Customer Reviews

It's Easy to Remember

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're new to Bing Crosby, then this is the box set to purchase. Not only does it give you a fine overview of Bing's career, the price can't be beat. The packaging of the CD is excellent and it even includes a little booklet with a synopsis of Bing's career and musical style, as well as an explanation of his tremendous musical impact upon the 20th century.

The song selection is pretty decent, with some conspicuous omisions and an occasional curious choice for inclusion, but the sheer number of songs is amazing. Another prominent label has released a Bing complilation with an edited version of "Dinah," where the Mill Brothers are cut out of the song. No such foolishness here; the complete version of "Dinah" is included.

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. I highly recommend this boxed set. Enjoy!

I have just been listening to my new 4 CD box set of It's Easy To Remember and I can't say enough about this fabulous collection of Bing Crosby's music. What an absolute Treasure this is!

How interesting to hear Bing's very first recorded songs! My Dad loved Bing. He was Dad's favorite singer. Dad taught me to love Bing, too. I grew up listening to Bing Crosby songs, and now all those wonderful songs, sung by that Wonderful Voice, are MINE! I just wish Dad was alive to hear all this!

In the beginning of the first CD, Bing doesn't even sound like the polished Bing we all know. But as the set continues, slowly but surely That Voice develops. And it just keeps getting better and better! This is so wonderful!

I love the fact that all the songs are in the order in which Bing sang them. And the little booklet that comes with this collection is very helpful, while you're listening. Each song is listed, along with the place and date of the recording. Very nice.
And the price simply cannot be beat! This has to be the Best Deal going, folks!

Unfortunately, this fabulous collection of Bing's music stops in the year 1950. I sincerely hope that the folks at Proper will continue on with further CD box sets, until they've covered all of Mr. Crosby's unmatched career. I for one will certainly buy every box set they produce of Bing's music.

So, please folks, let's get on with the rest of the story! Bing made many more songs before he left us. I want them ALL!

Do yourselves a favor, my fellow Bing Crosby fans-Don't miss THIS one!

Thank you.

Alice B. Kane

I feel like the kid in the Emperor's New Clothes. Upon reading all the rave reviews, I took the plunge - a minor one considering the amount of music here - and purchased this set. (In addition, I got Bebop Spoken Here), also on the Proper label. I was quite disappointed, especially with the Crosby. A long time fan of Bing's, I've been wanting to get a box set of his for quite a while. I'm here to offer a word to the wise, particularly those of you who have familiarity with this material on the original 78s or even on vinyl. Go elsewhere. The sound on this set has a disquieting metallic sound, obviously poorly digitized, reminding me of some of the poorer quality MP3's I've downloaded off the internet - you know that unpleasant aluminum-like sound that jars you because you're used to that mellow, warm, wooden sound? The songs in this set are beautiful and timeless, but it's difficult to stay with them in this format - for me anyway. I'd rather put up with the minor scratches of decent 78 any day. But don't get me wrong - I'm not a purist. I've got lots of cds from this period and many of them have the warmth intact. Not this set, though...

Believe the hype! The quality of this release is very high, and the price astoundingly low. The remastering is excellent and unobtrusive. The selection of songs easily rivals the more famous (and expensive) set "Bing! His Legendary Years." Unlike that set, this one provides material from Bing's very earliest days with the massively popular Paul Whitman Orchestra, including tracks which feature the great Bix Beiderbecke on Cornet. We also get some tracks from the period before Bing joined Decca records, including great jazzy stuff like Dinah w/ the Mills Brothers, the jazz classic Sweet Georgia Brown, Please (powered by pre-Django guitar master Eddie Lang), and St. Louis Blues w/ Duke Ellington! The set also does an excellent job presenting Crosby's later, more commercial fare (much of which is truly excellent, and should not be dismissed) and some occasional trips back to jazz-land. Truly an opportunity not to be missed.

I don't know what Mr. Kraut is listening to. Maybe he got a defective set. I can detect nothing on mine except maybe the slight, slight, sliiiiiight tinny sound you have to expect on all music from this period. The Wonders of the Digital Age can only do so much, remastered or not. Der Bingle sounds great as always.

If you're interested in a documentation of Crosby's work before 1950 (easily his best recorded material), this collection represents an intelligently edited, completely annotated, responsibly selected assembling of vital recordings. And it's less than half the price of the comparable 4-CD set, "Bing: His Legendary Years," which covers approximately the same years in Crosby's career. The latter collection is certainly "coffee table"quality, replete with a book-shaped case, brown-tone and colored photos, and stylishly formatted appreciation by the noted musicologist, Will Friedwald. However, "It's Easy to Remember" delivers much the same qualities in a smaller package and without betraying signs of being a "value priced" item: the documentation is complete, the recordings are arranged in a clear, chronological sequence, with biographical headings, and the liner notes are not simply general comments about Crosby but helpful commentary about the recordings and their context. I plan to look for more of the artists in this high quality, highly economical series.

Proper Records Ltd presents a very likable and talented crooner by the name of Harry Lillis Crosby...better known to the world as BING CROSBY...this musical journey into the career of Bing is entitled "IT'S EASY TO REMEMBER", featuring almost 100 tunes from his vast repertoire...released on a 4 Disc Box Set from the very beginning (1)THE RHYTHM BOY..(2)MUSIC, MOVIES MEMORIES...(3)VOCAL INNOVATORS AND THE JAZZ CONNECTION...(4)KING OF THE BEST SELLERS...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.

On the first CD you can see the molding of Crosby's style and beginning of a crooner with "IF I HAD YOU" (1/25/1929), with Sam Lanin & His Famous Players, recorded in New York..."OUT OF NOWHERE" (3/30/1931), a studio recording orchestra (unknown musicians) recorded in Los Angeles..."JUST ONE MORE CHANCE" (5/04/1931), with the Victor Young Orchestra..."I'M THRU WITH LOVE" and "I FOUND A MILLION-DOLLAR BABY (IN A FIVE & TEN CENT STORE)" (6/12/1931), unknown studio orchestra..."DANCING IN THE DARK" (8/19/1931)..."WHERE THE BLUE OF THE NIGHT (MEETS THE GOLD OF THE DAY)" (11/23/1931), this song became his theme song for the next few decades.

The balance of the collection Discs Two, Three and Four round out the best of the best in the singing and acting career of Mr. Crosby..."BROTHER CAN YOU SPARE A DIME" (10/25/1932),,,"THE LAST ROUNDUP" (9/27/1933)..."LOVE IN BLOOM" (7/05/1934)..."RED SAILS IN THE SUNSET" and "SILENT NIGHT HOLY NIGHT" (11/12/1935)...no surprise that Bing had the most Academy Award-Winning Songs with "SWEET LEILANI" (1937)..."WHITE CHRISTMAS" (1942)..."SWINGING ON A STAR" (1944)..."IN THE COOL, COOL, COOL OF THE EVENING" (1951)...Bing had 38 number one chart topping singles which surpassed Elvis and the Beatles...and who could forget the "Road Pictures" with Bing and Bob Hope singing "PUT IT THERE, PAL" (12/08/1944), both were great ad-libbers and longtime friends.

As stated in the liner notes - "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...Der Bingle Crosby!

Total Time: 4-CD-Set - ProperBox 34 ~ (4/05/2002)

You'll laugh outloud while listening to the first half of disc 1 that was not in the collection HIS LEGENDARY YEARS.Even BING CROSBY had to start somewhere.Then as you let this first disc reach it's end,BING has found himself completely by becomming AMERICA's most popular singer.Youngsters who think of him only as the guy we were always listening at CHRISTMAS time are in for a big surprize.Contrary to his legend created in the fifties,BING covered many areas of popular singing:country,IRISH songs and was one of the first to display what we call now phrasing.It is true that BING never really could get across the LP crowd like SINATRA did,but back in the thirties and fourties he was the king.Duets,songs from movies,most of them are here and are just as good as they were back then.A BING CROSBY song is easily recognizable;it is usually beautifully simple(i know it sounds corny),and has that true quality of letting you know the personnality of the man who sings it.Everybody in the music business liked BING CROSBY(ask BUDDY BREGMAN an arranger who worked with him),he was mister nice par excellence.If you want original LPS, get BING WITH A BEAT and BING SINGS WHILST BREGMAN SWINGS,both recorded in 1956-1957.The big difference with HIS LEGENDARY YEARS is of course the price and IT'S EASY TO REMEMBER stops in 1950 while the other has songs from that era.A little mistake:SOON was not written by ROBIN and RAINBERG;a RODGERS and HART fan can't get fooled that easily;BING introduced it in the movie MISSISSIPI.Don't let this correction prevent you from buying this collection because that would be a bigger mistake.

This is a great disk set. The sound quality is wonderful, clear and crisp. The packaging is good and looks nice.

I would highly recomend this set.

As a huge Bing fan I would highly recommend this box set. It ranges from The Rhythm Boys to his big Hollywood box office days. The sound quality is good and the songs they chose are true Bing classics. From "Brother Can you Spare a Dime?" to "Swinging on a Star" this compilation has some great tunes. Bing truly is one of the all-time greats. No artist will ever equal him.