Search - Martha Tilton :: Liltin' [ORIGINAL RECORDINGS REMASTERED]

PERFECT TRIBUTE TO "LILTIN'" TILTON'S EARLY SUCCESS

A. POLLOCK | PLYMOUTH, DEVON United Kingdom | 06/05/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Martha Tilton commenced her high-profile big-band singing career with Jimmy Dorsey in 1935, moving two years later to the Benny Goodman Orchestra with whom she made a few recordings. However, this double-disc of forty-nine tracks dedicated to the singer, trawls broadcast material with the advantage of hearing many popular songs Martha never committed to shellac with Benny and held together with a degree of spontaneity only possible via radio performance even though quick fades ensure the applause does not linger too long. At the time, all-male big band musicians needed to enlist the services of a glamorous girl singer in order to add an element of attraction to the band-stand and as such Martha had to adhere to arrangements which often favoured the musicians rather than her vocal talent!



Known as the "Liltin' Miss Tilton" Martha certainly held her own against the breezy Goodman style and the bevy of attractive songbirds who performed with other bands at that time. Casting pure imagination aside there's actually no need for such visual stimulus in order to enjoy the vocal charms of this perky vocalist who not only sang with vivacity but could imbue any tender ballad with emotion.



CD 1 offers twenty-five such treasures from the period 1937- 1939 with I USED TO BE COLOUR BLIND, MY HEART BELONGS TO DADDY, DEEP PURPLE and GOODNIGHT MY LOVE, topped off with Martha's signature big hit AND THE ANGELS SING. Of particular interest historically is JEEPERS CREEPERS on which Martha shares vocal company with Johnny Mercer and Billie Holiday whilst two versions of the upbeat COULD BE find Mercer and Goodman joining the act for similar support.



The second disc extracts broadcast from the Madhattan Room, Hotel Pennsylvania, New York over a period of three months in late 1937 with topical novelty numbers like I'D LIKE TO SEE SOME MO' OF SAMOA, BOB WHITE and I WANNA BE IN WINCHELL'S COLUMN nicely balanced between songs frequently favoured by all big bands at the time with THE MOON GOT IN MY EYES, ME, MYSELF AND I, YOURS AND MINE and AFRAID TO DREAM typical of such choices but unlike THE LADY IS A TRAMP, ONCE IN A WHILE and IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT not destined to become standards.



Transferred from acetate copies and taking into account primitive recording techniques of the time, these recordings sound splendidly clear and clean. Even listening through headphones failed to reveal distortion or drop-out so together with informative notes, broadcast dates and band personnel details; this is a timely tribute to Martha who died in December 2006 aged ninety-one. She later moved on from band singer to solo artiste at Capitol plus sporadic ghost voice cover for non-singing Hollywood stars besides occasionally appearing on the silver screen but this compilation is the perfect homage to her early success.

"

Liltin' Martha Tilton

Bruce Bryant | Ulysses, KS | 08/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Benny Goodman and Martha Tilton's wonderful voice are a winning combination. Great music and pure nostalgia."

Fine two CD set of nothing but the best of Martha Tilton

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 02/23/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Whenever I hear Martha Tilton sing, I am amazed at how beautiful her voice was. Wow, could she sing! She always gave blood to please her adoring fans; and just one listen to this two CD set proves she had a splendid and natural talent. The quality of the sound is not the best; there is surface noise on quite a few of the tracks but it doesn't actually interfere with hearing the words and music. The artwork is very nicely done.



There are many songs on these two CDs and of course I have my personal favorites, yet Martha does make all fifty songs sound sublime. "Sailboat in the Moonlight" has Martha at her usual best! In addition, "Dixieland Band" features Martha swinging brightly to make this number shine; and I really like Martha's treatment of "March of the Swing Parade." Her excellent diction enhances her performance all the more, too. "When I Go A-Dreamin'" captures Martha's voice in all its glory; and there's yet another gem when Martha sings her rendition of "You Go to My Head." The brass really rounds out the tune as well. "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" is very easy on the ear; and both "I Used to be Color Blind" and "Deep in a Dream" are excellent!



"Jeepers Creepers" is playful and there's a fine treatment of the classic "My Heart Belongs to Daddy." Martha sings this without ever letting go of a single superfluous note; and I'm very impressed. "Home in the Clouds" boasts that big band sound that accompanies Martha very well; and "You're a Cute Little Headache" ranks high in my book as does "Deep Purple" which has Martha Tilton squarely front and center--which is quite all right by me! "You Turned the Tables On Me" is very well done and the banter really gives it that radio days flavor.



"I Get Along Without You Very Well" is sublime as Martha sings this faultlessly while "And the Angels Sing" has Martha's charming voice making this magical in a way that only she could. "That Old Feeling," a big favorite of mine, gets the royal treatment from Martha Tilton; she does this one up right! "Moon Got in My Eyes;" "I'd Like to See So' More of Samoa" with that piano work; "Bob White;" "So Many Memories" also rank highly in my book although of course the others are also beautifully done.



"You're My Desire" sparkles like silver and gold when Martha sings it along with the wonderful music; but wisely the musicians never try to steal the spotlight from Martha--her performance is in the spotlight! "The Lady Is a Tramp" is another tune Martha does without a flaw; I also enjoy "Blossoms on Broadway" in particular. "Once in a While" is a song I could never tire of hearing when Martha is singing it; and "Sweet Stranger;" "In the Still of the Night;" "You Took the Words Right out of My Heart;" "I Wanna Be in Winchell's Column" and "It's Wonderful" are all very moving when Martha performs them.



Martha Tilton isn't remembered as she should be, but maybe with continued sales of CD sets like this one that will change. This is a must-have for Martha Tilton fans and people who love that classic big band sound will cherish this, too. In addition, if you like classic pop vocals you should consider getting this for your music collection."