Swingin' With Bing: Bing Crosby's Lost Radio Performances [Original recording remastered]

Bing Crosby | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 24, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Shout Factory
• ASIN: B0002RUQG4
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,754 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Bing Crosby was without doubt the most popular and influential media star of the first half of the 20th century. He was the best-selling singer until the rise of Elvis, the biggest movie star of the ’40s, and, as host of a long-running radio show, the most popular radio star of all time. For the first time ever, Shout! Factory is proud to present the very best of his radio performances, remastered from transcription discs recorded and broadcast from 1942 to 1954. Bing’s charming banter and relaxed live performances serve to remind us of his warmth and superior artistry, and guest stars such as Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Nat "King" Cole, Dinah Shore, The Mills Brothers, and The Andrews Sisters provide more than fitting accompaniment.

DISC ONE: BING MEETS NAT KING COLE & THE ANDREWS SISTERS With Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires and John Scott Trotter & His Orchestra

DISC TWO: BING MEETS ELLA FITZGERALD & LOUIS ARMSTRONG (Their Complete Radio Duets – Part 1) Featuring: Dinah Shore, Jack Teagarden and Red Nichols - With Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires and John Scott Trotter & His Orchestra

DISC THREE: BING MEETS ELLA FITZGERALD & LOUIS ARMSTRONG (Their Complete Radio Duets – Part 2) Featuring: Red Nichols, Joe Venuti, Jack Teagarden, Les Paul, Ziggy Elman, Toni Arden and The Mills Brothers - With Jud Conlon’s Rhythmaires and John Scott Trotter & His Orchestra

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Most comprehensive Crosby radio collection available!, August 26, 2004

By 

Greg Van Beek "co-editor, BING magazine, publ... (West Bend, Wisconsin) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Swingin' With Bing: Bing Crosby's Lost Radio Performances (Audio CD)

This is, without a doubt, the most comprehensive look at Bing Crosby's radio work that has ever been produced. And there was no better man to tackle the job of compiling it all than Ken Barnes. Ken's production values and attention to detail are extraordinary. If Ken's involved with a project, you can be assured the results will always be outstanding and top notch. It's a pity that Bing Crosby never made a commercial recording with the great Ella Fitzgerald, whom Bing cited on numerous occasions as his favorite singer. But we're fortunate Bing had her as a guest on his radio shows often, and that Ken has painstakingly assembled all of their extant duets together for this album. Not only that, but you also can revel in classic live performances pairing Bing with Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, the Andrews Sisters, the Mills Bros. and more. If you want to hear the ultimate crooner, live and in his prime, this is the one CD set with which to begin your journey into the realm of Crosbyana. A detailed and informative booklet is included with the set. It's heavily illustrated with many rare and previously unseen images. So go on, take a chance. Purchase this set at once. I guarantee you the magic of Bing captivate you as it has so many others for so many years.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Bing's radio shows are impressive from the '40s & '50s", January 25, 2005

By 

J. Lovins "Mr. Jim" (Missouri-USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Swingin' With Bing: Bing Crosby's Lost Radio Performances (Audio CD)

Shout Factory people and Sony Music presents "Swingin' with Bing: Bing Crosby's Lost Radio Performances", perfectly re-mastered from the vaults original recordings that have the who's who in the Music Department during those Golden Days of Crosby on the airwaves...Ken Barnes did a bang up job producing and writing the informative liner notes...each track has never seen the light of day on any other label.

Besides Bing we have Buddy Cole (piano), Ziggy Elman (trumpet), Red Nichols (cornet), Les Paul (guitar), Uan Rasey (trumpet), Billy Taylor (trombone) and Joe Venuti (violin), John Scott Trotter & His Orchestra...this is just the tip of the iceberg...many were great friends of Bing and it shows during those radio years.

On the first disc...we have one of the great jazz trios in the business Nat King Cole performing with Bing "SAM'S SONG (THE HAPPY TUNE)", big hit for Bing and his son Gary, but listen to this classic performance by Nat and Bing..."DON'T FENCE ME IN", "YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW THE LANGUAGE", "SOUTH AMERICA, TAKE IT AWAY" and "I CAN DREAM, CAN'T I?, three young ladies who set the bar for female trios The Andrew Sisters...doesn't get any better than singing with Patty, LaVerne and Maxine with our favorite crooner...but the closing song on this disc "MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS AND KEEP YOU", featuring Bing, Nat and the Andrew Sisters with lyrics that completely touches your heart...entire collection is the music my parents heard when they were young...this is not only what was known as Pop Music of the day, but also some classic Jazz, Boogie Woogie and Swing thrown in for good measure.

The second disc...Bing meets Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (just happen to be my two favorite duet people on the planet)..."BASIN STREET BLUES", "DREAMER'S HOLIDAY", "THAT'S A PLENTY", "SILVER BELLS" (version 1) and "MEMPHIS BLUES" (version 1), featuring the "First Lady of Song" Miss Ella Fitzgerald at her peak and in her prime..."BLUEBERRY HILL" (version 1 & 2), "GONE FISHIN" (version 1), "LAZY BONES" (version 1), "A KISS TO BUILD A DREAM ON" (version 1)...listen as Satchmo affectionately calls our crooner "Papa Bing" whenever they are performing...beautifully sung harmonies plus impassioned solo performances which are unequaled in all of music radio history...as Bing and his guests are at the top of their form...Bing meets Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Dinah Shore, Jack Teagarden and Red Nichols celebrating the highlights of Bing's 20th Anniversary...Crosby was an institution of entertainment during the WWII era and the years there after...this compilation stands up so well today as it did decades ago.

On the final disc three...features Bing, Ella, Armstrong, Jack Teagarden, Les Paul and The Mills Brothers...a few highlights "UP A LAZY RIVER/PAPER DOLL", with the Mills Brothers and Bing..."ISTANBUL", wonderful duet with Ella & Bing back in December 1953, catchy arrangement and classic performance..."SILVER BELLS", "RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER", "WHITE CHRISTMAS" and "MEMPHIS BLUES", touching tunes that are still around today...sung from the heart the way songs were performed back in the '40s and '50s...a solo piece of music "BLUE SKIES", with a beautiful rendition accompanied by Les Paul on guitar from Dec. 27, 1953...and another great American Standard "IT HAD TO BE YOU", step aside Harry Connick Jr. and Rod Stewart, Papa Bing is taking the stage and crooning this popular tune with the help of Red Nichols on cornet from Feb. 13, 1952...just the way we like 'em!

Hats off to Ken Barnes (compiled & producer), Kathryn Crosby (executive producer), Shawn Amos (A&R direction), Peter Reynolds (digital transfer, audio restoration and mastering), Shout Factory, Sony Music and of course the best crooner of them all...BING CROSBY!

Total Time: 3-CD-Box Set ~ Sony 31507 ~ (8/24/2004)

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally a restoration worthy of these great musicians, September 29, 2004

By 

Ian Muldoon (Coffs Harbour, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Swingin' With Bing: Bing Crosby's Lost Radio Performances (Audio CD)

It's a doggone shame, if I may use that term, the way in which musicians' work has been re-issued by companies, including the work of Bing Crosby, a great musician of the 20th Century. Only two CD's are comparable to the SWINGIN WITH BING and both were done by Robert Parker of Australia and issued as CLASSIC CROSBY 1931-1938 and Bing CROSBY 1927-1934 both in digital stereo. It's as if those who listen to popular music are somehow less deserving of the care and attention that is paid to so called "classical" music. Don't get me wrong. I love good music period, regardless of genre, but there has it seems to me been a pretty cavalier attitude to the likes of Mr Crosby. MOSAIC have done a wonderful job on issuing the TRANSCRIPTIONS of Miss Peggy Lee and Miss June Christy and I thought they would have done the same for Mr Crosby. In SWINGIN WITH BING the glorious restoration was done the PETER REYNOLDS MASTERING Studio in Colchester England. In addition, the producer has done a judicious editing job by leaving out the second rate jokes and most of the patter but retained the FEEL of live performance, the joy of the moment, and concentrated on the MUSIC. These are the greatest artists in the heyday of radio with Bing Crosby as host. The program is perfect with great ballads such as MY FOOLISH HEART (superior to Mr Sinatra's I Believe), the usual pop classics SOUTH AMERICA TAKE IT AWAY, neglected masterpieces,STRANGE MUSIC, in total over 60 tracks.
Finally, I've been very happy to pay the premium price for this wonderful package. Not to be missed if you love some of the best music of the last century performed as it is here by the best.