Lullaby Of Broadway: The Music Of Harry Warren Soundtrack CD - Import

Perhaps the most prolific Hollywood song composer of the 1930s and '40s, Harry Warren is represented here in a sampling of some of his biggest hits, primarily from the '30s, including "You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me," "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby," "Jeepers Creepers," and "I Only Have Eyes for You," in recordings made between 1924 and 1948. For the most part, the compilers have not presented any of the actual hit recordings of these songs, perhaps because they didn't have access to them. (The three exceptions are all by Bing Crosby.) Instead, they have tended to favor records made by the stars who sang the songs in the films, especially Carmen Miranda, who is on two tracks, Dick Powell, who is on three, and Al Jolson, who is on four, the first an obscure B-side, "Home In Pasadena" (here titled "Pasadena") and the others "private" recordings dated 1948, much later than the rest of the tracks. There is also a recording taken directly from a film soundtrack of Winifred Shaw singing "Lullaby of Broadway," and an Andrews Sisters recording of a non-hit, "Love Is Where You Find It." The remaining nine tracks on this British compilation are by British acts, most of whom will be unfamiliar to Americans (the exception is Al Bowlly) and present pale imitations of American originals. The result is a mixed bag of vintage recordings, some of which show off Harry Warren's abilities as a songwriter to their best advantage. ~ William Ruhlmann

Recorded from 1924 to 1948.