The Great Band Era (1936-1945) - Various (1964) (Box Set Vinyl) - Very Good Plus (VG+)

The Great Band Era (1936-1945) by Various.

Step into the golden age of American popular music with "The Great Band Era (1936-1945)," a sweeping multi-record anthology manufactured especially for Reader's Digest by the Radio Corporation of America. This is the swing era distilled, a decade of dance floors, radio broadcasts, and unforgettable melodies gathered into one generous collection that traces the arc of the big bands year by year, from 1936 through the closing days of the Second World War.

The set opens with a full sequence of twelve great band theme songs, the musical calling cards that once announced an orchestra before a single word was spoken. Here you will find "I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You" and "Take The 'A' Train," alongside "Moonlight Serenade," "Goodbye," "Nightmare," and the shimmering "Snowfall." It is a roll call of the very signatures that filled ballrooms and living rooms, the tunes that told listeners exactly which band had taken the stage.

From there the collection moves through the years in themed groupings, each capturing the mood of its moment. The 1936 sides gather "Christopher Columbus," "The Music Goes Round And Round," and "Moon Over Miami," while the 1937 selections stretch across two parts to include "So Rare," "Once In A While," "Dipsy Doodle," and "That Old Feeling." The late thirties bring "I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart," "You Go To My Head," "Heart And Soul," and the irresistibly nonsensical "The Flat Foot Floogee."

As the decade turns, the anthology follows the songs that carried a nation through the war years. There are the buoyant novelties like "Mairzy Doats (And Dozy Doats)," "Rum And Coca-Cola," and "Deep In The Heart Of Texas," and the aching wartime ballads that defined an era of partings and homecomings: "I'll Be Seeing You," "It's Been A Long Long Time," "There I've Said It Again," and the tender "Sentimental Journey." "On The Atchison, Topeka And Santa Fe" and "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive" round out the 1945 sides with a spirit of hope and forward motion.

Woven throughout are songs that reach back into the concert hall for their inspiration. "My Reverie" draws on Debussy's "Reverie," "Our Love" is adapted from Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet," and "The Lamp Is Low" borrows a theme from Ravel's "Pavane," a reminder of how seamlessly the era's arrangers blended popular and classical traditions.

Spanning the theme songs, the exotic hits like "Perfidia," "Frenesi," and "Brazil," and standards such as "It Had To Be You," "The Nearness Of You," and "Blueberry Hill," this Reader's Digest anthology is a treasured overview of the great band decade, ideal for any collector devoted to the sound of American swing.

Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
. 12 Great Band Theme Songs
A1. I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You
A2. Take The "A" Train
A3. Blossoms
A4. Moonlight Serenade
A5. Star Dreams
A6. Nighty Night
B1. Nightmare
B2. Kaye's Melody
B3. Goodbye
B4. Make Believe Ballroom
B5. Flying Home
B6. Snowfall
. 1936
C1. Christopher Columbus
C2. The Music Goes Round And Round
C3. When Did You Leave Heaven?
C4. All My Life
C5. These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You
C6. Moon Over Miami
. 1945
D1. On The Atchison, Topeka And Santa Fe
D2. There I've Said It Again
D3. Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive
D4. Symphony
D5. It's Been A Long Long Time
D6. Sentimental Journey
. 1937 Part 1
E1. Bob White
E2. A Sailboat In The Moonlight
E3. A Study In Brown
E4. Moonlight And Shadows
E5. Once In A While
E6. Goodnight My Love
. 1944 Part 2
F1. Blue Rain
F2. It Had To Be You
F3. I'm Making Believe
F4. Mairzy Doats (And Dozy Doats)
F5. You Always Hurt The One You Love
F6. Poinciana
. 1937 Part 2
G1. Dipsy Doodle
G2. The Moon Got In My Eyes
G3. So Rare
G4. Afraid To Dream
G5. Vieni, Vieni
G6. That Old Feeling
. 1944 Part 1
H1. I'll Be Seeing You
H2. There Goes That Song Again
H3. Dance With A Dolly
H4. I Dream Of You
H5. Rum And Coca-Cola
H6. San Fernando Valley
. 1938 Part 1
I1. Music, Maestro, Please
I2. Bei Mir Bist Du Schon
I3. I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart
I4. I Have Eyes
I5. Heart And Soul
I6. I've Got A Pocket Full Of Dreams
. 1943 Part 2
J1. For Me And My Gal
J2. Manhattan Serenade
J3. All Or Nothing At All
J4. A Pink Cocktail For A Blue Lady
J5. Brazil
J6. It's Always You
. 1938 Part 2
K1. The Flat Foot Floogee
K2. I Double Dare You
K3. You Go To My Head
K4. Says My Heart
K5. My Reverie
K6. You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby
. 1943 Part 1
L1. Taking A Chance On Love
L2. Moonlight Mood
L3. Dearly Beloved
L4. Let's Get Lost
L5. That Old Black Magic
L6. Warsaw Concerto
. 1939 Part 1
M1. Blue Orchids
M2. Don't Worry 'Bout Me
M3. Our Love
M4. Scatter-Brain
M5. Wishing
M6. Sunrise Serenade
. 1942 Part 2
N1. Serenade In Blue
N2. Jingle, Jangle, Jingle
N3. Blues In The Night
N4. When The Lights Go On Again
N5. Strip Polka
N6. Tangerine
. 1939 Part 2
O1. Do I Love You
O2. And The Angels Sing
O3. I Cried For You
O4. Heaven Can Wait
O5. The Lamp Is Low
O6. The Umbrella Man
. 1942 Part 1
P1. I Don't Want To Walk Without You
P2. Sleepy Lagoon
P3. Deep In The Heart Of Texas
P4. Skylark
P5. Rose O'Day
P6. Moonlight Cocktail
. 1940 Part 1
Q1. Blueberry Hill
Q2. All This And Heaven Too
Q3. We Three (My Echo, My Shadow And Me)
Q4. Ferryboat Serenade
Q5. Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear To Tread)
Q6. There I Go
. 1941 Part 2
R1. I Hear A Rhapsody
R2. Daddy
R3. Chattanooga Choo Choo
R4. The Hut-Sut Song
R5. I Guess I'll Have To Dream The Rest
R6. It All Comes Back To Me Now
. 1940 Part 2
S1. Frenesi
S2. The Nearness Of You
S3. Woodpecker Song
S4. Imagination
S5. With The Wind And The Rain In Your Hair
S6. Sierra Sue
. 1941 Part 1
T1. Perfidia
T2. Dolores
T3. This Time The Dreams On Me
T4. The Things I Love
T5. You And I
T6. Yours (Quiereme Mucho)

Notes:
K5 is based on Debussy's "Reverie."
M3 is adapted from Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet."
O5 is based on a theme from Ravel's "Pavane."

Manufactured especially for READER'S DIGEST by Radio Corporation of America.

Artist: Various

Format: Box Set

Genre: Jazz

Label: Reader's Digest

Catalog Number: RDA 25-A

Release Year: 1964

Country: United States

Condition: Used

Media Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)

Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)