Billy
Murray
Anthology: the Denver Nightingale
Long
before the advent of CDs and vinyl, music lovers of the
early 1900s enjoyed music either in the Vaudeville theatres
or via Thomas Edison's hit invention, the Edison Cylinder
or the Victorphone. America's pop star of the era was
an Irishman from Philadelphia who had a unique and clear
voice named Billy Murray. Now, Archeophone Records, one
of the better re-issue record labels, has compiled an
entertaining collection of Murray's recordings spanning
the years 1903 to 1940 with their new release, Anthology:
The Denver Nightingale.
In
the early days of recording, singers had to practically
shout into the engraving cone to have their voice etched
onto the record disc. What made Murray so remarkable was
that he had a tremendous knack for this task. Such was
his talent that the May 1942 issue of Hobbies magazine
noted, "Everybody said Billy Murray's records were
the only ones so clear you could catch every word on first
hearing. This was partly because there was a certain 'ping'
to his voice that cut sharp into the wax and he was smart
enough to nasalize certain syllablesexactly as printers
use italic typeto make important words and phrases
stand out."
Anthology:
The Denver Nightingale evokes visions of WWI era fashion
and life. Listening to this disc, you feel as if you are
sitting in the parlor with your family and friends listening
to the new hit songs that were all the rage on the Vaudeville
stage. The collection focuses primarily on the early years
of Murray's career, with songs like "Come Take a
Trip 'n My Air-Ship" (1904), "Under the Anheuser
Bush" (1905), "Give My Regards To Broadway"
and "In My Merry Oldsmobile" (1905). Other favorites
and novelties include "K-K-K-Katy (Stammering Song)"
(1918), "Casey Jones" (1910), and "Amos
'n Andy" (1930).
Anyone
who has an appreciation for the music of the early 20th
century is probably familiar with these songs in one form
or another and will enjoy hearing them. I can even remember
having to sing some of the tunes in elementary school
music class, which makes the original recordings that
much more intriguing. The only disappointing aspect of
this collection is that Billy Murray's #1 hit of all time
from 1908, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," is
not in this collection. Why? Well, the nice folks at Archeophone
have included very detailed liner notes about Murray's
career, which state that the classic base ball anthem
was never recorded by Murray himself. You'll just have
to get some peanuts and Cracker Jack and hum a few
bars yourselves.
Smilin'
Buddha Joe
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