosby/Grace Kelly), My son my son (Vera Lynn) My funny valentine (Hal McIntyre), My romance (Paul Whiteman), God bless America (Kate Smith) and Look for the silver lining (Marion Harris) to name a few.

This collection, not being limited to her hits, is able to look at the diversity of Maggie's music. It includes a couple of children's songs (This little piggy went to market, Hoppy Topper and me), two solo Christmas songs (Have yourself a merry little Christmas, The mistletoe kiss polka) and four duets with Bob Hope (Home cookin, Lucky us, Ain't we got fun, Blind date). Also here are all eight tracks from Maggie's first album, which featured the songs of Rodgers and Hart.

If you haven't got any of Maggie's music and you want those missing solo hits, you may wish to buy a hits collection first. The best - indeed the ultimate - collection of Maggie's hits is the out of print Complete Capitol hits of Margaret Whiting, which lives up to its title, containing every solo Billboard hit, however minor, plus all her hit duets with Jimmy Wakely, although it doesn`t include the aforementioned tracks with Freddie Slack and Paul Weston. I bought and reviewed that collection some years ago when it was still in print, so the absence of so many hits here is fine by me, leaving as it does more room for other tracks that couldn't have been included if the hits were here. If the only missing hits that concern you are the duets with Jimmy Wakely, you may choose to buy this and Till we meet again. Also worth considering is the 1960 tribute album Margaret Whiting sings the Jerome Kern Song Book.

An earlier reviewer wanted to see a track listing for this 4-CD box set. Seems reasonable to me. Hope this helps someone:

DISC 1

1. IT MIGHT AS WELL BE SPRING
2. WHIRLWIND
3. THE STORY OF MY LIFE
4. I SPEAK TO THE STARS
5. SINGING BELLS
6. MOONLIGHT IN VERMONT
7. LET'S TAKE AN OLD-FASHIONED WALK
8. TRUE LOVE
9. BIDIN' MY TIME
10. SORRY
11. I JUST LOVE YOU
12. OOPS!
13. ALL THROUGH THE DAY
14. IN LOVE IN VAIN
15. I KISS YOU A MILLION TIMES
16. C.O.D.
17. THREE RIVERS
18. HOME COOKIN'
19. LUCKY US
20. AIN'T WE GOT FUN
21. BLIND DATE
22. APRIL SHOWERS
23. STOWAWAY
24. COME RAIN OR COME SHINE
25. STAY WITH THE HAPPY PEOPLE
26. WHILE THE ANGELUS WAS RINGING
27. MY SON, MY SON
28. THE SECOND TIME IN LOVE

DISC 2

1. MY HEART STOOD STILL
2. MY FUNNY VALENTINE
3. THIS CAN'T BE LOVE
4. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TIME IT WAS
5. LOVER
6. LITTLE GIRL BLUE
7. THOU SWELL
8. MY ROMANCE
9. TAKE CARE, MY LOVE
10. IT'S NICE TO HAVE YOU HOME
11. IT'S A MOST UNUSUAL DAY
12. A TREE IN THE MEADOW
13. OVER AND OVER AND OVER
14. MY FUTURE JUST PASSED
15. THAT'S FOR SURE
16. I'VE FORGOTTEN YOU
17. THIS LITTLE PIGGY WENT TO MARKET
18. HOPPY, TOPPER, AND ME
19. SO FAR
20. A WONDERFUL GUY
21. YOUNGER THAN SPRINGTIME
22. A COCK-EYED OPTIMIST
23. MOONLIGHT IN VERMONT
24. ASK M
25. OLD ENOUGH
26. BABY, IT'S COLD OUTSIDE
27. THE FREEDOM TRAIN
28. GOD BLESS AMERICA

DISC 3

1. MY OWN TRUE LOVE
2. I'LL WALK ALONE
3. IT HAPPENED AT THE FESTIVAL OF ROSES
4. HOW DEEP IS THE OCEAN
5. RIVER ROAD TWO-STEP
6. DON'T TELL ME
7. IF I CAN LOVE YOU IN THE MORNING
8. HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
9. THE MISTLETOE KISS POLKA
10. FAR AWAY PLACES
11. MY DREAM IS YOURS
12. I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU
13. DON'T ROCK THE BOAT, DEAR
14. WHEN IS SOMETIME?
15. GUILTY
16. SOMETHING WONDERFUL HAPPENS
17. LOVER, LOVER
18. A MAN
19. FOREVER AND EVER
20. LOOK FOR THE SILVER LINING
21. `ROUND AND `ROUND
22. FAITHFUL
23. I'VE TOLD EVERY LITTLE STAR
24. THE NIGHT HOLDS NO FEAR
25. FRIENDLY STAR
26. ONCE YOU FIND YOUR GUY
27. I GOTTA GET OUT OF THE HABIT
28. DAY IN, DAY OUT

DISC 4

1. MY IDEAL
2. THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC
3. IF YOU WERE ONLY MINE
4. ALONE TOGETHER
5. OH, BUT I DO
6. THE SUN IS ALWAYS SHINING
7. IT'S A BIG, WIDE, WONDERFUL WORLD
8. BE MINE
9. NOW IS THE HOUR
10. ALL I WANT IS ALL THERE IS AND THEN SOME
11. YOU'RE MINE, YOU
12. I COULD WRITE A BOOK
13. A YOUNG MAN'S FANCY
14. FOGGY RIVER
15. TRY ME ONE MORE TIME
16. YOU DO
17. MAMA'S PEARLS
18. MY FOOLISH HEART
19. COME BACK TO ME, JOHNNY
20. SHAWL OF GALWAY GREY
21. I LOVE A MYSTERY
22. JOEY
23. THE ISLE OF SKYE
24. WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME?
25. TIPPY-TOE
26. MAYBE I LOVE HIM
27. THE MONEY TREE
28. SPRING IN MAINE
29. THE PARTY'S OVER

[...]
I truly enjoy listening to the many songs on this 4 CD collection of Margaret Whiting's singing. She has a special
voice and way of presenting the lyrics. Her father, Richard Whiting, was a well known song writer. Margaret
presents a few of her dad's work. Definitely a must for the Whiting fan.

This collection is simply a tremendous overview of her beautiful voice and why this lady had such a great musical career and left us such a gift.

I just finished listening to the 4th and final CD from this truly magnificent Margaret Whiting collection.
It goes without saying that Margaret is one of the very best female singers to've ever come along. Her perfectly clear as a bell voice combined with her ability to bring out everything good about every song she sang puts her in the ranks of the all time greats.
This collection has many of the hits she made for Capitol Records in the 40s and 50s. It also has a marvelous selection of standards which when performed by Margaret made them her own.

Some of my favorite selections, however, are songs with which I was unfamiliar: Whirlwind, Stowaway, The Second Time In Love, Come Back To Me Johnny, The Isle of Skye and Maybe I Love Him.
This collection takes us from her first mid 40s hits right through Margaret's late 50s recordings for Capitol including her final Top 20 hit, The Money Tree.

One of the great thrills experienced when listening to this collection is the superb program planning, the mixing of well known with unknown, slow with fast, brassy instrumental backgrounds with quiet contemplative styles.

Every time I listen to Margaret my appreciation of her voice and ability to sell a song increases. When she left Capitol in the late 50s she signed with Dot Records for whom she recorded some great albums and very interesting singles. I can only hope that we will see those on CD soon as her voice on those LPs only seemed to have improved.

Don't let this one get away!

Margaret Whiting must have one of the most beautiful voices in the genre of popular music. Margaret IS in the top five of the all time female singers list, without a doubt. She gives such a beautiful delivery of virtually every song she sings. Even the children's song Hoppy Topper and Me, included in this wonderful 4 box set is sung to absolute perfection and aplomb by Margaret Whiting.

This extraordinary and truly exceptional 4 box set is brought to us by the label Jasmine, who ALWAYS release perfect sounding CDs. The songs have been re-mastered using the CEDAR process, and they do sound just wonderful.

Well over 100 recordings of Margaret Whiting are on this CD release. There are a few duets along the way too, with Johnny Mercer, Bob Hope and Dean Martin sometimes accompanying Margaret. Some, but not all of Margaret's 40's and 50's Capitol hits are included on this set, some of the main hits included are-

Moonlight in Vermont
It Might as Well Be Spring
Stowaway
Tree In the Meadow
Baby It's Cold Outside (duet with Johnny Mercer)



There are many other truly OUTSTANDING recordings on here by Margaret. Her rendition of Younger Than Springtime (from South Pacific) is awesome.

So I give this 4 box set from Jasmine the thumbs all on every level.

I was ready to purchase this box set, but is it too much to ask, to at least list the songs that are on the four CDs?! I have come across this a few too many times recently. I am aware that sometimes you can hear samples, and not at other times. But to not be able to know what songs you're getting on a Box Set, please. And one reviewer mentions several ones that are NOT in this set. Really no excuse for this.