OUR LOVE STORY
RELEASED: April 1960 CAPITOL RECORDS T-1353 - 12 inch
An album review by Enda Bracken

Our Love Story
    Arranger - Conductor:
  1. OUR LOVE STORY Gordon and Sheila
  2. I MET A GIRL Gordon
  3. A WONDERFUL GUY Sheila
  4. LOVE IS A SIMPLE THING Gordon and Sheila
  5. I'M GLAD THERE IS YOU Sheila
  6. THAT'S FOR ME Gordon
  7. LOVE AND MARRIAGE Gordon and Sheila
  8. ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE Gordon
  9. MY BABY JUST CARES FOR ME Sheila
  10. WHEN THE CHILDREN ARE ASLEEP Gordon and Sheila
  11. AND THIS IS MY BELOVED Gordon
  12. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Gordon and Sheila

During the late 50s and 60s Gordon MacRae embarked upon a series of "concept" LPs - "Cowboy’s Lament", "Seasons Of Love", "Songs for An Evening At Home" - and this recording "Our Love Story".

Gordon and his wife Sheila had in the late 50’s (1958) and early 60’s embarked upon a series of nightclub tours. This was due - according to Sheila’s autobiography "Hollywood Mother of the Year" [with Paul Jeffers; Birch Lane Press. Carol Publishing Group.1992] - a combination of a need to raise IRS back-taxes that had been embezzled by their accountant and the fact that Gordon was now regarded as unreliable by film studios because of his drinking bouts. He also faced a ban from television because of a complaint by the young Carol Lawrence about his "unreliability" whilst recording a television show. (Carol and Gordon were to later star together in a stage production of "I Do, I Do".)

This was an opportunity for Sheila to unleash her repressed skills as an entertainer as well as a creative director. She gives evidence that she was the creative force that gave freshness and variety to the nightclub act. (She introduced the revolutionary "wireless mike" and its expensive supporting equipment into the act so Gordon could move around and interact with the audience.) She claimed that this freshness was essential in order to prevent Gordon from getting "bored" and resorting to drinking or gambling.

Whatever the reasons, the duo’s act was regarded by the public and their peers as being one of excellence. The duo’s repertoire was later expanded to incorporate "stage" versions of "Bells Are Ringing" (1959;1964); "Redhead" (1959); "Guys and Dolls"(1960; 1964); "Annie Get Your Gun"(1960) (I am indebted to Bruce Leiby’s excellent book "Gordon MacRae - A Bio-Bibliography"(Greenwood Press 1991) for these dates).

This LP was a distillation of the nightclub act that had started in 1958 in which had evolved to where Sheila was seen as an outstanding impressionist and comedienne. As such it has a very "Vegas" tone with a Vegas opening duet "Our Love Story" and then a "love" narrative starting "I Met A Girl" (Gordon)" and "A Wonderful Guy" (Sheila).

The concept of the album is to follow a couple from their first meeting, their courtship, their marriage and honeymoon, through to the rearing of children to a reaffirmation of love and to their anniversary.

To persons whose experience of Gordon’s singing had been solely through his previous recordings and his films, this album is a revelation. He is able to do up-tempo "Vegas" very well with outstanding diction in the fast passages and variety of vocal dynamics especially in "I Met A Girl". His voice is alternately fresh ,friendly, powerful and chirpy ("Love is A Simple Thing").

Gordon harmonizes "around" Sheila’s voice beautifully in their duets without losing his vocal identity. His rendition of "That’s For Me" ("State Fair") is carefree and sensuous. His delivery of "All "The Things You Are" is painfully sweet - he shows his artistry by refusing to belt out a "big" finish as many artists with big voices tend to do with this song.

However if you wanted proof that he could belt out a song then he does so in "This Is My Beloved" where he uses his "tenor" range. (actually it sounds better on crackly vinyl that on the CD re-issue of the song in the compilation "Gordon MacRae - The Capitol Years".

Sheila’s voice is an enigma! Her normal "Sheila" voice which has a smoky fruitiness with undertones of "Englishness" does not seem particularly strong, especially in the high notes ("A Wonderful Guy" "Love is A Simple Thing"). Yet the "Sheila" voice is very alluring. Her musicality - her playing with tempos, phrasing and her very effective use of her limited vocal dynamic - is very evident in her rendition of "I’m Glad There Is You" and "My Baby Cares For Me". She sells the song effortlessly.

However whereas Sheila’s "Sheila" voice is not strong, her other "Lena Horne" voice and her "ethnic voices" in the amusing "Love and Marriage" number is true and evocative and one wishes she had also used others of her impressions as well. (Gordon also had impressions in the act and these would have been appreciated on the LP).

Van Alexander, who was musical director in Gordon and Sheila’s act and all of his post-Carousel recordings, contributes atmospheric arrangements which highlight the voices and underpin the mood of the album and lyrics without being obtrusive. His accompaniment of Sheila in "I’m Glad There Is You" supports her beautifully and his work with the "ethnic" arrangements is exemplary.

By this stage Capitol was beginning to use stereo and recording "ambience" a little more sympathetically with mainstream artists and the recordings it produced in that genre were not so "flat" (its use of stereo with classical music however was quite excellent). On this LP, whilst the strings are still harsh, the recording is a little more spacious than its predecessors.

As a snapshot of their nightclub act the album is really successful. Gordon graciously gives equal stage space to Sheila and she does not disappoint.

It is a thoroughly entertaining "fun" album performed with elan. Hopefully someone (EMI - UK?) will re-issue this album back-to-back with "Songs for An Evening At Home".