Extra value is what you get when you buy Coronet at the bargain bin in Angry Mom Records.
Back in the early 90’s, I was working at WNYC. Harriet, also known as The Ticket Lady, offered me an opportunity to see Rosemary Clooney in concert. “Rosemary Who? Oh the lady who did the paper towel commercials!” I also recalled that my friend Rob had introduced me to the “Here Comes Suzy Snowflake” song. So I took the tickets, picked up Rob and we found ourselves at a concert venue in Brooklyn, awaiting Miss Clooney. Little did I know that night how my opinion of this “girl singer” would change so dramatically.
First things first, she must have changed her glamorous dresses about six times in the course of performing. But she was so much more than those sparkly gowns. That voice: velvety soft and emotional, but also so strong and commanding. In a concert hall where there were so many people, Rob and I being the youngest at that time, she was singing to me. Not many performers have that power.
After that live performance, I started to introduce myself to more of her music. Of course there was the fun, kitschy stuff like “Mambo Italiano" and "Come On-a-My House” (She wasn’t initially a fan of recording those novelty tunes) but there were the songs that also exuded emotion and authenticity, like “Tenderly" and “Hey There.” So, when I rounded the stairwell at Angry Mom Records and started hunting through the bargain boxes, I thought myself victorious when I scored four Rosemary Clooney albums!
All on the Concord Jazz label, here are my treasures with a highlight from each album:
Rosemary Clooney Sings the Lyrics of Ira Gershwin (1980)
- Gershwin himself approved of Clooney’s interpretations of his work. My favorite on this disc is “But Not for Me”
Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Harold Arlen (1983)
- It was fun to hear “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” in something other than Munchkin-ese. I loved Clooney’s swinging jazz version of this tune.
Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Irving Berlin (1984)
- Ethel Merman is closely associated with Berlin’s, “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” and why not, she belts it out like it's her own. Clooney’s more jazzified version is simple, clear and doesn’t feel like it's competing with the music to be heard.
Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Jimmy Van Heusen (1986)
- Clooney recorded “Love Won’t Let You Get Away” with Bing Crosby in 1958. This is her solo interpretation of the song.
It was so worth thumbing through numerous boxes to be able to add to my Rosemary Clooney collection!