Search - Mitch Miller :: Major Musical Force With the Leading Artists of

Scattershot compilation for 50s buffs and completists

Thomas Bumbera | Maplewood, NJ USA | 11/28/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"The carrots here are some lesser-known instrumentals with Miller on Oboe, and the complete "Columbia House Party" promo lp. This is a bogus "live" album supposedly recorded at parties held at Miller's home and that of Paul Weston and Jo Stafford, featuring some good, loose performances by Tony Bennett and Rosie Clooney, among others. However, Miller's considerable and influential body of work with his stable of singers is presented out of chronologic order, misses scads of major hits, and includes some mediocrities (Guy Mitchell represented by several non-hits and only ONE Johnnie Ray track? Ray was the label's top-selling male singer from '52-'54 and deserves better). Most collectors will not need to hear "Jezabel" yet again. A good opportunity to put Miller's production work in its proper context, musically and sociologically, was missed here. It would have been especially interesting to explore more fully how Miller helped to integrate Folk and Country music into the Pop realm, and to examine his struggles to sound contemporary during the late-50s rock era. Notes are brief and shallow (no booklet is included). Bear Family should do this one right, with notes/interviews by Will Friedwald."