Search - John Gary :: Nearness You / John Sings Your All-Time Favorite

That Voice!

Nancy A. Martin | Dallas, TX | 07/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had not listened to many of the selections on either of the albums featured in this dual CD for several years due to the fact that I had just about worn out my old vinyl albums. I experienced such a rush of past memories when I played this disc for the first time this week. I was taken back to a time when John's music was such a wonderful way to slow down and just enjoy life.John Gary once described himself as a "baritone with a freakish range". It was just this "range" that first caught my ear. There are many examples on this album to bear out his description. His tenor range is strongly evident in several cuts, among them are "Hawaiian Wedding Song" and "You'll Never Walk Alone". The vocal strength that John possessed was absolutely amazing. He seemed to be able to effortlessly hold a note for an eternity. If you listen to selections such as "Beautiful" (John's personal favorite) or "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," you will find yourself totally lost in his incredible vocal interpretations. Unfortunately, this album also reminds me that John has been gone almost five years now, and we must now content ourselves with his past work. But, in so doing, we are able to keep his memory alive and continue to introduce new people to the man and the voice that I have always cherished."

John Gary fans, rejoice!

Nancy A. Martin | 03/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Your days of combing through used record shops and search services are coming to an end! This is one of 3 CD sets of two long out-of-print LPs each that Collectables, a Pennsylvania based company has just reissued. Whole albums, not just selected cuts, with the original liner notes.Classic Gary cuts are all here, delivered in that warm, intimate, passionate style that set him apart from all of the rest - and he must have recorded just about every important love ballad that ever came from from Broadway and film during his heyday in the 60's. Fans of his TV show will appreciate hearing "Softly, as I Leave You" again too, the song that he closed each show with.The "Nearness of You" portion of this disc has the added bonus of sumptuous string orchestra arrangements provided by the incomparable Gordon Jenkins, who also backed such greats as Cole and Sinatra. The entire 24 tracks run the emotional gamut - from the "just for you" intimacy of the "Hawaiian Wedding Song" to the final stirring reading of "You'll Never Walk Alone" with John operating at full throttle for a knock-out ending.This is John Gary at his peerless best. Absolutely glorious singing!"

CLASSIC JOHN GARY

Giovanni | Chicago, IL | 02/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"That byline could probably describe any time John Gary opened his mouth. His astounding three octave range won over millions of listeners in the mid-60's, depsite the British Invasion and made his records sell worldwide. Sadly, he never reached stardom like a Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennett, per se. Today, the hopeful masses who have waited for John's work on CD can be satisfied. Two other such CDs are now available in a world where very little if any of John's work was released on CD. This CD presents two more of John's wonderful albums with highlights at every turn. John's reading of "ON THE STREET WHERE YOU LIVE" from "My Fair Lady" is filled with emotion, and a lovely ending with one of John's trademark high notes. Abetted by the lush Gordon Jenkins Orchestra, John wistfully croons the evergreen "MY FOOLISH HEART" with spectacular results. It is Jenkins who also wrote the charts for other standouts here, "I WISH YOU LOVE" and one of Gary's signature heartbreaking closers, "SOFTLY, AS I LEAVE YOU". Other CDs (albiet the few out there) have given us some of the tracks found here, but this CD gives us for the very first time, the definitive reading of the Jerome Kern classic "ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE". Listen to John's plaintive singing and dramatic use of voice toward the end and you are hearing a master at work. Speaking of Kern, John also supplies us with the haunting "SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES" with similarly gorgeous results. I speak for the masses when I thank the good people at Collectable Records for making these CDs by John Gary at long last available!!"