Customer Reviews

Lost Treasures

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First of all, let me say that I enjoyed this CD a lot, and I'm glad to have it because I love anything that Doris Day sings. But it falls short of 5 stars for one reason.

Some CDs have a note about the fact that the sound is not perfect because of the exigencies of copying old 78s or other such media. This CD suffers from the problem to a much greater extent than most. To mention one, on "It Might as Well Be Spring" the surface noise is loud enough to be a serious problem. Now, I understand that there are problems in anything where you have to start with 50+ year old material, and if you want to hear these recordings (which have otherwise never been released) you have to put up with this. But it should be noted that the problem exists, and you should be warned.

Other than that, it's certainly a showpiece for that great Doris Day voice, accompanied by the Les Brown band that brought her into the public eye.

Lost Treasures is a fantastic CD from the great Doris Day and Les Brown & His Orchestra. The quality of the sound isn't always perfect; but as another reviewer correctly notes it's great that these tunes saw the light of day at all. The artwork is very nicely done and it reflects good judgment.

"I Dream Of You" starts the CD with an especially beautiful number; the brass sounds great and everyone is great on this number--it's all THAT good. "Oh! What It Seemed To Be" has a very slight amount of surface noise; but when you hear Doris Day singing so sweetly this number is irresistible! You're bound to love "Oh! What It Seemed To Be." "Tomorrow Is Forever" is equally bright; Doris never misses a beat and she never loses her unique, singularly beautiful style! Doris truly never sounded better.

"Swinging On A Star" is a number Bing Crosby loved to sing; and when the musicians and Doris perform this little tune it takes off like a jet! Les Brown & His Orchestra play so well as they accompany Doris' vocals. Terrific! Similarly, "That's For Me" is another highlight of this album. Doris handles the subtle tempo changes like a pro and her voice is heavenly. Great!

"It Might As Well Be Spring" has Doris singing this with panache, heart and soul. Doris sings this flawlessly and the musicians never miss a note. "Long Ago (And Dar Away)" features Les Brown's band at their best; and Doris sings this better than I've ever heard it--in fact, I think that Doris' rendition of "Long Ago (And Far Away)" is THE definitive rendition of this classic love song.

"A Kiss To Remember" has all these artists combining their efforts to make this a very memorable number. Doris sings with heart and soul; her sense of timing and her excellent diction bolster her performance. "Sentimental Journey" has a very special musical arrangement and this is easily yet another highlight of this album.

The CD ends very strong with Doris performing "The Lady From 29 Palms." I hadn't heard this song before--but Doris sure does make it shine! Doris swings gently and gracefully as Les Brown & His Orchestra round out the number with a sublime arrangement.

Doris Day fans won't want to miss this album. Yes, there's some surface noise on a track or two; but it isn't so bad. You can easily hear Doris and the musicians without any real problem. This album is also a wonderful choice for people who enjoy classic pop vocals.

Varese Sarabande Records presents "Lost Treasures", featuring Doris Day with the Les Brown Orchestra in the mid '40s, performing seventeen tunes (which many have never seen the light of day) with Day's high energy delivery. Much like Rosemary Clooney, Day's interpretation of a song is magicial ~ newly remastered with a richer and astonishingly sonic sound, that gives you the impression you're there!

Entire collection is a stand out with "WELCOME TO MY DREAM", "GOODNIGHT, WHEREVER YOU ARE", "TWO HEAVENS" and "INVITATION TO THE BLUES", warmer and expressive style that can melt your heart right on the spot ~ arrangements and texture of each tune brings back memories of the early times in American pop culture ~ so much love and affection went into this release and it pays off...gotta love it!

Total Time: 55:17 on 17 Tracks ~ Varese Sarabande 66519 ~ (11/25/2003)

As I have stated in other reveiws for AMAZON.com, Varese Sarabande is one of those rare companies that actually CARE about
the products they produce; and this BROWN/DAY offering shows this to great advantage. The digital remastering is awesome, except for the last track: The Lady From 29 Palms. This is from an early HIT PARADE show and Doris is not backed by Les on this cut but by Mark Warnow and the Hit Parade Orch. This must have been a wretched original, as even Varese couldn't clean it up.
This is the only blemish on an otherwise outstanding collection..
a real "find" for Brown-Day loyalists....

Doris Day started her recording career with Les Brown. The Jazz Factory Label put out a fantastic 2CD set entitled "Doris Day : Complete Recordings With Les Brown" in 2001. (Still available here on Amazon). Then in 2003 , Varese Vintage unearthed some additional Les Brown recordings featuring the marvelous talents of Miss Day.Yes , some surface noise exists , but folks these recordings are now 70 years old. It is a Treasure indeed to hear the young voice of Doris shine through in these early recordings. Any fan will not be disappointed in the least !

The songs here are found treasures! Don't expect the quality of studio recordings of today, but you won't be disappointed with the music itself. A piece of musical history captured for today's listeners.

I've heard some of this stuff before, and yes I'm going to buy it. I was wondering, though, (looking at this cover, and another of hers from the same era) how such a beautiful girl, turned out kinda goofy? Yes, yes that's somewhat mean, but you know what I'm talking about. The "movie star" Doris Day. But, to be honest, she was still basically good-looking, it was just those wacky 50s and 60s hairstyles, and fashion. Compare this cover to the cover of "16 Most Requested Songs." What the?!
But it's o.k. to poke a little fun, since Doris was a great singer, a pretty good, -hell, a "very good", actress (check her out in "Teacher's Pet, with Clark Gable, or Hitchcock's "The Man Who new Too Much", which featured the later beautiful hit, "Que Sera Sera", plus her silly, but fun movies with Rock Hudson and others. Plus, she was still "cute." I also remember her in an early good movie with Frank Sinatra, but the title escapes me now.
I wish there was a lot more of this 40s style big-band swing with her voice the way it sounded back then. Very smooth, with her own style, but still that "sound and tone" that only singers (and even musicians) had only back then, along with her lovely yet, not overpowering vibrato. Too bad "My Dreams are Getting Better All the Time", isn't included.
Of course, all the other big stars changed their styles as well seemingly to adapt to the peculiar 50s,(as far as I'm concerned, only Sinatra, and Peggy Lee could manage to tread those choppy waters), but then went on to do some interesting stuff in the 60s, and of course, that included Doris.