Eddie Fisher You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet/I Love You/A Girl, A Girl CD

Recorded in 1953-54 & 1967-68. Originally released on RCA (3914), RCA (1097) & RCA (572). Includes liner notes by Robert Rice.

Collectables Records has done a creditable job in reissuing Eddie Fisher's RCA Victor albums on discount-priced CDs that combine the material from two LPs on a single disc, often with bonus material. But there aren't always two albums that match up, either in terms of theme or chronology. This disc juxtaposes recordings from different periods in Fisher's career, making for a stark contrast. Both of the main LPs are concept discs, but there the similarity ends. Presented in reverse chronological order, first up is Fisher's final RCA album, 1968's You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet. Here the 39-year-old singer turns in a tribute record to his idol, Al Jolson. By this point in his career, the soaring tenor has become a rich baritone, the better to convey the style of Jolson's later performances. Fisher doesn't imitate Jolson except in the odd inflection or bit of phrasing, but the Jolson influence, always apparent in his singing, is accentuated by the choice of material. You can't help thinking of Jolson when Fisher is singing "My Mammy" or "Swanee." Then, at track 12, the disc rolls back 13 years to the 1955 album I Love You, a collection of romantic standards Fisher recorded at the height of his fame and in his mid-twenties. The intention here was to make an album like the ones Frank Sinatra was doing at the time. Fisher isn't quite in that league, but he does a good job with the Cole Porter and Rodgers & Hart evergreens. As of track 24, time reverses even further for A Girl, a Girl, a four-song EP containing material from three Fisher hit singles of 1953-1954, including his biggest hit, "Oh! My Pa-Pa (O Mein Papa)." The result is a catchall disc that nevertheless contains many winning performances. ~ William Ruhlmann

"2 LP's On 1 CD" B/W "I Love You"

2 LPs on 1 CD: YOU AIN'T HEARD NOTHING YET (1968)/I LOVE YOU (1955)/A GIRL, A GIRL EP (1954).

Personnel includes: Eddie Fisher (vocals); Sid Feller, Ralph Burns (arranger, conductor); Hugo Winterhaler & His Orchestra.

Liner Note Author: Robert Rice.

Recording information: 08/20/1953-04/24/1968.

Unknown Contributor Role: Hugo Winterhalter & His Orchestra.

Arrangers: Ralph Burns; Sid Feller.