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One Great Astaire CD

hoegerbooks | Santa Clara, CA USA | 10/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"THE DANCING KING is one of the better CD's out there that feature the oh so underrated vocal talents of Fred Astaire, the greatest song-and-dance man the world has ever known. Of course, Fred's primarily known for the dancing bit, but don't forget, our boy sang, too. And he was very, very good. It's true all the great songwriters of yesteryear (Berlin, Gershwin, Porter, Kern & Fields, etc.) WANTED to write songs especially for him. Remember "The Way You Look Tonight" from My Best Friend's Wedding? Hardly anyone in my own generation know that Fred introduced that song way back in the 1930's in Swing Time. Throughout his career, it's interesting to point out how well Astaire's singing developed and improved as the years progressed. The Dancing King could've given some crooners a run for their money (if only the general public weren't so preoccupied with his feet).Many of the songs on THE DANCING KING feature Astaire at the zenith of his career, the ultimate song-and-dance man. A few of the songs on the CD can be found on other Astaire CD's, but one thing that makes this CD exceptional is the choice of songs, many from Fred's movie hits (Blue Skies, You Were Never Lovelier, You'll Never Get Rich, Holiday Inn). And as if that weren't enough, they've even got a couple of duets with Bing Crosby in there. All in all, a truly satisfying purchase."