Come to my blog and hear some GM 78’s Like NO ONE HAS HEARD EM BEFORE!!!

without loads of Noise Reduction!!!

I remember seeing it in the store when it was released - E.J. Korvettes in Huntington, L.I., NY.

As I commented - good musicianship, but kind of pointless.

Poor lil 60s big bands - they tried sooooooo hard. Didn’t work.

Benny Goodman did his 60s ‘groovy’ LP - Not good.

Basie did a Beatles LP - not very good.

James did a C/W LP. Never heard it.

Ellington did a Beatles medley on the Ed Sullivan show - awful.

OTOH - the GM ork under drummer Ray McKinley did a “Great Songs of the 60s” LP and it was quite musical, but he didn’t do rock songs.

Oh, well…..

You’ve put your finger on it!

There have been some over at Boing Boing who are dissing this disk because it sound like “Lawrence Welk” to their ears — and this is meant to be a criticism.

Personally, I love that brief period when large groups of highly skilled and experienced musicians were put to the task of performing the hits of the day.

For different reasons, I also miss the days when this was something that could be economically viable for so many.

I echo the first post in every way….I would add this though….
Having come of age as a trombonist in the early 80’s, I really can’t remember not ever knowing about Glenn and his band. The first gig I ever did where I was paid was with a local Big Band in ‘82 and you guessed it, all the old Miller gems were in the sets. The next youngest cat on the band was 57. In any case a few of these charts were in the book and I clearly remember asking about the Hey Jude chart (thinking it was the Maynard Ferguson one). Anyway, how cool to finally hear these tunes!

I would also muse that to me, there’s something a little quaint and a little endearing to hear the care and professionalism of the musicians and the arrangers on this record. Obviously the suits were trying to make money but the musicians on this band at the time (some of whom were certainly around in the GMO heyday, maybe even knew Glenn) were likely just being paid scale for the sessions (except for Buddy of course!), and yet they are clean, balanced, in tune and putting their all into it.

Can you imagine getting the call for this recording date? You hope the arrangers did a good job, you hope the record sells a little bit but maybe in the back of your mind, you imagine a tune or two taking off and all the sudden it’s 1942 again and you’re being feted all over the country.

It’s often very difficult for me to imagine a time when thousands of musicians were employed and looked up to and were busy, busy, busy playing swing, the pop music of the day, even though I know it happened. Who can blame them for trying to stay current?

Keep swingin’ and thanks SO much for the great little piece of writing accompanying this…

Cheers!

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