HELEN WARD

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COMPLETE ON COLUMBIA

Description:
Helen Ward was best known as a singer on Benny Goodman records of the mid 1930s, but it turns out she sang on plenty of other sessions, too, despite a stop and start career that she interrupted as early as December 1936, when she was only 20 years old, to retire and become a housewife, a retirement and marriage that didn't last. While this collection is valuable in bringing together so much of her scattered recording history, the title The Complete Helen Ward on Columbia deserves two notations: first, that many of the recordings contained were not issued initially on Columbia Records, but rather on labels that ended up, through mergers, in the possession of Columbia and, in turn, Sony. Ward initially recorded on discount labels owned by the American Record Corporation which also purchased Columbia Melotone, Oriole, and Conqueror and also turned up on Brunswick and OKeh in addition to Columbia over the years. But what's more important is not what is included, it's what's not. Goodman switched from Columbia to RCA Victor Records during Ward's tenure with the band, and as a result, the really big Goodman hits on which she sang "It's Been So Long," "Goody Goody," "The Glory of Love," and "These Foolish Things Remind Me of You" are not found on this album. Another hit song, "You Turned the Tables on Me," is heard here, but as a live remake and not the original studio recording, which is also on RCA. Thus, this is not the best of Helen Ward, merely all of what was available through Sony. Nevertheless, there are some excellent swing recordings here, with the chronological order providing a history of pop music from the society orchestra jazz of the early tracks all the way up to the "sing" era of the early 1950s, as the collection closes with the songs from Ward's 1954 solo album It's Been So Long. Throughout, she proves a sturdy singer with excellent intonation, gamely handling whatever style she's handed. She doesn't overwhelm the bands or the arrangements, instead serving them as a good band singer should. But the album casts light on an otherwise little remembered but worthy talent.

Songs:

Personnel

Details:

Night On The Water

The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams

Let's Put Two And Two Together

Oh! The Pity Of It All

The Spanish In My Eyes

You're The Top

All Through The Night

I'm A Hundred Percent For You

The Dixieland Band

Blue Moon

Throwin' Stones At The Sun

Singing A Happy Song

I Was Luckey

Night Wind

You Came To My Rescue

Here's Love In Your Eye

There's A Lull In My Life

It's Swell Of You

How Am I To Know

You Turned The Tables On Me

One More Dream

Feelin' High & Happy

I Cover The Waterfront

I've Got A Crush On You

Hurry Back To Sorrento

I Take To You

Daddy

I'll Never Be The Same

I Get A Kick Out Of You

You're My Favorite Memory

You're A Heavenly Thing

What A Little Moonlight Can Do

I'll Never Say "Never Again" Again

I've Got A Feeling I'm Falling

It's Been So Long

You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me

You're Mine

I'm Nobody's Baby

Same Old Moon (Same Old Sky)

When You Make Love To Me

It All Depends On You

Nice Work If You Can Get It

Accompaniment by Benny Goodman, Percy Faith, Gene Krupa, Harry James, Teddy Wilson, Joe Sullivan, more

Label:	COLLECTORS MUSIC
Number:	155
Item Code:	30234
Format:	CD
Genre:
Dates:	(1934-1953)
Price:	$25.00
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