More Music for Spring, Plus 50s-60s Soundtrack Compilations and a Passover Song

Today we bring you another springtime compilation from David Federman - aptly titled "There'll Be Another Spring." Just the thing for this period of tense idleness when we should be enjoying nature's annual renewal of life. Also, I've added another double-header of my movie music transfers, made long ago but never posted here. This outing includes two vintage compilations, one from the 50s and one from the 60s.

Details follow.

There'll Be Another Spring

I'll let David have the floor to explain his contributions. As he says in his notes, "I’ve brought a sequel spring music mix that tries to enumerate the many benefits of global quarantine. There is a synergy to be harnessed from plague-induced isolation and idleness. We share a contemplative leisure that few of us ever had time for individually and now find forced upon us collectively. What better time to seize the many days allotted to us for beauty rather than boredom? See these songs as beatitudes of insomnia."

As usual, he has put together 32 vintage recordings from the finest artists - Peggy Lee, Lee Wiley, Annette Hanshaw, Jimmy Reed, George Metaxa (just saw him in a movie the other night) and many others. Sheer pleasure.

Main Title

This 1956 compilation from the Coral folks is all kinds of fun. It collects 12 film themes of the period as issued on singles by the label's two main arrangers, George Cates and Dick Jacobs.

The films surveyed include The Man with the Golden Arm, The Catered Affair, Congo Crossing, Seven Wonders of the World, East of Eden, The Proud Ones, Picnic, Away All Boats, The Proud and Profane, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, While the City Sleeps and Nightfall.

Billboard ad (click to enlarge)

The LP takes its name from a Jacobs single capitalizing on the 1955 Sinatra film The Main with the Golden Arm. In it, Jacobs contrasts Elmer Bernstein's swaggering film theme with a tune called "Molly-O," also heard in the score. The conglomeration doesn't work very well - but Bernstein's theme is the greatest!

In a somewhat similar, but more elegant way, George Cates wove together the Hudson-DeLange oldie "Moonglow" with the gorgeous theme of Picnic written by George Duning.

I believe this counterpoint could be found in the original film scoring. A single version from the soundtrack was issued under Morris Stoloff's name, and vied with the Cates record for chart supremacy. (I believe Stoloff won.) Either way, it makes for one of the best instrumentals of the 1950s.

None of the other sides reach these heights, but they will be enjoyable to anyone who loves this period of music, especially movie music. The sound is excellent.

Silver Screen '63 / Magic Screen '63

Half of this collection for 20th Century Fox records and Fox music director Lionel Newman is devoted to the film themes of 1963, the other half to television theme music.

Appropriately, it is one of the few records I own with two front covers and no back cover. Silver Screen '63 can be seen above; Magic Screen '63 way down below.

Lionel Newman

The films include Cleopatra, Papa's Delicate Condition, The V.I.P.s, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and Irma la Douce. On TV, the selections include Mr. Novak, The Phil Silvers Show, Breaking Point, The Bill Dana Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Frankly, 1963 was not a vintage year for theme music, and most of these items may be unfamiliar to you. They were to me, and I lived through the period. The most familiar film theme may be "Call Me Irresponsible" from Papa's Delicate Condition. The Jackie Gleason vehicle was not terribly well received, but the Cahn-Van Heusen song won an Oscar and was widely heard at the time.

Billboard ad (click to enlarge)

In my view, the best film music here is "Look Again" by Dory Langdon and André Previn, a beautifully pensive song from Irma la Douce. Otherwise, you will find music by Alex North, Johnny Mercer, Miklos Rozsa, Ernest Gold and Mack David.

On the little screen, surely the best remembered theme is Earle Hagen's from The Dick Van Dyke Show, which is instantly ingratiating. The other composers are all well known figures - Jeff Alexander (recently heard here as young crooner Myer Alexander), Lyn Murray, David Raksin and Harry Geller.

Newman coaxes fine performances from Fox's orchestra and the sound is good.

Happy Pesach!

Reader Eric was kind enough to provide a recording of the Passover song "Dayenu" in the comments to my recent Easter post. He notes, "This is from 'Happy Soul of a People' on Time records, with Harry Ringler and his Orchestra. Among the pseudonymous personnel is the accordionist Izzy Cortesky who may be a paisan but is not a landsman - Domenick Cortese."

The links to this song and the rest of today's items are in the comments, as usual.

Happy Passover to Eric and to all!