The Essential Rosemary Clooney

The Essential Rosemary Clooney

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Editorial Reviews

Though she would finish her career as one of the most respected jazz singers in American popular music, Rosemary Clooney fought long and hard for those props. This 16-track collection chronicles the early stages of her struggle, mixing the outright, if still vibrant novelty songs (tunes like "Mambo Italiano" and "Come On-A My House" were foisted on Clooney by label exec Mitch Miller) that helped make her a popular film, radio and TV star with more sublime fare like "Tenderly" and the emblematic hit "Hey There." But it's on tracks like Duke Ellington's "Blue Rose" and a pre-Sinatra take on "The Lady is a Tramp" that her true muse comes shining through. Though limited in scope, this anthology manages to showcase the early hits that made Clooney a star and, more importantly, the beginnings of the willful jazz sensibility that forged her legend. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

As I Said In Another Review - Never Less Than 5 Stars For Rosie

Reviewed by Anonymous, 2008-07-04

This, like most other CD compilations of the music of Rosemary Clooney, warrants 5 stars simply because, no matter what the tune or song, her rendition always ranks right up there with the very best. She was that good.

Having said that, however, and as a diehard collector of hit singles, I lament the lack of releases covering many artists like Rosie which fail to deliver ALL the songs that made them stars, i.e., the hit singles that got them heard on the airwaves and juke boxes in those days of the 78/45 rpm. I also question the snobbery of some who pass off many of those hits as "fluff" not worthy of the artist concerned.

Here, for example, author Didier C. Deutsch, in his two pages of liner notes, says, in reference to her widespread recognition today as one of the premier song stylists of the 20th Century, "This she achieved in spite of the fact that many of the songs she was asked to perform in the 1950s and that ensured her success were novelty tunes that were beneath her real talent and well-honed skills as a vocalist."

Well, yes, many do not compare with the classic Gershwin, Berlin, Porter, Kern, etc., songs that most singers of her quality loved to get their chops around. But then again, those "novelty" tunes paid the rent and ultimately brought the singers to national attention, not to mention appealing to enough millions of fans to achieve hit status. Some them very significant hits.

In this release exactly half (tracks 1, 3 to 5 and 12 to 15) are from among the 34 hit singes she had as a solo artist from 1951 to 1960, all but one (the last, which came out on RCA Victor) for the Columbia label. But the point is, these eight are repeated in several other releases, especially those offering her "best" or "greatest" hits.

I suppose many consider the lead track, Come-On-A My House from the Broadway musical The Son, a "novelty" tune, but with Stan Freeman pounding away on the harpsichord, and Rosie's exuberant singing, this climbed all the way to # 1 in the summer of 1951, and stayed there for eight solid weeks b/w Rose Of The Mountain. And Botch-A-Me (Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina), from the Italian film Una Famiglia Impossible, didn't do too badly either, hitting # 2 in the summer of 1952 b/w On The First Warm Day.

Maybe they do fit the category of "fluff" but they also apparently appealed to millions of fans whose tastes are all too readily denigrated by the elitist musical critics/historians. As an example take Tenderly (track 14). Accompanied by the Percy Faith orchestra (and certainly one of my Clooney favourites), this could only rise as high as # 17 in the spring of 1952, a relatively modest success, and finished at # 131 for the year. And yet it was voted as the # 2 all-time standard in a Billboard disc jockey poll, and Rosie's version the # 6 all-time record!

I'm not about to dispute those results, but at the same time I'm asking distributors to start considering those (while we're still alive) who also liked many of her other "novelty" tunes which never seem to be made available in a quality CD release. Songs such as the two sided hit from late 1951, I'm Waiting Just For You (# 21) b/w If Teardrops Were Pennies (# 24), Too Old To Cut The Mustard with Marlene Dietrich (# 12 in September 1952, If I Had A Penny (# 26) and Dennis The Menace with Jimmy Boyd (# 25), both in early 1953, and the 1953 official Christmas Seal song, Happy Christmas, Little Friend (# 30).

Until we do get such a release, this is a nice option for anyone wanting to sample Rosemary Clooney for the first time, with excellent sound reproduction and a fold-out insert containing the Deutsch notes, as well as a track-by-track sessionography/discography, and a couple of more nice photos of Rosemary.

great--as far as it goes, that is...

Reviewed by Matthew G. Sherwin, 2008-04-16

The Essential Rosemary Clooney is a single CD that must not be confused with the "Essential" two CD series that is out there for many recording artists. However, this still is a wonderful album of great hits by Rosemary Clooney. It's not a complete compilation of her "essential" songs so I can only give this a four star review. Fortunately, however, what we do get is top choice material throughout and the sound quality is excellent. The artwork is thoughtfully done.

"Come On-A My House" starts the track set off with a rousing tune that is upbeat and Rosemary Clooney sings this with zest and passionate. The music that accompanies her couldn't be better and Rosemary sounds wonderful. "In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening" features Rosemary singing her heart out and this number works very well. I really like the big band arrangement and Rosemary never sings a superfluous note. I'm very impressed.

"Hey There" was a number Rosemary Clooney loved to sing; and here her voice is rich, warm and very vibrant. Rosemary sings this melancholy love song so well it must have made the other female singers jealous!

"The Lady Is A Tramp" gets the royal treatment as Rosemary sings this to perfection and beyond! The piano arrangement is very elegant and together with the percussion they carry the bulk of the musical arrangement. "You Make Me Feel So Young" places Rosemary squarely front and center--right where she belongs! Rosemary's voice is as clear as a bell--and that brass works wonders for this ballad.

"Blame It On My Youth" slows down the tempo for a romantic style ballad that Rosemary sings very sweetly. Her remarkable sense of timing enhances "Blame It On My Youth" and again Rosemary proves she was a true champ! "Mambo Italiano" is one of my very favorite Rosemary Clooney songs; she sings this with The Mellomen and it all holds its own very well. "Mambo Italiano" never sounded as good as when Rosemary Clooney sang it! "This Ole House" is another rousing number in the same category as "Come On-A My House" even though the upbeat melody belies the seriousness of the lyrics.

"Tenderly" showcases Rosemary's talents as a fine chanteuse who could deliver a great love ballad alongside the best of them; and the album concludes with Rosemary performing "From This Moment On." "From This Moment On" comes from Kiss Me Kate and it shines especially bright when Rosemary belts this out!

This is obviously a wonderful Rosemary Clooney CD. It's a must-have for her fans although the title "essential" is somewhat misleading--this alone is not ALL the essential songs by Rosemary Clooney. Fans who truly want so much more would do well to consider other more substantial CDs for sale on this website.

The Essential Rosemary Clooney cd

Reviewed by Cheryl Papa, 2007-01-05

Good price and if you've not had the pleasure of hearing Clooney sing, do yourself a favor and get this cd. If you love a mellow voice, you'll adore Clooney!

Digitally remastered 2004 collection is the one you want

Reviewed by Paul Tognetti, 2005-06-11

My first encounter with the music of Rosemary Clooney was as a 14 year old teenager in 1966 playing one of my aunts scratchy old LP's. That collection of early 1950's pre rock and roll hits included Rosemary Clooney's #1 smash "Come On A My House". "How silly..." I thought. "and adults think our music is stupid." My first impression of Rosemary Clooney would stay with me for a good many years. It was not until the 1980's that I really began to appreciate just what an incredibly gifted singer she was.
"The Essential Rosemary Clooney" features 16 of her very finest recordings. Sure you will find all of her big hits from the early 50's including "Half As Much", "This Old House", "Hey There" and of course "Come On A My House". But you will also be treated to a dozen other great tracks including Rosemary's first hit from 1947 "You Started Something" recorded during her stint as lead vocalist with Tony Pastor and his Orchestra. Next, enjoy her swinging rendition of "The Lady Is A Tramp" from the Broadway musical "Babes in Arms". Also featured is "Blue Rose', a rare collaboration with the legendary Duke Ellington. I would also recommend to you a pair of other tunes. "In The Cool, Cool, Cool of The Evening" is a fabulous
Hoagy Carmicheal/Johnny Mercer tune which Rosemary recorded with Harry James back in 1952. Outstanding. Finally, you are sure to enjoy Clooney's rendition of the great standard "Tenderly".
Sad to say we lost the great Rosemary Clooney on June 29, 2002 from lung cancer. She was still making memorable records. "The Essential Rosemary Clooney" reminds us just how great a singer she was. Although Mitch Miller and the folks at Columbia records insisted she release a good many novelty tunes that became wildly successful hit singles Rosemary Clooney preferred to sing sad ballads. Happily, she got to do a lot more of what she enjoyed most in her later years. "The Essential Rosemary Clooney" is a "must have" for fans of classic pop. The remastering job is absolutely superb and will greatly enhance your enjoyment of this marvelous collection.
Highly recommended!

Excellent introduction to Rosemary Clooney!

Reviewed by Viky Fisher, 2005-01-05

I'm just recently discovering what is being coined as "nostalgia music" -- having found an "adult favorites" channel on my dish network. I absolutely love the upbeat sound and happy, spirited tunes from the 40s and 50s. Rosemary Clooney was my first purchase of crooners that I've enjoyed on this channel and this cd has all of my favorites. Next stop is Pat Suzuki!