Customer Reviews

I'm an Old Cowhand

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4 star:		(2)
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The good folks at ASV in the UK have done it again, they have compiled 25 Bing Crosby recordings from 1933-1944 and are all western styled songs in generally excellent sound from 78's. Highlights on this comp include a cover of Al Dexter's hit "Pistol Packin' Mama" and "Don't Fence Me In" (both featuring the Andrews Sisters), his versions of traditional western music standards such as I'm an Old Cowhand, Tumbling Tumbleweeds, Twilight on The Trail, Take Me Back To My Boots and Saddle, Clementine, Deep In The Heart of Texas, San Fernando Valley, The Last Roundup to lesser known but just as great songs such as Old Oaken Bucket, After Sundown, Roundup Lullaby, Singing Hills and many others. If you are into western music, balladry and/or Bing Crosby, this is a must have and is a much better buy than "My Favorite Country Songs" which BTW does have Cool Water (with the Andrews Sisters) that isn't on this comp but it cam be found on the Complete Recordings of Bing Crosby And The Andrews Sisters 2 CD set anyway.

...and boy, can he SING! I am a big Bing Crosby fan and this has become one of the most valued CDs of my Bing collection. Crosby's relaxed baritone glow evokes feelings of the true old west. It's country and western music without the country twanginess. It's WESTERN music. Bing owned a ranch and sang with authentic feelings of being out in fenceless lands with moonlight on the range. One can almost smell the sagebrush. Some songs are fun, others are downright touching. So saddle up and rope in this CD!

This is one of my old favorites. Love to listen to this CD to relax. Brings back good memories of New Mexico and southwest ...before NM was discovered...way back when...just listen...you can hear how simple things were back then

The first time I played this album I was ammused but I have fallen in love with it upon reflection. You get aload of his voice, up and down the scale and his treatment of western songs is just right. I started to list some of my favorite cuts but I realize that I liked them all. You will just love the whole album.

Bing was an eclectic singer who dabbled extensively in many genres of music: Hawaiian, Irish and cowboy songs, which is showcased here. This is an excellent introduction for those who don't have other Crosby CD's in your collection or who want to hear his western side. It contains his standard hits which have been recycled time and again on other anthologies. Most Bing-ologists will have all these songs in their collection, some of them many times over. But if you are new to Crosby, this is an acceptable choice and I guarantee that you will become hooked on Bing's magnificent voice. It's a little weak on his earlier work and it does contain some curious omissions. Yet there are some stellar songs included as well, like one of personal favorites, "I'm an Old Cowhand," One of his greatest recordings.

For the novice Crosby fan, this set is perfect for several reasons: not only does it give you a fine overview of Bing's career, the sound quality is exceptional. The packaging of the set is excellent and it even includes a booklet with a synopsis of Bing's western songs and musical style, as well as an explanation of his tremendous musical impact upon the 20th century.

Other reviewers have complained about the sound quality on this set. I am puzzled at this criticism. I have most of these songs on casette, vinyl and some even on their original 78 and 45 issues. The sound quality here is quite acceptable and good on most tracks. This set will give you many hours of enjoyable listening and help you branch off into other Crosby CD's which includes his lesser-known vocals. Hopefully this collection will convince you that Bing's vocal mastery was unparalled. Then you can sample his earlier, jazz-influenced work during his Columbia years in the early 30's and branch off into his 20's work with the Rhythm Boys. But for the beginning Crosby listener, this is as good a choice as any. I highly recommend this set. Enjoy!

Not a "novelty" album. There are great melodies here. A combination of wonderful tunes, innocence, big band, the West, and Crosby charm.

ASV Living Era presents a very likable and talented crooner by the name of Harry Lillis Crosby...better known to the world as BING CROSBY...this westerm musical journey into the career of Bing is entitled "I'M AN OLD COWHAND", featuring 25 western tunes from his vast repertoire...original mono recordings from 1933-1944...entire collection chock full of the finest arrangements and fairly good clarity (considering the times of the recordings)...with everything and anything your little heart desires.

All 25 selections feature guest stars like The Andrew Sisters, Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra and the Foursome...backed by the Lennie Hayton's Orch, Woody Herman & His Woodchoppers, Vic Schoen's Orch, John Scott Trotter's Orch and one of my favorites Victor Young and His Orchestra...Bing had the most Academy Award-Winning Songs and 38 number one chart topping singles which surpassed Elvis and The Beatles.

Many highlights on this collection "THE LAST ROUNDUP" (1933)..."I'M AN OLD COWHAND (FROM THE RIO GRANDE) (1936)..."EMPTY SADDLES (IN THE OLD CORRAL)" (1936)..."TUMBLING TUMBLEWEEDS (1940)..."THE SINGING HILLS" (1940)..."ALONG THE SANTE FE TRAIL" (1940)..."GOODBYE, LITTLE DARLIN' GOODBYE" (1941)..."PISTOL PACKIN' MAMA" (1943)..."DON'T FENCE ME IN" (1944)...the lone prairies with the coyotes howling and the wide open spaces gives this all the trappings of the old west.

As stated in the liner notes for Mr. Bing Crosby's career - "And without exception, the names of Crosby and Louis Armstrong are credited as the twin vocal innovators, the two figureheads who started anything and everything of consequence"...Satchmo once said "Bing's mellow voice was like gold being poured out of a cup", Armstrong was the inspiration to Bing and his successful career...Bing's kingdom was invaded by numerous singers namely Francis Albert Sinatra, but not even Frank could unseat all the accomplishments this old crooner had achieved - Born on May 3, 1903 in Tacoma Washington and left us October 14, 1977 (had a heart attack in Madrid, Spain while playing on the golfcourse)...at Bing's time of death in 1977, he was the biggest selling recording artist of all time.

This collection is no exception with shades of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers & Sons of the Pioneers, Jimmie Rodgers (railroad & blues singer) and a host of other "Singing Cowboys" this might never seen the light of day...Bing fits right in with each and everyone of them, we're all Cowboys at heart...gotta love it!

Total Time: 76:00 on 25 Tracks ~ Asv Living Era 5160 ~ (8/11/1995)

The most successful of the songs here (all recorded between 1933 and 1944) was Don't fence me in, which opens this compilation of Bing's cowboy songs. It spent eight weeks at number one in the American pop charts, beginning in December 1944 and was in the charts for five months in total. It is one of two duets here featuring the Andrews sisters. The other, Pistol packing mama, was a number two hit for them, despite the fact that Al Dexter's original version had already spent a long time at number one before Bing's version entered the chart. Clearly Bing and the Andrews sisters appealed to a different audience.

The last round-up was a number two hit in 1934 and its B-side, Home on the range, made the top twenty. The movie Rhythm on the range yielded two hits in 1936 - I'm an old cowhand reached number two while Empty saddles peaked at eight. Other hits included El rancho grande (number three in 1939), The singing hills (number three in 1940), Tumbling tumbleweeds (top twelve in 1940), Along the Santa Fe trail (number four in 1941), Clementine (top twenty in 1941), Deep in the heart of Texas (number three in 1942) and San Fernando valley (number one in 1944). All these songs and others can be found here.

Of course, Bing recorded these songs in his own style, so they are very different from any versions you would hear from (say) Gene Autry, Marty Robbins, Michael Martin Murphey or any other singer of cowboy songs. No, these come across as pop songs that just happen to have a western theme. Yet they are brilliant.

Was driven to purchase this CD after watching "Rhythm on the Range" a very old movie which I was not that excited about renting, but the music raised memories of my childhood, as my parents had an album of some of these cowboy songs by Bing. We're talking 78's kiddies. There's a mix of good ones and not so good on here but if you like Bing it's well worth it. There appears to be a selection that ranges from the thirties into the forties, so you can hear the slight change in his style. And then there's the amazing Andrew Sisters to back him up on a few. Lots of fun.