Join Bing & Sing Along

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Join Bing & Sing Along
(33 Great Songs)
Studio album by
Bing Crosby
Released1960 (1960)
RecordedDecember 16/17, 1959
GenreVocal
Length38:39
LabelWarner Bros.
Bing Crosby chronology
How the West Was Won
(w/ Rosemary Clooney)
(1960) 		Join Bing & Sing Along
(33 Great Songs)
(1960) 		Bing & Satchmo
(w/ Louis Armstrong)
(1960)

Join Bing & Sing Along is a long-playing vinyl album issued first by RCA Victor (LPM/LSP-2276)[1] and immediately thereafter by Warner Bros. Records (W/WS-1363)[2] in 1960. The album consists of twelve medleys of 33 old songs in a singalong format. Bing Crosby sings on all of the tracks except those marked with an asterisk. The chorus and orchestra is conducted by Jack Halloran and their tracks were pre-recorded on November 9 & 13, 1959[3] with Crosby over-dubbing his vocals. Orchestral arrangements were by Bob Thompson.

The album entered the UK album charts on October 8, 1960 and reached a peak position of No. 7 in an 11-week stay.[4]

Hallmark Records issued the album on CD in 2011 No. 710082.

Reception[edit]

Variety magazine reviewed the album saying “Every company seems to be getting into the “Sing Along” act that Mitch Miller started for Columbia in the spring of 1958. Warner Bros. has a good scoring chance with their Bing Crosby version. He leads the vocal chorus through 33 familiar items and he has a way that makes it easy to join along.”[5]

Billboard liked it. "Of course, this is imitation, as are so many of the recent sing-along sets, but it is a first-rate one due to the presence of the old master, Bing Crosby. The grand collection of 33 old-time tunes is made to order for the old Groaner, and he sings them infectiously so that everyone is sure to sing along with him. If exploited this could be a good seller."[6]

Crosby expert, Fred Reynolds, writing in his book The Crosby Collection, 1926–1977 summed it up as follows: "Bing makes little attempt at subtlety of phrasing, ornamentation, niceties or nuances of any kind and his vocals, backed by hearty voices, create only a mechanically jolly atmosphere of a party get-together. There was a criticism, not without justification, that the album was too lightweight for a singer of his calibre but in mitigation it can be fairly claimed that it is a pleasant, happy sound with well chosen classic old songs brought back to life."[7]

Track listing[edit]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Take Me Out to the Ball Game"
"Meet Me in St. Louis"
"Peggy O'Neil"		Jack Norworth, Albert Von Tilzer
Andrew B. Sterling, Kerry Mills
Harry Pease, Ed Nelson, Gilbert Dodge		3:22
2."K-K-K-Katy"
"Mairzy Doats"
"Old MacDonald Had a Farm"		Geoffrey O'Hara
Milton Drake, Al Hoffman, Jerry Livingston
Traditional		3:21
3."Aura Lea"
"Cuddle up a Little Closer"		W. W. Fosdick George R. Poulton
Karl Hoschna, Otto Harbach		2:56
4."Daisy Bell"
"The Bowery"
"After the Ball"		Harry Dacre
Percy Gaunt, Charles H. Hoyt
Charles K. Harris		2:54
5."Long, Long Ago"
"On the Banks of the Wabash"*
"Seeing Nellie Home"		Thomas Haynes Bayly
Paul Dresser
John Fletcher		3:29
6."Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me"
"Oh, Dem Golden Slippers"
"On the Road to Mandalay"		Thomas Brigham Bishop
James A. Bland
Oley Speaks, Rudyard Kipling		3:13
Total length:19:15
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Give My Regards to Broadway"
"Mary's a Grand Old Name*"
"You're a Grand Old Flag"		George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan		3:13
2."When You Wore a Tulip"
"You Were Meant for Me"		Percy Wenrich, Jack Mahoney
Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed		3:12
3."Goodbye, My Lady Love"
"Linger Awhile"
"Heart of My Heart"		Joseph E. Howard
Harry Owens, Vincent Rose
Ben Ryan		3:28
4."Doodle Doo-Doo"
"All I Do Is Dream of You"		Mel Stitzel, Art Kassel
Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed		3:14
5."Alice Blue Gown"*
"I Love You Truly*"
"When I Grow Too Old to Dream"		Harry Tierney, Joseph McCarthy
Carrie Jacobs-Bond
Sigmund Romberg, Oscar Hammerstein II		3:16
6."There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight"
"Toot, Toot, Tootsie, (Goo'bye)"
"Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay*"		Theodore August Metz, Joe Hayden
Ernie Erdman, Dan Russo, Gus Kahn
Henry J. Sayers		3:01
Total length:19:24

*Non-Bing – orchestra and chorus only

References[edit]

  1. ^ "discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  2. ^ "discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  3. ^ "BingCrosby.com". BingCrosby.com. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  4. ^ British Hit Singles & Albums (18th ed.). London: Guinness World Records. 2005. p. 126. ISBN 1-904994-00-8.
  5. ^ "Variety". March 2, 1960. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ "Billboard". February 22, 1960. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ Reynolds, Fred. The Crosby Collection 1926-1977 (Part Four 1951-1960 ed.). pp. 268–269.
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