Search - Russ Columbo :: Complete Studio Recordings

Grandpop Would Have Loved This Collection

Caesar M. Warrington | Lansdowne, PA United States | 02/02/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It was from my grandfather, Caesar "Chalee" Constantino, that I learned to love and appreciate the great crooners and balladeers: Sinatra, Dean Martin, Al Martino, Billy Eckstine... But it was Russ Columbo who was his most beloved favorite. Occasionally, on nights when he had too much to drink, he would take out his precious --but time worn-- records and tears would come to his eyes as he would tell me how Columbo was the greatest, how he should have become "King of the Crooners." Russ Columbo's died in 1934, he was only 26. Officially, he died when his friend, photographer Lansing Brown, accidentally fired a 125 year old French dueling pistol he kept on his desk, hitting Columbo. Many wild rumors followed this tragic but weird death. One tale my grandfather used to tell involved Bing Crosby. It was said that Crosby was so jealous of Columbo's talent and good looks that he paid to have him killed. The incident will forever remain a mystery.



This 2-CD collection of 32 tracks spans the years 1928-1934, including all of the great sides from the Russ Columbo Orchestra, a 13 piece dance outfit which featured future Big Band giants like Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa and Jimmy McPartland.

One track from the orchestra's first recording session, "I Wanna Be Loved," which was never released, unfortunately could not be included because, despite repeated searches, it is now considered forever lost.



I hope you enjoy this collection as much as I'm sure my grandfather would have loved it."

Russ Columbo Set, A Great Release For Your Collection

Caesar M. Warrington | 10/24/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The same 2 people are spewing negative information regarding our Russ Columbo CD set that I produced, on several websites, and their opinions are not factual...the set was made from the actual metal masters at RCA/BMG (not all have survived over the 70+ years) and they were supervised by me and BMG engineer Dennis Ferrante. In cases where the masters no longer existed, we used BMG archive tapes to work from. We worked on these tracks for a long time to improve the quality (they sounded very rough to begin with, especially by today's standards), and have received several letters complementing us on this set. We have developed a great reputation for quality at Taragon, and we take all criticism very seriously, because we do care. I hope you will buy this collection, and as with any other recordings you purchase, be your own judge.Eliot Goshman
Taragon Records Company
eliot@taragon.com"

Excellent compendium of Russ Columbo's finest work...

CroonerDude | New York, NY United States | 03/17/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I recently purchased "The Complete Studio Recordings of Russ Columbo" and I, for one, am gratefully impressed by the efforts of the producers of this set. As a serious "Russ Columbologist," I was fairly dazzled to hear Russ's voice so crystal-clear, for the first time. Yes, it takes some getting used to, after years of studying his original 78's. And, to address other critics' complaints about it being "over-produced", I'd say that's a matter of personal "taste". There will always be the "why-mess-with-the-original?" camp; I'd say that this release is more of a case of "polishing-up" an antique, using the new, digital tools we have at hand. If nothing else (though this set has a great deal more to recommend it), Russ Columbo collectors at long last have a handsome, well-edited compendium of nearly all of his studio recordings. Whether or not this set is, in fact, the "complete" recordings of Russ Columbo is moot--dreamers that most Columbo fans seem to be, I'd say our overriding wish is that some trove of "lost" recordings will someday appear (along with the film of Russ performing "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," from the original 1933 film, "Moulin Rouge"). Until that happens, I'd say we're lucky to have this collection as a tribute to a musician whom the sands of time seem to have buried, and terribly unjustly so, seems to me. This obvious "labor of love" CD set is clearly a step toward rectifying the bum rap that history's given our boy Russ, the most enigmatic male pop singer of the 20th Century."