The Best of Vic Damone - Songs, Albums & Etc.

Topic open exclusively to analyze and update on all the record work and special projects involving the late crooner Vic Damone. There is another topic related to the death of the singer, which occurred in February of that year. So I wanted to make a new topic with a more different mood. That also serves for those who do not know very well the work of this magnificent interpreter, who won the admiration of some of his colleagues in the artistic class, among them Frank Sinatra.​

 

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The first tip may surprise some audiophile experts, but that's fine.

Although Bob Norberg is responsible for the remastering of this album, it is worth the acquisition simply because there is no better alternative. I say this because only here the tracks that Vic recorded on Capitol were remixed with Vic's voice in the center (I, at least I do not know any better option). The downside is excessive noise reduction. In fact, it is not noise reduction, but "noise" exclusion rs. But I think Bob Norberg believed that getting the noise out would make consumers happy. Maybe I'm wrong too.

To get a sense of the sound of this compilation, listen to the track "Close Your Eyes" below:

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Okay, I will start out with my personal favorite album by Vic Damone:
YOUNG AND LIVELY which features definite versions of "I got it bad and that ain't good", "In the blue of evening" and other great songs. Johnny Williams ( of later film music fame) wrote some of the most beautiful vocal arrangements I have ever heard for this album. And Vic's interpretation is really at the top of his game.
Does anybody know if Williams did other albums as arranger?

 

@roda12 ,John Williams recorded albums with other singers including Frankie Laine (Wanderlust, Hell Bent For Leather and Call Of The Wild) and Mahalia Jackson (Everytime I Feel The Spirit and Stille Natch); Now, I could not find this Vic album, which by the way is the last one he recorded for Columbia. However, I found this track:

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After a more in-depth search, I found this CD that contains two albums from Vic Damone's very good phase at Columbia. The albums in question are "That Towering Feeling" and "Young And Lively", that is, exactly the first and the last album condensed in the series "Two Classic Albums From" (Two on One), of 1997.

One thing that struck me was the extreme sound quality of "Young and Lively". Despite a few drop-outs, the CD is a faithful proof that Columbia was a great example of technical quality, with its reverberation techniques, despite occasional exaggerations in echo (IMHO), but this is not the case here. The arrangements are nothing short of brilliant John Williams (credited as Johnny Williams). Thanks to him, the album has a symphonic concert port. Who does not have this CD and want to go after me, I recommend.

PS: Really @roda12 , Vic is at the apex of voice in "Young and Lively".​

 

Yes, that's the twofer I have! But although it is great to have Vic's two vocally best albums on one Cd, I can't recommend this release.
First the sound quality is not really good, as with almost all of this twofer series. The music is without a doubt taken from subpar sources.
But the main reason why I can't recommend this Cd is that two songs "Spring will be a little late this year" and "Solitude" are edited versions!!! Just to make the two albums fit on one disc. Too bad.

 

Good to know. Now, @roda12 , do you know if Vic's 62 and 63 albums in Capitol have the voice shifted to the left in U.S. versions in LP or is it just in U.K versions?

 

Definitely on the left in US.

 

This set is an example of how much Axel Stordahl was keen on his talent as an arranger. At the same time that it is very swinging, the arrangement is smooth, leaving Vic Damone at will. In all, the two recorded 4 songs together. They could have done an LP because I think it probably would have been.

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They made eight recordings together, as far as I know. Those eight songs are on the "Vic Damone- The Complete Columbia Singles Collection" which is a must-have release!

 

The sound and mood of those eight recordings would have made a perfect album

 

Many thanks for clarifying the information, @roda12 .

Now, unfortunately, I do not own the Columbia singles collection on CD. And I had to research enough to know how many songs Vic and Axel recorded together. Of the eight you mentioned, I was able to discover six, which are the following tracks:

Very Warm (01-15-60)
Your Smile (01-15-60)
What Fools We Mortals Be (01-15-60)
Never Will I Marry (01-15-60)
Christine (03-27-60)
Never Like This (03-27-60)

What are the other two?

 

If ever I would leave you,
I'llbe your lover

 

Thank you. All these songs would perfectly fit a 10-inch album.

 

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This compilation covers two albums of Vic Damone recorded with the arranger Jack Marshal in the Capitol. It's a good CD to get, although I find the sound overdone in the echo. CD remastering was performed at the celebrated Abbey Road studio under the responsibility of Ron Hill. I can not qualify if the mastering is better or worse than the original Lps, whether U.S. or U.K, because I've never heard the vinyl sound of both. But the echo is exaggerated to the point of getting the sharpness of some instruments (in the case of the album "Linger Awhile"), no doubt it is. Another downside of the sound is the Vic voice shifting from left to center in the stereo mix. Otherwise, it's a good buy. It is worth remembering that the graphic art reproduced from the albums are from the editions of England.​

 

I own a greatest hits collection of his but from the music I've grown up with I really need to track down some of these albums that you posted above. I may have to go backwards in track down some of his vinyl albums. Any suggestions?

 

I would love to, but I have to dig deeper into the issue and get Vic's LPs.

 

No problem. Maybe we can figure it out together. I'm going to start picking up some of his stuff and maybe I can review it for you or you can review something for me?

 

Clear.

 

I absolutely love most of the arrangements that Jack Marshall did for him. He and Damone made for a great pairing. At one point I wanted to record Marshall's score for the low-budget monster movie THE GIANT GILA MONSTER, but in trying to discover where Jack's archive was, I got to speak to his son Frank Marshall (Amblin Entertainment), who acted like he was completely bored about the entire subject. And so, the fun score remains unrecorded...

 

There is a recent L.A. Times article about a famous Sinatra collection that mentions Vic Damone.

A collector says he discovered two never-before-heard Sinatra recordings. But is it really Frank?

 

You know I may be way off on this because I grew up with a lot of singers of the time but very few singers actually had signature songs that were associated primarily with them. I mean even Sinatra had covers however there were songs that originated with them that were iconically theirs. Vic Damone was one of these singers. Now he wasn't as lucky as Sinatra that had so many signature songs but he did have many.

Is it that I'm just more familiar with Vic Damone's music. When I think of artists like Andy Williams or Jack Jones I really can't remember too many of their songs. Am I wrong thinking that these artists primarily just did covers but in their own style and rose to fame because people appreciated their style as something fresh and different?

 

Andy Williams had tons of his very own hits!

 

There's a set of live tracks which cropped up on at least a couple of bargain-basement CDs/LPs - they sound as though they were recorded in a Victorian railway station toilet, but the band is absolutely smoking ... and Vic doesn't disgrace himself either. I'll go to the shelves and specify details soon.

 

This one, which I have on cassette and LP; some of the tracks appeared on a later CD under a different title.

Vic Damone - 20 Golden Pieces Of Vic Damone



On All I Need is a Girl, and Come Back to Me, the band is like Basie's at their best, swinging like the clappers. Vic does a great McArthur Park, too, and the remaining live tracks are none too shabby. There seems to be some studio work mixed in there, too ...

If anyone knows where these live tracks were recorded, can identify any personnel, musical director (and especially the drummer) I'd appreciate the info... been curious about it for years.

EDIT - the later CD is this one;

Vic Damone - Portrait Of A Song Stylist