Irving Sings Berlin

Irving Berlin | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 22, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Koch Int'l Classics
• ASIN: B00005ABNX
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #164,865 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. 50th Birthday Tribute to Irving Berlin, Excerpts CBS Radio 1938: ...

2. Marie

3. Follow the Crowd

4. Cavalcade of Irving Berlin Hits, 1910-1915 NBC Radio, 1934: Call Me Up

5. Alexander's Ragtime Band

6. Oh, How I Hate to Get up in the Morning/This Is the Army, Mr. Jones

7. Let's Take an Old Fashioned Walk

8. Paris Wakes up and Smiles

9. (Just One Way to Say) I Love You

10. The Policemen's Ball

11. What Do I Have to Do to Get My Picture in the Paper?

12. The Hon'rable Profession of the Fourth Estate

13. Business for a Good Girl Is Bad

14. Sing a Song of Sing Sing

15. The Story of Nell and the Police Gazette

16. Marrying for Love

17. The Ocarina

18. It's a Lovely Day Today

19. The Best Thing for You

20. Free

See all 22 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining Renditions of Berlin's songs, January 14, 2007

By 

D. Mesirow "Dolphin Songsmith" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Irving Sings Berlin (Audio CD)

"Irving Sings Berlin" contains recordings of famed songwriter Irving Berlin playing his songs on a piano and providing his own vocals. Although the performances are entertaining, the songs themselves are the real product. The performances tend to be Irving Berlin tinkering out his songs on the piano while giving either bustling or delicate vocal performances of his songs. Yet Berlin sometimes gives a rousing performance and gets a round of applouse, such as after "Alexander's Ragtime Band," one of his most famous songs.

However, other songs included on this record are clearly intended to be sent off from the songwriter to another artist to perform. For example, before the song "Marrying for Love," Irving Berlin plays the opening chord and says, "Bing, this verse was written for the show for situations so disregard it. All you'll be interested if you like this song is the chorus." Berlin is speaking to singer Bing Crosby as a proposition for him to sing this song. Crosby actually recorded a rendition of the song. Crooners like Crosby and Sinatra sang many of the great songwriters' songs, like those of Berlin, Gershwin, and Porter.

Berlin's performances are succinct, sincere, and often delicate depending on what the song calls for. Each song exudes its own character. "Let's Take An Old-Fashioned Walk" is an attempt to get someone to take a walk, not to mention the tune is melodically and harmonically very catchy and delicate with beautiful cadences. "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is a celebration of Ragtime music, and "God Bless America" is a patriotic ballod about the United States. Berlin shines as a songwriter on this album, and we also get to catch a glimpse of him as a performer.