IT'S MAGIC
- IT'S MAGIC
- I STILL GET JEALOUS
- SAY SOMETHING SWEET TO YOUR SWEETHEART [duet with Jo Stafford]
- AT THE CANDLELIGHT CAFE'
- BLUEBIRD OF HAPPINESS [with Jo Stafford]
- THAT FEATHERY FEELIN'
- HANKERIN'
- MY DARLING, MY DARLING [with Jo Stafford]
- YOU WERE MEANT FOR ME
- NEED YOU {with Jo Stafford]
- HAIR OF GOLD, EYES OF BLUE
- A YOU'RE ADORABLE (THE ALPHABET SONG) [with Jo Stafford]
- RAMBLING ROSE
- WUNDERBAR [with Jo Stafford]
- SO IN LOVE
- WHISPERING HOPE [with Jo Stafford]
- YOUNGER THAN SPRINGTIME
- BIBBIDI-BOBBIDI-BOO [with Jo Stafford]
- LOVER'S GOLD
- ECHOES [with Jo Stafford]
- MULE TRAIN
- DEARIE [with Jo Stafford]
- DEAR HEARTS AND GENTLE PEOPLE
- MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY [with Jo Stafford]
- POISON IVY
- TEA FOR TWO [with Jo Stafford]
- YOU LOVE ME
"It’s Magic" overlaps with the above CDs in it’s portrayal of Gordon’s early body of work as Capitol Records sought to find him a "hit". The tracks seem to be taken from the 78rpm masters and seem not to have been "enhanced" (Capitol went through a phase of turning old mono recordings into pseudo-stereo using a process called "Duophonic". This was a less successful process (it made artists such as frank Sinatra sound as if they were singing from a sewer pipe) than the RCA "Electronic Stereo" and Columbia"Electronically Re-channeled" processes.
From the discography collated by Bruce Leiby in his book - "Gordon MacRae: A Bio-Bibliography"(1991. Greenwood Press. N.Y.)"- it appears that Gordon was teamed with Jo Stafford for a total of 15 - 17 of his 78rpm records (30 -34 songs) from 1948 to 1951 as part of that effort.
The most successful of these couplings was the "Whispering Hope" record from 1949.
This album contains 12 of those couplings of which three are also on "Gordon MacRae Sings which in turn has 3 titles not on this CD". So now we are fortunate to have about 50% of their duets restored to CD.
This is fortunate for - apart from and Eydie - there seems to be no other example of two recording stars - with their separate fan followings - collaborating so extensively, from 1948 until their final album "Peace In The Valley" in 1963.
Jo’s voice has a startling purity which is able to convey emotion - particularly longing and pain - without employing distracting over-the-top ‘tricks" . However she had the ability to be Doris Day-like "perky". In the early 50’s she embarked - with Paul Weston - on a series of hill-billy send-ups (as "Cinderella G. Stump" ) the most successful of which was a send up of Bing Crosby’s "Temptation" (called "Temptayshun" ).
The conductor for all of these sessions was Jo’s husband Paul Weston who was Capitol’s main music director and A & R man in the late 40s and early 50s. He also backs Gordon’s solos on this CD in "I Still Get Jealous", "At The Candlelight Café", "Younger Than Springtime", "Lover’s Gold", and "Poison Ivy"
All in all, Paul Weston backed Gordon - with and without Jo Stafford - for 26 of his 78rpms and so played a crucial role in the "selling" of Gordon in the early years.
The Gordon - Jo duets are exquisite with Jo’s pure voice being embroidered by Gordon’s harmonizing , (though the roles are reversed in parts) with him only occasionally singing "straight melody".
The combination has an ethereal quality and in the more reflective songs, close listening is rewarded by a realization on the part of the listener as to how busy both vocalists are in their harmonizing.
They exhibit considerable variety:
· The "fun/novelty" songs "A your Adorable, "Wunderbar" (the only time Gordon sings pseudo-operetta style with Jo) "Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday" and "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo"
· The quietly passionate "My Darling, My Darling" (beautiful phrasing and intonation by both artists) and the country-tinged "Need You"and "Echoes"
· The philosophical / advice songs "Say Something Sweet To Your Sweetheart" (a very upbeat style reminiscent of the Big Band vocalists that Gordon and Jo once were) and the "Bluebird of Happiness" which is rescued from mawkishness by a superb pure a capella performance with a vocal group in the background - - - fortunately the spoken verse, as sung by Jan Peerce and John Charles Thomas, was deleted - - - producing by far the best, the saddest, the most tasteful version on record.
The solos provide proof of Gordon’s vocal and stylistic versatility:
· Western tinged songs - "Feathery Feeling" and "Hankering" (both with the Carlyle Hall Orchestra ) and "Mule Train" (Andy Parker Orchestra and the Plainsmen) {14th position, on the charts}, "Hair Of Gold, Eyes Of Blue" {14th position, on the charts} (with the Starlighters) and "Rambling Rose" } (with the Starlighters) {27th position, on the charts), "Dear Hearts and Gentle People" (No. 19) and "Poison Ivy".
· Romantic ballads - "You Were Meant For Me" (the Carlyle Hall Orchestra ) {22nd position, on the charts}; "Younger Than Springtime" (One of Gordon’s best "crooning" efforts exhibiting beautiful phrasing, superb intonation and a beautiful, soft ending - a sign of his taste and class- he could have sung this in a fortissimo style) as well as "Dearie" and "Tea For Two (wonderful lilting piano work and orchestration.). Also there is a version of the song he sang in his film "West Point Story" - "You Love Me".
· Torch songs - "Lovers Gold" , "So In Love" ( This is attributed to the 1948 mono session but is actually a 1958 stereo version for the "Gordon MacRae In Concert") and the wonderful "It’s Magic" (No 9 on the charts). Note this seems to be the "unprocessed" version of "It’s Magic" that Capitol later added (tastefully for once) an echo ambience that actually enhanced the track.
This CD, with its generous offering of 27 tracks, is the best current example of what heights of artistry Gordon’s ability to work with Jo Stafford reached. It is also provides - as does the "Gordon MacRae Sings" CD - of the man’s vocal versatility and the wide range of genre was employed in order to find him the million-seller which, disgracefully, eluded him as a solo recording artist whilst other lesser beings with poorer talents seemed to thrive.