European copyright law, which places recordings over 50 years old in the public domain, has caused a flood of cheap, low-quality reissues of the work of the major recording artists of the first half of the 20th century. But, in addition to the bottom-feeders, there are a few reputable record labels that use their free access to vintage recordings to put together superior packages, and one of these is
Jasmine, which is responsible for this collection, a four-CD, 101-track box set running nearly five hours, the most comprehensive collection of
Dick Haymes recordings yet released. Producer/annotator
Geoff Milne estimates that
Decca Records released 250+ titles by
Haymes on singles in the 1940s and '50s, and 91 of them are here, including all 27 of the singer's Top Ten hits. Also featured are four tracks he made as the singer in
Harry James' orchestra in 1941 and six airchecks from his various radio shows. The tracks are in chronological order by recording date, with the exception of
"Adieu," which was placed at the end as a send-off. Omitted are nine of
Haymes' lesser chart entries and, oddly, his several songs recorded as
Benny Goodman's male singer, among them such hits as
"Idaho." Even so, an excellent portrait of the singer in his 1941-1952 heyday emerges, helped by the song annotations and
Milne's sympathetic biographical essay.
Haymes remains unflappably smooth throughout, whether on his own or in partnership with
Helen Forrest,
the Andrews Sisters,
Judy Garland, or
Ethel Merman, whether fronting an orchestra or, in an interesting set of
Irving Berlin tunes, just backed by
Carmen Cavallaro at the piano. His style does not change with fashion; by the end in the early '50s, he was still maintaining his calm, rich vocal style, just as he had a decade earlier. Containing, as the cover notes, "many tracks previously not on CD or LP," this is a standard-setting
Dick Haymes collection. ~ William Ruhlmann
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