Lullaby of Broadway - the Best of Busby Berkeley at Warner [Double CD]

For those Busby buffs who have seen his 30s Warner films and have become infatuated with those luscious Warren-Dubin medlodies, this double CD set is an essential. The selections include not just the vocals, but the entire numbers, complete with dance and pageantry sequences.

Unforgettable numbers, such as "I Only Have Eyes For You," "Lullabye of Broadway," "Young and Healthy," and "Forty-Second Street" not only generate charming waves of nostalgia, but the entire collection is a fine popular culture representation of the Depression-era musical comedy film.

Powell sounds radiant as ever, though most of the female vocalists (i.e., Blondell, Keeler, and Rogers) generally pale in comparison. However, Keeler's lower register in "By a Waterfall" showcases her genuine vocal talents. Fortunately there's Etta Motten's rich mezzo featured on "Remember My Forgotten Man" and Winifred Shaw's solo in "Lullabye of Broadway."

Regretably though, this collection omits Bebe Daniels' addictive "You're Getting To Be a Habit With Me" from *Forty-Second Street" and the racy ensemble,"Pettin' In the Park" from *Gold Diggers of 1933*. But a star-studded "Horray For Hollywoood" with Benny Goodman, Frances Langford, and Gene Krupa completes this collection in grand style.

There has never been anything quite like the delicious musicals that Warner Bros. served up during the 1930s. To begin with, they served to take folks' minds off the Great Depression, and in themselves they are wonderful works of art. They are still loads of fun, and this two-disc set serves as a fitting reminder of the heights that the American movie musical once achieved.

The focal point of the pieces on here is that most of them originally received elaborate stagings by that master of dance direction, Busby Berkeley. Within the context of the films, most of them were intended as stage pieces, although there was no stage on earth capable of presenting these pieces. And the stagings are more than just emptyheaded presentations on which the melodies can hang: we are confronted with the suffering of war veterans in "Remember My Forgotten Man," violence in "42nd Street" and sudden death in "Lullaby of Broadway."

Without the visuals, however, the one who really emerges as the star of these selections is Harry Warren, who wrote all but 4 of the 20 songs here. Warren consistently wrote songs as appealing as those of George Gershwin but, unlike Gershwin, his name is pretty much forgotten nowadays. Thanks to the attractiveness of the tunes themselves and the inventiveness of the orchestrations, the brief melodies are as fresh on their twentieth repetition as they are on their first.

Among the many vocalists, the most constant is baby-faced Dick Powell who achieved stardom through these vehicles. But there are many other enjoyable singers on these discs as well. James Cagney is effective as only he could be in "Shanghai Lil," and Clarence Nordstrum brings a pleasant baritone and a quick vibrato to "Shuffle Off to Buffalo." On the other hand, Ruby Keeler's charms lie more in what she attempts than what she actually achieves (one of the other characters in 42nd Street tells Warner Baxter straight out that she is not a very good singer). Likewise, Joan Blondell is not a very accomplished vocalist although she is very effective, for example, in the spoken section of "Remember My Forgotten Man." But this is not to denigrate the participation of these wonderful performers; in large part, they make the films in which they appear. And the distaff side is well represented by the enjoyable singing of Ginger Rogers, Wini Shaw and Etta Moten.

The presentation of these discs is near impeccable. I still find myself wishing, as I do with Fantasia, that they could update the sound, but the ear adjusts quickly and the discs are still much more than listenable.

We have here for the first time anywhere Ginger Rogers' outtake of "I've Got to Sing a Torch Song" from Gold Diggers of 1933 (the song is alluded to in the opening moments of that film). We also get to hear Benny Goodman sing in a part of "Hooray for Hollywood" from Hollywood Hotel that was left on the cutting room floor. On the minus side, the producers chose to omit a bit of "Remember My Forgotten Man" because of the distortion in that section caused by the action onscreen. The cut is well disguised but still noticeable to those familiar with the piece, plus it detracts from the musical sense of the piece. I would have preferred to see the section left in, distortion or no. Finally, I wish they could have found a way to include "Pettin' in the Park" from Gold Diggers of 1933, my top favorite of all these production numbers.

The accompanying booklet could not be better. There are tributes to Busby Berkeley and Harry Warren, notes on each of the films and special comments on the musical numbers included, with lots of interesting minutiae, such as how Al Jolson made fun of his wife Ruby Keeler behind her back (the comments on the tastelessness of his "Goin' to Heaven on a Mule" pale before this revelation) and how Busby Berkeley carefully photographed "The Girl at the Ironing Board" from Dames to hide Joan Blondell's pregnancy. Plus there is a complete listing of Busby Berkeley's films. Finally, the booklet and the CD case itself are liberally laced with stills from these films.

Still, what brings me back to these discs time and time again are the delightfulness of the musical numbers and the enthusiastic performances they receive from everyone involved. Not all the films represented here have been available on video, so in the case of those that are not, I at least have these tantalizing moments to give me something to live for until they are. Highly recommended as a souvenir for those who have seen the films and as an introduction to a great era in American film history for those who have not.

Lullaby Of Broadway: The Best Of Busby Berkeley At Warner Bros.: Motion Picture Soundtrack Anthology really is an excellent two CD set of the best songs from Busby Berkeley's films in the golden age of Hollywood. Berkeley devised some of the best musical numbers ever; and this two CD set is a fine tribute to his work. The songs are great to enjoy even if you're not a Busby Berkeley fan! The sound quality is great and I like that artwork, too.

"Young And Healthy" is performed by Dick Powell, Toby Wing and Chorus; this track is taken directly from the movie soundtrack and that's great! The recording does show its age but make no mistake about it--the singers are very easy to hear and you won't miss a word! The music for "Young And Healthy" is very good, too. Ruby Keeler does a great job on "Shuffle Off To Buffalo;" the other actors fit in well to make "Shuffle Off To Buffalo" a strong and nostalgic number. Ginger Rogers also makes good with her rendition of "We're In The Money (The Gold Diggers Song)." "We're In The Money (The Gold Diggers Song)" from Gold Diggers of 1933 shines when Ginger sings it; and the chorus enhances the beauty of this number.

"By A Waterfall" from Footlight Parade is one of the most beautiful love songs I've ever heard; and this track comes from the movie soundtrack. Dick Powell sings this so well that I never tire of hearing him perform this ballad.

The second CD continues the hits. "The Girl At The Ironing Board" features Joan Blondell front and center--of course, she wasn't exactly an operatic performer but Joan Blondell does a very good job on "The Girl At The Ironing Board" anyway. I like that chorus, too. "I Only Have Eyes For You" from the movie entitled Dames showcases Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler; and this heavenly number shines bright all these years later! What an ode to Ruby Keeler this was!

"Dames" comes from the movie of the same name; Dick Powell sings this flawlessly and the chorus that backs Powell up sounds great. There are a few lines from the film mixed in with the song as well. Great effect! In addition, the "Lullaby Of Broadway" gets the royal treatment from Winifred Shaw, Dick Powell and Chorus. Winifred had an excellent voice; and as usual Dick Powell never disappoints. His tenor voice really impresses me a lot.

"All's Fair In Love And War" features Dick Powell, Joan Blondell and Lee Dixon; this bouncy and energetic tune has a catchy melody and the brass sounds great as the singers perform! The CD set also ends strong with "Hooray For Hollywood" featuring Dick Powell and Frances Langford--could you ask for anything more?

This is some two CD set to pay tribute to the musical numbers of Busby Berkeley's films. He could choreograph a million elephants at once and he still is well remembered in Hollywood today. I highly recommend this two CD set for fans of the classic movie musicals of this era.