THIS IS GORDON MACRAE! - www.patfullerton.com

(A Personal Note: I had seen Gordon MacRae performing in Australia in Sydney in the mid 60s. Prior to that my most recent viewings of Gordon was in a rerun of "Carousel" and then with Sheila MacRae on a TV show from the London Palladium where he looked good and sang well. My most recent LP of him was "Kismet" where he impressed me with his lower notes. Gordon looked terrible on the night I saw him and his voice was very heavy with what seemed to be severe laryngitis. He looked unwell. It was with some trepidation that I approached this LP in 1968 (when it was released in Australia). I hoped that it would reveal that Gordon’s voice had recovered it’s purity and strength.

The album revealed that the "old" voice had not returned.

However I could not help replaying it repeatedly because several songs seemed to grab me emotionally because of Gordon’s interpretation.)

Contextualization: Unbeknownst to me isolated in Australia, Gordon had battled with alcoholism since the filming of Carousel. According to In Sheila MacRae’s autobiography "Hollywood Mother of the Year" [with Paul Jeffers; Birch Lane Press. Carol Publishing Group.1992], she reveals that Gordon was battling a gambling and a taxation problem and also that he began "fluffing" some notes. Though her dates are not specific, she had found issues too overwhelming and she had separated from Gordon on 24 September 1965. They would not be divorced until April 1967. When he was in Australia, Sheila was entering into other relationships.

So this album was recorded exactly one year after the separation. The title of this album seems (to me), in part, to be a pining for the departed Sheila and for a lost past.

The Grammy award-winning Eydie Gorme version of "If He Walked Into My Life Today" from "Mame" is truly superb. However I find the rough voice of Gordon MacRae with the same song far more arresting. His voice is closely "miked" and all the texture of his new voice - using his lower register - is there for all to hear and it grabs you with the introduction accompanied by a guitar and doesn’t let go until the end. The phrasing is exquisite with expert use by Gordon of the dynamics of his "new" voice. The orchestra is very sympathetic and lush producing with Gordon an emotion-charged. An extraordinary piece of work.

His version of the then new "Yesterday", by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, seems to be a thumbnail description of his own life. Here he uses his middle register and this combined with his phrasing which gradually increases momentum, making the song seem increasingly urgent.

His "Somewhere" - from the popular show "West Side Story" - shows that he still had power in his voice particularly in the phrase " . . . we’ll find a new way of living . .". Once again his phrasing is impeccable and his use of the dynamics and texture of his "new" voice is astonishing despite the fact that the "new" voice is not as "true" as his old voice and there is a hint of either restricted breathing or his voice occasionally "catching".

"Young & Warm & Wonderful" - a Johnny Mathis hit - is the track that I play repeatedly. It shows a seductive, warm and yearning voice. Gordon caresses the lyrics with tenderness and then strength.

The "Impossible Dream" is a track that I have seen on various compilations. For me this is one of the most painful tracks to listen to. Gordon’s interpretation is faultless with a wonderful sense of developing tempo and build-up and showing that he still had an impressive vocal range - he hits quite a high note. However it is his last note - of which many singers would be proud - that saddens me because the tonal restrictions are very obvious and one is forced into remembering how clear and resounding Gordon’s voice would have sounded.

"Strangers In The Night", "Michelle", "Shadow Of Your Smile" and "Dear Heart" reveals Gordon’s mastery of the ballad. All of his interpretation are so finely judged, so emotionally true and all sung with a light tenderness - his "Dear Heart" particularly so.

"I Want To Be With You" is passionate and yearning sung at full frustrated strength. Some of his breath-i-ness is apparent - as is a certain amount of "chewing" of his vowels that the younger Gordon would have eschewed - but these actually enhance the delivery of the song.

"Who Can I Turn To" was a disappointment for me. I had seen Gordon on the "Dean Martin Show" sing this a year before - Sheila was with him so it must have been in 1964-65 - and he had "Who Can I Turn To" with a huge sustained "finish" (very much like his "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise" in his 1964 "New Moon" album) and it had been absolutely stunning , far outstripping the Sammy Davis Jr , Anthony Newley and Tony Bennett versions. This effort on the album is beautifully judged in its development, with a bossa nova beat, and the passion develops wonderfully. However the final note is not sustained neatly and spirals back to an unconvincing finish to subordinate itself to the bossa nova tempo.

Gordon MacRae in his handling of all musical genre never lost his interpretative ability. One wonders why - in a climate that supported Tiny Tim as well as non-singers Richard Harris singing MacArthur Park , as well as Dean Martin’s self-parodies - there was not a market for Gordon’s poetic interpretations in the 60s.

It is a matter of some sadness that Gordon did not in the early 60s record any of the flood of contemporary ballads. His "Our Love Story" (with Sheila) and "Songs For An Evening At Home" albums were essentially "standards" collections. This album (along with the 1958 "Seasons Of Love" album) indicates that we would have given definitive sensitive readings of the wonderful songs of the day. An opportunity lost.

The recording technique is excellent, highlighting the strengths of Gordon’s voice - the best support Gordon had since "Gordon MacRae In Concert" and "Seasons In Love".

IF SHE WALKED INTO MY LIFE RELEASED: September 1966 CAPITOL RECORDS ST-2578 - 12 inch An album review by Enda Bracken

IF SHE WALKED INTO MY LIFE
RELEASED: September 1966 CAPITOL RECORDS ST-2578 - 12 inch An album review by Enda Bracken