Search - Fred Waring & His Pennsylvanians :: Fred Waring Memorial Album

Not a memorial from the period of his best-known work.

Edmond E. Chasteen | San Diego, CA | 06/02/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The album was a disappointment to me. I recalled the wonderful choral arrangements I had heard in the days of my youth (late 1940s, early `50s) and wanted to hear again. This album precedes those days by at least ten years. Recorded from 1928 through 1932, the album contains "20 Hot Hits" from Waring's stint as a big band with choral group. The genre is big band jazz with vocals. While well remastered, the audio quality reflects the recording technology of the day. Outstanding for that period, perhaps, but not the work for which he became so well known. Not in MY memories, at least."

Lbum

Donald M. Harris | Nezperce, Idaho | 12/05/1999

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I also was disappointed with this album. I was expecting the beautiful choral arrangements of the late 40's and 50's also. That is whatI wanted - some of those most memorable arrangments that I use to listen to on the radio as a child. Where can I get those?"

Rollicking Waring -- but beware of the sound!

Aaron Z. Snyder | CHESTNUT HILL, MA USA | 03/04/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is a fairly early compilation of the Fred Waring style many of us from the baby boomer generation (I'm actually a year too old (ugh!) to belong) are only just discovering -- a young guy with a young band having a great time and making very lively, sometimes downright funny, music. Although this CD is dated 1995, I suspect that the transfers were done earlier, since 16 of the 20 cuts were released on an LP with the same artwork. (Actually, the version of "You'll Get By" on the LP was a vocal one, whereas on the CD it's strictly instrumental.) The sound, unfortunately, betrays the lack of sophisticated noise-reduction equipment in the restoration process: lots of subtle clicks and other surface sounds are present on many of the tracks. The transfers are at least generally free of distortion, and boosting the bass and treble yields acceptable sound. Many of these tracks are available in superior sound on "The Collegiate Years", "The Broadway Years", and the "Greatest Hits" CD. There are, however, several cuts which are currently available nowhere else. Not to be missed (IMO) are "Good For You", "Red Hot Chicago", "I Heard", and "Young and Healthy". The final two tracks are odd ones, in that they are medleys of songs. "Dance Medley" consists of "You'll Get By", "Muchacha Mia" (not available anywhere else), and "Fit as a Fiddle". The final cut is excerpts from what I take to be a Broadway show, "Flying Colors"; it's not very interesting because of the shortness of the excerpts.
Notes include a decent attempt at keeping track of personnel on each of the cuts. The artwork is actually superior to some of the better-sounding efforts.
Musically, then, this is a rather good selection of mostly up-tempo Fred Waring from the late 20's/early 30's. The sound quality renders it marginally obsolete, but it will do for those of us who want the selections otherwise unavailable."