Al Bowlly - Goodnight Sweetheart

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Track List: Goodnight Sweetheart

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Album Details: Goodnight Sweetheart

Release Date:: 01/01/1996
Label:: Prism Platinum
UPC:: 501429319921

Pro Reviews: Goodnight Sweetheart

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From AMG Reviews

With the European copyright limit of 50 years on recordings, 1930s British pop crooner Al Bowlly's work has been reissued on numerous unlicensed discs mastered from old 78s, and British budget label Prism Leisure's Goodnight Sweetheart is just another one. 20 Nostalgic Classics," proclaims the subtitle for the 66minute collection, which seems to take 1938 as a key year, since six of the selections Two Sleepy People," Goodnight Angel," Sweet as a Song," Is That the Way to Treat a Sweetheart?," Sweet Someone," and You're as Pretty as a Picture" had their copyrights then. Irving Berlin's Marie" dates back to 1928, but did not become popular until 1937. Bowlly favorites like Goodnight Sweeheart" and The Very Thought of You" come from the first half of the 30s, but the bulk of this material seems to date from after the singer's return to the U.K. from the U.S. in 1936. Not that you'd know any of that from examining this disc, which contains for annotations only a brief biographical essay, song titles, and plenty of incorrect songwriting credits. (For the record, Arthur Schwartz's name is misspelled in the credit for Dancing in the Dark," and his partner, Howard Dietz, is forgotten entirely; Al Goodhart, not Goodheart," is a coauthor of Auf Wiedersehen, My Dear"; Ray Noble, not McHugh/Adamson" wrote The Very Thought of You"; True" was written by Walter G. Samuels and Leonard Whitcup, not Weers [sic]/Hallifax [sic]"; Penny Serenade" was written by Hal Halifax and Melle Weersma, not Secunda/Jacobs/Cahn"; Bei Mir Bist Du Schon" was written by Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin, Jacob Jacobs, and Sholem Secunda, not by Chaplin alone; poor Arthur Schwartz has his name mangled a second time as Schawtz" in the credit for There's Rain in My Eyes"; James Campbell's and Reg Connelly's names are misspelled in the credits for Goodnight Sweetheart"; and Noble isn't credited at all for Love Is the Greatest Thing." Leaving aside the insults to songwriters, though, this is still not the Bowlly compilation to buy, even at the cheap price. As usual, labels like ASV/Living Era and Pearl Flapper do a much better job.

- William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

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Al Bowlly Biography

The most popular vocalist in Britain during the 1930s, Al Bowlly showcased a range of material unsurpassed by any contemporary other than Bing Crosby. He was also a true international recording artist: born in Mozambique to Greek and Lebanese parents...Full Al Bowlly Biography