Billy Vaughn - Sail Along Silv'ry Moon/Blue Hawaii (CD)

All Music Guide

Of the two Dotera albums compiled here by Collectables, Sail Along Silv'ry Moon from 1958 is easily the best known for its title track which was a smash singlein fact, the highest charting single Billy Vaughn and his two saxophones ever had. Vaughn played and alto and used a second one about a third behind. He usually employed a pair of guitars and about four tenor saxes as well as a rhythm section and often used strings. Vaughn was a killer arranger and managed sessions for everyone form Mac Wiseman to Ken Nordine and Johnny Bond. There are a number of popular titles here like "Sweet Georgia Brown," "Sentimental Journey," "Twilight Time," and Bill Justis's "Raunch" (which was anything but). The second album in this set, the heavily themed, Blue Hawaii,is pure cornpone. Along with the "Hawaiian War Chant," there's the title cut, "My Little Grass Shack," "Sweet Leilani," and "My Isle Of Golden Dreams." It's pure unadulterated schlock. SO, as Collectables continues in their mad race to r...erelease everything under the sunand Billy Vaughn's Dot cataloguethis is one that's a heavily mixed bag that pairs a classic and a clunker. - Thom Jurek, All Music Guide Read more Less