Complete Studio Recordings

• Artist: Russ Columbo
• Rating:
• Release Date: August 26, 2003
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Vocal Music

Review

Russ Columbo and Bing Crosby set the standard for romantic crooning during the first half of the 20th century. Columbo's sudden death at the age of 26 bestowed upon him the status of a tragic legend, while over many decades his all too finite legacy of 32 recordings has been cherished by a small but devout following that has renewed itself within each successive generation. More than 60 years after his passing, two excellent Columbo collections emerged within five years of each other, beginning with ASV/Living Era's Prisoner of Love in 1998. That edition accurately reproduced 23 of his best records with the original 78-rpm fidelity and ambience intact. In 2003, Taragon released a double-disc collection containing all 32 of Columbo's precious recordings, digitally remastered like never before. It was assembled using the original RCA/BMG metal masters, or archival tapes when the masters were found to no longer exist. (One title, "I Wanna Be Loved," seems to have disappeared without a trace.) Anyone who truly adores this kind of music can and should obtain both editions and enjoy Russ Columbo's warm and intimate delivery both ways, so as to undergo two delightfully different listening experiences. The older mastering as heard on the Living Era edition conveys a special set of dynamics that transport the listener to a mystical realm that can only be visited under the spell of the old records as they have sounded for generations. Taragon's "cleaned-up" remastering brings different aspects of the music forward while other elements that were emphasized before now appear to recede ever so slightly. Here the singer seems to have been reinvented in the present tense, much as the photograph on the cover of the packing has been carefully colorized. The lesson of these two editions is that both types of fidelity are wonderful, and neither is better than the other. This marvelous interpreter of popular song is backed by orchestras under the direction of Gus Arnheim, Nathaniel Shilkret, Leonard Joy, and Jimmie Grier. Tracks three through 12 on disc two are performed by Russ Columbo & His Orchestra, a fine ensemble under the singer's direction and fortified by the presence of jazzmen Jimmy McPartland, Benny Goodman, and Gene Krupa. Those who seek the last word on this vocalist should make a point of reading You Call It Madness, a fascinating 500-page biographical tribute to Russ Columbo written by guitarist Lenny Kaye, Patti Smith's longtime collaborator in musical and poetic research. ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide

Tracks

CD 1

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Back in Your Own Backyard [Otra Vez en Tu Patio]	Al Jolson, Dave Dreyer, Billy Rose	Russ Columbo	(2:51)
A Peach of a Pair	George Marino, Richard A. Whiting	Russ Columbo	(3:18)
I Don't Know Why (I Just Do)	Fred E. Ahlert, Roy Turk	Russ Columbo	(3:09)
Guilty	Gus Kahn, Richard A. Whiting, Harry Akst	Russ Columbo	(2:58)
You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love)	Con Conrad, Russ Columbo, Gladys Dubois, Paul Gregory	Russ Columbo	(3:40)
Sweet and Lovely	Gus Arnheim, Jules LeMare, Harry Tobias	Russ Columbo	(3:34)
Time on My Hands (You in My Arms)	Vincent Youmans, Mack Gordon, Harold Adamson	Russ Columbo	(3:07)
Goodnight, Sweetheart	Rudy Vallée, Jimmy Campbell, Ray Noble, Reginald Connelly, Jimmy Campbell, Peggy Connelly	Russ Columbo	(3:32)
Prisoner of Love	Leo Robin, Russ Columbo, Clarence Gaskill	Russ Columbo	(3:36)
You Try Somebody Else	Lew Brown, Buddy DeSylva, Ray Henderson	Russ Columbo	(3:39)
Call Me Darling (Call Me Sweetheart, Call Me Dear)	Rolf Marbet, Dorothy Dick, Mort Fryberg, Bert Reisfeld	Russ Columbo	(3:37)
Where the Blue of the Night (Meets the Gold of the Day)	Bing Crosby, Fred E. Ahlert, Roy Turk	Russ Columbo	(3:19)
Save the Last Dance for Me	Walter Hirsch, Frank Magine	Russ Columbo	(2:54)
All of Me	Seymour Simons, Gerald Marks	Russ Columbo	(3:08)
Just Friends	Sam M. Lewis, John Klenner	Russ Columbo	(3:08)
You're My Everything [From the Musical Comedy "The Laugh Parade]	Harry Warren, Joe Young, Mort Dixon	Russ Columbo	(3:28)

CD 2

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Auf Wiederseh'n, My Dear	Milton Ager, Edward Nelson, Al Hoffman, Al Goodhart	Russ Columbo	(3:23)
Paradise [From R.K.O. Picture "A Woman Commands]	Nacio Herb Brown, Gordon Clifford	Russ Columbo	(3:15)
Just Another Dream of You	Benny Davis, Joe Burke	Russ Columbo	(3:11)
Living in Dreams	Johnny Green	Russ Columbo	(3:16)
My Love	Russ Columbo	Russ Columbo	(3:11)
As You Desire Me	Allie Wrubel	Russ Columbo	(3:07)
Lonesome Me	Fats Waller, Andy Razaf, Con Conrad	Russ Columbo	(3:05)
The Lady I Love	Joe Young, Bernice Petkere	Russ Columbo	(3:13)
Street of Dreams	Victor Young, Sam M. Lewis	Russ Columbo	(2:55)
Make Love the King (Long Live the King)	Con Conrad, Joe Young, Bill Gaston	Russ Columbo	(3:14)
I Called to Say Goodnight	Con Conrad	Russ Columbo	(3:28)
Lost in a Crowd	Con Conrad, Joe Kretcher, Bob Rice	Russ Columbo	(2:58)
When You're in Love [From the Universal Picture "Wake Up and Dream"]	Russ Columbo, Jack Stern, Bernie Grossman	Russ Columbo, Jimmy Grier & His Orchestra	(3:09)
Too Beautiful for Words [From Wake Up and Dream]	Russ Columbo, Jack Stern, Bernie Grossman	Russ Columbo, Jimmy Grier & His Orchestra	(3:17)
Let's Pretend There's a Moon [From the Universal Picture "Wake Up ...]	Russ Columbo, Jack Stern, Grace Hamilton	Russ Columbo, Jimmy Grier & His Orchestra	(3:20)
I See Two Lovers	Allie Wrubel, Mort Dixon	Russ Columbo, Jimmy Grier & His Orchestra	(3:24)

Credits

Gus Arnheim (Conductor), Russ Columbo (Vocals), John Sellards (Artwork), Jimmie Grier (Conductor), Leonard Joy (Orchestra Director), Russ Columbo (Conductor), Eliot Goshman (Mastering), Lou Miano (Liner Notes), Dennis Ferrante (Engineer), Lou Miano (Annotation), Nat Shilkret (Orchestra Director), Eliot Goshman (Compilation Producer), Ambassador Hotel Orchestra (Orchestra)