Search - Julius La Rosa :: Mainly Romantic (ORIGINAL RECORDINGS REMASTERED)

Great voice, mediocre sound, so-so back-up arrangements

06/03/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This disc makes one point clearly: LaRosa was in great voice when these recordings were made back in the late 50's and early 60's. His barritone was smooth and powerful; and he worked very hard at communicating the music he was singing. If only the quality of the sound on these tracks was better. If only LaRosa was given the quality of back-up instrumentals that were afforded to Sinatra. Then this disc would not have been just good. It would have been a classic."

A great CD for Julius La Rosa's fans

Frank Jellison | Salem, OR | 01/17/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is a collection of both live and studio recordings from the late 1950's and early 1960's. The live performances, probably from live TV, display a singer with the confidence to do just about anything he wants with his voice. There are no second chances with live performances and he never falters. He had a big voice, a wide range and could swing. Even if you have some his studio recordings from this period the live performances are well worth owning.The small group recordings are also very well done. It also takes a lot of confidence and talent to sing with a quartet. There is nowhere to hide. As it was pointed out on the liner notes of one of his MGM albums, Julius La Rosa did not need the "Guns of Navarone" in the background when he sang. There are a number of younger male vocalists who are popular today. None of them have the great voices of Julius La Rosa, Vic Damone, Steve Lawrence or any the other great male singers of the 1950's and 1960's. The sound quality may be up to the standards of today but and I have heard much worse coming out of the studio recordings of major record labels.I admit that I am a fan of Julius La Rosa's singing. I've collected most of his studio albums on either CD or LP. I recently purchased this CD and am very pleased with it.
The CD "Better Than Ever", recorded in 1996, might be more to the liking of someone who does not own any of his CDs. The 1985 CD "Julius La Rosa" on Project 3 is also an excellent CD."

Julius at his best!

Thomas Bumbera | Maplewood, NJ USA | 03/02/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Most of the tracks on this disc were drawn from syndicated public service shows done by and for the Treasury Department (savings bonds plan) in the early 1960s. While not recorded in stereo, the sound quality is perfectly adequate for anyone used to listening to records of the period. More importantly, La Rosa's voice was nearing its peak at the time, and it's wonderful to hear him turned loose on standards that he was seldom permitted to record commercially. The original 16" transcription discs are hard to come by - and how many reading this have a turntable that could play them? - so if you want to hear these first-rate examples of La Rosa tackling the Great American Songbook (just look at that song selection!), get this disc while it's available! Maybe someday RCA/BMG/Sony will reissue his one (1956) RCA album with some bonus tracks? Yeah, right, like they care about what's in their vault!"