Who has a large 'Andy Williams' collection - some advice please

Many thanks for the photos - much appreciated.

From within your collections, are there any specific titles you might recommend, wither sound-wise or content-wise?

Best Wishes,
David

 

I've been tempted by The Andy Williams Show (if I ever find a non beat up copy) and some of the other early 70's titles. Bought Moon River in a thrift store spree a year or two ago but haven't listened to it much yet.

 

This is correct. It certainly is not Korean (Korean, like Japanese, uses a combination of Chinese characters and phonetics. Now, hardly any Chinese characters (for Korean) but maybe more back then. Still, that back cover is all in Chinese.

 

So this looks VERY temping with the track listing but is pricey. What is the next best option on CD. Anyone know how's the sound on the Very Best Of or the Essential AW.

http://www.amazon.com/Moon-River-Ve...d=1393084439&sr=8-1&keywords=andy+williams+cd
or
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-And...d=1393084439&sr=8-6&keywords=andy+williams+cd

 

The Mono LP of "Under Paris Skies" is especially nice sounding. I think you'll enjoy the album really well.

 

I have most of his CDs. The mid to late sixties to early seventies albums are amazing. I have most of the vinyl too and have found them for £1 each or 50c when in the states. Any of the two fers from Collector's Choice are worth getting. I say snap them up before they go out of print.

 

Was also privileged to catch him at the Royal Albert Hall a few years ago...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/65149dw242vrsxj/DSCN2482.JPG?dl=0

 

I am a huge Andy Williams fan and have numerous lps and CDs. I would not bother with Used LPs and most I have bought are pretty warn out, unfortunately. Unless you can go to a used record store and see what you are buying, be careful as it seems that either his fans wore them out or used lesser quality tables for playing.

I would recommend either used CDs off Amazon or the new releases that come with 2 albums per disc. Those played through a good CD player are nice. It would be nice if there was going to be a remastering of his catalog and a release on CD or LP, but when I asked I got no response from his people.

What I was not a fan of his use of the Aphex Aural Exciter in many of his releases and I think it somewhat masked his remarkable voice that needed no processing. Can you imagine some of his releases with just him and someone like Bill Evans like the Tony Bennett and Bill Evans album? Wow. Or even Mel Torme and George Shearing? That would be to die for.

What you need to find are two of his last releases which to me were some of this best work. Andy Williams: Close Enough For Love; and Greatest Love Classics which was recorded in the UK. He sold a huge amount of music in Europe. He also did a CD:Nashville that I did not really care for, but own. Christmas Present is one of my favorite Christmas albums and songs he performed, ever. These are often hard to find.

I would also recommend his biography which you can get off Amazon. I use my Kindle a lot, but I bought this book. Great read for fans. Some of it very revealing as Andy was very truthful about his life. Class act in my book. He is greatly missed.

Good luck.

 

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I added that you may also enjoy reading his biography that I bought off Amazon. Great read.

 

Fortunately his LPs are very cheap. I see them all the time in thrift stores (charity shops) for $1.

 

Finally did buy this recently. Nice album, would be nicer without the shrill applause.

 

not a huge fan, have the christmas and like some others i have heard, but most importantly, i appreciate a thread like this which is not about 60's or 70's rock lps

 

When you state you are an Andy Williams fan the jokes usually follow about elevator music and the such. Or offers to send along all their Robert Goulet albums for a small shipping fee. ;>)

 

(I know I'm late to the game, but just in case!) This, this, this, this! Lonely Street is an honest to goodness masterpiece! I'm honestly more drawn to his earlier Cadence period albums. His stuff kinda got way too schmaltzy for my tastes (so while I do have many of this Columbia albums, I stopped at In The Arms of Love (1966.) I feel like he took more chances with Cadence, but that was where he started, so I suppose he did until he "figured out what worked well." If you love Frank Sinatra's "suicide" albums (No One Cares, Sings for Only the Lonely, etc.) you'll love this!

The only Andy Williams albums that would be must haves for me are:
Andy Williams - Lonely Street
Andy Williams - The Andy Williams Christmas Album
Andy Williams - Merry Christmas

 

I mean, just listen to those strings at the 1:45 point. Call me crazy, but wow! (When Your Lover Has Gone - from Lonely Street.)

 

(You Don't Know What Love Is - from Lonely Street)

 

Agree, Lonely Street is a superb mood record. And top notch from start to finish. I like many of Andy's Columbia output well into the early 1970's.

 

I thought Andy Williams' fans might enjoy this! I have been purchasing his albums for many, many years... but this is the first time I've run across a sleeve from Cadence that was specifically made for him and his albums. I hadn't seen one until last night while cleaning a copy of "Sings Rodgers and Hammerstein" so I thought I'd share!



Front


Back

 

I hadn't returned to this thread for quite a while - thank you so much to the recent contributors.

I now have a copy of 'Lonely Street'on its way to me.

Best Wishes,
David

 

I like that a lot. Thanks for posting that specific song.
Is there a collection with just the Cadence material?

 

It does look like there are a few, though I own all of these on vinyl so I can't state whether the CDs are good or not. But go to Amazon, for example, and search for Andy Williams Cadence and you'll see at least three CDs.