Singin in the Rain

Cliff Edwards | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 19, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Asv Living Era
• ASIN: B00001ZWCW
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #307,564 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Singin' in the Rain

2. Hard-Hearted Hannah

3. Somebody Loves Me

4. Fascinatin' Rhythm

5. Oh, Lady Be Good!

6. Who Takes Care of the Caretaker's Daughter?

7. Dinah

8. Sunday

9. I'm Tellin' the Birds, I'm Tellin' the Bees

10. Mary Ann

11. Together

12. Anything You Say!

13. Just Like a Melody Out of the Sky

14. I Can't Give You Anything But Love

15. That's My Weakness Now

16. Half-Way to Heaven

17. I'll See You in My Dreams

18. I'm Going to Give It to Mary With Love

19. It's Only a Paper Moon

20. My Dog Loves Your Dog

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Although Cliff Edwards, also known as Ukulele Ike, was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1920s he is almost forgotten today. He was the first performer to do the classic "Singing in the Rain," he debuted Gershwin's "Fascinatin' Rhythm" in 1924, and he acted in over 100 movies. Unfortunately, he received no screen credit for his most famous role--as the voice of Jiminy Cricket in Walt Disney's Pinocchio. His version of "When You Wish Upon a Star" is still the definitive version of that classic song. Cliff Edwards deserves to be remembered, and a good place to rediscover him is on Singing in the Rain, a collection of songs from the 1910s, '20s, and '30s recorded for radio in the early '40s. He accompanies his jazzy vocals with his virtuoso ukulele playing. His performances have a surprisingly modern feel with none of the stilted quality that performers from the '20s can have. --Michael Simmons

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cheer up, life's not so bad, June 24, 2004

By 

Mr. Kurt Tidmore "Citizen of the World" (Ireland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Singing in the Rain (Audio CD)

My wife says she can always tell when I've been listening to this CD because I go around whistling and smiling. It's that kind of music. Cliff Edwards came to a sad end, but at one time he was one of the great natural singers of pop tunes. Like Louis Armstrong, he has fun with every song, and the fun is infectious. Some of the songs are hokey alright, but hey in fifty years whatever you think is hip is likely to sound hokey too. And some of the tunes, like Singing In The Rain and Over The Rainbow are timeless. Edwards has a great voice and he plays the ukulele like nobody else. Here it's just him and his uke and some un-named bass player, and the format suits him perfectly. His scat singing provides the extra 'instruments' and his falsetto provides the other voices. His energy and love of the music comes straight at you like sunshine through a fresh cleaned window. It's always summer with Ukulele Ike.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An intimate view of a seasoned Vaudeville star, September 17, 2002

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Singing in the Rain (Audio CD)

Although he excelled on the Hawaiian ukulele, Cliff Edwards tilted towards the standards rather than island-themed material. On these 1943 wartime radio performances, recorded in NYC for Lang-Worth Transcriptions, Edwards is heard in his most unadorned state, just him, his uke and a standup bass. These recordings are less bouncy and more matter-of-fact than most of his studio recordings, but it's also nice to hear him in such a stripped-down setting, without an orchestra to drown him out. These recordings may be too sparse-sounding for some, but they still reveal a master entertainer, performing in a relaxed, easygoing setting. Brings a lot of these old songs home in a unique fashion.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant Sweet Standards!, August 22, 2000

By 

Grendl X. (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Singing in the Rain (Audio CD)

A must have album for anyone who is a fan of sweet music. It's just Cliff, his uke and an upright bass for the most part. Wonderful! A great introduction to uke music. A great introduction to the vocal music of teens thru thirties.

BUY THIS RECORD!