Search - Nelson Riddle :: Joy of Living / Love Is a Game of Poker

THE JOY OF LISTENING

Giovanni | Chicago, IL | 02/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"might have been a better title considering who was writing the charts and swinging the baton here! Nelson Riddle's contributions to music in his lifetime are peerless. His charts for almost every singer who's recognized speak for themselves (Nat King Cole's UNFORGETTABLE, the countless sides of perfection for Frank Sinatra that ressurected his fading career in the 50's would span some 20+years, not to mention Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Al Martino, Peggy Lee, Judy Garland and Ella Fitzgerald, to name a meager few) As a trombone player with Charlie Spivak's big band, he was admittedly just OK, but as an arranger he had no equal. He could easilly chart a ballad or a swinger; or make one of the other. Here are two of Nelson's orchestral outings from the good people across the pond at Capitol's UK arm, EMI. Among the standouts here : JUNE IN JANUARY, with an infectious yet ever so slight swing to it, YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO YOUNG, another chart he did with Sinatra, and Nelson's personal favorite song, INDIAN SUMMER. The overall mood on these first 12 sides is playful, gentleand light hearted swing. It is on the second half of the program, the GAME OF POKER sides that Mr. Riddle and the boys really let us have it. The sizzling speed of INDISCREET will have you amazed. And there is no tighter arrangement of brass in the world after you hear the flawless rendition of WITCHCRAFT here. Riddle himself penned a few of the tracks here (the elegant QUEEN OF HEARTS and the dazzling TWO HEARTS WILD, namely) and again, these sides were recorded almost three years after the first 12,(1959) so, if possible, Nelson was even MORE talented by this time (1962).
The good news for we Riddle fans is that EMI plans a similar "2fer" in late March featuring Nelson's two TV Theme albums on one great CD...watch for it! These EMI packages are among my favorite CDs in my collection; painstaking work on remastering is a given, and reproduction of liner notes and original artwork as always. Enjoy listening!"

THIS HAS GOT TO BE THE GREATEST NELSON RIDDLE CD.

Giovanni | 04/01/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I HAVE A LOT OF NELSON RIDDLE CDS AND THIS BY FAR HAS TO BE HIS GREATEST CD, I MEAN THE PORTION OF THE CD THAT APPLIES TO "THE JOY OF LIVING" , NOT THE PORTION THAT APPLIES TO "LOVE IS A GAME OF POKER" . OUT OF THE 12 SONGS LISTED I LIKED 10. I WISH THERE COULD BE MORE GREAT CDS LIKE THIS ONE!"

Fantastic Nelson

Hsrold Resnick | phoenix | 02/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These various cds I bought show what a student of harmonics & theory Riddle must have been.I would have to say that he & Billy May must have fed from one to the other their years at Capitol.The originality & the use of the different insturments

merely emphasize the talent & knowledge Riddle had."