Comin' Home Baby! [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Album Details
Featuring Mel Torme’s Only Hit of the Rock Era, Comin' Home Baby! is a True Soul Jazz Crossover Classic, Balancing Groovy Dance Numbers (Like the Title Track) with Early-'60s Cool Jazz Versions of the Standards "Walkin'," "Moanin'," and "on Green Dolphin Street."

Tracks:

Comin Home Baby
Dat Dere
LadyS In Love With You
Hi-Fly
Puttin On The Ritz
Walkin
Moanin
Sing You Sinners
Whisper Not
On Green Dolphin Street
SidneyS Soliloquy
Right Now
Walkin Shoes (Bonus Track)
You Belong To Me (Bonus Track)

Album Details

Featuring Mel Torme's Only Hit of the Rock Era, Comin' Home Baby! is a True Soul Jazz Crossover Classic, Balancing Groovy Dance Numbers (Like the Title Track) with Early-'60s Cool Jazz Versions of the Standards "Walkin'," "Moanin'," and "on Green Dolphin Street."

Customer Reviews:

The sound of the CD is less than poor.......2007-03-15

This estimation is not for the music or vocal, but for the sound of this
CD only! The remastering was made with large damage for the sound. It is
a very pity, that I did not read the review for this CD, which was written
at July 27, 2006. That review is objective absolutely.

Shoddy sound, and STILL not in stereo.......2006-07-28

This recent re-release of this classic album was such a disappointment. Although the album was RECORDED in stereo, it has never been released on CD in full stereo. The first release, (on the Collectables label) has half the songs in mono, and the other half in stereo. The sound quality still left a lot to be desired. On this supposedly "remastered" release from Atlantic in England, ALL the songs are in mono, and the sound quality just as shoddy. There is distortion on the high and mid frequencies. Some instruments are too forward in the mix, while others are difficult to hear. In fact, i dare say it sounds worse than some of those early Beatles recordings which have not been remastered in 20 years.

You might be thinking, "Well, maybe the recordings themselves are just poor, and they did the best they could." Unlikely. There was a great Torme box set from Rhino that came out about 10 years ago, which included 2 songs from this album. They were both in stereo, mixed fantastically, and sounded great. No distortion. All instruments were clear and defined. Those same two songs on this release and previous ones are either awful-sounding mono or awful-sounding stereo.

So what gives? I know the quality could be better, as i've heard it. So why the crappy job on the sound? Ironically, the sister album to this one (Songs of New York), has been re-released alongside this one from Atlantic England. It certainly has been remastered. The sound is far better, clear, and all in stereo.

Well, here's what DOES merit the two stars for this release. Like most jazz/pop artists recording a theme album at that time, he recorded 12 jazz selections for the album. Atlantic dropped 2, and replaced them with two rock/jazz/lounge numbers that don't fit the theme of the rest of the album at all. Well, although they didn't drop the unnecessary songs from this release, they DID add back on the two missing songs from these sessions. This is the first time they have been released on the album. Too bad they, too, sound like crap. Those 12 songs are good cool swingin' jazz... not GREAT...but good. Even if the sound on this album was impeccable, the album still would be several choices down in most Torme fans' lists of best albums.

If you want some great Torme jazz from this time period, get ANY of the Verve CD's from the late 50's and early 60's...especially "Duke Ellington and Count Basie Songsbooks," and "Swings Shubert Alley." Both are in stereo, and sound great. If you don't mind mono recordings, there are many that sound GOOD. Go with "Lulu's Back in Town" and "Sings Fred Astaire," both on the Bethlehem label from the mid-50's. There's a lot of great jazz out there if you know where to look.

Hip,cool & underground.......2006-02-21

This fomat of songs puts Mel Torme right in the for front of modern cool. His voice + the back up orchestration makes this l.p. speak for itself.

Comin' Home Jazz Fans.......2005-12-17

The 1960's represented a very interesting time for musicians of all genres; three particular reasons began a trend for future generations of musical artists. The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones were the 3 reasons which permanently altered the musical landscape and basically made it impossible for stars of the past to remain economically viable in the present. The only 2 exceptions to the rule of course were Mel Tormé and Frank Sinatra.

Tormé's classic album, Comin' Home Baby has recently been re-released; digitally remastered and cleaned up, one can hear the sweet sounds of the Velvet Fog in all of its glory the way it was intended to be heard.

In early 1962 Mel Tormé had firmly come to terms with the fact that the musical landscape was percolating something in the clubs and bars where the people hang out. This new musical dynamo was going to act like a brick wall, on not only himself, but basically anyone from his background and genre unless change happened.

Mel walked into the studio in 1962 determined to stay relevant and absorb the new and combine it to his big band swinging style. Frank Sinatra decided to do much the same thing in the 1960's. Comin' Home Baby was the 1st of 5 albums that Mel recorded and released in the 1960's that attempted to meld Rock `n' Roll with Jazz & Big Band.

It was very much worth the work and effort; although many jazz purists dismiss this era of Mel Tormé's with a angry waive of a modern day puritan hand, why, I'm not sure to be honest. Being trapped in cage of the past is something that many jazz listeners are known for. The self titled lead off single, "Comin' Home Baby", from this album made the top 10 in the charts and acted as beacon call for jazz and big band fans that jazz still had a place in the charts only it needed to evolve into rock `n' roll to remain relevant.

The highlight from the album is, "Lady's In Love With You", which showcases the most powerful Mel Tormé phrasing and vocal I have ever hard. The classic Tormé tracks, "Puttin' On The Ritz" and "Hi Fi" have a very similar vocal and phrasing technique as Lady.

"Sing You Sinners" highlights the toe tapping phrase rapping Mel Tormé that so many of us have loved over the years. The Dean Martin classic tune, "You Belong To Me", has a gentle re-working which fits into the set as well.

The album also has that rock and jazz tune, "Right Now" which was the B-Side to "Comin' Home Baby" that shows Mel Tormé stretching the jazz genre into rock `n' roll.

Go out and buy this album, it has aged very well, and deserves a solid 5 out of 5 stars

The start of my jazz years.......2005-09-16

Great to see this album re-released in the one package (plus the two extra tracks not on the original release).
This is the album that converted me to Mel Torme, apart from the two "hits" comin home baby and right now it contains some fabulous arrangements of some of the emerging standards of the time. Until this album I was a presley and darrin fan. Never again. Along with undercurrent (Bill Evans/Jim Hall) and Ella in Berlin it changed my musical life for the better.

Average customer rating:

Actual Soundtrack is great!
disappointed

Calendar Girls

Manufacturer: Hollywood Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Calendar Girls
Secondhand Lions
The Da Vinci Code
The Queen

ASIN: B0000YEF1G
Release Date: 2003-12-09

Tracks:

I Find Your Love - Beth Nielsen Chapman
Jerusalem - Knapley Women's Club (Cast)
The Funeral
Fantastic Tits
March
Bra's Off
Sponsorship
The Press
Letters
One More Hour
Jerusalem
The Way You Do the Things You Do - The Temptations
You Upset Me Baby - B.B. King
Comin' Home Baby - Quincy Jones & His Orchestra
Ride Your Pony - The Meters
Find Another Way - Mornin' Norman

Customer Reviews:

Actual Soundtrack is great!.......2004-02-26

I think the previous reviewer got hold of the 20 minute cd of the score that was sent to academy members for consideration of an oscar - not the complete soundtrack with tracks as listed here.

disappointed.......2004-01-09

I loved the music in the movie...the soundtrack did not include all the upbeat music, just 20 minutes of the dreamy tune of the funeral/tai chi scenes. Very disappointing!

Average customer rating:

BEWARE!
the voice as an instrument

Comin' Home Baby! And Other Hits
Mel Torme
Manufacturer: Rhino Flashback
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music

Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Classic | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Rhino Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Jazz | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

That's All

ASIN: B00000FC85
Release Date: 1997-07-29

Tracks:

Comin' Home Baby
(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
Mountain Greenery
Cast Your Fate to the Wind
Sunday in New York
Lullaby of Birdland
Broadway
New York, New York
It's Delovely
Puttin' on the Ritz

Customer Reviews:

BEWARE!.......2005-01-28

The titles listed are not that of this album. The titles listed are from the Atlantic issue of "Comin' Home Baby." This album is a compilation of "hits" from other albums.

the voice as an instrument.......2001-12-07

Some of what Torme does with his voice on these songs is stupendous...technically dazzling, and with his unique, velvet sound.
This compilation has a very mixed bag of recording sessions, starting with "Comin' Home Baby", which was his only Top 40 hit, and has a catchy tune and toe tapping rhythm.

"Route 66" (live performance) is a big band number with a lot of virtuoso singing, and "Mountain Greenery" (also live) is terrific...and then comes "Cast Your Fate to the Winds", with its dreadful "yeh yeh yeh" back-up singing. Anyone remember Alvin the Chipmunk ? Well, it sounds like Alvin and his buddies got together for this session...what were they thinking ?

"Sunday in New York", "Broadway" (another big band track), "New York, New York" (from Bernstein's "On the Town"), "It's Delovely" (live with a trio back-up...the sound is a little off in the last few bars), are all good, and "Lullaby of Birdland" is one of my favorites, with some great scat singing.