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Compilation: Stars of the Golden Era     Vintage Songs of: Fred Astaire, Nelson Eddy, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, Mario Lanza, Doris Day, Frank Sinatra, Cole Porter, Noel Coward, Edith Piaf, Richard Tauber, Gracie Fields, Vera Lynn and George Formby etc. etc.   Available On: Naxos Nostalgia 2 CDs 8.120754-55   Running Time: 159 mins approx Amazon UK CD1: Noel Coward sings Mrs Worthington The Ink Spots – Don’t Get Around Much Anymore Edith Piaf – La vie en rose Richard Tauber – Vijalied Billy Cotton – A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square Doris Day – I Don’t Want To Be Kissed Nelson Eddy - Indian Love Call Larry Adler – Smoke Gets in Your Eyes Marian Anderson – Deep River Al Jolson – Don’t Write Me Letters Vera Lynn – We’ll Meet Again Tino Rossi – Marinella The Mills Brothers – Tiger Rag Judy Garland – Over the Rainbow Billy Mayerl – Marigold Leadbelly – Black Smoke Moan Josephine Baker – Bonsat, mon amour Frank Sinatra – East of the Sun Paul Whitman - Southern Melody Richard Crooke – Canter in the Air George Formby – The Window Cleaner Lucienne Boyer – Parlez-moi d’amour Josef Locke – My Heart and I Mantovani – El Toreador Roy Rogers – Along the Navajo Trail Gertrude Lawrence – Mad About the Boy CD2: Cole Porter – You’re the Top Marlene Dietrich – Falling In Love Again Paul Robeson – Ol’ Man River Maurice Chevalier - Place Pigalle The Comedy Harmonists – Whistle While You Work Charles Trenet – La Mer Anne Shelton - Blueberry Hill Lawrence Tibbett – On the Road to Mandalay Frank Crumit – The Song of the Prune Dinah Shore – Come Rain or Come Shine Leroy Anderson – Sleigh Ride Guy Lombardo – The Band Played On John McCormack –The Rose of Tralee The Andrews Sisters – Santa Claus is Coming to Town Freddy Gardner – These Foolish Things Gracie Fields – The Biggest Aspidistra in the World Perry Como – Surrender Bing Crosby – Brother Can You Spare A Dime Jean Sablon – Le chanson des rues Edmundo Ross – Mambo Jambo Woody Guthrie – Dear Mr President Xavier Cugat – Bim Bam Bum Fred Astaire – Puttin’ On the Ritz Ivor Novello – Keep the Home Fires Burning Mario Lanza – Be My Love This double album is a compendium of tracks culled from other Naxos releases in their Nostalgia series. It’s a wonderful bargain – a collection of jewels from the 1930s and 1940s – as far as my memory serves - because the down side is that there are no notes whatsoever only a list of Naxos recordings from which this release has been compiled. One of the many highlights is the inclusion of composers Noel Coward singing ‘Mrs Worthington’ (don’t put your daughter on the stage) and Cole Porter’s rendering of his own hit, ‘You’re the Top’ from Anything Goes, to open of each CD. And (almost) to close the concert, there is Ivor Novello singing his Great War hit, ‘Keep the Home Fires Burning’. Then there are the invaluable historic recordings of Marlene Dietrich sultrily singing ‘Falling in Love Again’, the oaken tones of Paul Robeson in Ol’ Man River’ and the sturdy imperial-voiced, Lawrence Tibbett singing ‘On the Road to Mandalay’ Continental classics include: Edith Piaf’s ‘La vie en rosse’, Richard Tauber’s ‘Vijalied’, and Maurice Chevalier’s ‘Place Pigalle’. Great artists are remembered like heartthrob Nelson Eddy making his ‘Indian Love Call’, the Andrews Sisters welcoming ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’, Vera Lyn promising ‘We’ll Meet Again’, Perry Como ‘Surrender’ – ing, and Judy Garland in her immortal, ‘Over the Rainbow’. There are plenty of comedy songs including George Formby’s revelatory ‘The Window Cleaner’, Frank Crumit’s dastardly picture of elderly women, ‘The Prune Song’ and Gracie Field’s portrait of that domestic pest, ‘The Biggest Aspidistra in the World’ Of the instrumental pieces I would mention Billy Mayerl’s delightful ‘Marigold’, Mantovani’s Latin-inflected ‘El Toreador’, and Freddy Gardner’s band in ‘These Foolish Things’. A treasury of golden oldies. Recommended. Ian Lace 41/2
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