An Informal Cliff Edwards Discography

CDs

Feel free to mail corrections to me if you know of other CDs.

Again, another collector has beaten me to the punch. I don't feel like reinventing the wheel, so I'll send you over to the Art Deco series on Columbia records. They are not all Cliff, but have some sweet tracks on them.

Can't Help Lovin' That Man

Columbia/Legacy CK 52855 - 1993 This is a rather interesting compilation of love songs, etc. about men sung by men. Some are definitely homoerotic in intention, others are just sung by men cuz the band's regular singer wasn't a woman. As are most of the Legacy Art Deco series, it is an excellent compilation with literate and entertaining liner notes. It has twenty-five tracks. Cliff's contribution is one of the funniest songs I have ever heard Cliff record. He does a screamingly swishy version of "Come Up and See Me Sometime". He is backed by one of the best bands ever to accompany him.

Come Up and See Me Sometime - Cliff accompanied by Sterling Bose (trumpet),Jimmy Dorsey (clarinet and alto saxophone), Joe Venuti (violin), Dick McDonough (guitar), Artie Bernstein (string bass) and Larry Gomar (drums). Recorded in New York, October 13th, 1933 and previously unreleased.

The Crooners

Columbia/Legacy C2K 52942 - 1993 A double CD collection of well-known and not so well-known crooners. What is a crooner? Well, think of the difference between Al Jolson and Bing Crosby. Jolson learned to sing and performed for many years in a world with no electric amplification. People who could not project over the sound of plebes and scuffling feet did not make it. With the introduction of microphones, people who had more subtle voices could be heard successfully. Suddenly, men with soft wooing voices were all the rage. Of course, "real" men had a problem with this and jokes from the time complain bitterly of the effect Bing Crosby, Rudy Vallee and Russ Columbo had on heterosexual women. There are eight Cliff tracks on this CD. They are excellent. Night Owl is one of my favorite Cliff tunes. It's so haunting it raises the hair on the back of your neck! There are 49 tracks total in the set. My only real complaint is that the photo of Cliff in the booklet shows him in one of his character movie roles in the late 30s and not as the dapper figure he presented in his crooner heyday.

Dream Sweetheart
A Great Big Bunch of You
All Of A Sudden
Crazy People
Night Owl
It's Only A Paper Moon
Six Women (Me & Henry the Eighth)
I Just Couldn't Take It Baby

Listen to the Banned

ASV Living Era CD 5030 - 1992 Includes "I'm a Bear in a Lady's Boudoir" and "I'm Going to Give It to Mary with Love", both of which are on the Yazoo LP, but Yazoo hasn't rereleased it on CD.

78s

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Last modified on 3/6/00