laureatedvd.com

[sinatrafanatic]

I just recently purchesed 'The United Artists Sessions' off of Amazon.com and have really enjoyed the set. I think that it display's Bing at his best, with great sound quality and a kind of retrospective feel to each song (IMO). However, the one thing that I don't like about the set is that there is no information in the set about the original albums, like cover photos, song lists from the original LPs and the year that they were released. If anyone out there has this information, it would be very greatly appreciated.
Grazie,

Chris

[Ken Barnes]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for getting in touch and for your enthusiastic comments about the 3-CD set of Bing's Complete United Artists Sessions. By the way,I'm a Sinatra fan too.

Well, as producer of the original five U.A. Crosby albums, I guess I'm the best person to give you the info that is missing from the box set
( although the set has far more discographical information re. session dates etc. than the individual LPs ). So here goes.

Album 1. THAT'S WHAT LIFE IS ALL ABOUT (1975)
1. That's What Life Is All About
2. Breezin' Along With The Breeze
3. No Time At All
4. I Love To Dance like they used to Dance
5. Have A Nice Day
6. The Pleasure of Your Company
7. The Best Things In Life Are Free
8. Some Sunny Day
9. Bon Vivant
10. Good Companions/And Points Beyond
11. Send In The Cloowns
12. The Good Old Times
13. That's What Life Is All About -Reprise

Album 2 AT MY TIME OF LIFE
1. At My Time of Life
2. Cabaret
3. Something To Remember You By
4. Heat Wave
5. My Heart Stood Still
6. Razzle Dazzle
7. Hello Dolly
8. How Are Things In Glocca Morra ?
9. I Got Rhythm
10. Loking At You
11. I'll Never Fall In Love Again
12. Thou Swell
13. With A Song In My Heart
14. Great Day

Album 3 A COUPLE OF SONG AND DANCE MEN w. Fred Astaire

1. Roxie
2. Top Billing
3. Sing
4. It's Easy To Remember - Fred Astaire solo ( Not in Bing's box set)
5. In The Cool,Cool,Cool of the Evening
6. Pick Yourself Up
7. How Lucky Can You Get ?
8. I've A Shooting Box In Scotland
9. Change Partners
10. Mr. Keyboard Man
11. Spring,Sppring,Spring
12. A Couple of Song and Dance Men
13. Top Billing-Reprise.

Album 4 BING-50TH ANNIVERSARY cONCERT AT THE lONDON PALLADIUM

The live tracks on CD 2 of the Box set are all taken from this original 2-LP set. There is a CD of this concert - but it does not duplicate any material from the box set.

Album 5 BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES

1.Beautiful Memories
2. A Little Love and Understanding
3. My Resistance Is Low
4. Children
5. Deja Vu
6. When A Child Is Born
7. The More I See You
8. What Id Did For Love
9 Yours Sincerely
10. We've Only Just Begun
11. The Woman On Your Arm
12. The Only Way To Go

I trust this answers most of your queries. If you're interested in some really excellent material of Bing from an earlier period - the 1940s -
you should investigate a new box set of 3-CDs realesed this month in the USA ( in an elaborate hardback book presentation ). It's called SWINGIN' WITH BING and features guest stars such as Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole and The Andrews Sisters. Also many previously unreleased solo tracks of Bing. Again, I'm the producer, so I hope you don't mind my plugging this new release. But if you liked the UA set, I think you'll enjoy this.

Finally, there's a new 3-CD set of Sinatra issued this coming week in the UK called THE PLATINUM COLLECTION - an overview of Frank's Capitol years.

Once again, Chris, thanks for your interest and please come and visit the site again.

Best
Ken Barnes

[sinatrafanatic]

Thank you for replying to my first post and now I have one more question that I was wondering if you could answer. I have the CD called 'Bing Crosby At The London Palladium' and was wondering where the tracks on 'The Complete United Artists Sesions' fit into the show so that I might be able to create a 'full' concert.

Thanks,

Chris

[Judy]

Glad to see a familiar name post here - Ken, I'd recommended some Sinatra folks stop by here to get their questions answered! I knew you wouldn't disappoint!

judy

[Ken Barnes]

Thanks Judy. It won't be long now before SWINGIN' WITH BING hits the market over there. When you get time, please let me know what you think of it.

Best
Ken

[Malcolm Macfarlane]

Delighted to read about Chris discovering these marvellous albums. Chris, if you want to know more, think about joining the International Club Crosby.
See http://members.aol.com/macwilmslo/BING_magazine.html

[Ken Barnes]

Hi Chris,

If you're hoping to put the COMPLETE Palladium concert onto one CD, it can't be done. The original album was a two LP set running about 85 to 90 minutes. When I put it onto CD, I had to eliminate certain items. While doing the Complete UA Sessions, I decided to put the best of the rermainder on the second CD and included the previously unreleased
outtake of Pleasure of Your Company. Between these two releases you have the best of the entire concert - except for three sequences (1.) The Ted Rogers comedy spot (2) Joe Bushkin's Porgy and Bess Medley
( neither of which were ever included on record ) and Crosby family
"Row,Row, Row Your Boat Medley" - which was included on the original LP
release but not on any of the CDs ( due to time constraints ).

Basing it then on the CDs the sequence would look something like this.

The Palladium CD

Tracks 1 to 14 ( as is ) Then CD 2 of the Complete UA - Tracks 7 to 9.
Then tracks 4, 5 and 6.

Then back to Palladium CD with Bing's second intro to Rosemary Clooney
Track 15. Just One Of Those Things - followed by Complete UA track 10 ( A Song For You ) Then back to the Palladium CD Track 16 The Crosby Medley to the end.

I hope that all makes sense. As you can see, there's too much for one CD. Good luck

Best
Ken