Vic Damone, RIP

Very sad! I liked him a lot, but he wasn't my favorite crooner. Bennett and Mathis I can listen to all day.

 

"The Sounds of Sinatra" FB page just posted a note about Vic's passing....and show Sid in a photo with....BUDDY GRECO!!!!!

 

For Dr. Weston, the only recording artist that mattered.


R.I.P. Vic.

 

He's breaking my heart because he's leaving....

Oh, what a voice.

 

R.I.P. Mr Damone.

 

Sad news.

 

Sorry to hear. Magnificent voice. I especially love his work at Capitol.

 

He was great on that!

sean

 

Without a doubt one of the all-time greatest singers ever. My hero. Sad news.

 

We all know that Mitch Miller was a f...ing idiot and I don't give a damn for his opinions.
One shouldn't reduce Vic to imitating Sinatra. Vic had his own distinctive voice and used a much more operatic approach to the singing.

 

I pulled this LP off the shelf and saluted Vic at cocktail hour last night. I have a mint mono copy of it and it sounded better than I remembered. It is HIGHLY recommended listening to all!

 

"Young and lively" is also a great one. Beautiful arrangements by John Williams.

 

Playing My Baby Loves to Swing now. This one has 2 things going against it.

1. It has that God awful later 60's Capitol stereo with the vocal on one channel and everything else on the other. YUK!
2. Vic is trying WAY to hard to sound like a Ring-a-Ding Ding Frank on this one.

 

A sad loss, Vic Damone was a fine singer, and also recorded some very nice records for several labels. R.I.P Vic Damone, you made the world a nice place to live in.

 

Sinatra co-starred in From Here To Eternity,Damone co-starred in Hell To Eternity.

 

Wonderful stories. He must have been a class guy.

 

Sad news. He was another of those guys who had a way with a song. RIP.

 

Right. Its predeccesor "Linger awhile" also with Jack Marshall's music is much better. Fine ballroom dance sound throughout. Perfect for having a cocktail party!
But that one also has that awful one channel sound.

 

Listening to his double disc collection "Complete Columbia singles collection" right now. Highly recommendable. Especially the Axel Stordahl tracks! Great pairing. Wish they could have made more together.

 

Been on a Vic Damone tear this week. Thanks to everyone who posted suggested albums, they are terrific. Especially "Linger Awhile." I was blissfully unaware of this guy's excellence. RIP.

 

Vic Damone + RIP

 

It should be noted that Damone was signed by Capitol when Sinatra founded Reprise and took Dean Martin with him.
Capitol also lured Bobby Darin away from Atlantic/Atco. Replacing Sinatra was too daunting a task for both Damone and Darin.

Capitol also recalled Al Martino to the label and had greater success with Martino emulating Dino's Reprise County-politan style. Peter DeAngelis' arrangements for Martino were very similar in style to the Jimmy Bowen/Ernie Freeman backings for Dean. "Always Together" is a great recording by both Martin and Martino.

 

RIP.

 

Glad that you brought up this movie, which I first saw just a few years ago. It is a good one. I was impressed with Vic's acting in it. I suppose that I had previously dismissed his acting abilities, having caught him just in scenes from lightweight 1950s musicals. So, it was a surprise to see how natural and believable he came across here, in what was a relatively serious, dramatic role.

Another bit of Vic that has lingered in my memory for years is a bossa nova medley, from one of his specials, accompanied by guitar only. I'm pleased to find it in YouTube:





Truth be told, I was far more impressed when I first watched it ... but I still like it quite a bit. And since the question is bound to pop in some people's minds: no, Vic is not singing these bossa nova pieces after Frank's album with Jobim came out, but before.

In 1966, Vic also released a bossa nova album on a new label for him, RCA. It's a pleasant album.

 

The "Stay with me" album has a nice feel and mood about it. Like it a lot. Even though it's arranged by Ernie Freeman, who surprisingly did a good job on this one for a change.