• Artist: Jo Stafford
• Flags: Compilation (best of)
• Type: Compilation
• Rating:
• Styles: Vocal Jazz, Traditional Pop
• Track Picks: "Long Ago (And Far Away)"
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Review

The hits "G.I. Jo" Stafford sings here consist of a "collection of her early work," as the unsigned liner notes acknowledge, although they do not say why. British budget reissue label, Prism Leisure, takes advantage of the 50-year copyright limit on recordings in Europe to assemble this compilation by transferring old 78's (with hiss sometimes intact). But that means a strict cut-off in 1946 has to be observed, and, of course, Stafford, who only launched her solo career in 1944, had just begun to score hits at that point. So, the compilers look backward, including (without credit) Stafford vocal features from her tenure with Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra, including "Yes, Indeed!," "Embraceable You," and "Manhattan Serenade," as well as her old group the Pied Pipers' "The Trolley Song." Some of Stafford's early solo hits are featured, among them the chart-topper "Candy," but others, such as "That's for Me" and "Symphony," that could have been used, are missing. Also, Stafford is heard singing such standards as "Blue Moon," "I'll Be Seeing You," and -- in a duet with uncredited co-author Johnny Mercer -- "Blues in the Night." There are some excellent Jo Stafford performances on this inexpensive, lengthy collection, but it's a sloppy, bare-bones album that will disappoint real fans. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	iTunes	Composers	Performers	Time
Long Ago (And Far Away)		Jerome Kern, Ira Gershwin	Jo Stafford	(2:54)
Manhattan Serenade		Harold Adamson, Louis Alter	Jo Stafford	(3:16)
For You		Al Dubin, Joe Burke	Jo Stafford	(4:39)
Yes, Indeed!		Sy Oliver	Jo Stafford	(3:32)
The Night We Called It a Day		Matt Dennis, Tom Adair	Jo Stafford	(3:09)
Embraceable You		George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin	Jo Stafford	(2:54)
The Trolley Song		Hugh Martin, Ralph Blaine	Jo Stafford	(3:00)
Candy		Joan Whitney, Mack David, Alex Kramer	Jo Stafford	(3:11)
Too Marvelous for Words		Johnny Mercer, Richard Whiting	Jo Stafford	(3:14)
Little Man With a Candy Cigar		Matt Dennis, Frank Kilduff	Jo Stafford	(3:11)
Blue Moon		Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart	Jo Stafford	(4:34)
The Things We Did Last Summer		Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne	Jo Stafford	(3:03)
What Is This Thing Called Love?	...	Cole Porter	Jo Stafford	(3:09)
I Remember You		Johnny Mercer, Victor Schertzinger	Jo Stafford	(3:02)
Day by Day		Sammy Cahn, Axel Stordahl, Paul Weston	Jo Stafford	(2:59)
This Is Always		Mack Gordon, Harry Warren	Jo Stafford	(3:01)
I Love You		Cole Porter	Jo Stafford	(2:43)
It Could Happen to You		Johnny Burke, James Van Heusen	Jo Stafford	(3:06)
Blues in the Night		Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer	Jo Stafford	(3:14)
Let's Just Pretend		Matt Dennis, Tom Adair	Jo Stafford	(3:15)
You Took My Love	...	Matt Dennis, Tom Adair	Jo Stafford	(3:14)
Baby, Won't You Please Come Home		Clarence Williams, Charles Warfield	Jo Stafford	(5:11)
I'll Be Seeing You		Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal	Jo Stafford	(2:21)

Credits

Jo Stafford (Main Performer)