You're Welcome...enjoy....I am still heavily into the 40's vocal groups! Incredible stuff...Pied Pipers, The Modernaires, etc...I have many CDs on the era...and yes, I passionately love that song! My wife's mother was friends with Rosemary Clooney and sang with her on occasion...My wife is also an incredible singer...she can do the 40's stuff.... amazing! She's a Contralto...I swear when she was singing a Carpenters song I could not tell if it was Karen Carpenter or my wife! : )
Hubby would be totally impressed....he loves rosemary Clooney and has several of her albums. Karen carpenter had an extraordinary voice...I saw her in concert in the very early seventies...was very lucky to see and hear her sing.
Okay here's another of my very favorites from the hard rocking group Mother's Finest featuring Baby Jean Kennedy one of the absolute greatest female vocalist of all time...
I will do. Thank you very much. I normally do a lot of Gracie Fields, Vera Lynn, George Formby & Max Bygraves when I'm doing 1940's Days though I do add a few songs by other singers of the time. That sounds cool. That's great. That's what my natural singing voice was like but now I've got a much more flexible voice. :0)
Frank Sinatra referred to Something as "The Greatest love song ever written, even though it never says 'I love you' in it." Elvis Presley also covered it several times in concert, including a fine version for his record breaking satellite broadcast, Aloha From Hawaii, in 1973. The fact that arguably two of the most influential popular singers of the 20th century felt strongly about this song says a whole lot about its greatness.
Thank you very much for the information. When I think of Frank Sinatra & songs with "Something" in though I think of "Something Stupid". That song isn't 1 of my favourites though as when I was working in retail & went to my Manager's karaoke Birthday party I started by singing "My heart will go on" but I got called on to sing "Something Stupid" with her son. I didn't even know "Something Stupid". I got told the words came up on screen so I just stood on stage looking at the words & singing them. (I didn't know how high to sing the words so just sung it in my natural voice.) I sung it. Luckily, everyone forgot my outburst afterwards. They wouldn't let me off the stage all night. They just wrote sheets out with requests for me to sing & the host programmed them in his machine. The host had to tell them I needed a break too & they had to save some food for me & if no-one was going to sing to let me have 1 he would. I was going to get off the stage to get a drink. I got asked where I was going. I said for a drink & got 1 brought for me. I only bought 2 drinks all night. I really enjoyed myself but there were times I would have liked to get off the stage when I couldn't. The host said they should have paid me & I was wasted in retail. Lol.
Even in the dead of winter, when I listen to this song I am on a beach in Rio de Janiero. Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66, the Wave.
The Last Farewell is a gorgeous song. I love those French Horns that open the song as it really captures the majestic nature of the whole adventure. My father was a PD for the Mighty 690 in Southern California in the late 1950s and early 60's, but I don't think he had bought a single 45 record since those days. He immediately went out and bought the single, after hearing Roger's great version. My father had also served in the U.S. Navy in World War II, so I think he really identified with the whole nature of going off to battle on a ship. Elvis Presley must have identified with it as well as he chose to cover it on his penultimate studio album, From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee. Elvis picked his favorite orchestral arranger to mimic the great string and horns you hear on the Roger Whittaker version. Bergen White had been working with Elvis since he was called into a live recording version on Elvis's iconic version of Polk Salad Annie in 1970. Check out The King's great version below, which does not stray too far from Roger's iconic hit version. https://youtu.be/pFy6mEbBLm8
I love "The Last Farewell". The story behind it really gets to me. I love Roger Whitaker as I think he's got a great voice but my favourite song of his is "I'm gonna leave old Durham Town". It wouldn't fit here though. That's great. I'll have a listen to that 1 later. Thank you very much for sharing.
I am a little late to this thread, but that’s OK. Here goes. Several years ago my loving and tolerant wife was going to turn 60 years old. Six months prior to that we took a trip down to Nashville. I had found out that there was a recording booth at Third Man Records, the store that Jack White owns. So when she decided to go in some touristy craft store across the street from there I seized my opportunity, went in, and recorded to vinyl an a cappella version of the Beatles, I Will. I hid it away for 6 months and gave it to her on her 60th. So, that’s my favorite love song.
