Customer Reviews

Ramblin Rose

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've had the RAMBLIN' ROSE (AND MORE) cd for well over a year, and to be honest, I was not too crazy about it when I first played it. I'm not much of a country music fan so I REALLY wasn't feeling a lot of the songs on it, and it spent more time on my shelf than in my CD player. But as time went on, I've developed a love for this like I didn't think I would. Of course I loved "Ramblin' Rose", but along with a couple other songs on the CD, they were the only ones getting the time of day in my home...but playing it in its entirety recently made me really appreciate even more what a diverse talent that Nat was. I figured he may have been following Ray Charles' lead on doing an LP with a country/western theme, since Ray had done something similar earlier the same year (1962) and broke all kinds of records when he did it, sort of creating a new genre of music: country soul. Nat did equally as well.

There are a few songs on RAMBLIN' ROSE (AND MORE) that tend to be a little on the corny side (example: "Skip To My Lou", "Sing Another Song", "Twilight On The Trail"), but overall this CD is very good. Nat brings his warm and seductive charm to these tunes, and like I said in a review of another Nat CD, Nat could sing anything and make you love it...which is just what happened to me. It has that "everybody, sing-it-with-me" quality. Even though I'm not thrilled about "Wolverton Mountain", Nat handles it with a lot of spirit, and I can't knock him for that. This is the way he approached everything he sang, regardless of the genre. But enough about what I don't like....The best cuts on this CD are of course, "Ramblin' Rose", "I Don't Want It That Way", "Your Cheating Heart" and "Goodnight Irene". Also outstanding is the wistfulness of "He'll Have To Go" and "One Has My Name, The Other Has My Heart". "He'll Have To Go" is especially tender and romantic, with the gentle oohs and ahhs being sung in the background...no doubt, one of my favorite songs on the CD. "The Good Times", which was originally the B-side of the "Ramblin' Rose" single, seems like it was a fluke that it ended up on this album because it's the only song on it that is not arranged in the country/pop style...it's an upbeat pop/R&B joint that is reminiscent of the Ben E. King '60s hit "Stand By Me". I liked the call-and-response arrangement that Nat and his background chorus used in it; in fact the call-and-response technique is used on several songs here. The AND MORE part of the CD features three tracks from the follow up to the RAMBLIN' ROSE LP, DEAR LONELY HEARTS, another country/folk/pop-themed album: "All By Myself", "All Over the World" and the title song, "Dear Lonely Hearts". The latter two songs were minor hits for Nat in late 1962.

For a non-country fan like me, RAMBLIN' ROSE (AND MORE) turned out to be a pleasant surprize. Only Nat King Cole's magnificent voice could make me have more respect for that genre of music, whereas before I thought most country songs were about drinking beer and cheating! LOL. This is an enjoyable CD. Add it to your collection!

This album brings back warm fuzzy memories for me. In 1969 my Father bought a brand new Ford station wagon and equipped it with a "state of the art" 8-track tape player with (wow) 4 speakers! The family, five kids and our parents took a 4000 mile round trip from the Adirondack mountains of New York State to Florida and back. This recording in all of its 8-track glory was one of five tapes that ran for most of the 200 hours we spent in the car. With everyone asleep in the middle of the night and my Father driving along the interstate, a six year old Me came crawling into the front seat. With NKC's velvet voice gently flowing from the speakers and Dad's arm around me, I watched the world going safely by. To this day when I play this music I can still smell that new car and feel that long since gone arm on my shoulder. Nat "King" Cole had the kind of voice and talent which stands alone regardless of the style of music he performed. If I had to live out my days with only a limited selection of music, this album would be on the short list.

enough praise cannot be written about nat KING cole's way of pleasuring your senses. his smooth way of singing is ever a delight . i just wish he could still be around to please us some more but i am thankful that he is still with us on recordings that we'll be able to enjoy for our lifetimes.

Who needs to say anything, Nat kind Cole can sing and play any tune in the traditional "pop" canon and do no wrong.

If you love 50's pop this is the quintensential music from Nat King Cole. Also check out in the GOOD OLE SUMMERTIME!!

Ramblin' Rose
Wolverton Mountain
Twilight on the Trail
I Don't Want It That Way
He'll Have to Go
When You're Smiling
Goodnight, Irene, Goodnight
Your Cheatin' Heart
One Has My Name The Other Has My Heart
Skip to My Lou
The Good Times
Sing Another Song (And We'll All Go Home)

I was specifically looking for "Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer" and "Ramblin' Rose" and was happy that this had both. The other songs play nicely, too. A good album.

I ordered this collection specifically for "Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer," which was listed on the song list. However, many of the songs, including this one, are not found on this album. I returned it for refund and ordered another collection that had the songs listed.

Capitol Records presents "Ramblin' Rose (And More)", featuring 15 Country Western tunes with that velvet voice from heaven as we sample one of the finest collections ever recorded by an artist who was always on top of the charts. No other singer in the business had the warmth that this man gave during a performance. Along with Frank Sinatra, Cole built the Capitol Towers and brought them fame and fortune. Cole in my estimation did more for Capitol Records than any other recording artist of that time (and that my friend is saying something), but it is the true gospel.

Nat had a tenderness in his voice, completely flawless...he could never deliver a bad tune...his style and signature of making a song his own has never been duplicated...Some are timeless that remain classics, while others are songs that have never seen the light of day...a collectors dream come true...more selections from the greatest entertainer of our time!

In alphabetical order are the 15 selections:

ALL OVER THE WORLD ( A. Frisch/C. Tobias)

DEAR LONELY HEARTS (B. Halley/.E. J Anton)

GOOD TIMES, THE (R. Miller/L. Porter)

GOODNIGHT, IRENE, GOODNIGHT (H. Ledbetter/J. Lomax)

HE'LL HAVE TO GO (J. Allison/A. Allison)

I DON'T WANT IT THAT WAY (J. Sherman/N. Sherman)

ONE HAS MY NAME, THE OTHER HAS MY HEART (E. Dean/Blair/D. Dean)

RAMBLIN' ROSE (J Sherman/N. Sherman)

SING ANOTHER SONG (AND WE'LL ALL GO HOME) (J. Burke/C. Romoff)

SKIP TO MY LOU (Trad. Arr. Nat Cole/E. Bergdahl)

TWILIGHT ON THE TRAIL (S. D. Mitchell/L Alter)

WHEN YOU'RE SMILING (Shay/Fisher/Goodwin)

WOLVERTON MOUNTAIN (M. Kilgore/C. King)

YOUR CHEATIN' HEART (Hank Williams)

Entire collection is a stand out in my book...America never had a more widely beloved ambassador (except for Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong), hope this is a glimpse into the future of better things coming our way if the recording industry ever wakes up to the listeners and fans of good music.

You can't go wrong with any of Cole's albums that are now on CD...many are hard-to-find and some not well known...highlights and stand outs are the entire album with fun loving Country Western melodies interwoven with lingering arrangements and conducted by Belford Hendricks and Orchestra and Chorus, once again produced by Lee Gillette... that instantly became classics with Nat performing them as he sings this from the heart and you're loving it...Nat completely takes charge savoring wonderful memories of the good times...now we can relive the songs that gave us so much pleasure...remember Nat was with us for such a short time...just sit back, give a listen and enjoy the sounds we grew up with...songs we've come to love over these past plus sixty years...gotta love it!

Nat was awarded a posthumous plaque to the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame, naming him one of the major early influences on rock 'n' roll...they'll never be another pass this way again...thank you Captiol for this release of Nat "King" Cole for the decades of music that followed...his songs will remain with us always and forever...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 39:00 on 15 Tracks ~ Capitol 46651 ~ (7/23/1996)

I've had the RAMBLIN' ROSE (AND MORE) cd for well over a year, and to be honest, I was not too crazy about it when I first played it. I'm not a country music fan so I REALLY wasn't feeling a lot of the songs on it, and it spent more time on my shelf than in my CD player. But as time went on, I've developed a love for this like I didn't think I would. Of course I loved "Ramblin' Rose", but along with a couple other songs on the CD, they were the only ones getting the time of day in my home...but playing it in its entirety recently made me really appreciate even more what a diverse talent that Nat was. I figured he may have been following Ray Charles' lead on doing an LP with a country/western theme, since Ray had done something similar earlier the same year (1962) and broke all kinds of records when he did it, sort of creating a new genre of music: country soul. Nat did equally as well.

There are a few songs on RAMBLIN' ROSE (AND MORE) that tend to be a little on the corny side (example: "Skip To My Lou", "Sing Another Song", "Twilight On The Trail"), but overall this CD is very good. Nat brings his warm and seductive charm to these tunes, and like I said in a review of another Nat CD, Nat could sing anything and make you love it...which is just what happened to me. It has that "everybody, sing-it-with-me" quality. Even though I'm not thrilled about "Wolverton Mountain", Nat handles it with a lot of spirit, and I can't knock him for that. This is the way he approached everything he sang, regardless of the genre. But enough about what I don't like....The best cuts on this CD are of course, "Ramblin' Rose", "I Don't Want It That Way", "Your Cheating Heart" and "Goodnight Irene". Also outstanding is the wistfulness of "He'll Have To Go" and "One Has My Name, The Other Has My Heart". "He'll Have To Go" is especially tender and romantic, with the gentle oohs and ahhs being sung in the background...no doubt, one of my favorite songs on the CD. "The Good Times", which was originally the B-side of the "Ramblin' Rose" single, seems like it was a fluke that it ended up on this album because it's the only song on it that is not arranged in the country/pop style...it's an upbeat pop/R&B joint that is reminiscent of the Ben E. King '60s hit "Stand By Me". I liked the call-and-response arrangement that Nat and his background chorus used in it; in fact the call-and-response technique is used on several songs here. The AND MORE part of the CD features three tracks from the follow up to the RAMBLIN' ROSE LP, DEAR LONELY HEARTS, another country/pop-themed album: "All By Myself", "All Over the World" and the title song, "Dear Lonely Hearts". The latter two songs were minor hits for Nat in late 1962.

For a non-country fan like me, RAMBLIN' ROSE (AND MORE) turned out to be a pleasant surprize. Only Nat King Cole's magnificent voice could make me have more respect for that genre of music, whereas before I thought most country songs were about drinking beer and cheating! LOL. This is an enjoyable CD. Add it to your collection!