Fancy Meeting You Here
| Fancy Meeting You Here | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney | ||||
| Released | 1958 | |||
| Recorded | 1958 | |||
| Genre | Vocal pop, vocal jazz | |||
| Length | 38:11 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Simon Rady | |||
| Bing Crosby chronology | ||||
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| Rosemary Clooney chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
Fancy Meeting You Here is an album of duets by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney that was released in 1958 by RCA Victor. The arrangements are by Billy May, who conducted the orchestra.[1] Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen contributed introductory and concluding versions of "Love Won't Let You Get Away" and "Fancy Meeting You Here".
In 1969 the album was reissued on the budget RCA Camden label under the title Rendezvous with a shortened and re-sequenced track listing.
Critical reception
In its review on January 12, 1959, Time magazine called this album, "An infectious musical dialogue between two of the sassiest fancy talkers in the business. C. & C. give slick and witty readings to a selection of retreads — 'On a Slow Boat to China', 'You Came a Long Way from St. Louis' — and introduce a punchy, potential hit named 'Calcutta'. One of the most intriguing vocal entertainments since Noel Coward had his famous chat with Mary Martin."
Variety said, "Two savvy singers team up in a charming rundown of a dozen numbers for a pop set with adult appeal." [2]
Billboard also liked it, saying: "A lot of charm here — A flock of tunes carrying different place names, carrying out the idea of the album title... Cover also carries out the theme. Performances are very smart, with occasional interpolations and asides by Crosby and Clooney. Arranged and conducted in grand style by Billy May."[3]
The British publication The Gramophone in their April 1959 edition went further. "Even so for the duet-warbling of the month I would turn to RCA SF5022 (Mono RD27105): 'Fancy Meeting You Here' with Rosemary Clooney and the old groaner himself, Bing Crosby, bumping amicably into each other in a dozen stage sets scattered around the world...The Billy May accompaniments throughout are first class, and so, obviously, is the singing; but principally it is the infectious easygoing good humor of the record which remains in the mind. That, and an occasional twist of lyric; no record can be neglected which ends a nostalgic and twang-ridden version of the 'Isle of Capri' with 'I've often felt that we both might have stayed there, if it weren't for those stale mandolins.'"
Track listing
Original release
| Side one | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Fancy Meeting You Here" | Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen | 2:31 |
| 2. | "(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China" | Frank Loesser | 2:40 |
| 3. | "I Can't Get Started" | Vernon Duke, Ira Gershwin | 3:50 |
| 4. | "Hindustan" | Oliver Wallace, Harold Weeks | 2:53 |
| 5. | "It Happened in Monterey" | Billy Rose, Mabel Wayne | 2:44 |
| 6. | "You Came a Long Way from St. Louis" | John Benson Brooks, Bob Russell | 3:07 |
| 7. | "Love Won't Let You Get Away" | Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen | 2:03 |
| Side two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "How About You?" | Burton Lane, Arthur Freed | 3:14 |
| 2. | "Brazil" | Ary Barroso, Bob Russell | 3:31 |
| 3. | "Isle of Capri" | Will Grosz, Jimmy Kennedy | 2:40 |
| 4. | "Say 'Si Si' (Para Vigo Me Voy)" | Ernesto Lecuona, Francia Luban, Al Stillman | 2:22 |
| 5. | "Calcutta" | Ray Evans, Jay Livingston | 2:55 |
| 6. | "Love Won't Let You Get Away" (reprise) | Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen | 3:41 |
1969 RCA Camden reissue (Rendezvous)
| Side one | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China" | Frank Loesser | 2:35 |
| 2. | "Hindustan" | Oliver Wallace, Harold Weeks | 2:53 |
| 3. | "Fancy Meeting You Here" | Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen | 2:28 |
| 4. | "Brazil" | Ary Barroso, Bob Russell | 3:28 |
| 5. | "You Came a Long Way from St. Louis" | John Benson Brooks, Bob Russell | 3:03 |
| Side two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "How About You?" | Burton Lane, Arthur Freed | 3:11 |
| 2. | "I Can't Get Started" | Vernon Duke, Ira Gershwin | 3:47 |
| 3. | "Say 'Si Si' (Para Vigo Me Voy)" | Ernesto Lecuona, Francia Luban, Al Stillman | 2:20 |
| 4. | "It Happened in Monterey" | Billy Rose, Mabel Wayne | 2:40 |
| 5. | "Love Won't Let You Get Away" | Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen | 1:53 |
2001 Bluebird CD reissue
| Titles 1-13 are the original album tracks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performers | Length |
| 14. | "Ain't A-Hankerin'" | Arthur Altman | Rosemary Clooney and Bob Hope | 2:10 |
| 15. | "Protection" | Arthur Altman | Rosemary Clooney and Bob Hope | 2:37 |
| 16. | "Love Won't Let You Get Away" | Sammy Cahn, James Van Heusen | Bing Crosby and Jo Stafford | 1:18 |
| 17. | "Fancy Meeting You Here" / "(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China" / "Hindustan" (medley) | Cahn, Van Heusen / Frank Loesser, Oliver Wallace, Harold Weeks | Bing Crosby and Jo Stafford | 4:09 |
| 18. | "Ol' Man River" | Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern | Bing Crosby | 1:43 |
| 19. | "Twilight on the Trail" | Louis Alter, Sidney Mitchell | Bing Crosby | 2:01 |
Personnel
References
- 1 2 Bush, John. "Fancy Meeting You Here". AllMusic. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
- ↑ "Variety". Variety. November 26, 1958.
- ↑ "Billboard". Billboard. November 26, 1958.
