The Recorded Legacies
of Bing Crosby &
Stephen Stills B y
B a r r y
B a s s i s
Artie Shaw once observed, “The thing you have to understand about Bing Crosby is that United States.” Universal Music Enterprises (UME) has just issued ten Crosby albums, many in deluxe editions with bonus tracks: A Southern Memoir, Bing In Dixieland, Bing On Broadway, Bing Sings The Great American Songbook, Bing Sings The Sinatra Songbook, El Señor Bing, On The Sentimental Side, Return To Paradise Islands, Seasons, So Rare: Treasures From The Crosby Archive (2-CDs) and Bing & Rosie: The Crosby-Clooney Radio Sessions (2-CDs).
Considered the most recorded artist in history, Crosby made over 2,000 recordings and 4,000 radio programs, as well as numerous TV and movie appearances. Before Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, Crosby was the biggest pop music star in the world. He had 41 No. 1 records, and his releases hit the Top Ten 203 times. The albums show how consistent Crosby was and how well his voice held up over a 30-year period. For many, he had the smoothest voice of the period. Most of the current releases are from the 1950’s and some were compiled from his radio and television programs. The sound quality is exceptionally good because Crosby used advanced recording techniques for his radio shows, including stereo. There are guest appearances on some of the CDs, such as Frank Sinatra on the tribute album devoted to his songs. Even on pieces written for the Chairman of the Board, Crosby performed them winningly in his own relaxed style. On the Dixieland album, there is one duet with Ella Fitzgerald and another by Louis Armstrong. The most compatible of his singing partners, with whom he worked on recordings and the movie “White Christmas,” was Rosemary Clooney, and their double-CD set is delightful. The Spanish album was arranged and conducted by Billy May, though Crosby most often worked with the tasteful John Scott Trotter leading an orchestra. Crosby was also comfortable working with a small jazz combo (usually with Buddy Cole on piano and Nick Fatool on drums) and the Dixieland album shows
worked hard to make his art look easy. While the latest releases contain some forgettable songs and dated patter, each album contains of the leading vocalists of popular music. Certain songs evoke an era, and one song that symbolizes the turbulent 1960’s is “For What It’s Worth,” penned by Stephen Stills and He then went on to form Crosby, Stills and Nash (later with Neil Young, who had also he wrote and performed hits like “Suite Judy Blue Eyes” about his troubled romance with folksinger Judy Collins. Rhino has released a lavish 4-CD box set Carry On, which traces Stills’ career from 1966 to the present. It contains 82 tracks, 25 of them previously unreleased. The set, produced by Graham Nash and Joel Bernstein in collaboration with Stills, includes songs from all Stills’ groups, including the underappreciated Manassas, plus his solo hits (e.g., “Love the One You’re With”). The tracks unfold mostly in chronological order, starting with “Travelin’”—a previously unreleased recording that Stills made at age 17 in Costa Rica, where his military family lived at the time. The most recent track, recorded within the past year, features CSN performing “Girl from the North Country” at the Beacon Theater. The set displays Stills’ ability to sing in a variety of styles (folk, blues, country, and rock) and also his superb guitar work. He trades licks with Hendrix and Clapton. The 113 page booklet contains informative liner
Fred Astaire, Crosby was a perfectionist who
Resident