Customer Reviews

Serenade

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Frances was first and foremost a singer, although she also appeared in a lot of Hollywood movies. She did not record a lot music, considering the length of her career, doing most of her singing via radio broadcasts or touring.

This brilliant collection is one of two on the Flare label and there is also an excellent collection on Jasmine (So many memories) which only shares three tracks with the two Flare albums, these being Swingin' the jinx away and Night and day (both on this album) and Sweet Heartache, the title track of the other Flare album.

This album (like the others, dominated by ballads, which was Frances' speciality) begins with a beautiful version of Red sails in the sunset, recorded in late 1947, which might just be my favorite track on this collection - but they are all brilliant, so it's a close decision.

Some of the songs were introduced to the world by Frances in her movies, including You hit the spot (from Collegiate) and Will I ever know (from Palm Springs). The rest are a mixture of the famous and the forgotten - but you can't tell which is which from Frances' performance, which is always excellent. However, you will immediately recognise I've got you under my skin, Stormy weather and a few others, becausec they have been covered so often down the years.

Perhaps the greatest pleasure comes from listening to Frances sing those forgotten songs (Boulevard of broken dreams, Deep shadows, Blue evening and others) and wondering why they have been forgotten. Maybe a modern interpreter of the Great American Songbook will revive them after hearing this CD.

Most singers of the thirties joined bands and sang dance numbers. Not Frances - she enjoyed singing all those wonderful love songs. Enjoy her music !!!!

What a wonderful compilation! Frances Langford was always consistent. She gave as much care to the little throw away songs as she did to the classics or soon to be classics. On this disc you can hear how her style evolved from the more staid style of singing in the 30's to the more relaxed style in the 40's. Frances could do it all, from 'The Last Rose of Summer' and Schubert's 'Serenade' to 'You Belong to My Heart'
There were many great female singers in the 40's,a lot with wonderful voices, but Frances Langford stands head and shoulders above them all. Listen to her intensity, the feeling she puts into all her songs, believing every line and making you believe it to. 'Blue Evening' is a song I play over and over. It is incredibly beautiful and so well done. Her voice is at the same time light and airy and yet in a flash it can turn low and sensual. 'Passing Fancy' is sung with such conviction, such passion that you want to tell her it's not a passing fancy, you'll love her forever.
'Will I Ever Know' a song she also sang in the 1936 film 'Palm Springs' is what prompted me to write my fantasy-time travel novel, 'Will I Ever Know' about a man in the present day hearing the words, "The moment that I see him I will know him,no matter how impossible it seems...we have met before in dreams." In the fantasy Frances is also haunted by the words, dreaming of a phantom man running to her but fading out before she can see his face. The man in the present time travels back to 1945 to try and meet Frances. Listen to the way she sings those words, you'll want to time travel too!

I bought this for my mother-in-law. She loves it. It is just the kind of nostalgia she needs after the recent passing of her husband of 55 years.

I bought this album and had it replaced by Amazon. Unfortunately both CDs had tracks 24 and 25 corrupted - ruined the album. Don't buy. Amazon does a great job trying to help correct a manufacturer's GOOF!