Russell,Andy Collection 1944-49 CD

As WWII drew to a close, and in the immediate years of post-war austerity, the decline of the big bands saw a number of notable solo singers coming to the fore, with several of them being of Latin descent - Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Don Cornell, Vic Damone and Frankie Laine all came from an Italian-American background. Andy Russell, who was of Mexican parentage and always maintained a strong Latin strand in his music, rivalled the top crooners like Como and Sinatra for popularity during the middle and later years of the 1940s before relocating to Mexico during the 1950s and returning to the US to pick up his chart career in the late 1960s. This great-value 50-track 2-CD set comprises selected A & B sides from his singles on Capitol during the 1940s, including those with The Pied Pipers and in duets with his wife Della Russell. It naturally includes all his twelve chart hits from this era, of which eight made the Top 10 - Besame Mucho, Amor, What A Difference A Day Made, I Dream Of You, I Can't Begin To Tell You, Laughing On The Outside, They Say It's Wonderful, Pretending and Anniversary Song. Those hits also include Underneath The Arches with The Pied Pipers. It's a fine showcase for a singer who has not enjoyed the profile which his talent and his hits deserve.

1. Besame Mucho (Kiss Me Much) 2. You're the Dream, I'm the Dreamer 3. Amor 4. The Day After Forever 5. What a Difference a Day Made 6. Don't You Notice Anything New' 7. I Dream of You 8. Magic Is the Moonlight 9. Don't Love Me 10. Negra Consentida (My Pet Brunette) 11. And There You Are 12. My First, My Last, My Only 13. Adios Muchachos 14. Imagination 15. Let's Fall in Love 16. Maria Elena 17. Just Friends 18. I'll See You in My Dreams 19. I Can't Begin to Tell You 20. Love Me 21. Without You (Tres Calabras) 22. If I Had a Wishing Ring 23. Laughing on the Outside (Crying on the Inside) 24. Pretending 25. They Say It's Wonderful 26. Who Do You Love, I Hope 27. This Is the Night 28. If You Were There 29. The More I Go Out with Somebody Else 30. It's Dreamtime 31. I'll Close My Eyes 32. Anniversary Song 33. Dreams Are a Dime a Dozen 34. Unless It Can Happen with You 35. Je Vous Aime 36. As Long As I'm Dreaming 37. On the Old Spanish Trail 38. When the White Roses Bloom (In the Red River Valley) 39. True 40. Don't Blame Me 41. Too Marvelous for Words 42. The Very Thought of You 43. Love for Love 44. I'll Make Up for Everything 45. I Cried for You 46. Love of My Life 47. Just for Now 48. Just for Me 49. Underneath the Arches 50. It's Too Soon to Know