The Complete London Sessions

by

Fred Astaire

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This is an outstanding 3CD set to say the least! I mean; what can you say when you've got Fred Astaire singing, and George Gerswin himself playing the piano!! It's one of the best collections I've bought in the last 26 years!

Disc one contains tracks spanning from 1923 to 1933, and is interesting for a variety of reasons. Not only is George Gerswin is backing Fred on a few tracks, you also get to listen to Fred singing duets with his first showbiz partner, sister Adele Astaire. It gives you an idea of how great a team they were, and what Fred was up to in his pre-Hollywood career. These 70-80 year old recordings (!) decidedly has a "scratchy" 78 rpm feel to them, but that just adds to the charm. Some of them have held up very well, are quite catchy and easy to get hooked on. Just don't be surprised if see a few heads turning at work as you find yourself crooning "I'd Rather Charleston"!

Now skip ahead 42 years, and you've got disc 2 and 3! In the summer of 1975 Fred Astaire made 3 albums in London: "Attitude Dancing", "They Can't Take These Away From Me", and "A Couple Of Song And Dance Men". All the songs from these sessions have been digitally re-mastered and they sound fantastic! Believe me; I have all 3 albums on vinyl and they never sounded better! (One question though; why aren't the songs on disc 2 and 3 in chronological order? Surely that would have been an easy thing to do?)

Although some of the arrangements on disc 2 and 3 has a decidedly 1970's flavor to them ("Attitude Dancing" in particular) which in retrospect may seem "below" he timeless talents of Fred Astaire, most of the arrangements of the Astaire classics like "Top Hat White Tie And Tails", "Night And Day" etc) are beautifully done, and a joy to listen to.

Also included are songs written by Fred himself, "Life Is Beautiful" and "City Of The Angels" to name just two, serve as a reminder as to what an incredibly multitalented artist he was.

The above alone easily warrants the 5 stars I've given it, but how about this for an add-on: Eleven duets with Bing Crosby! Finally; all of their 1975 recordings gathered in one place! The only thing missing is the solo ("Change Partners") Bing did for this project. I realize that this is a Fred Astaire CD, but for the sake of chronology I still think it should have been included. And if you've ever wondered what it would be like to be a fly on the wall during those Astaire/Crosby sessions, the inclusion of some really rare session sound bytes gives you an idea of how it must have been. How cool is that?

This whole album is kind of like a bag of chips; once you've started listening to it, you can't stop playing it, over and over again. But unlike oily potato snacks, this collection will leave you feeling wonderful and energized, as a matter of fact, you might find yourself dancing across the floor, attempting to match the creative Pete Moore arrangements with creative moves your own!

To me Fred Astaire will always be a testament to a time when talent, grace and charm were determining factors as to who made it to the top of the entertainment world, and this album will show you, in an accessible way, what he was all about.

P.S.

If you like jazz, and this albums only wets your appetite for Astaire music, you should definitively check out "Steppin' Out". With "sidemen" like Oscar Peterson and Ray Brown, it's nothing short of brilliant.