Search - Various Artists :: Sentimental Journey: Pop Vocal Classics, Vol. 2 (1947-1950)

Fine CD installment in a great CD series

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 05/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sentimental Journey, Vol. 2 is yet another excellent installment in this CD series of wonderful words and music from the era of classic pop vocals and the "oldies." The quality of the sound is great and that artwork impresses me very much.



Bing Crosby begins the CD track set with a wonderful rendition of "Far Away Places." "Far Away Places" is a charming ballad that features Bing front and center--great! "Far Away Places" also appeals to so many people because of the human desire to want to explore the world and travel to places far away from home. Peggy Lee then sings a wonderful--and somewhat amusing--melody called "Mañana (Is Soon Enough For Me)." "Mañana (Is Soon Enough For Me)" was a song Peggy co-wrote with her husband David Barbour; this was intended to be merely a playful tune but when it angered some Spanish people Peggy and her husband had some explaining to do! The issue was eventually smoothed over well. In addition, there's Dinah Shore & Her Happy Valley Boys doing a great job on a number called "Buttons And Bows." This country flavored ballad is truly a classic and you'll probably recognize it once you hear it. Dinah's voice is in excellent form and her voice is also as clear as a bell.



Patti Page performs "The Tennessee Waltz" with style and grace; this was one of Patti's signature songs and she loved to sing it frequently! "The Tennessee Waltz" is stunning and it easily is a major highlight of this album. Frankie Laine also weighs in with his treatment of a ballad called "That's My Desire;" this timeless number shines when Frankie sings it and the horn fits in so well with the rest of the music. Eileen Barton also delivers "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked A Cake;" "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked A Cake" is a classic number that you may well recognize when you hear it. However, if it's new to you I'm sure you'll like this number just the same. Doris Day also sings one of her earlier signature songs entitled "It's Magic;" "It's Magic" truly belonged to Doris and when you hear this there's no doubt as to why! Doris easily aces this ballad.



Gordon Jenkins & His Orchestra team up with The Weavers to perform a sublime rendition of "Goodnight Irene;" "Goodnight Irene" goes back a long way but they sing this to perfection as they make it sound so fresh and new. Great! Teresa Brewer also makes good on her signature tune, "Music! Music! Music!" "Music! Music! Music!" is a fun tune with a catchy melody that makes you sit up and take notice; the ragtime flavor works well for this tune and Teresa never sounded better! The CD also ends strong with Buddy Clark performing "Linda." "Linda" is a cute number that is very memorable as well.



Sentimental Journey, Volume 2 is a fantastic installment in this all too brief CD series of wonderful numbers from our past. I highly recommend this CD for fans of classic pop vocals as well as the "oldies."

"

Continuing A Nice Forties Retrospective From Rhino,

Matthew G. Sherwin | 08/25/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is part of a very nice four-volume series from the folks at Rhino, each accompanied by 10 or more pages of detailed liner notes by Will Friedwald, several vintage photographs, and a complete discography of the contents. The sound quality does, however, vary greatly on each volume from merely satisfactory to excellent.



A few observations on the listings: track 2 is by Peggy Lee, with the backing of Dave Barbour's orchestra; track 3 has Buddy singing with the backing of George Siravo & His Orchestra; track 7 is Billy Eckstine with the backing of Russ Case (who also was the orchestra leader on many of Perry Como's earliest hits); track 10 is Mel Torme with the backing of Pete Rugulo's orchestra; and track 18 should show Buddy Clark with Ray Noble & His Orchestra.



Also, another reviewer has it wrong when saying that Linda is about Linda McCartney. The song dates back to 1947, and the then Linda Eastman had been born in 1943. Given these lyrics



"When I go to sleep, I never count sheep, I count all the charms about Linda.



And lately it seems in all of my dreams, I walk with my arms about Linda.



But what good does it do me for Linda doesn't know that I exist? Can't help feeling gloomy, think of all the lovin' I've missed."



He's probably thinking about Eric Clapton's Slow Down Linda.

, it's extremely doubtful such lyrics would be applied to a 4-year-old without some serious investigation!

"

Good selection of late '40s/early '50s material

Bruce R. Gilson | Wheaton, MD United States | 07/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The period covered by this CD is a little strange; 1947 to 1950, so the earliest part of the fifties is included as well as most of the last half of the forties. But in fact, 1947 to 1957 was a unified period in popular music, so even if this collection doesn't mesh with the "decades" popular in classifying music, it's a reasonable period to cover. My own introduction to popular music came in 1948, so this CD contains many of the earliest memories I have of pop songs. This collection includes some of the best (even though a couple were already in my collection via other CDs I've ordered recently, but that's hard to avoid!)- every one of these a big hit in the 1947-1950 period that it covers.This is an excellent collection for people interested in the post-Big Band, pre-Rock'n'Roll era of music."