"Capitol EMI has slowly but surely beenre-releasing some of its best material ever (see their reissues of Dean Martin and Louis Prima, to name a few). We get two albums for a great price with these packages. While the second half of this album is nowhere near as beautiful as the first 12 sides, this album is a classic from the packaging to the contents. Nat King Cole fans everywhere know that Nat never sounded better than when he delivered a ballad backed by the incomporable Gordon Jenkins orchestra. The first part of this album is a handful of wistful songs sung flawlessly by Nat. The title track "WHERE DID EVERYONE GO" is one of the most beautiful songs I've heard yet, written solely by long time Sinatra associate and brilliantly talented Jimmy Van Heusen. Nats gorgeous reading of the Irving Berlin gem SAY IT ISNT SO is also included here. And you wont be able to resist playing "WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG" over a few times. Perhaps my favorite piece included here is Nats poignant reading of "LAUGHING ON THE OUTSIDE"(Crying on the inside) Gordon Jenkins arrangement makes you feel like youre staring out the window at the citys skyline, drink in hand, and recalling a love long past. And speaking of Jenkins, he also wrote the searing "Thats All There Is" which concludes the first half of this album. It is interesting to note that these two albums were recorded in 1963 and 1965, respectively, shortly before Nats Untimely death in 1965. LOOKING BACK is just what the title says, with the title track written by the great Brook Benton and Clyde Otis, along with Belford Hendricks, long time arranger for many including Nat and Brook. While some of this material sounds a bit dated, TIME AND THE RIVER should be a welcome addition to any Nat fan, finding its way to CD format for the first time in years, as should the ironic beauty you'll find in the albums final track SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH. I wasnt born yet when Nat King Cole passed away, but this CD makes him very much alive in my (or anyone lucky enough to buy this CD)'s home and heart. Enjoy!!"
Another missed opportunity ...
Andrew R. Prets | 12/15/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"On the one hand, it's always nice to have a cd version of a great lp. On the other hand, when you've got the chance to correct the errors of the past and you don't make the most of it the end result just turns out to be another exercise in frustration. "Where Did Everyone Go" was Mr. Cole's third outing with Gordon Jenkins conducting and is a magnificent album BUT two tracks - "Happy New Year" and "Farewell to Arms" were recorded and not included in the final product. These two tracks appeared after Mr. Cole's death on a compilation album ("Nat Cole Sings the Greats Songs") with the cursed added rhythm tracks that ruined most of his post-death releases. How nice it would have been to have them included here in stereo and in their original forms. I guess that'll be for another generation. As for "Looking Back" we now have a cd version of this post-death release on which every track was altered by adding the horrible rhythm track and enhancing it for stereo. Was it really necessary to have a cd version of this? It would have been much nicer to go back to the original masters and set things right."
The 1st album gets 4.5; the next one 3.5
Stephan Mayer | sacramento, ca United States | 11/22/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"WHERE DID EVERYONE GO is a solid album for the most part. The singing is superb and the arrangements are top notch. Noone could write for strings like Gordon Jenkins.
Here is my only gripe: Some of the songs are lightweight and not timeless standards. The best cuts are : SAY IT ISN'T SO, AM I BLUE and WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG.Frankly, I was never a big fan of Nat's attempts to try to sing rock n'roll and/or more commercial material. His singing is good but the depth is lacking in the songs. Nat was essentially a balladeer who could also swing hard.Overall, this is a nice package. You get 2 for one and I was very happy with that."
Nat brings the drama
The Fancy One | Westchester County, NY | 05/19/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"WHERE DID EVERYONE GO? is dark, moody and BRILLIANT. This is the mature Nat King Cole here, from 1962-63, and his voice has deepened to add even more flava to the mix! Over the years he sang fun, feel-good tunes and love songs, but he could've never done an album like this when he was younger. There are romantic tunes here, but they are different from the ones you would normally associate with Nat Cole. On this LP he can now sing these poignant, melancholy tunes because he has the age and wisdom to interpret them as they should be. It will mesmorize you, just like it did the first time I heard it. Gordon Jenkins' sweepingly gorgeous, engaging arrangements are fitting to the material.
The title and opening track lets you know what you're in for when you listen to this CD...a lonely, insecure guy pours his heart out to us. "Where Did Everyone Go?" has a vibrant poignancy to it and you cannot help but want to listen to the story that Nat is telling in the song. After the introduction ends, you're already hooked and you can't wait to hear the tale of a guy who had it all, and then he lost it. HE can't figure out why things have turned out the way they did, but YOU will! No doubt one of the best songs on the CD.
A couple of the songs seem to make reference to the fact that Cole was getting older (he was 43 or 44 at the time): "Say It Isn't So" is about gossip he's heard about his lady seeing a younger man; "When The World Was Young" has him reminiscing about his youth; now he's older and those days are gone forever. (The Sinatra equivalent: "It Was A Very Good Year", done a few years later.) The songs here have depth and meaning, and Cole handles them like only he can. Songs I have on constant repeat are "Someone To Tell It To", "No, I Don't Want Her", "Say It Isn't So", "If Love Ain't There" and "That's All There Is", which in Nat laments the end of a relationship, but he's tolerated just about all he can. Needless to say, it's over, but in the final verse, he purrs, "But if you need me...call me, baby...call me..." and the way he croons "baby" makes my heart say OOOH WEEE! Where da phone at?? LOL. WHERE DID EVERYONE GO? is emotional and heart-rendering, just about as perfect as you can get.
I found LOOKING BACK, my least favorite of the two albums here, to sound somewhat dated. All of these songs were recorded in the late 1950's, and remixed for this album, which was released shortly after Nat's death in 1965. It was interesting to hear slightly different versions of the hits "Send For Me" (which is actually the remake Nat made in 1961 from his NAT KING COLE STORY LP, but enhanced percussion and bass added...but it was not really a good idea), and "If I May". It's not a bad CD, though. I of course liked the soulfulness of the hit "Looking Back", "Again", "Midnight Flyer" (a Grammy winning single for Nat in '59) and "It Is Better To Have Loved And Lost". "Sweet Bird Of Youth" is sort of a sad goodbye to this musical giant. In the case of Nat, the sweet bird of youth certainly did fly away, way too soon. WE MISS YOU, NAT! I gave this entire package 5 stars simply because it was Nat King Cole, one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived. Another reason why the word "unforgettable" is synonomous with his name!"
2 Very different albums..both great
M. H. Yoscary | Englewood, NJ | 12/31/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I am a big fan of Nat King Cole but by no means do I love everything he recorded. I think his best albums were the 3 with Gordon Jenkins arrangements. The last was "Where Did Everyone Go?" which is included here. For some reason this album has not been reissued on CD in the US. Instead a few cuts from it were added to the CD release of "Love Is The Thing", the 1st Cole/Jenkins album. Anyway, the second album here is "Looking Back". While very different from the string arrangements on the 1st album and also including the added "rhythm track" I think this album is quite good also. I have listened to the whole CD numerous times since I purchased it and have not tired of it at all. My favorite track is "When the World Was Young", one of the most beautiful vocals he ever recorded in my opinion. A definite must for your Nat Cole collection."
Track Listings (23) - Disc #1
