The Best of Debbie Reynolds

by Debbie Reynolds

Overview

It certainly would be possible to conceive a more comprehensive collection of the highlights of Debbie Reynolds' recording career than this 11-track, 31-minute budget-priced album. But as of 1991, much of Reynolds' catalog was long out of print, and Curb Records was to be commended for licensing her biggest hits from the archives of MGM, Coral, and Dot. That's right, these are, as advertised, the original recordings of "Aba Daba Honeymoon" (number three, 1951) and "Tammy" (number one, 1957), plus Reynolds' two other Top 40 records, "A Very Special Love" and "Am I That Easy to Forget?." The rest of the disc is filled out with other singles and LP tracks from her late-'50s and early-'60s stint on Dot, which tried to make her an adult pop star on her albums, singing standards, and a sort of answer to Connie Francis on her 45s. Of course, this was a brief period in the career of an entertainer best known for her movie musical appearances -- notably in Singin' in the Rain and The Unsinkable Molly Brown -- as well as her stage work, such as her starring role in the 1973 Broadway revival of Irene. None of that is accounted for here, which suggests what a more comprehensive collection might include. But her pop singles hits are here, just as they were heard several decades ago. (Typical of the rudimentary character of the collection is the consistent misspelling of the name of Carleton Carpenter, Reynolds' duet partner on "Aba Daba Honeymoon," throughout the packaging.) ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	03/26/1991
Label:	Curb
UPC:	0715187743526

Tracks

1. Tammy
2. A Very Special Love
3. Am I That Easy to Forget?
4. Moonglow
5. Time After Time
6. Mean to Me
7. Love Is a Simple Thing
8. S'posin'
9. You Won't Be Satisfied
10. Hooray for Love
11. Aba Daba Honeymoon

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Debbie Reynolds   Primary Artist,Vocals
Carleton Carpenter   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Vocals
George Cates   Conductor
Billy Vaughn   Conductor
Jerry Fielding   Conductor
Skip Martin   Conductor

Technical Credits

Arthur Siegel   Composer
Brian Friedman   Composer
Marijohn Wilkin   Composer
Will Hudson   Composer
Billy Vaughn   Composer,Recording Arranger
Benny Joy   Composer
Carl Belew   Composer
Freddie James   Composer
W.S. Stevenson   Composer
Maceo Pinkard   Composer
Debbie Reynolds   Composer
Robert Allen   Composer
Jule Styne   Composer
Randy Sparks   Composer
Randy Wood   Producer
Roy Turk   Composer
Kay Swift   Composer
Ray Henderson   Composer
Ray Evans   Composer
Milt Rogers   Recording Arranger
Arthur Fields   Composer
Fred E. Ahlert   Composer
Jay Livingston   Composer
Walter Donovan   Composer
Leo Robin   Composer
Jerry Fielding   Recording Arranger
Jerry Livingston   Composer
Sammy Cahn   Composer
Joseph Gershenson   Producer
June Carroll   Composer
Paul James   Composer
Don Ovens   Research,Liner Notes,Programming
James Kriegsmann   Composer
Chuck Sweeney   Composer
Herbert Weiner   Composer
Gerry Dolin   Recording Arranger
B.J. Solomon   Composer
Wanda Jackson   Composer
Jack Smith   Composer
Moose Charlap   Composer
Alma Saunders   Composer
Bertrand Salmirs   Composer
Stan Bernstein   Composer
Douglas Nye   Composer
Paul Denniker   Composer
Skip Martin   Recording Arranger
Andy Razaf   Composer
Bill Anderson   Composer
Harold Arlen   Composer
Eddie DeLange   Composer
Irving Mills   Composer
Larry Stock   Composer
Lance Guynes   Composer