(Inspired by Frank Sinatra's "Anything Goes.")
― Rockist Scientist, Sunday, 2 February 2003 15:55 (twenty-one years ago) link
― H (Heruy), Sunday, 2 February 2003 15:59 (twenty-one years ago) link
― mark s (mark s), Sunday, 2 February 2003 15:59 (twenty-one years ago) link
― mark s (mark s), Sunday, 2 February 2003 16:02 (twenty-one years ago) link
― jazzbo (jmcgaw), Sunday, 2 February 2003 16:29 (twenty-one years ago) link
mark s, can you recommend any good recordings of Cole Porter from the 20's and 30's that capture the spirit of that time.
jazzbo, I think I mostly want to stay away from current pop renditions, but will look into the first two compilations you mention.
― Rockist Scientist, Sunday, 2 February 2003 16:38 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Douglas (Douglas), Sunday, 2 February 2003 16:46 (twenty-one years ago) link
Seconded on both.
― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Sunday, 2 February 2003 17:02 (twenty-one years ago) link
having said that, i'd be astonished if there WEREN'T collections of 78s on CD which related to particularly broadway shows: i just don't know how good they'd be
― mark s (mark s), Sunday, 2 February 2003 17:20 (twenty-one years ago) link
i'm talking lots without being at all helpful, sorry
― mark s (mark s), Sunday, 2 February 2003 17:24 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Rockist Scientsit, Sunday, 2 February 2003 17:28 (twenty-one years ago) link
― mark s (mark s), Sunday, 2 February 2003 17:37 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Rockist Scientist, Sunday, 2 February 2003 18:14 (twenty-one years ago) link
― lauren (laurenp), Sunday, 2 February 2003 18:53 (twenty-one years ago) link
i'll also second the ella recommendations - mark's first response sums it up perfectly.
i'm not wild about those v/a "complete songbook" comps - even if the 50's/60's interpretations have become the definitive take on cp, there's something grating in the Sophisticated Genius lovesong angle - everything is so forcefully "classy". (i guess because it's totally wilfully INcomplete - you wind up with fred astaire AND ella doing "night and day" but none of the odder "what a nice municipal park"/"when me mowgli love"-type numbers). they do contain some great versions though from d.washington, sarah vaughn, blossom dearie etc.
― jones (actual), Sunday, 2 February 2003 19:07 (twenty-one years ago) link
Overinterpretedon nearly all the songbooks I find Ella pretty transparent. Mark's comments seem to hit it on the head. Unlike, say, Billie Holiday there's no "biography" in there.
― gaz (gaz), Sunday, 2 February 2003 22:06 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Rockist Scientist, Sunday, 2 February 2003 22:37 (twenty-one years ago) link
I don't know if it's still in print or what, but there's a 4-disc set called "From This Moment On" that has a variety of people singing Porter's songs from the 20s on to about the 80s. It includes a few of the Fitzgerald recordings as well as a few of Porter singing the songs himself (and I rather like his versions). There are a lot of terrific tracks on here -- maybe 1/4 of it is wonderful, the rest pretty good and only a few bum tracks. It sounds like what you're looking for (if it's in your budget and it's available).
― Chris P (Chris P), Sunday, 2 February 2003 23:10 (twenty-one years ago) link
Rockist Scientist: the Indiana Historical Society released two box sets in the early '90s, entitled You're the Top: Cole Porter in the '30s and You're Sensational: Cole Porter in the '20s, 40's & '50s. Unfortunately despite outward appearances the sets do not always contain the original recordings of the songs in question, and recordings from several decades are jumbled together; the songs are organized chronically by the year of their composition. Still the recordings chosen are often ace and the notes are voluminous.
I think your best bet would be one of the compilations on the nostlagia specialty labels. My choices would be the two volumes of The Ultimate Cole Porter on Pearl--'30s-vintage original cast recordings from Anything Goes... some Astaire and Gertie Lawrence as well.
The Naxos comp mentioned above looks a bit dubious from a listening standpoint, despite the presence of the heavenly Lee Wiley.
― Amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 3 February 2003 01:34 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 3 February 2003 01:42 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Burr, Monday, 3 February 2003 03:24 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 3 February 2003 03:52 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Mary (Mary), Monday, 3 February 2003 04:28 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 15 July 2003 00:51 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 15 July 2003 00:52 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 15 July 2003 00:54 (twenty-one years ago) link
― gaz (gaz), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 01:10 (twenty-one years ago) link
I feel like I'm cheating on Billie Holiday, but I guess she's used to that.
― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 15 July 2003 01:14 (twenty-one years ago) link
― gaz (gaz), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 01:19 (twenty-one years ago) link
gaz (crosspost), I don't know. I thought I read somewhere that the box set that brings all the songbooks together didn't have quite as good a sound quality as more recent issues of individual songbooks. I think maybe I read it on rec.music.bluenote. But I don't know how old that information was. I'm no audiophile, but I have been frusrated enough with poor CD reissues that I would rather get the best (as long as it is not outrageously expensive). Some of these Latin CD reissues, especially on the Vaya label--but pretty much all of the 70's era major Latin labels, are really poorly done, in a way that is noticeable. I dread the thought that I may be replacing them all with real remastered CDs one of these days. But then again, I also dread the thought that they will never be properly reissued.
― Rockist Scientist, Tuesday, 15 July 2003 01:25 (twenty-one years ago) link
i had a dream the other night where i was studying the writing styles of porter and other great american songwriters. i remember deciding, with utter certitude and great clarity, that gershwin was better than porter. upon waking i realized this was hardly a revelation. which is not to diminish porter.
i think it's because i was watching "silk stockings" that night.
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 01:37 (twenty-one years ago) link
― amateurist (amateurist), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 01:38 (twenty-one years ago) link
― gaz (gaz), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 03:22 (twenty-one years ago) link
― s1utsky (slutsky), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 03:29 (twenty-one years ago) link
RS - Glad you liked the Ella. if you're gonna get more of the Songbooks start with either the Gershwin or the Rodgers & Hart. The Gershwin is amazing but is HUGE so might be a little overwhelming, when I first got it took me forever to get through the whole thing. however, if you want to lose yourself in it, would perhaps be ideal.
― H (Heruy), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 07:21 (twenty-one years ago) link
― lauren (laurenp), Tuesday, 15 July 2003 10:04 (twenty-one years ago) link
forgive my ignorance, but what Cole Porter song is being played in this Clickhole video?
― small doug yule carnival club (unregistered), Sunday, 17 January 2016 00:47 (eight years ago) link
anyone?
― small doug yule carnival club (unregistered), Monday, 18 January 2016 19:30 (eight years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpX-QGgJqwU
― Van Der Beek's masterpiece (rip van wanko), Monday, 18 January 2016 19:35 (eight years ago) link
full disclosure I had to use my phone app. this is a joek I guess.
― Van Der Beek's masterpiece (rip van wanko), Monday, 18 January 2016 19:37 (eight years ago) link
ha, well I appreciate the effort, and it is the same song, though it apparently has nothing to do with Cole Porter.
― small doug yule carnival club (unregistered), Monday, 18 January 2016 19:45 (eight years ago) link
right
― Van Der Beek's masterpiece (rip van wanko), Monday, 18 January 2016 19:49 (eight years ago) link
Y Kant U B-have?
― PiL Communication (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 24 April 2016 14:45 (eight years ago) link
I finally dug out Red Hot and Blue album and normally I am pretty jaded but I quite like it, Annie Lennox in particular but I am still working my way through it.
Any other suggestions of post-1980 versions would be welcome.
― Night of Olay: The Resurrection (I M Losted), Wednesday, 19 January 2022 22:43 (two years ago) link
The full film is here. It’s remarkable how little seen this was. Also a fascinating time capsule IMO
https://vimeo.com/46642017
― piscesx, Wednesday, 19 January 2022 23:30 (two years ago) link