Somewhere over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals
Amazon.com
The “Golden Age” referred to here spans The Jazz Singer and the advent of the talkies to the death throes of the old studio system in the 1960s. So vast was the era’s musical landscape that even this 42-track, double-disc anthology can’t encompass all its peaks. Not surprisingly, the bulk of this collection originated with the Tiffany’s of the screen musical, M-G-M, a body of work whose riches here encompass both pop-cultural bedrock (“Over the Rainbow,” “Singin’ in the Rain,” “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” etc.) and some less familiar, if equally delightful star turns: Clark Gable gamely “Puttin’ On the Ritz”; the sassy, 1948 original of “The Lady Is a Tramp” by Lena Horne; and a loopy duet of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” by Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban. Fred Astaire’s elegant, epochal reign at RKO and M-G-M is represented by “Night and Day,” “Let’s Face the Music and Dance,” and three others, while Metro mainstays Gene Kelly and Judy Garland share equal time and billing. It’s not perfect–Cagney’s “Yankee Doodle Boy” and/or some Sinatra seem more logical choices than the odd “bonus” duet of Casablanca‘s “As Time Goes By” and “Lara’s Theme” from Dr. Zhivago that close out disc one–but it’s a stunning, surprisingly comprehensive primer on the Hollywood film musical nonetheless. –Jerry McCulley
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Apart from the great selection of soundtracks, what really makes this compilation top value is the quality of the sound processing. Executed with finesse, these tracks sound better than when first issued and many are unedited, fuller versions: like “Singing In The Rain”, for example. Throw in the great price, and this double disc set is a “must have” for all lovers of classic movie music.
Rating: 1 / 5
Somewhere over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals
This is a a fun-filled walk down Memory Lane!
Rating: 5 / 5
Somewhere over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals
That’s it, guys! This two CDs will make us return to the golden era of musicals, it selects the most famous songs of movies of 30′s, but mostly 40′s and 50′s.
Some people say it should have been more Fred and Ginger musics, others say there should have been more Bing Crosby… but one thing is undeniable it’s a true masterpiece that I never get tired listening.
It includes some classics that I had already known- “Singin’ In The Rain”, “There’s No Business Like Show Business” (the original, not the Ethel Merman version), “S’wonderfu”l, “That’s Entertainment”(4 people singing!), “Lullaby of Broadway”, “Night and Day”(a gem, even today!), “They Can’t Take That Away From Me”, “Over the Rainbow”(moving), “The Trolley Song”, “Gigi”, “I Got Rhytm”, “The Lady Is a Tramp” (I knew the Sinatra version from Pal Joey), “Cheek to Cheek” (immortal), “A Kiss To Build A Dream On” (I prefer other orchestration, this one is too calm), “Let’s Face The Music And Dance” (not by Diana Krall!), “Be a Clown, Embraceable You, On The Atchison, Topeka and The Santa Fe” (I knew the Crosby version), “One For My Baby” (I knew the Sinatra version).
But there where a lot of musics that I didn’t know and I began to love- Easter parade (too bad there wasn’t “It Only Happens When I Dance With You”!) True Love (I’m a huge Crosby fan), “Baby It’s Cold Outside” (Delicious! Fantastic! No wonder it earned the 1949 oscar!), “Bless Your Beautiful Hide”, “Taking a Chance On Love” (very beautiful), “Wunderbar” (I adore Cole Porter), etc.
There are two tracks that some guys might say that they aren’t from musicals- “Lara’s Theme” from Dr. Zhivago and “As Time Goes By”- but I was happy to found them here, cause I’m not going to buy the complete soundtracks.
A word to describe the CDs-TIMELESS!
Rating: 5 / 5
Somewhere over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals
A wonderful collection of Hollywood musical moments that you will enjoy over and over again. The recordings are crisp and clear. This 2 disc set will have you running to rent these classic movies. Kelly, Astaire, Garland, Crosby, Keel and many others were one-of-a-kind talents . What a great way to remember them.
Rating: 5 / 5
Somewhere over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals
This C-D contains remastered music from many of the
best musicals I remember from my youth. The only
thing I miss is the video because at times there is
only the sound of tapdancing.
I enjoy singing along with the music while driving
my car. Just as good as singing in the shower!
Rating: 4 / 5
Somewhere over the Rainbow: The Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals