* DICK HAYMES' 1957 MASTERWORK *
Jasper | New England | 02/27/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This cd is a pinnacle from a decade full of pinnacles of the singers & standards variety. This is also a pinnacle of Dick Haymes' wildly erratic career. A Bing Crosby protégé in the greatest sense, Dick Haymes also followed the trail of Frank Sinatra, and incorporated the brilliant ideas of both artists into his own inimitable style. We are not likely to hear a singer with an instrument of such unabashed richness again.
Emotional vulnerability was not Dick Haymes forte, but in the mid 1950s he released two albums of great depth and artistry; "Rain Or Shine" (1955) and "Moondreams" (1957). Both are essential. "Rain Or Shine" is sometimes available as a Japanese import (ASIN: B00005USLF), or in the guise of a "best of" compilation, for very little cash (ASIN: B000000D1B). "Moondreams" is available only as this import, and is worth every cent. While "Rain Or Shine" deals with the quiet joy and intimacy of love, "Moondreams" deals with the whole of the affair, the love, the joy, the pain, and the heartbreak. While "Moondreams" is beautiful, it is also brutally honest, and faces the hard truths about romance and human nature in the most wrenching of terms. A brilliant and little-known masterpiece, "Moondreams" was once, for all intents and purposes, impossible to find. Perhaps due to the praise afforded it in Will Friedwald's book "Jazz Singing," the recording has surfaced on a cd (with great sound, by the way). This is not to say that "Moondreams" will always be here. This is one of those cds that is just destined to vanish, so anyone interested would be well advised to pick it up now, import price or not. The odds are very low that "Moondreams" will ever be released stateside.
Nonmusical factors interfered with Haymes ability to record more music in this vein, or even much more music in general, but nonetheless, through an active early career, and through these masterpieces of the 1950s, Dick Haymes has secured his legacy as one of THE greatest singers of jazz/pop standards of all time.
For a great look at Haymes' earlier career, check out the fantastic and inexpensive box set "Golden Years Of Dick Haymes" on Jasmine Records. Along with the two discs mentioned above, the listener will have a great representation of his best work."
Presence and personality!
Hiram Gomez Pardo | Valencia, Venezuela | 05/07/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"
The melodic, expressive and captivating voice of this notable crooner still remain through all these years. Dick owned that instantaneous landmark seal that one distinguishes immediately in a singer. Somehow he anticipated to Frankie with that moonlight charm so typical of those difficult years, during and after the WW2. An eloquent diction and musical phrasing that literally made of his voice another instrument by itself. The influence of Bing Crosby is obvious but who could escape from it? , but that is far to be a complaint but a reflection. Besides the huge presence of Jerome Kern and Cole Porter ran parallel to Vladimir Kosma and Mercer somehow is narrow bounded with Jacques Prevert on the other side of the ocean. Furthermore, if you take a look around about the candlelight songs in those ages such Laura, My funny Valentine, the very thought of you or When I fall in love, you feel the call of the Mother Earth in the sense to recover again the sense of the back to the intimate world made of affections, to try to forget as soon as possible the deep scares from the War years.
Go for this CD without any doubt!
"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1