Join Bing & Sing Along

Join Bing & Sing Along (33 Great Songs)
Studio album by Bing Crosby
Released	1960 (1960)
Recorded	December 16/17, 1959
Genre	Vocal
Length	38:39
Label	Warner Bros.
Bing Crosby chronology
How the West Was Won (w/ Rosemary Clooney) (1960) Join Bing & Sing Along (33 Great Songs) (1960) Bing & Satchmo (w/ Louis Armstrong) (1960)

Join Bing & Sing Along is a long-playing vinyl album issued first by RCA Victor (LPM/LSP-2276) ^[1] and immediately thereafter by Warner Bros. Records (W/WS-1363) ^[2] in 1960. The album consists of twelve medleys of 33 old songs in a singalong format. Bing Crosby sings on all of the tracks except those marked with an asterisk. The chorus and orchestra is conducted by Jack Halloran and their tracks were pre-recorded on November 9 & 13, 1959 ^[3] with Crosby over-dubbing his vocals. Orchestral arrangements were by Bob Thompson.

The album entered the UK album charts on October 8, 1960 and reached a peak position of No. 7 in an 11-week stay. ^[4]

Hallmark Records issued the album on CD in 2011 No. 710082.

Reception

Variety magazine reviewed the album saying “Every company seems to be getting into the “Sing Along” act that Mitch Miller started for Columbia in the spring of 1958. Warner Bros. has a good scoring chance with their Bing Crosby version. He leads the vocal chorus through 33 familiar items and he has a way that makes it easy to join along.” ^[5]

Billboard liked it. "Of course, this is imitation, as are so many of the recent sing-along sets, but it is a first-rate one due to the presence of the old master, Bing Crosby. The grand collection of 33 old-time tunes is made to order for the old Groaner, and he sings them infectiously so that everyone is sure to sing along with him. If exploited this could be a good seller." ^[6]

Crosby expert, Fred Reynolds, writing in his book The Crosby Collection, 1926–1977 summed it up as follows: "Bing makes little attempt at subtlety of phrasing, ornamentation, niceties or nuances of any kind and his vocals, backed by hearty voices, create only a mechanically jolly atmosphere of a party get-together. There was a criticism, not without justification, that the album was too lightweight for a singer of his calibre but in mitigation it can be fairly claimed that it is a pleasant, happy sound with well chosen classic old songs brought back to life." ^[7]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" "Meet Me in St. Louis" "Peggy O'Neil"	Jack Norworth, Albert Von Tilzer Andrew B. Sterling, Kerry Mills Harry Pease, Ed Nelson, Gilbert Dodge	3:22
2.	"K-K-K-Katy" "Mairzy Doats" "Old MacDonald Had a Farm"	Geoffrey O'Hara Milton Drake, Al Hoffman, Jerry Livingston Traditional	3:21
3.	"Aura Lea" "Cuddle up a Little Closer"	W. W. Fosdick George R. Poulton Karl Hoschna, Otto Harbach	2:56
4.	"Daisy Bell" "The Bowery" "After the Ball"	Harry Dacre Percy Gaunt, Charles H. Hoyt Charles K. Harris	2:54
5.	"Long, Long Ago" "On the Banks of the Wabash"* "Seeing Nellie Home"	Thomas Haynes Bayly Paul Dresser John Fletcher	3:29
6.	"Shoo Fly, Don't Bother Me" "Oh, Dem Golden Slippers" "On the Road to Mandalay"	Thomas Brigham Bishop James A. Bland Oley Speaks, Rudyard Kipling	3:13
Total length:			19:15

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Give My Regards to Broadway" "Mary's a Grand Old Name*" "You're a Grand Old Flag"	George M. Cohan George M. Cohan George M. Cohan	3:13
2.	"When You Wore a Tulip" "You Were Meant for Me"	Percy Wenrich, Jack Mahoney Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed	3:12
3.	"Goodbye, My Lady Love" "Linger Awhile" "Heart of My Heart"	Joseph E. Howard Harry Owens, Vincent Rose Ben Ryan	3:28
4.	"Doodle Doo-Doo" "All I Do Is Dream of You"	Mel Stitzel, Art Kassel Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed	3:14
5.	"Alice Blue Gown"* "I Love You Truly*" "When I Grow Too Old to Dream"	Harry Tierney, Joseph McCarthy Carrie Jacobs-Bond Sigmund Romberg, Oscar Hammerstein II	3:16
6.	"There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight" "Toot, Toot, Tootsie, (Goo'bye)" "Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay*"	Theodore August Metz, Joe Hayden Ernie Erdman, Dan Russo, Gus Kahn Henry J. Sayers	3:01
Total length:			19:24

*Non-Bing – orchestra and chorus only

References

1. "discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
2. "discogs.com". discogs.com. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
3. "BingCrosby.com". BingCrosby.com. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
4. British Hit Singles & Albums (18th ed.). London: Guinness World Records. 2005. p. 126. ISBN   1-904994-00-8.
5. "Variety". March 2, 1960.
6. "Billboard". February 22, 1960.
7. Reynolds, Fred. The Crosby Collection 1926-1977 (Part Four 1951-1960 ed.). pp. 268–269.