Search - Ray Conniff :: 'S Marvelous

Conniff's second -- and one of his best

Smallchief | 12/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"'S Marvelous, recorded in 1957, followed 'S Wonderful, and was like its predecessor a top ten selling album. It was the first of Conniff's albums to go "gold" -- which back in those days was a rare distinction. I would rate 'S Marvelous as one of Conniff's all time best -- which is saying something because he recorded about 100 over a 45 year period. These early albums may be his best because he was able to cherry-pick the big-band songs that best fit his unique style.



That unique style is instantly recognizable, consisting of a bold, bright, brassy sound, a heavy shuffle beat, and a wordless chorus that doos and daas along with -- and sometimes in place of -- the horns. 'S Marvelous also demonstrates Conniff's skill as a pioneer in the use of the new stereo sound to create the feel that music is coming at you from every direction.



Compared to 'S Wonderful, this collection gives a more prominent role to the piano especially on "As Time Goes By." Perhaps my favorite of the tunes here is "Where or When" in which Conniff's genius for arrangement makes a ponderous song into a whimsey. A great CD!



Smallchief





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Happy Music You Will Love

N. Tkearney | 05/30/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Ray Conniff singers are fantastic on this album. The arrangements are rich, lovely, fun and light. The singing is fresh, modern, and perfectly sung. Music like this is the reason life can be beautiful. Albums such as this are sadly not made anymore; if they were we would be better off."

S' Fantastic!

Dr. Glenn W. Briggs | KSC, Florida & Chengdu, China | 05/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is no wonder that Ray's LPs, "S'Wonderful," "S'Marvellous," and "S'Awful Nice" have been reissued as a boxed set! This LP/CD continued the standard for musical innovation that Ray set and maintained for about a half-century, even in times of change. In other words, "The 'beat' goes on!"



In terms of quality, true listenability, and inspired interpretations of popular songs of the forties and fifties, several songs stand out on this CD, such as "In the Still of the Night," "Moonlight Serenade," and the classic "As Time goes By." One of the all-time great examples of the Conniff sound is the opening number, "You Do Something to Me.""