Customer Reviews

Paul Whiteman - Greatest Hits

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

 

 

This is a wonderful representation of Paul Whiteman's output on Victor between 1920 and 1928. The signature tunes that represented his orchestra are all here. The accoustic classics which I've heard before, "Whispering" and "Japanese Sandman", start off proceedings. Whiteman's biography indicates the bandleader was a nervous wreck going into the recording studios of 1920 to wax these early sides. He even had his band members memorize all the scores before they went in. The results are history and we are better for it. "Hot Lips" which starred Henry Busse from 1922 plus some early Gershwin, "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise" and "Lady Be Good", and the ever green "Linger Awhile" which featured Mike Pingatore, Whiteman's ever faithful banjo player, round out the other accoustic classics. With the electrical recordings we get an earful of the lush arrangements the orchestra played. Listen to the saxophones wail (literally) on "Ramona",and hear early Bing Crosby on "Ol' Man River". Bix Beiderbecke and Frankie Trumbauer are here, too. And the 1927 version of "Rhapsody in Blue" is heard with Gershwin at the piano. The biggest suprise is the re-recording of "Wang Wang Blues" from 1927. This is the first release of this version of the song. It's jazzy, too, featuring Henry Busse, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, and I believe Steve Brown on bass. This album is indespensible for collectors of 1920's band music and aficianado's of music of the "Jazz Age". Considering that these cuts were recorded over seventy years ago, usually in one or two takes, you gotta say these guys were good. Play these recordings against recordings of other bands (if you have them) from this era. The orchestrations and arrangements are like comparing Velveeta to Gouda cheese. They were the best for their time.

Paul Whiteman is no Jelly Roll Morton but his orchestra was huge in the 1920's, playing every night at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in Los Angeles. Amazingly, Whiteman's music has held up beautifully through the years and the musicianship displayed here is excellent. Whiteman is best known today as the man who gave Bing Crosby (then with the Rhythm Boys) his first big break, but the songs on this album don't feature Bing, just joyous Whiteman orchestral music. This is a time warp if there ever was one. For those of us born forty years after Whiteman was a hit, this gives us a taste of the Roaring 20's.

The track listing given above is incorrect. The Amazon review refers to the right songs - Japanese Sandman, Whispering etc. (NOT American Tune, Just Like A Melody... etc. - I don't know what recording they're from but not this one!), however the Product Description is also incorrect as it alludes to 24 Columbia tracks from the late '20s early '30s (I'd like to know which CD this actually is), but this CD is 22 Victor recordings all from the 1920's:

1. Japanese Sandman
2. Whispering
3. Say it with music
4. Hot Lips
5. Three O'clock in the morning
6. I'll build a stairway to paradise
7. Linger awhile
8. What'll I do?
9. Somebody loves me
10. Oh, lady be good!
11. Valencia (Song of Spain)
12. Birth of the blues
13. Song of India
14. In a little Spanish town
15. My Blue Heaven
16. Wang-wang blues
17. Among my souvenirs
18. Ramona
19. Ol' man river
20. Together
21. My angel
22. Rhapsody in blue


This confused me so much at first that I *almost* didn't buy the CD, but once I figured out that it really did have the songs I was looking for I ordered it and I'm very glad I did! This is the soundtrack of the '20s, the transfers were done very well (all fresh transfers from metal parts or shellac pressings), tracks 1-10 from acoustic recordings but sound darn good, the remainder electrical recordings with noticably better sound and a distinct lack of noise yet still sounding quite bright and alive. Wang-Wang Blues, Song of India and Rhapsody in Blue are presented in their later electronically-recorded versions rather than the earlier acoustic.

It's hard to appreciate from the distance of 80 years how much of what we take for granted about 20th century American pop music originated with Paul Whiteman, but listening this collection brings it all home.

The best brief introduction to one of the 1920s' most popular bandleaders, but especially for a one-disc set this is an odd sampling. Most of the early 20s hits are included, as well as Bing Crosby's early vocal on "Ol Man River," but why use the electric rather than the acoustic recording of "Rhapsody in Blue," especially since the latter is available on so many other collections? All in all, a two-disc Whiteman would certainly have been better. Barring that, a more eclectic Whiteman would have given the listener a better flavor for the range of his work.

This Cd is a great one, there is no doubt that the music here is some of Whiteman's best. It does however represent a very commercial side of Whiteman. If you are looking for a hotter side to Paul, get "King of Jazz: 1920-1927"