The Four Freshmen: More 4 Freshmen And 5 Trombones + The Four Freshmen In Person, Volume 2 CD Track Listing

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The Four Freshmen More 4 Freshmen And 5 Trombones + The Four Freshmen In Person, Volume 2 (1963)
This Compilation Released May 7, 2002\n"More 4 Freshmen And 5 Trombones" LP Originally Released 1964\n"The Four Freshmen In Person, Volume 2" LP Originally Released 1963\n\nReview Of "More 4 Freshmen And 5 Trombones"\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: AMG REVIEW: In 1956, when 4 Freshmen and 5 Trombones reached the Top Ten, the Four Freshmen were at the height of their popularity. By 1964, when they reprised the musical concept, again employing Pete Rugolo to score arrangements prominently featuring a quintet of trombones, they were near the end of their long contract with Capitol Records and hadn't placed an album in the charts in more than four years. Nevertheless, they made the best of what had always been a very good concept, singing a collection of early-'60s standards. "Hello, Dolly!" led things off in an arrangement that almost convinced you they were going to break into "Begin the Beguine" instead of the recent Broadway showstopper. And just so you didn't forget the Freshmen's sense of humor, the performance ended with Ross Barbour going into his duck voice. From there on, they simply applied their patented vocal style to some of the most popular middle-of-the-road ballads of the day, jousting with Rugolo's horns. The most exciting skirmish came in "A Taste of Honey," on which the horns sometimes got the better of it. But the combination remained a winning one. More 4 Freshmen and 5 Trombones was another excellent album from the group and, in one sense, very much an album of its time. But in another sense, it had no place on a major label in the age of the Beatles (who, of course, were also on Capitol), and, after one more single, the Four Freshmen left the company for which they had recorded since 1950. -- William Ruhlmann\n\nReview Of "The Four Freshmen In Person, Volume 2" \nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: The Four Freshmen display considerable versatility on their second concert album, recorded at Long Beach City College. The characteristic harmonies one associates with the group are on display on such songs as "Poinciana" and "Moon River," but there is a lot more to the group, both vocally and instrumentally. The opening number, "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66!," is not over before Ken Albers has made his mark with a trumpet solo, and guitarist Bob Comstock shows off a strong blues sensibility with solo vocals on "You Came a Long Way From St. Louis," "Take Your Shoes Off, Baby (And Start Runnin' Through My Mind)," and, near the end, "Blues in the Night." Nominal leader Ross Barbour is the evening's comic delight, both on his duck-voice version of "Once in Love with Amy" and "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone." Bob Flanigan plays trombone effectively and sometimes humorously in addition to joining in the vocal hijinks. It's a highly entertaining act that deservedly draws substantial applause by the end. -- William Ruhlmann\n\nReview Of This Compilation\nAMG EXPERT REVIEW: In 1996, Collectors' Choice Music licensed from Capitol Records and released a two-fer CD combining the Four Freshman's albums Four Freshmen and 5 Trombones and The Four Freshmen in Person, so combining the respective follow-ups to those LPs, More 4 Freshmen and 5 Trombones and The Four Freshmen in Person, Vol. 2, is a logical enough step. One might ask why the two trombone albums and the two live albums were not combined, but in fact the pairings make more sense the way they are. The first two albums were released in 1956 and 1958, a period when the Four Freshmen were major album sellers; the first trombone album reached the Top Ten and the first live album the Top 20. The second live album was released in 1963, the second trombone album in 1964. This was a very different time in the group's career; they were long off the charts and, in fact, the second trombone album was their final Capitol LP. You don't get any sense of decline on these performances, however. On the studio recordings that make up the first 11 tracks, the Four Freshmen apply their familiar vocal harmony to a series of early-'60s pop standards, most of which remain familiar almost 40 years later, and Pete Rugolo's arrangements find the trombones complementing the vocal blend well. There are only hints of the group's humor and exuberance here, but those qualities really come out on the live material, which also allows for individual showcases and a sense of the group's instrumental talents. These two albums may come at the end of their Capitol tenure, but the recordings are as entertaining as any in their catalog. -- William Ruhlmann\n\nAmazon.com Album Description\nInto the '60s we go with the Four Freshmen! In Person Vol. 2 and More 4 Freshmen and 5 Trombones are the only two Capitol albums by the group yet to be reissued on CD. Featuring the 34 best tracks from their half-dozen releases or so on the Liberty label. Collector's Choice Music. 2002
This jazz cd contains 23 tracks and runs 71min 27sec.
Freedb: 3910bd17

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