Customer Reviews

The Romantic Moods Of Jackie Gleason

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For those of us who have long wondered what the music sounded like on those Jackie Gleason albums long out of print ("Lover's Portfolio," "Rebound," "Lonesome Echo" and so forth), this is a good place to start. Selections from no less than 31 of Gleason's Capitol albums from the 50s and 60s can be found here along with single releases and previously unreleased sides. For each track the liner notes list recording date, soloist, and album on which the track first appeared.

The instrumentations on these sides range from full string orchestra with soloist (often trumpet) to brass orchestra to flute orchestra to mandolin orchestra (try it--you'll like it). The selections here are mostly standards with a few Gleason originals thrown in--one of these, "The Moonlight," is breathtaking. Wistful, yearning, and always romantic are the superb renditions of "Ruby," "I'm in the Mood for Love," "You Oughta Be in Pictures," and "I Can't Get Started." I've listened to these tracks over and over and haven't tired of them yet!

Get this compilation while it's still in print and let's all try to persuade Capitol to re-release some of Jackie Gleason's original albums--"Music, Martinis and Memories" inter alia.

Jackie Gleason was one of the entertainment world's renaissance men. He was an accomplished comedian, actor, arranger, and composer. His music will forever serve as his living legacy. His works set the standard for many of the great musicians who followed, including Mantovani, Mauriat, and others. This CD eloquently captures the soft, sultry, and seductive sounds from an era that was Jackie's alone.

Jackie could not read a note of music, yet he composed and arranged some the of finest music ever recorded in America. He was a gifted artist who could blend the sounds from a crystal-clear coronet, with a simmering sax, soaring strings, and a deep, resonant bass to create an ambiance for romance, reflection, and rapture. From his signature work "Melancholy Serenade" to contemporary classics like "Ruby" and "Misty," the music flows like vintage wine...

This double Cd compilation Of Jackie Gleason's Finest recordings is heavenly! I bought the David Duchovny Dvd "RETURN TO ME" and was so overwhelmed by the music soundtrack featuring Dean Martin & Jackie Gleason. Those guys were among the finest balladeers and musicians who have ever existed. I can recall both men's variety shows on television when I was a small child and how my parents just loved watching every one of them weekly. For all of you true music lovers, PLEASE get the "Return To Me" soundtrack(see the movie...you'll laugh, you'll cry...great new romantic lovestory classic!) and also get this great Jackie Gleason double disc as well as Dean Martin's "The Capitol Years" double disc mini-box set. All this music has never really gone out of style! It's been revived by the likes of LINDA RONSTADT(her Nelson Riddle Orchestra albums in the 80's), Harry Connick(90's), and the great new classy balladeer JOEY GIAN, who is featured both on the "Return To Me"(2000)movie & the soundtrack. Many other artists are still keeping this music alive all over the world.

This compilation features a lot of Gleason's more lush tunes.There is a few brass ones but most of them are lush.Meloncholy seranade is one of the brass ones though.If you love beautiful music you will love the following songs on this cd.

Glamour This is one of my favorites and also you occasionally here an organ mixed with the strings.

The Last Dance

I Can't Get Started

Ruby

The Shadow Of Your Smile

Midnight Sun

There are others.Almost every song on this cd is garnered with heavy lush strings and accompined by Bobby Hacket's horn.This Gleason cd get's played on dish networks easy instrumentals channel 973 and also gets played at wktz at jones.edu.A lot of beautiful music stations use to play these songs by Gleason.
Unfortuanly most music stores like best buy and media play have decided not to carry this title they use to but it's good to know you can still get it from amazon.com.Just put this cd on when you want to relax.It's ashamed radio stations don't play relaxing music by Jackie Gleason,Percy Faith,Frank Chacksfield,the 101 Strings and others any more but at least we can enjoy them on cd.I also recommend Jackie Gleason's instrumental favorites cd.It has got a lot of beautiful music that isn't on this one if you can still find it.A lot of people usually associate Gleason with the honeymooners tv show but they don't realize he was an important beautiful music artist as well.

This is music at its best! If you like Quiet songs you can relax with get this CD! Jackie Gleason is an artist of which, not many people can come close to coppying.

Is it lounge music? Muzak? Elevator music? All I know is that our parents used to listen to this music on quiet evenings decades ago and it should never have gone out of style. This is very relaxing music. It is perfect for cocktails, loving evenings, massage, napping, summer vacations at a cottage, winter evenings around the fireplace, quiet dinners for two, etc. I have found it is also great for reading. If you need to shut off the world, do what our parents did: put on this album, make a pitcher of martinis, invite your favorite gal or guy over and r-e-l-a-x.

Received as a gift and can't get enough of it. Everybody I play it for, no matter what style of music they like, ends up addicted to it. It is so soothing and mellow that you just want it to keep going. Love it !

The heck with relaxing and reading; this is THE album for love, romance,and dancing with your favorite love, preferable with the lights low. This is what romantic music used to be , and still is all about.

Even if this may look as a review, it is really a plea to the people at Capitol Records PLEASE do not waste your time any more on senseless "lounge" compilations. This one is very good, but why oh why don't you re-release the REAL Jackie Gleason albums ? I myself have a few suggestions: "Rebound", "Riff Jazz", "Velvet Brass" and "Opiate d'Amour" could be excellent starters. Let the people know how smooth,dreamlike and elegant this music is (STILL is !), and forget the abominous New Age Muzak. I discovered it when I was a kid, on my father's LPs. My father has gone, but listening to this music I can dream he is on the shore of some otherwordly beautiful swimming-pool, having a Martini, music and memories to share with his pal Jackie. Don't forget the dreamers, Mr.Capitol Man.

Thus spake The Great One, Jackie Gleason, upon observing how much a romantic instrumental track added to the love scene in a Clark Gable movie.

Gleason wasn't a musician himself. He couldn't read or write music. He didn't play an instrument. He would hear the music in his head and describe it to someone else who would write the notes. Jackie was a perfectionist until the sound he had imagined had been transcribed, played by an orchestra (consisting of the finest musicians of the day) and transfered to a recording.

He had an unerring ear for beautiful, smooth jazz - what he called "plain vanilla music." He was after a sound, a mood. As he said, "It's 5 a.m. and you see her body outlined through her dress by the streetlight and you get that Mmmmmm...feeling."

Mmmmmm.... Yes, that's what this music is. (Notice that there are no drums on these songs. Percussion wasn't part of the mood he was trying to create.)

The 40 songs on this two CD set have been beautifully remastered. This is how Jackie wanted his music to sound - it's gorgeous!

Highly recommended!