Search - Russ Columbo :: Prisoner of Love

Russ Columbo King of the Crooners

02/19/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although 65 years have passed since his tragic death, the performances on this CD still sound as fresh and original as they did when released in the 20's & 30's. There is something magical and unique about these performances. The Title song "Prisoner of Love" which Russ Co-wrote has become a classic american standard recorded by many including Como and Sinatra. Another Columbo collaboration "You Call It Madness but I Call it Love", again deals with the theme of unrequited love. However, I think the 3 cuts that show the essence of Russ Columbo are "Sweet & Lovely", "Paradise", & "Auf Weiderseh'n,My Dear". In these recordings you will hear traces of Singers that were to come later and were influenced by his style, including Como, Crosby and Jerry Vale. This CD is a must for any Vintage music Fan."

Just listen and ponder what might have been

Paul Tognetti | Cranston, RI USA | 06/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In September 1934 Russ Columbo had the world on a string. Just 26 years old, Columbo had established himself as one of the up and coming male vocalists of the day. He was also a trained violinist. He hosted his own NBC radio network show and had already made a splash in the movies. In addition, he was also a very capable songwriter. So much to live for. Yet in one of the most bizarre incidents you'll ever hear of Russ Columbo lost his life on September 2, 1934. Columbo was visiting a close friend who kept a set of supposedly unloaded Civil War dueling pistols on his desk as paper weights. In order to light a cigarette his friend struck a match on one of the pistols in such a way as to set off a charge that was still in the gun. The bullet ricocheted off a table and struck Russ Colombo in the forehead. He died a few hours later.

I have heard about Russ Columbo for many years now but I had never once heard his music. Curiosity finally got the best of me and I ordered this collection of his music from London's ASV label. No doubt about it. Russ Columbo was the real deal. According to the liner notes, Russ Columbo only recorded around 35 sides. 23 of them are included in this fascinating collection. You'll find many familiar tunes here including the original version of "Prisoner of Love", a tune Columbo co-wrote and was later made popular by Perry Como. You'll also find other standards like "Where The Blue of the Night", "Guilty", "All of Me" and Russ' theme song "You Call It Madness (I Call It Love)". There is just no telling how far he would have gone had he lived. Chances are he would be a household name like his rival crooner Bing Crosby rather than merely a footnote in the history of American popular music. But judge for yourself. The quality of these recordings is remarkable considering that they were lifted off 70 year old 78's. The liner notes are OK but I craved to know a bit more.

All in all this is a very nice offering at a reasonable price. Recommended."

One of the 1st truly great crooners...

Cha Cha Cha | 05/17/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After reading Will Friedwald's wonderful and intelligant book JAZZ SINGING, I went out to second hand record shops and bought all the Russ Columbo records I could find, he truly was a great crooner, a rival of Crosby's with a very jazz tinged baritone, this set on the Bristish ASV/LIving Era label is almost a complete set, it includes 23 of the 32 songs he recorded, it also is in not in chronological order, and the liner notes are skimpy, however the music is hard to find, so I recommend this CD to all jazz and vocal enthusiasts."