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Track Listings
| Disc: 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Got to Dance My Way to Heaven | |||
| 2. I'm Only a Baby (I Maybe Only a Baby) | |||
| 3. Silly Little Hill (with Henry Lytton Jr.) | |||
| 4. The Good Little Girl and the Bad Little Girl | |||
| 5. Friendly Ghosts | |||
| 6. Journey's End | |||
| 7. My Heart Stood Still | |||
| 8. A Room with a View | |||
| 9. Just a Memory | |||
| 10. Let's Do It | |||
See all 27 tracks on this disc
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| Disc: 2 | |||
| 1. Everything's in Rhythm with My Heart | |||
| 2. The Little Silkworm | |||
| 3. It's Love Again | |||
| 4. Tony's in Town | |||
| 5. I Nearly Let Love Go Slipping Through My Fingers | |||
| 6. Head Over Heels In Love | |||
| 7. Looking Around Corners For You | |||
| 8. There's That Look in Your Eyes Again | |||
| 9. May I Have the Next Romance with You? | |||
| 10. When You Gotta Sing, You Gotta Sing | |||
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See all 29 tracks on this disc
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Product Description
Album Description
AVID Entertainment is proud to launch a new label with a very
special release celebrating the centenary of one of Britain's greatest
international stars.
AVID EASY presents Jessie Matthews: A Centenary Celebration.
Quoted in 1936 Irving Berlin called her the "female Fred Astaire. America
worships her". And he should know as the legendary Astaire was the favoured
interpreter of some of Berlin's greatest songs! Jessie Matthews truly was
an international star at the height of her fame in the `30's and to make
this release something special we have included no less than 16 items never
previously released. This is an absolute treasure trove for the millions of
fans both young and old alike who still regularly subscribe to her thriving
Appreciation Society. Following a recent article in the Daily Mail by
Michael Thornton author of Jessie Matthews: A Biography and writer of our
excellent sleeve notes expect demand to be high from her many fans
throughout the world!
special release celebrating the centenary of one of Britain's greatest
international stars.
AVID EASY presents Jessie Matthews: A Centenary Celebration.
Quoted in 1936 Irving Berlin called her the "female Fred Astaire. America
worships her". And he should know as the legendary Astaire was the favoured
interpreter of some of Berlin's greatest songs! Jessie Matthews truly was
an international star at the height of her fame in the `30's and to make
this release something special we have included no less than 16 items never
previously released. This is an absolute treasure trove for the millions of
fans both young and old alike who still regularly subscribe to her thriving
Appreciation Society. Following a recent article in the Daily Mail by
Michael Thornton author of Jessie Matthews: A Biography and writer of our
excellent sleeve notes expect demand to be high from her many fans
throughout the world!
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Another plum from Avid, and a worthy tribute to Jessie Matthews, who was born on March 11th, 1907. She was a star of stage and screen, and this broadly chronological compilation traces her career from her earliest recordings in 1926. The most recent was recorded in the late 1970s and is one of several hitherto unissued tracks, which are complemented by film soundtrack material. She possessed a light soprano voice, and the sort of clear diction that one associates with the prewar theatre, where the object of the exercise was to endear the character to the audience.
For that reason I began by thinking that this would be of greater interest to devotees of the stage, but as I listened I was persuaded otherwise by the fascination of hearing what became dance band numbers performed by their original interpreter, coupled with the quality of the accompaniments, a fair proportion of which were provided by either Carroll Gibbons & the Savoy Hotel Orpheans or Jay Wilbur. This is a magnificent collection, which is augmented by comprehensive discographical details and a commentary by her biographer, Michael Thornton. This is about as good as it gets.
P.S. I was extremely surprised to read Christopher Travers' adverse comments, because my recollection from listening prior to writing my own review was that this reissue was distinguished by its clarity. However, being open-minded, I decided that I should listen again to see if I'd missed what he describes as "tape hiss on every track" (apparently oblivious to the fact that these recordings date from the 78 era). I'm listening as I type, and am happy to reassure prospective purchasers that this reissue has been exceptionally well re-mastered and most tracks carry no extraneous noise. The exceptions are the extreme rarities which have been included, where some of the original surface noise can be detected. The problem facing the recording engineer in such circumstances is that to remove all traces will inevitably bite into the recorded sound also. Therefore the end result has to be a compromise, which collectors of such vintage material are happy to accept. The alternative would have been to omit those tracks altogether.
For that reason I began by thinking that this would be of greater interest to devotees of the stage, but as I listened I was persuaded otherwise by the fascination of hearing what became dance band numbers performed by their original interpreter, coupled with the quality of the accompaniments, a fair proportion of which were provided by either Carroll Gibbons & the Savoy Hotel Orpheans or Jay Wilbur. This is a magnificent collection, which is augmented by comprehensive discographical details and a commentary by her biographer, Michael Thornton. This is about as good as it gets.
P.S. I was extremely surprised to read Christopher Travers' adverse comments, because my recollection from listening prior to writing my own review was that this reissue was distinguished by its clarity. However, being open-minded, I decided that I should listen again to see if I'd missed what he describes as "tape hiss on every track" (apparently oblivious to the fact that these recordings date from the 78 era). I'm listening as I type, and am happy to reassure prospective purchasers that this reissue has been exceptionally well re-mastered and most tracks carry no extraneous noise. The exceptions are the extreme rarities which have been included, where some of the original surface noise can be detected. The problem facing the recording engineer in such circumstances is that to remove all traces will inevitably bite into the recorded sound also. Therefore the end result has to be a compromise, which collectors of such vintage material are happy to accept. The alternative would have been to omit those tracks altogether.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This enjoyable collection is the brainchild of veteran LP and CD compiler Hugh Palmer, and he has certainly assembled some rare and fascinating tracks in this well-deserved tribute to a great star of the 1930s. Over 50 of the best-known songs associated with Jessie Matthews are included, so it is highly unlikely that you will not discover your own personal favourites such as Over My Shoulder, Dancing on the Ceiling, When You've Got a Little Springtime in your Heart etc. From 1926, through to some private recordings from the late 1970s, we can enjoy her performances of popular songs plus selections from films such as "Out Of The Blue", "One Dam Thing After Another", "The Good Companions", "Evergreen", "It's Love Again", "Gangway" and others. Among the musicians accompanying Jessie are Leslie Hutchinson (`Hutch'), Carroll Gibbons, Louis Levy, Jay Wilbur, Fred Hartley, Peter Yorke, Debroy Somers, Bob Busby and Harold Geller. It would be silly to deny that this style of music now seems dated, but surely that is part of its charm. For those who remember how great Jessie Matthews was, and would like a lovingly-compiled souvenir of her career, this is the perfect answer.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Jessie Matthews was arguably the greatest British film star of the 1930s. There are few actors or actresses who could light up the screen as Jessie did, and her musical films are truly delightful.
There is much to commend in this collection. Detailed information is provided on the 56 tracks with recording dates, catalogue and matrix numbers of discs used etc. A lot of thought has gone into the compilation and there are some rare items here like the most delightful recording of Noel Coward's "A Room With A View" that I've ever heard. Recordings here cover some fifty years and are indeed comprehensive, as claimed.
Unfortunately the remastering of the commercial 78s could have been better overall. Bearing in mind that many of the records were made by Columbia and some like "Hold My Hand" and "Turn On The Music" would have been issued with superior laminated surfaces, there is no excuse for the evident hiss which detracts from Jessie's wonderful performances. It is certainly not surface noise from the 78s. "Everything's In Rhythm With My Heart" from the Decca catalogue is also marred by hiss and if you want to hear what can be done with Jessie's records, listen to how Past Perfect have remastered some of her recordings on several of their 1930s compilations. Actually "My River" on this collection is beautifully clear and no hiss! If only this was the standard throughout!
There are a number of film soundtrack recordings which are generally acceptable or very good, as in the case of the excerpts from "Evergreen", considering the sources used.
Nevertheless this is an interesting double CD set which will prove of use to Jessie's many admirers.
There is much to commend in this collection. Detailed information is provided on the 56 tracks with recording dates, catalogue and matrix numbers of discs used etc. A lot of thought has gone into the compilation and there are some rare items here like the most delightful recording of Noel Coward's "A Room With A View" that I've ever heard. Recordings here cover some fifty years and are indeed comprehensive, as claimed.
Unfortunately the remastering of the commercial 78s could have been better overall. Bearing in mind that many of the records were made by Columbia and some like "Hold My Hand" and "Turn On The Music" would have been issued with superior laminated surfaces, there is no excuse for the evident hiss which detracts from Jessie's wonderful performances. It is certainly not surface noise from the 78s. "Everything's In Rhythm With My Heart" from the Decca catalogue is also marred by hiss and if you want to hear what can be done with Jessie's records, listen to how Past Perfect have remastered some of her recordings on several of their 1930s compilations. Actually "My River" on this collection is beautifully clear and no hiss! If only this was the standard throughout!
There are a number of film soundtrack recordings which are generally acceptable or very good, as in the case of the excerpts from "Evergreen", considering the sources used.
Nevertheless this is an interesting double CD set which will prove of use to Jessie's many admirers.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
This is quite simply the best Jessie Matthews collection ever issued...
I am the biographer of the late Jessie Matthews, and knew her well over many years. I would like to say that I regard this new Avid double-CD, "Jessie Matthews: A Centenary... Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2007 by Michael Thornton
Very poor indeed - pronounced hiss throughout.
The engineering of this latest Jessie Matthews collection is nothing but a disappointment. The transfer of the commercial 78s is poor and there is a pronounced hissing sound on... Read more
Published on 28 Aug 2007 by caliboy
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