''A Couple of Song and Dance Men'' is a 1975 vinyl

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

made by

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

and

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

for

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...

. It was recorded with Pete Moore and his Orchestra, and the Johnny Evans Singers in July 1975 at the Music Centre, Wembley. The songs from the album were included on a 3-CD set called “Bing Crosby – The Complete United Artists Sessions” issued by

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...

(7243 59808 2 4) in 1997. This included several studio chat sound bites. In 1999, all the tracks from the album were also included on a 3-CD set called "Fred Astaire - The Complete London Sessions" issued by

(7243 5 20045 2 2) which included session sound bites.

Background

Fred Astaire had agreed to producer Ken Barnes' request to make recordings for two long-playing albums in London. When it was found that Astaire's visit would coincide with Bing Crosby's stay in the UK, Barnes obtained the agreement of both artists to make an album together. In three morning sessions, held on consecutive days, they recorded thirteen tracks of which eleven were duets and two were solos in which they each sang a number famously associated with the other.

Reception

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

summed it up by saying: "Enjoyable set from two of the finer singers of our time, cut in London, produced by Ken Barnes and featuring the Pete Moore Orchestra. Lots of cuts from movies the two have appeared in with material from Berlin, Mercer, Carmichael and Scott Joplin. All standards well done, with the pair singing together or taking solos." The UK magazine The Gramophone reviewed the album saying: "Two indestructibles of show business, united on one record is an invincible formula, particularly when the two involved are “A Couple of Song And Dance Men” like Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby. The rapport and mutual esteem between these two splendid troupers are obvious and delightful, although the verbal adlibbing and asides are occasionally overdone and not always intelligible to the listener..."

Track listing

Personnel

Performance

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

, tap *

– vocals * Pete Moore;– arranger

Production

* Ken Barnes – producer

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Couple of Song and Dance Men, A 1975 albums Bing Crosby albums Fred Astaire albums Vocal duet albums Albums produced by Ken Barnes (writer) United Artists Records albums