Matthew Posted May 21, 2007 Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 (edited) Sorry to bore people with my Bill Evans question here, but I have searched through various discographies and I can't seem to find out if this has ever been out on cd. Does anyone know? Evans didn't think too much of it, but I'm becoming a completest about Evans. Bill Evans Plays The Theme From The V.I.P.'s And Other Great Songs (MGM E 4184) Bill Evans (p) Claus Ogerman (arr, cond) unidentified large orchestra, strings and choir NYC, May 6, 1963 63VK420 Theme From "The V.I.P.'s" 63VK443 On Broadway unidentified brass, woodwinds, rhythm and strings replaces unidentified large orchestra, strings and choir NYC, summer 1963 Theme From Mr. Novak The Caretakers' Theme More Walk On The Wild Side Hollywood On Green Dolphin Street The Days Of Wine And Roses The Man With The Golden Arm Laura Tracklist: Side One Theme From "Mr. Novak" The Caretakers Theme More Walk On The Wild Side The Days of Wine and Roses Theme From "The V.I.P.s" Side Two Hollywood (Evans-Ogerman composed) Sweet September On Green Dolphin Street The Man With The Golden Arm Laura On Broadway Edited May 21, 2007 by Matthew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrdlu Posted May 21, 2007 Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 I don't think this is on CD, Matthew. The Verve box set deliberately didn't include it, as it is not considered to be a very good album. But I've never heard it, so I don't know what it's like. [i heard that Gary McFarland's "Soft Samba" was no good, but I got a CD of it and I like it. Ditto, the 1964 album of Stan Getz and Bill Evans.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted May 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 I don't think this is on CD, Matthew. The Verve box set deliberately didn't include it, as it is not considered to be a very good album. But I've never heard it, so I don't know what it's like. [i heard that Gary McFarland's "Soft Samba" was no good, but I got a CD of it and I like it. Ditto, the 1964 album of Stan Getz and Bill Evans.] Gee, not even in Japan? It does have some interesting titles on it, and I would be interested in hearing Hollywood, just to hear what Evans-Ogerman came up with. I demand this gets released. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted May 21, 2007 Report Share Posted May 21, 2007 I don't think this is on CD, Matthew. The Verve box set deliberately didn't include it, as it is not considered to be a very good album. But I've never heard it, so I don't know what it's like. [i heard that Gary McFarland's "Soft Samba" was no good, but I got a CD of it and I like it. Ditto, the 1964 album of Stan Getz and Bill Evans.] Gee, not even in Japan? It does have some interesting titles on it, and I would be interested in hearing Hollywood, just to hear what Evans-Ogerman came up with. I demand this gets released. Originally Bill insisted this be issued under a fake name. He finally relented. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stereojack Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 I owned the LP years ago, finally dumped it. As an Evans fanatic, I figured that there must be some merit, but I just couldn't find any. This is a straight album of square movie music, about the caliber of Roger Williams, Ferrante & Teicher or Peter Nero. I take that back - Nero usually has more happening than anything here. Evans is completely unrecognizable, and the charts are cookie-cutter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMP Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 There might be a brief section where's there's some improvisation, but that's about it. It was released on MGM, not that it makes any difference, there was a lot of junk on Verve at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted May 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 (edited) I owned the LP years ago, finally dumped it. As an Evans fanatic, I figured that there must be some merit, but I just couldn't find any. This is a straight album of square movie music, about the caliber of Roger Williams, Ferrante & Teicher or Peter Nero. I take that back - Nero usually has more happening than anything here. Evans is completely unrecognizable, and the charts are cookie-cutter. You were thinking what I'm thinking. Just looking at the titles for this lp, there's a lot to like, though the Ogerman addition is one I don't like that much. I was thinking: how bad could it be? even If Evans just played the melodies that would be nice. Maybe I should be thankful I haven't heard it yet. Edited May 22, 2007 by Matthew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Dryden Posted May 22, 2007 Report Share Posted May 22, 2007 I also bought this LP back in the 1970s and didn't own it for long. Evans sounded bored and wasn't improvising in his distinctive style, while most of the songs themselves were pretty forgettable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 ...while most of the songs themselves were pretty forgettable. The "songs" or the arrangements? I'd say it's a really good selection of songs. I have no idea how they're interpreted, though, having never heard the album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmonahan Posted November 21, 2018 Report Share Posted November 21, 2018 Bumping this one. Did we have a conversation about this thing in another thread?? Anyway, Evans completist that I am, I got hold of the 2008 Verve Originals reissue of it on cd. Oh my. It's almost entirely dreck. There is an Evans/Ogerman original on it ("Hollywood") that shows hints--only hints--of something better, but that is cancelled by a particularly dreadful version of "On Broadway," on which Evans sort of plinks at his piano as if it were trying to bite him. As others have noted, it wasn't included on the Rust Box because it was deemed to be without much value, and the fact that people realized that while producing a box which still (for me) holds the record as the ugliest-looking reissue project ever, its notes impossible to read, does say something! gregmo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted November 21, 2018 Report Share Posted November 21, 2018 It was a muzak album. He needed junk money, probably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted November 21, 2018 Report Share Posted November 21, 2018 I don't see where making a muzak album is justification for making a shitty record. Creed Taylor should have known better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teasing the Korean Posted November 22, 2018 Report Share Posted November 22, 2018 NOT a Muazak album, as it was not organized according to the stimulus progression principle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted November 23, 2018 Report Share Posted November 23, 2018 Alright, then just an easy listening album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmonahan Posted November 23, 2018 Report Share Posted November 23, 2018 On 11/21/2018 at 0:29 PM, JSngry said: I don't see where making a muzak album is justification for making a shitty record. Creed Taylor should have known better. Oh, I think we could have a whole thread on lousy albums that Creed Taylor made! But this one must rank right down there near the bottom. gregmo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted November 23, 2018 Report Share Posted November 23, 2018 Oh, I know he made some bad records. But when he made them, I can't think of any where he used a "name jazz artist" as the leader. I know that's debatable for CTI & even some Verve. But when he did them there, they were always "easy listening jazz" rather than hardcore "easy listening". There a big difference, imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted November 23, 2018 Report Share Posted November 23, 2018 Okay, then hardcore easy listening. When Ogerman first came to the US, he was taking any gig he could get. He did Leslie Gore's "It's My Party" one day, this POS the next. Ogerman and Evans made up for it with Symbiosis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted November 23, 2018 Report Share Posted November 23, 2018 He did "It's My Party"! I have a newfound respect. (And Quincy produced it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted November 23, 2018 Report Share Posted November 23, 2018 1 hour ago, sgcim said: When Ogerman first came to the US, he was taking any gig he could get. Yeah, I got burned enough on some mid-60s 25 cent MOR thrift shop records to realize that. I'm thinking, oh, good, Claus Ogerman, this will be cheesey, maybe, but some tasty cheesey. Nope. Not even. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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