Coming Up: More Bing from the Archives

Out now.

Click the links to order New Tricks - The 60th Anniversary Edition and Among My Souvenirs: More Treasures from the Crosby Archive from Amazon.


Details:

HLC Properties, Ltd., the Crosby family company, announces the release of two new entries in the Bing Crosby Archive CD series. New Tricks: 60th Anniversary Deluxe Edition and Among My Souvenirs: More Treasures from the Crosby Archive will be released on December 8, 2017, through UMe. Kathryn Crosby, Bing's widow is the executive producer of the series. She notes, "It's gratifying that forty years after Bing left us we're still able to bring both familiar and unfamiliar recordings to new generations of listeners." Bing's son Harry added, "It's very satisfying to be able to keep my father's music available, and to bring him into the digital world with such an expansive catalog. He was a pioneer on the technical side of the music industry, so it's important to keep him current. The Crosby family is very pleased to partner with UMe on this project."

The original 1957 twelve-track New Tricks LP has been freshly mastered from the original session tapes and expanded with twelve bonus tracks, including nine that have never previously been released. Bing is accompanied by Buddy Cole and His Trio, and the small group setting is a wonderful showcase for his voice on such standards as "Georgia on My Mind," "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea," and "Chicago." New Tricks is the fourth and final 1950s Decca Crosby LP to be reissued in the deluxe format by the Bing Crosby Archive. In 2013 Bing's first LP, Le Bing: Song Hits of Paris (1953), received the deluxe treatment. Some Fine Old Chestnuts (1954) and Songs I Wish I'd Sung the First Time Around (1956) were released in deluxe editions in 2014.

New Tricks: 60th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
(Original album, remastered)
1. Alabamy Bound
2. When I Take My Sugar to Tea
3. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
4. Georgia on My Mind
5. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)
6. If I Could Be With You
7. Avalon
8. Chinatown, My Chinatown
9. You're Driving Me Crazy
10. On the Alamo
11. Chicago
12. Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise
Bonus Content:
13. Rain
14. Church Bells
15. I'll Remember Today
16. My How the Time Goes By
17. Chee Chee-oo Chee (Sang the Little Bird)
18. Surprise
19. All the Time
20. Gigi
21. Tammy
22. Big D (with Lindsay Crosby) Take 2
23. Allegheny Moon (with Lindsay Crosby)
24. More Than You Know

Among My Souvenirs: More Treasures from the Crosby Archive is a 2-CD collection of 35 previously unissued recordings spanning Bing Crosby's entire career. The set, newly compiled by Crosby archivist Robert S. Bader, is comprised of recordings made between 1932 and 1977, and includes outtakes, live recordings, and radio and television performances, many featuring songs not previously part of the voluminous Crosby discography. Among the rarities: a 1968 recording with Diana Ross and the Supremes; some recently discovered concert recordings from 1956, and a track from Bing's final American concert in 1977. Among My Souvenirs is a companion volume to the 2010 Bing Crosby Archive release, So Rare: Treasures from the Crosby Archive.

Among My Souvenirs: More Treasures from the Crosby Archive
Disc 1:
1. Please
2. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
3. The Day You Came Along
4. Bing & Jack Oakie at Paramount
5. Boo Boo Boo
6. Roll Along Prairie Moon
7. I've Been Floating Down the Old Green River
8. Hello Hawaii
9. When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
10. You Forgot Your Gloves
11. A Horse That Knows the Way Back Home
12. She Is the Sunshine of Virginia
13. What Do You Do in the Infantry?
14. Good Morning Mr. Zip Zip Zip
15. I've Told Every Little Star
16. Oh, But I Do
17. Minute Maid Radio Jingle (Extended Version)
18. Alabamy Bound (with Lindsay Crosby)
Disc 2:
1. Be My Life's Companion
2. Undecided
3. Please Mr. Sun
4. Moonlight and Roses (with Bob Crosby)
5. Tell Me Why
6. Dream a Little Dream of Me
7. Eternally
8. True Love (Live at Fall River)
9. In a Little Spanish Town (Live at Fall River)
10. I'm Confessin' (That I Love You) (Live at Fall River)
11. Big D (with Lindsay Crosby) Take 1
12. Old Cape Cod
13. The NATO Song
14. Among My Souvenirs
15. I Left My Heart in San Francisco
16. Paint Your Wagon Medley: I'm on My Way/I Talk to the Trees/I Still See Elissa/They Call the Wind Maria (with Diana Ross and the Supremes)
17. Send in the Clowns (Live at Concord Pavilion)

HLC is also pleased to announce that the acclaimed radio program The Bing Shift, hosted by Crosby aficionado Arne Fogel, has been added to the programming on Crosby Internet Radio, which streams at the official Bing Crosby web site, www.bingcrosby.com.

The Bing Shift debuted on Jazz 88, KBEM 88.5 FM in Minneapolis-St. Paul in 2006. Arne Fogel has been presenting Bing Crosby's music on the radio since 1985. He has also hosted the SiriusXM Satellite Radio series, Bing's Basement, which also appears on Crosby Internet Radio. The St. Paul Pioneer Press-Dispatch called Fogel "One of the Twin Cities' most interesting people," noting that in addition to his many talents as a singer, musician, actor and composer, Fogel is also "an entertainment historian, collector and oral encyclopedia." The Bing Shift now streams along with hundreds of Bing Crosby's radio broadcasts and other special programs on Crosby Internet Radio.



Vintage Brigitte Bardot pics





Coming Up: Cheap Trick "Christmas, Christmas"


A new holiday LP from the power poppers, out Oct. 20. Includes originals and a selection of holiday classics. Pre-order it now from Amazon.

Tracks:
  1. Merry Christmas Darling
  2. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day
  3. I Wish It Was Christmas Today
  4. Merry Xmas Everybody
  5. Please Come Home For Christmas
  6. Remember Christmas
  7. Run Rudolph Run
  8. Father Christmas
  9. Silent Night
  10. Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight Tonight)
  11. Our Father Of Life
  12. Christmas Christmas



"Stranger Things" season two final trailer

New Music Releases: Frank Zappa; Beck; The Who; Robert Plant; Squeeze

New and notable this week.






First "New Mutants" movie trailer

The film is in theaters April 13.


Pop Culture Roundup: Ira Schnapp; Doctor Who; 70s Halloween costumes; monster models

Graphic artist Ira Schnapp created a whole mess of cool logos for DC Comics back in the Silver Age. These are some of the best.


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Tom Baker has returned as "Doctor Who" to voice lost segments of the show's 1979 "Shada" serial, the BBC reports.

Shada, which was filmed in Cambridge, was created in 1979 for the end of the show's 17th series.

But strike action at the BBC meant studio scenes were never completed and the episodes were abandoned.

It will be released on BBC Worldwide with the original footage combined with new colour animations and voiceovers to complete the story.

The newly-recorded lines from Baker as the Doctor and Lalla Ward as his companion, Romana, will follow the original script by Douglas Adams, the creator of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.


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Via Back in the Bronze Age: 1970s Halloween costumes.


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Via the Mego Museum forum: A gorgeous gallery of Aurora monster models. I was never that good at glueing and painting these things ...




Coming Up: The Astaire Story - classic collection of his jazz recordings


Out Oct. 20. Pre-order here from Amazon.

Details:

In 1952, the famous dancer, singer and film star Fred Astaire teamed up with the brilliant pianist Oscar Peterson and an all-star jazz sextet to record jazz versions of many of the songs that he helped introduce and make famous in the 1930s and '40s. The original program, The Astaire Story, was an innovative three LP set comprised of 38 selections including three features for Astaire's tap-dancing and the rousing instrumental "Jam Session." In celebration of its 65th anniversary, the album will be released October 20 via Verve Records/UMe as an expanded 2CD version and digital collection boasting 41 tracks including a previously unreleased alternate version of "I Won't Dance," one of Astaire's trademark numbers (recorded with Peterson three years later) and three examples of Astaire's famed dancing. The album is presented in a novel way and has been reassembled to give it the shape of a soundtrack. The two "Blues" serve as bookends while the "Jam Session" is featured as an intermission. Throughout, Astaire talks a little and sings a lot.

While Astaire had made recordings as early as the 1920s, usually performing with studio orchestras, The Astaire Story is unique in that he is joined by a freewheeling combo comprised of Peterson, tenor-saxophonist Flip Phillips, trumpeter Charlie Shavers, guitarist Barney Kessel, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Alvin Stoller. The musicians, drawn from producer Norman Granz's Jazz At The Philharmonic, perfectly complement Astaire's vocals and the music swings throughout.

Astaire, who passed away 30 years ago in 1987, performed on Broadway as early as 1917 and had his big breakthrough in 1924 when he and his sister Adele were featured in "Lady, Be Good," the first Broadway musical by George and Ira Gershwin. A household name ever since he began starring in movie musicals with Ginger Rogers (starting with 1934's "The Gay Divorcee"), Astaire was the epitome of class in his dancing, singing and acting. While his dancing gained the biggest acclaim, he was a personable singer who perfectly placed his notes, always swinging. Such composers as George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern and Cole Porter loved to have him introduce their songs in the movies because, while sticking to the lyrics and the melody, he uplifted every tune that he interpreted with his phrasing and classy personality.

The Astaire Story has the 53-year old Astaire, at the peak of his powers, singing such songs as "Puttin'On The Ritz" (which has some rhythmic interplay with drummer Stoller), "The Continental,""Let's Call The Whole Thing Off," "'S Wonderful," "Cheek To Cheek," "Dancing In The Dark," "Top Hat, White Coat And Tails" (which concludes with Astaire's heated dancing), "I Won't Dance," an uptempo "No Strings" that features Peterson taking a celeste solo, and "A Foggy Day." He also reminisces a bit about some of the numbers. 19 of the tunes are from Astaire's movies with Ginger Rogers and the program includes ten songs by Berlin and eight composed by Gershwin. A special treat is hearing Astaire perform two of his own compositions: "I'm Building Up To An Awful Letdown" and "Not My Girl." On the latter, the multi-talented Astaire takes a very credible chorus of stride piano.

With solos sprinkled throughout by Peterson, Phillips, Shavers and Kessel and inspired singing by Astaire, the performances on The Astaire Story are as irresistible as the film performances of the great dancer-singer.

Track listing:

DISC 1
1. Overture: The Astaire Blues
2. Isn't This A Lovely Day
3. Puttin' On The Ritz
4. I Used To Be Color Blind                                                             
5. The Continental                                                                                                           
6. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off                                                                               
7. Change Partners                                                                                                          
8. 'S Wonderful                                                                                                 
9. Lovely To Look At                                                                                                        
10. They All Laughed                                                                                                       
11. Cheek To Cheek                                                                                                        
12. Steppin' Out With My Baby                                                                  
13. The Way You Look Tonight                                                    
14. I've Got My Eyes On You                                                                                       
15. Dancing In The Dark                                                                                                 
16. The Carioca                                                                                                  
17. Nice Work If You Can Get It                                                                  
18. New Sun In The Sky                                                                                                 
19. I Won't Dance                                                                                                            
20. Fast Dances (ad lib)                                                                                  
DISC 2
1. Intermission: Jam Session For A Dancer                                                            
2. Top Hat, White Tie And Tails                                                                   
3. No String, I'm Fancy Free                                                                                         
4. I Concentrate On You                                                                                                
5. I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket                                                                
6. A Fine Romance                                                                                                           
7. Night And Day                                                                                                              
8. Fascinating Rhythm                                                                                    
9. I Love Louisa                                                                                                  
10. They Can't Take That Away From Me                                                               
11. Medium Dances                                                                                                        
12. You're Easy To Dance With                                                                   
13. A Needle In A Haystack                                                                                          
14. So Near And Yet So Far                                                                                           
15. A Foggy Day (In London Town)                                                                           
16. Oh, Lady Be Good!                                                                                   
17. Slow Dances (ad lib)                                                                                 
18. I'm Building Up To An Awful Letdown                                                              
19. Not My Girl                                                                                                  
Bonus Tracks20. I Won't Dance                                                                                                            
21. Exit Music: The Second Astaire Blues     

New and upcoming pop culture books October 2017

Click the links to order from Amazon.
















Vintage pics: "This Island Earth"



Coming Up: Out Of Nowhere By Micky Dolenz & The American Metropole Orchestra

Out Nov. 17. Details:

7A Records are proud to present a brand new album from Micky Dolenz "Out Of Nowhere". Recorded in April this year with the sublime 30 piece American Metropole Orchestra, Dolenz sings all of the Monkees' greatest hits along with some outstanding deep album cuts. The orchestral backing adds a real unique depth to the recordings and Dolenz's voice is as good as ever. To quote Dolenz in his own words: "Words cannot express what a magical night it was. You really had to be there and thanks to this recording, you can be!" Recorded April 15th, 2017 at the Rice Auditorium, Western Oregon University.



Video Find: Ross McManus performs "If I Had a Hammer"

Trivia: Ross McManus is father to Declan McManus, aka Elvis Costello. Dig those dance moves!

New Comics: Jack Kirby's The Demon; Flash by Mark Waid; Howard the Duck; Thor Masterworks

New and notable this week.