Members alphanguy74 Posted September 26, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 26, 2012 Next, we have the second number one by singer David Whitfield, "Cara Mia" which was number one for a massive 10 weeks, from July 2 - September 9, 1954. This song is of course, more well known by Jay and The Americans in the United States, but in the UK, David Whitfield had by far the biggest hit with the tune. His version was the original recording, and it DID crossover, and go to number 10 on the Billboard hot 100. However, Jay and the Americans' version is still most remembered in the United States. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gf146euZUw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Max Posted September 27, 2012 Members Share Posted September 27, 2012 I never knew that Jay & the Americans didn't sing the original version of "Cara Mia." Obviously, their version is far superior to David Whitfield's (although his rendition is decent). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted September 27, 2012 Members Share Posted September 27, 2012 Doesn't do a thing for me (I do like the "from David with love" collage). Some songs sound better with the pop twist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphanguy74 Posted September 27, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 27, 2012 Next is "Little Things Mean A Lot" by Kitty Kallen, which was number one for 1 week, September 10 - 16, 1954. Kallen had originally risen to fame singing with big bands in the 40's. Kallen became a popular artist on radio, film, and nightclubs, but lost her voice at the height of her career. She eventually made a comeback, with the 1954 hit "Little Things Mean a Lot" (voted the most popular record) and Kallen was voted most popular female singer in Billboard and Variety polls. Other popular recordings by Kallen included "Chapel in the Moonlight" and she also recorded a version of "True Love" for Decca. She did not record again until the early 1960s; firstly for Columbia where she had a hit version of "If I Give My Heart to You". In 1963 she had the biggest selling version of "My Coloring Book" which appeared on RCA. Her final album was Quiet Nights, a bossa nova based long player for 20th Century Fox Records. A compilation of her hits on various labels is available on the Sony CD set, The Kitty Kallen Story. During Kallen's height of popularity, there were three imposters who billed themselves as Kitty Kallen. When one of them (Genevieve Angostinello) died, it was reported that Kallen had died, and that is where the mis-information about Kallen's birth name originated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Max Posted September 30, 2012 Members Share Posted September 30, 2012 "Little Things Mean a Lot" is a sweet, innocent song. What is most striking so far is the dominance of American artists on the British chart. I am curious as to when that changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members quartermainefan Posted September 30, 2012 Members Share Posted September 30, 2012 That song I am mostly familiar with through commercials selling compilations from 1940s oldies that used to play at night. She had a very pretty voice and this record that she sang with the Harry James Orchestra is exquisite and really of the age. It is something you could pick for a soundtrack to say "this is the 1940s" but on its own merits is is sublime. <iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vJFf29jUnrs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted September 30, 2012 Members Share Posted September 30, 2012 Little Things Mean a Lot is another which used to be on compilation record commercials. Doesn't do much for me but it's OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphanguy74 Posted October 1, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 Next is "Three Coins In The Fountain" by Frank Sinatra, which was number one for 3 weeks, September 17 - October 7, 1954. Although Frank had been popular for many years at this point, this was his first number one in the UK. The song was written by Jule Styne and Sammy Cahn, for the Twentieth Century Fox film of the same name. The song was also recorded by the Four Aces and went to number one in the US. I find this song to be a little boring, but it might also be because I find Frank Sinatra's vocals boring. He seems to sing every song with the same phrasing, same inflection, just no variation in his tone whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphanguy74 Posted October 1, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 I've always felt that Sinatra's pitch was a bit dicey. He seems to skate by on his tone quality and his image. Listen to Matt Monro's version of the song, and you'll see a VERY similar type of vocalist as Sinatra sing it, only with good and proper pitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members quartermainefan Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 The heresy in this thread! I think if you could go back in time and ask all the greats from his era, they would all say Sinatra was great. His voice at his height was second to none and had more power than most without screaming. Just to illustrate his power listen to this trio of singers starting at about the 35 second mark. One woman and two men. The woman's higher voice stands out, but then there in the lower range is the male voices only you can only hear one because Sinatra just overpowers Martin effortlessly. <iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9bpuoS-icGY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted October 1, 2012 Members Share Posted October 1, 2012 I have mixed feelings on SInatra, as he had tremendous power and control over his voice, but some of his older songs do seem kind of dull to me. Three Coins in a Fountain is one of those obviously made for a film - I'm sure it sounded great in the movie houses of that era, with the pristine sound equipment. The song itself is somewhat listless. That video is gorgeous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphanguy74 Posted October 14, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 14, 2012 Ok... I'm finally back online after a week without computer (I got major upgrades, I'm loving this new quad core processor) Next is "Hold My Hand" by don Cornell, which was number one for 5 non consecutive weeks, October 8 - November 4, and again from November 19 - November 25, 1954. This is another song from a movie... it was featured in "Susan Slept Here" , which starred Dick Powell, Debbie Reynolds, and Anne Francis. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZqyLDTxgZA Don Cornell is one of the longest and last active singers from the big band era. Still performing at the outset of the 21st century, he is a younger contemporary of Frank Sinatra and Perry Como, and one of the last singing stars of the 1950s pre-rock era who has maintained an active career, for 50 years and counting. Born Luigi Francisco Valaro, he entered the music business as a teenager, joining the band of trumpet legend Red Nichols as a guitarist. It was when he was 18, however, that Cornell emerged as a singer and a star, as a member of Sammy Kaye's band, Swing and Sway With Sammy Kaye. In 1949, Cornell struck out on his own as a solo singer, following the lead of Sinatra away from the big band format. In beginning, with "It Isn't Fair," he earned a dozen gold record awards between 1950 and 1962. His other hits include "I'm Yours," "I'll Walk Alone," and "Hold My Hand." Cornell was a regular guest throughout the 1950s and 1960s on television shows hosted by Arthur Godfrey, Jackie Gleason, and Perry Como (an old friend of Cornell's). Ironically, in the late '50s, it was rock & roll spearheaded by much younger singers -- including a pair of Bronx-born Italians named Dion DiMucci and Bobby Darin -- that brought a gradual end to Cornell's claim on the top of the charts. He remained an occasional guest on talk shows into the 1970s and beyond, and has also taken on a few acting roles in movies and television series, including B.L. Stryker and Miami Vice. In 1993, he was inducted into the Big Band Hall of Fame and in the middle of the decade got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but he has never retired. Cornell continues to perform in better clubs in Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe, and is frequently a guest artist with regional symphony orchestras. Cornell and his wife Iris have also seen to it that his classic solo recordings are in print for those who like them, releasing a two-CD set, Something to Remember Me By, as well as a second set of songs from and about Italy, entitled From Italy With Love. To do this, they've created their own custom imprint, Iris/MCA Records, which is the source of reissues drawn from the MCA-owned Coral and Dot Records catalogs. In 1993, he also cut a new album of material entitled Don Cornell Now. Cornell eventually settled in Florica and continued to perform throughout the 1990's and into the new millenium. His voice remained remarkably consistent despite his advancing years. On February 23, 2004, at the age of 84, Cornell passed away after a struggle with emphysema and diabetes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphanguy74 Posted October 14, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 14, 2012 Oh, I don't diasgree about his power, and like I said... his tone quality is superb and unequalled, his pitch is the only fly in the ointment for me. He seems to be under his note just too often for my taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphanguy74 Posted October 20, 2012 Author Members Share Posted October 20, 2012 Next is Vera Lynn, with "My Son, My Son" which was number one for 2 weeks, November 5 - November 18, 1954. Dame Vera Lynn, DBE (born Vera Margaret Welch on 20 March 1917) is an English singer whose career flourished during World War II. Nicknamed "The Forces' Sweetheart", the songs most associated with her are "We'll Meet Again" and "The White Cliffs of Dover". On 13 September 2009 Lynn became the oldest living artist to make it into No. 1 in the British album chart, at the age of 92, Her collection "We'll Meet Again, The Very Best Of Vera Lynn" entered the chart at number 20 on 30 August, and then climbed to number 2 the following week, before reaching the top position, outselling both the Arctic Monkeys and the Beatles In its third week the album went gold with sales of over 100,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted October 20, 2012 Members Share Posted October 20, 2012 Not too into Hold My Hand. Cornell has a somewhat overly heavy voice, I don't love the lyrics either. Any time someone says "Adam and Eve again" it sets my teeth on edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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