''Some Fine Old Chestnuts'' was

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

's second studio album for

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

, recorded and released as a 10" LP in 1954. The 1954 edition of ''Some Fine Old Chestnuts'' featured eight standards mastered on June 26, 1953, from tracks recorded for Crosby's weekly CBS

radio show A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production, or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netw ...

with a trio led by Crosby's regular pianist Buddy Cole. Crosby's 1957 Decca LP ''

New Tricks ''New Tricks'' is a British television police procedural comedy drama, created by Nigel McCrery and Roy Mitchell, produced primarily by Wall to Wall (until its final year, when it was handled by Headstrong Pictures), and broadcast on BBC On ...

'' also features songs recorded for radio accompanied by Cole. Decca later expanded ''Some Fine Old Chestnuts'' into a 12" LP by adding four more tracks that were recorded in 1954 and 1955: " In a Little Spanish Town," " Honeysuckle Rose," "

Ol' Man River "Ol' Man River" is a show tune from the 1927 musical '' Show Boat'' with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, who wrote the song in 1925. The song contrasts the struggles and hardships of African Americans with the endless, ...

" and " Swanee". The 8-track was issued on CD in 1993 by

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

in Japan. In 1998 it was included in a double CD called ''Some Fine Old Chestnuts & New Tricks'' issued by MCA. All eight of the original tracks from ''Some Fine Old Chestnuts'' were released by Sepia Records on the 2010 CD ''Through the Years: Volume Five (1953)''. In 2014, Bing Crosby Enterprises and Universal Music issued a deluxe, 23-track version of the album to mark its 60th anniversary.

Reception

Record producer Ken Barnes wrote, "Bing is in excellent voice — thanks to an intelligent choice of keys — and accompanied only by the Buddy Cole Trio (piano, bass and drums). The recording quality is truly superb. The only criticism is an alarming sameness in the presentation of each song (first chorus slow, second chorus fast — or, at least, moderately bright). But perhaps this is being churlish when the standard of performance is so high. Apart from Bing's glorious vocals (his performance of 'Sleepy Time Gal' is absolutely definitive), there is Buddy Cole's dazzling piano work." William Ruhlmann of AllMusic wrote, "The circumstances surrounding the appearance of the LP reflect the reduced significance of recording to the singer; as he aged into his fifties, he cut back somewhat on his professional activities, notably recording ... Nevertheless, the actual performances are comfortable and confident, as the singer takes a slightly jazzy approach to the familiar material."

Track listing

# "Do You Ever Think of Me" ( Earl Burtnett/John Cooper/ Harry D. Kerr) – 2:42 # "I Never Knew (That Roses Grew)" ( Ted Fio Rito/

Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn (November 6, 1886October 8, 1941) was an American lyricist who contributed a number of songs to the Great American Songbook, including " Pretty Baby", " Ain't We Got Fun?", " Carolina in the Morning", " Toot, Toot, Tootsie (G ...

) – 2:37 # " Somebody Loves Me" (

Buddy DeSylva George Gard "Buddy" DeSylva (January 27, 1895 – July 11, 1950) was an American songwriter, film producer and record executive. He wrote or co-wrote many popular songs, and along with Johnny Mercer and Glenn Wallichs, he co-founded Capitol R ...

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...

/ Ballard MacDonald) – 2:02 # " After You've Gone" (

Henry Creamer Henry Sterling Creamer (June 21, 1879 – October 14, 1930) was a popular song lyricist and theater producer. He was born in Richmond, Virginia, and died in New York. He co-wrote many popular songs in the years from 1900 to 1929, often collaborat ...

Turner Layton Turner Layton (July 2, 1894 – February 6, 1978), born John Turner Layton, Jr., was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. He frequently worked with Henry Creamer. Life Born in Washington, D.C., United States, in 1894, he was the son of ...

) – 2:03 # "Sleepy Time Gal" (Joseph Reed Alden/ Raymond B. Egan/Ange Lorenzo/ Richard A. Whiting) 2:31 # "

Dinah In the Book of Genesis, Dinah (; ) was the seventh child and only named daughter of Leah and Jacob. The episode of her rape by Shechem, son of a Canaanite or Hivite prince, and the subsequent revenge of her brothers Simeon and Levi, commonly ...

" ( Harry Akst/ Sam M. Lewis/ Joe Young) – 2:20 # "I Never Knew (I Could Love Anybody)" (Raymond B. Egan/Roy Marsh/Thomas Pitts) – 1:45 # " I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby" (

Dorothy Fields Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904 – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote more than 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. Her best-known pieces include " The Way You Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (193 ...

Jimmy McHugh James Francis McHugh (July 10, 1894 – May 23, 1969) was an American composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he is credited with over 500 songs. His songs were recorded by many artists, including Chet Baker, J ...

) – 2:29

Personnel

* Bing Crosby – vocals * Buddy Cole – piano, arranger, conductor *

Perry Botkin Sr. Perry Botkin (July 22, 1907October 14, 1973) was an American jazz guitarist, banjoist, and composer. Career Born in Springfield, Ohio, Perry Botkin started working in the 1920s for Wayne Euchner, who had a big band in West Baden, Indiana. Aroun ...

– guitar * Don Whitaker – bass (tracks 1–3, 5–7) * Phil Stephens – bass (tracks 4 and 8) * Nick Fatool – drums

References

{{Authority control Bing Crosby albums 1954 albums Decca Records albums Albums arranged by Buddy Cole (musician) Albums conducted by Buddy Cole (musician)