3. Other Recordings

Contents

The Bagley Recordings
(Note that another Painted Smiles CD, The Ladies Who Wrote The Lyrics is described in the Collections section.

The brainchild of the late Ben Bagley, the Painted Smiles Revisited series alternately delights and appals. His commitment to recording rarities should earn the undying gratitude of us all, but some tracks are ruined by his inability to prevent himself expressing an often grotesque sense of humour. The sado-masochistic Haunted Heart on the Schwartz disk is a notable low point. Happily the eleven Fields tracks (not all of which are rare) emerge relatively unscathed.

They are:
Harold Arlen Revisited PSCD-148, With The Sun Warm Upon Me sung slightly flat by Bagley regular Charles Rydell.
Jerome Kern Revisited PSCD113 Bojangles Of Harlem and Never Gonna Dance performed by terrific Bobby Short. Just Let Me Look At You is one of Fields' deeply-felt expressions of wonder in love nicely done by George Reinholt. Next, Kaye Ballard performs Opening Night , which is reminiscent in tone of 30 Weeks Of Heaven on Lost in Boston IV. April Fooled Me is sung by Henrietta Valor. What's Good About Goodnight? croaked and whispered by Rod McKuen I like it though.
Jerome Kern Revisited Volume II PSCD-111. I Dream Too Much Arthur Siegel an odd choice for this operetta style number with a complex Kern melody.
Jerome Kern Revisited Volume III PSCD-134. Our Song by Blythe Walker. Another operetta number, working against Dorothy Fields' strengths.
Arthur Schwartz Revisited PSCD-137. That's For Children by Blossom Dearie quintessential Fields. It's All Yours - original recording with Ethel Merman and Jimmy Durante, given to Bagley by Merman.

Lost In Boston
The Lost in Boston series from Varese Sarabande is dedicated to recording unknown songs by major Broadway songwriters. Songs qualify by having been cut from the shows they were written for.

The whole series features excellent performances of some great discoveries. Five Fields songs are included in the last two disks of the series.

Lost in Boston III Varese Sarabande VSD-5563 has three collaborations with Cy Coleman. Pink Taffeta Sample Size 10 from Sweet Charity has been recorded before, but Lynne Wintersteller's beautiful performance of it outclasses the others. Big Fat Heart from Seesaw sounds like an early version of Nobody Does It Like Me, sung here by rich-voiced Debbie Shapiro Gravitte. Michelle Nicastro sings Pick Up The Pieces, also from Seesaw.

Lost in Boston IV Varese Sarabande VSD-5768 kicks off with a rousing tale of life on the theatrical road 30 Weeks of Heaven. This song is a good demonstration of Dorothy Fields' talent for fitting jokes to the structure of a song; like Cole Porter she lands the punchline beautifully on the right notes, with a series of fast-paced detail-packed internally-rhymed lines leading up to the big note and the big joke. For example, here's a description of theatrical digs:
The night clerk doesn't clerk at night, he's bowling with the boys,
In dumps like these, we don't get keys, but we have other joys,
They're in your bed, it's Eddie and his Seven Little Foys,
How I love the road!
Brent Barrett and Klea Backhurst do this one justice.
The other Fields number on this disk is Gimme a Raincheck, a precursor to Rhythm of Life from Sweet Charity. Melba Joyce belts it out appropriately.

Another Varese Sarabande release Prime Time Musicals VSD-5858 is a showcase for songs written for TV musicals in the 1950s and 1960s. It includes one song from the Dorothy Fields / Burton Lane TV musical Junior Miss. The song is Happy Heart, it's not very distinguished, and it's delivered by Lynette Perry.

Jerome Kern Songbook: Ella Fitzgerald
A joyous listen from start to finish. It's too bad that Ella did not explore more of the Kern treasurehouse. The glorious purity of her tone across the register delivers the gorgeous Kern melodies to perfection in these Nelson Riddle arrangements.

The four Fields entries are as follows:

The Way You Look Tonight I agree with liner note writer Dan Morgenstern when he complains that the tempo is just too slow in this arrangement.
A Fine Romance an extremely swinging fine romance, but the lyrics and the comic sarcasm come through.
Remind Me some find this to be Fields' best lyric, and there are few better versions than this.
You Couldn't Be Cuter the jewel of the collection, and not just because of its relative rarity. What'll they tell me? Exactly! colloquial Fields at her best. A disgraceful charm.

Fields tracks: A Fine Romance, I'll Be Hard To Handle, You Couldn't Be Cuter, Remind Me, The Way You Look Tonight
50 by Bobby Short: Bobby Short
This is a great collection by the supreme cabaret performer. Although only one Fields track features, it is a rarity one of the 3 songs she wrote with Oscar Levant.

Fields tracks: Don't Mention Love To Me
A Portrait of Fred Astaire: Fred Astaire
The classic songs from the Swing Time are available on this Astaire collection, and on numerous others.

Fields tracks: Never Gonna Dance, Pick Yourself Up, The Way You Look Tonight, A Fine Romance, Bojangles Of Harlem
Ukelele Ike: Cliff Edwards
This recording is of historic interest, as it was Cliff Edwards hit recording which first popularised this classic song.








Fields tracks: I Can't Give You Anything But Love
Lucky in the Rain



A tribute to composer Jimmy McHugh, with lyrics by Dorothy Fields and Harold Adamson. The cast is impressive: Barbara Cook, Malcolm Gets, Lillias White and Debbie Gravitte. I have not yet heard this recording.

Fields tracks: Exactly Like You, On The Sunny Side Of The Street, Doin' The New Low-Down, I Must Have That Man, Don't Blame Me, I Can't Give You Anything But Love
Change Partners: Jeannette MacDonald / Nelson Eddy

In this CD Jeannette and Nelson forsake each other to play away. The first six tracks are from Up in Central Park and MacDonald duets with Robert Merrill in Close As Pages In A Book and The Fireman's Bride. The latter is a jolly vaudeville number which the pair have a good crack at, but the age of the recording makes it an effort to catch the lyrics. In Close As Pages In A Book they sing a section between the verse and refrain which is not on other recordings I've heard; nor is it in the lyric as printed in Winer. Jeannette sings Carousel in the Park and the lovely It Doesn't Cost You Anything to Dream. Merrill does justice to The Big Back Yard and When You Walk in The Room. Fields produced some great lyrics for this show, and the Romberg melodies are splendid. MacDonald isn't the greatest lyric interpreter, and one could wish for new fresher recordings, but this is well worth having. You also get a couple of tracks form Love Me Tonight, from The Student Prince, and from Northwest Outpost (Friml/Heyman).

Fields tracks: Carousel In The Park, It Doesn't Cost You Anything To Dream, Close As Pages In A Book, The Fireman's Bride, The Big Back Yard, When She Walks In The Room
Where, Oh Where: Judy Kaye

This wonderful CD is highly recommended. It contains a superb collection of unjustly neglected gems, beautifully interpreted by the versatile, pure-voiced Judy Kaye. The Fields track from Up in Central Park is delightful.

Fields tracks: Carousel In The Park
Songs of New York: Bobby Short
Another fine collection, this time including a jaunty rendition of a number from Sweet Charity.

Fields tracks: My Personal Property
You Can't Put Ketchup On The Moon
This is a collection of lesser-known Broadway material, by several artistes, including the legendary Susan Johnson. The tracks vary considerably in quality; highlights are two songs from an obscure Sammy Fain/George Marion score, Toplitzky of Notre Dame, and an excellent Bad Timing from Geri Petchel. Also my favourite interpretation of Love Song from Love Life from Richard Nickol.
The Fields track attempts to recapture the wisecracking spirit of Merman and Durante in the original show Stars in Your Eyes. The attempt fails.

Fields tracks: It's All Yours
Like Someone in love: Ella Fitzgerald
A wonderful Fitzgerald collection. Lost in a Fog is beautifully mournful.

Fields tracks: Lost In A Fog
Kern/Porter Favorites : Morton Gould Orchestra

Fields tracks: The Jockey On The Carousel, I Dream Too Much
Fine & Dandy : Barbara Lea

Fields tracks: I Dream Too Much, Blue Again, Lost In A Fog, Pick Yourself Up
Julie Wilson sings the Cy Coleman songbook: Julie Wilson
Includes Do Be A Darling (from Eleanor) and I Can't Let You Go (cut from Sweet Charity). The former is not listed in the songlist in Deborah Grace Winer's book.



To be reviewed




Fields tracks: I Can't Let You Go
Marni Nixon: Sings Classic Kern : Marni Nixon

Fields tracks: Lovely To Look At, The Way You Look Tonight, April Fooled Me, I Dream Too Much
Grace Moore: So This Is Love : Grace Moore
Metropolitan Opera diva Grace Moore starred in two Dorothy Fields films, and the songs she sang are preserved on this recording. There are four songs from The King Steps Out (1936), where Dorothy wrote lyrics for Fritz Kreisler's music and two from When You're In Love (1937), which had Fields/McHugh songs.

I find this a very frustrating recording. I have sat and listened to each Fields track, but however hard I try, I succeed in understanding only about half of Dorothy's lyrics. Partly this is because of the age of the recordings, but it has to be said that when Grace hits a high note, consonants tend to run for cover. No doubt others can do better than I in this matter. This disk also has a couple of rarer Berlin songs - My Rock-a-bye Baby and Listening.

The CD booklet has an interesting account of her life from her birth in Slabtown, Tennessee to her tragic death in an air crash in 1951.

Fields tracks: What Shall Remain?, Stars In My Eyes, The End Begins, Learn How To Lose, Our Song, The Whistling Boy
Louis Armstrong with the big bands: Louis Armstrong

Fields tracks: Blue Again, Exactly Like You
Golden Years 1934-54 : Kay Thompson

Fields tracks: Don't Mention Love To Me, Out Of Sight, Out Of My Mind
Yours For A Song - Here's to the Ladies: Peter Mintun
Peter Mintun has been playing piano in cabaret and clubs for decades, but has only recently turned to singing. The liner notes to this CD state : Peter is the first to admit he's no Luciano Pavarotti his friend Bobby Short once said of him He sings like a songwriter!. Well it's true that his voice is very unsure on the notes and has no range to speak of, but his diction is good, and he just about gets away with it.

The interest of this CD, dedicated to women songwriters, is in the rarity of its material. Interesting liner notes on the more obscure songwriters. The four Fields tracks are :
I Can't Give You Anything But Love clearly not a rarity.
Got A New Lease On Life one of the three Oscar Levant songs Dorothy wrote. This is the most interesting track, as the lyric is charming. Mintun has trouble with the complex Levant melody though.
Dinner At Eight written for but not used in the film of the same name. This is a sub-standard Fields lyric the dull phrases drag over the slow-paced melody, at least in this version.
Thank You For A Lovely Evening another dull lyric.
In conclusion, this recording is only for the completist collector.

Fields tracks: Dinner At Eight, I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Got A New Lease On Life, The Way You Look Tonight, Thank You For A Lovely Evening
Front Row Center-Broadway Gold : Eileen Farrell/Wilbure Evans
This is a 4 CD, 93 track collection of Broadway numbers from the MCA/Decca archives. There are alternative takes and historic recordings (including some whose value is exclusively historic - the numbers from Pins and Needles are appallingly performed) and plenty of selections from long-lost vinyl recordings. There are some fantastic gems here, particularly if you enjoy novelty numbers. In this category, I enjoyed We're Having A Baby (Duke/Adamson) sung by Eddie Cantor, two numbers from Follow The Boys by the sublime Gertrude Niesen and The Yodel Blues(Mercer/Dolan) from Texas Lil' Darling.
Only 4 Fields numbers are included, but this is the only place where you will find tracks like Currier and Ives from Up in Central Park and A Girl With a Flame from Arms and the Girl until the CD reissues of the contemporary cast recordings (and it could be a long wait).
The latter as sung by Nanette Fabray is good fun.

This set is a major treat.

Fields tracks: Close As Pages In A Book, Currier And Ives, A Girl With A Flame, There Must Be Somethin' Better Than Love
Ethel Merman: Legendary Song Stylist : Ethel Merman
These tracks are available on the Stars in Your Eyes recording, and on many Merman compilations.


Fields tracks: A Lady Needs A Change, This Is It, I'll Pay The Check
Sugar Babies
The recording from the 1980s show starring Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller. I have not heard this recording.


Fields tracks: Don't Blame Me, I'm In The Mood For Love, Cuban Love Song, I Can't Give You Anything But Love
Croonin' Blackbird: Adelaide Hall
This special singer performed in the Cotton Club in the 1920s and interpreted many Fields songs.

Fields tracks: Baby!, I Must Have That Man, I Can't Give You Anything But Love, I'm In The Mood For Love
I'm In the mood for love: Frances Langford

Fields tracks: I'm In The Mood For Love, I Feel A Song Comin' On
1928-1929: Duke Ellington

Fields tracks: Bandanna Babies, Diga Diga Doo, I Must Have That Man
1935: Benny Goodman

Fields tracks: Hooray For Love, I'm Livin' In A Great Big Way
Just For the Record: Barbra Streisand
This is a 4 CD set covering the history of Barbra Streisand's career with much interesting novelty material. The warmth, energy and humour of the earlier recordings are sadly missing in the assured but mechanical performances of today's Barbra.
A recording of the cut song You Wanna Bet from Sweet Charity is included.

Fields tracks: You Wanna Bet
Jerome Kern in London and Hollywood
This sadly out-of-print Rialto compilation has two choice Fields rarities. However the CD is bursting with wonderfully performed and rarely heard Kern melodies, including several delights from the Kern/Wodehouse shows. Highly recommended.

Fields tracks: You Couldn't Be Cuter, I Got Love, The Most Exciting Night
Sing Before Breakfast
Another highly enjoyable Rialto compilation with a rare Fields song. This selection is devoted to songs from mostly obscure musical films of the 1930s, such as Moonlight and Pretzels, to which Herman Hupfeld and E.Y.Harburg (separately) contributed songs. There's a lot to relish here, including Give Her a Kiss from the Rodgers and Hart musical The Phantom President. This one is also out-of-print, I'm afraid.

Fields tracks: I'm Doin' That Thing
Life's A Funny Present
Another Rialto compilation with a rare Fields song. See comments under previous entry.

Fields tracks: A Lady Needs A Change
Jeff Harnar Sings The 1959 Broadway Songbook: Jeff Harnar

Fields tracks: Look Who's In Love
Still Young & Foolish: Albert Hague
This is a recording of an "And then I wrote" show by Albert Hague, assisted by wife Renee Orin. I have not yet heard this disk.

Fields tracks: Erbie Fitch's Twitch
The Very Best Of Pat Suzuki: Pat Suzuki

Fields tracks: Just For Once, Two Faces In The Dark
Trav'lin' Light/Merely Marvelous: Mabel Mercer

Fields tracks: Merely Marvellous
Emily Skinner & Alice Ripley: Duets: Skinner/Ripley



This is a very enjoyable CD from the formerly conjoined stars of Side Show. The version of Baby, Dream Your Dream is misguided however. It's a slow, dreamy, romantic arrangement. To try to make this work, they drop half of the supremely ironic lyrics, but the impact of the song is a fraction of the traditional delivery of the song - heavily sarcastic and mocking until the wistful twist at the end.

Fields tracks: Baby Dream Your Dream
Randy Graff Sings Cy Coleman: Doing Something Right: Randy Graff


Randy Graff does some great versions of Carolyn Leigh numbers on this CD. She takes Big Spender at a slower pace than average, and successfully goes for insinuating rather than brassy. Not much of Nobody Does It Like Me survives in her Codependency Duet, but there is a rare performance of the title song from Seesaw. However she delivers it in much the same strident fashion as Michele Lee did on the OBC.



Fields tracks: Big Spender, Nobody Does It Like Me, Seesaw
unforgettable: Johnny Hartman

Fields tracks: Today I Love Everybody
Verve Jazz Masters CD VOL. 51: Blossom Dearie


I haven't heard Blossom Dearie's version of A Fine Romance, but I hear it's great.


Fields tracks: A Fine Romance
The Audience with Betty Carter: Betty Carter

Fields tracks: I'll Buy You A Star
Bing Crosby Armed Forces Broadcast: Bing Crosby

Fields tracks: Take It Easy
Duke Ellington: 1932-33 : Duke Ellington

Fields tracks: Diga Diga Doo, I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Porgy (Blues For Porgy), I Must Have That Man, Baby!
Barrelhouse Boggie & The Blues : Ella Mae Morse

Fields tracks: On The Sunny Side Of The Street, Happy Habit
Fats Waller: 1935 : Fats Waller

Fields tracks: Take It Easy
Echo Of A Song : Ian Shaw

Fields tracks: just let me look at you
I'll Buy You A Star : Johnny Mathis

Fields tracks: I'll Buy You A Star
Alive/Rare Junk : Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Fields tracks: Collegiana
Tommy Dorsey: 1937-38 : Tommy Dorsey band

Fields tracks: You Couldn't Be Cuter, just let me look at you
This May Be The Night : Tony Martin

Fields tracks: You Couldn't Be Cuter, just let me look at you
Bennett & Basie : Tony Bennett

Fields tracks: Growing Pains
Where Do I Go From You?: Philip Chaffin

Fields tracks: Where Do I Go From You

1. Dorothy Fields Collections


2. Cast Recordings





Dorothy Fields Website Home Page.......... Author : Jon Aldous...........