Remember How Great...? Volume 2

Remember How Great...? Volume 2

Originally issued in 1962 by Columbia Record Productions, Remember How Great...? Volume 2 is a nostalgic 12-track collection bringing together some of the biggest American popular hits of the preceding decades. Marketed as a “Collector’s Edition” of million-selling recordings, the album moves effortlessly from traditional pop and orchestral easy listening to vocal groups, big-band jazz and early rock & roll.

The programme opens with Jo Stafford's 1952 recording of “Jambalaya”, followed by Percy Faith's lush orchestral interpretation of “Song From Moulin Rouge” and The Chordettes' instantly recognisable 1954 hit “Mr. Sandman”. Andy Williams' “Hawaiian Wedding Song” and Gogi Grant's “Wayward Wind” continue the polished traditional-pop sound before Frankie Laine brings a touch of Western-flavoured drama to “Mule Train”.

Side B broadens the musical picture further. Guy Mitchell's “The Roving Kind”, Rosemary Clooney's exuberant “Come On-a My House” and Tony Bennett's early hit “Because Of You” represent the golden age of American vocal pop, while The Champs' “Tequila” provides a sharp change of pace with its iconic instrumental saxophone break. Patti Page's “Tennessee Waltz” returns to the sentimental country-pop tradition, before Cab Calloway closes the album with the energetic Swing classic “Jumpin' Jive”.

One of the attractions of Remember How Great...? Volume 2 is the breadth of its recording history. The tracks reach back to Cab Calloway's Swing-era work and extend through major 1950s recordings by artists including Jo Stafford, The Chordettes, Andy Williams, Frankie Laine, Tony Bennett and The Champs. As a result, the album provides an entertaining musical journey through the development of American popular music from big-band jazz and traditional pop towards the rock & roll era.

For collectors of 1950s music, vintage pop, easy listening, vocal groups, Swing and early rock & roll, this Columbia compilation is an appealing piece of period record history. Its mixture of million-selling standards and familiar performers makes it particularly representative of the mainstream American record-buying culture of the 1950s and early 1960s.

Side A

1. Jo Stafford – Jambalaya — 2:54
2. Percy Faith – Song From Moulin Rouge — 3:17
3. The Chordettes – Mr. Sandman — 2:22
4. Andy Williams – Hawaiian Wedding Song — 2:25
5. Gogi Grant – Wayward Wind — 2:55
6. Frankie Laine – Mule Train — 2:32

Side B

1. Guy Mitchell – The Roving Kind — 2:47
2. Rosemary Clooney – Come On-a My House — 1:59
3. Tony Bennett – Because Of You — 2:58
4. The Champs – Tequila — 2:10
5. Patti Page – Tennessee Waltz — 3:00
6. Cab Calloway – Jumpin' Jive — 2:46