Seasons (Bing Crosby album)

Seasons
Studio album by Bing Crosby
Released Late 1977
Recorded 1977
Genre Traditional Pop
Length 36:56
Label Polydor Records
Producer Ken Barnes
Bing Crosby chronology
Beautiful Memories
(1976)		 Seasons
(1977)

Seasons is a 1977 vinyl album by Bing Crosby which was issued by Polydor Records under catalogue No. 2442 151. The album is particularly significant in that it was the final studio album completed before Crosby's death on October 14, 1977; it was released posthumously, and was marketed with the tagline "The Closing Chapter". Crosby was backed by Pete Moore and his Orchestra and the Johnny Evans Singers. Moore also did all the arrangements for the album, which was recorded at CBS Studios, Whitfield Street, London on September 12,13 & 14 1977 - except for one song "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year" which was recorded at United Western Recorders, Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood on January 19, 1976. This song was also produced by Ken Barnes and arranged by Pete Moore.[1]

The album was released on CD for the first time in 2010 by Collectors' Choice Music (catalogue No. CCM2104), featuring several previously-unreleased bonus tracks.[2] Tracks 18-25 were taken from Bing's final recording session at the BBC's Maida Vale studios, London on 11th October 1977 with the Gordon Rose Orchestra. The arrangements were by Alan Cohen. This was for a radio show which was broadcast on BBC Radio2 on December 27, 1977. The BBC LP REB 398 - ‘Bing - The Final Chapter’[3] captures this final performance.[4]

Tracks 13-17 were poetry readings by Crosby recorded on September 14, 1977 for charitable purposes and for issue to the various Crosby fan clubs but they remained unissued until the Collectors' Choice CD in 2010.[5]

Reception

The album entered the UK album charts in December 1977 and remained there for seven weeks with a peak position of #25.

Variety commented: "If it were merely that this is the last recording Bing Crosby ever made, it would be more than enough reason to run and buy it. But it also happens to be a marvelous representation of the later Crosby years." [6]

Billboard reviewed it and said: "This album is billed as the last commercial recording by the beloved crooner, who died one month after recording these tracks. This is a concept album in that it contains 12 songs which either deal with a specific time of the year or more generally on the passing of time. Excellent mix of rousing sing-along numbers like “June Is Bustin’ Out All Over” and “Sleigh Ride” (which feature some high-stepping female background singers) with more sophisticated, elusive melodies like “Autumn in New York.”"[7]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Seasons"  Gilbert Bécaud, Ken Barnes3:10
2."On the Very First Day of the Year"  Pete Moore, Ken Barnes2:18
3."June in January"  Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin2:55
4."Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year"  Frank Loesser2:58
5."April Showers"  Buddy DeSylva, Louis Silvers2:28
6."June Is Bustin' Out All Over"  Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II3:17
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
7."In the Good Old Summer Time"  George Evans, Ren Shields2:45
8."Summer Wind"  Heinz Meier / Johnny Mercer3:50
9."Autumn in New York"  Vernon Duke3:26
10."September Song"  Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson3:50
11."Sleigh Ride"  Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish3:10
12."Yesterday When I Was Young"  Charles Aznavour, Herbert Kretzmer3:23

Track listing (2010 re-issue)

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Seasons"  Gilbert Bécaud, Ken Barnes3:10
2."On the Very First Day of the Year"  Pete Moore, Ken Barnes2:18
3."June in January"  Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin2:55
4."Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year"  Frank Loesser2:58
5."April Showers"  Buddy DeSylva, Louis Silvers2:28
6."June Is Bustin' Out All Over"  Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II3:17
7."In the Good Old Summer Time"  George Evans, Ren Shields2:45
8."Summer Wind"  Heinz Meier, Johnny Mercer3:50
9."Autumn in New York"  Vernon Duke3:26
10."September Song"  Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson3:50
11."Sleigh Ride"  Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish3:10
12."Yesterday When I Was Young"  Charles Aznavour, Herbert Kretzmer3:23
13."Around the Corner"  Anonymous1:17
14."If—"  Rudyard Kipling1:49
15."The Singers"  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow1:22
16."Lucy Gray"  William Wordsworth3:23
17."The Slave's Dream"  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow2:03
18."Feels Good, Feels Right"  Ken Welch, Mitzi Welch2:36
19."Nevertheless"  Harry Ruby, Bert Kalmar2:56
20."The Only Way to Go"  Marvin Hamlisch, Tim Rice2:56
21."Summer Wind"  Heinz Meier, Johnny Mercer4:16
22."The Night Is Young and You're So Beautiful"  Dana Suesse, Irving Kahal, Billy Rose3:50
23."There's Nothing That I Haven't Sung About"  Lyn Duddy, Jerry Bresler3:39
24."As Time Goes By"  Herman Hupfeld3:11
25."Once in a While"  Michael Edwards, Bud Green2:53

References

  1. ↑ Reynolds, Fred. The Crosby Collection 1926-1977 (Part Five: 1961-1977 ed.). John Joyce. pp. 234–240.
  2. ↑ "Allmusic". Allmusic.com. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  4. ↑ "BING magazine". BING magazine. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  5. ↑ "BING magazine". BING magazine. Retrieved August 10, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Variety". Variety. December 28, 1977.
  7. ↑ "Billboard". Billboard. December 17, 1977.
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