Tony Bennett - Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 3

NEW LINK ADDED 26 JULY 2022!

Determined to remedy the set’s voluminous oversights and deliberate omissions, I have assembled the first of four “bonus” discs, intended to continue the series that comprises the boxed set’s first two discs: RARITIES, OUTTAKES, & OTHER DELIGHTS, VOL. 1 & 2.

This is the way it should have been in the set, so I have gone to great lengths to create the illusion that these come from the box. With the help of  Morris, who designed all the graphics on these including the fabulous cover art mimicking the first two “rarities” discs  (you can see the rest of his work in the scans included with the post), I present to you the “missing” third volume (covering the years 1950-1973), which will be followed shortly by volumes 4, 5, and 6!

As mentioned repeatedly throughout the last eleven months in my notes accompanying posts of THE COMPLETE COLLECTION, the set is FAR from complete. My last count tallies 67 tracks that have been commercially released in one form or another, but are NOT included ANYWHERE in the box, nor are they mentioned in the box’s lengthy book annotation. These four additional volumes will bring you ALL of those tracks.

The first nine selections are by the young Bennett from the early 1950’s, recordings which obviously embarrass the singer sufficiently to bury them completely out of sight. I understand he specifically requested the exclusion of these tracks. The omission of “Sing You Sinners” from 1950 is probably an oversight. The new box lists this 1950 recording as being on disc #3, track #5. However, it is really the 12/15/55 very different recording, which is repeated again on the new box as disc #6, track #8. Someone probably goofed when they pulled the recordings from the vault. No worries, though! Here I bring you the elusive version. The same thing happened on "Firefly." The boxed set includes the song on disc#5, track#12, but it is the Basie version from four months later instead of the Ray Ellis-arranged record released as a single. Another careless mistake...

The 1952 version of "We Mustn't Say Goodbye" is a track previously thought unreleased (per the TB online discography). It was recently pointed out to me that it WAS indeed released as the flip side of "Close Your Eyes." I luckily tracked down the vintage 45 in good condition and include it here. Bennett recorded the same song seven years with Frank DeVol for TO MY WONDERFUL ONE. The rare 1952 recording is "included" in the recent CELEBRATES 90 collection (the label shows it), but another record company goof leaves it replaced by another, commonly available track.

"Taking A Chance On Love" is an oddity, released as part of an LP entitled Columbia House Party, issued in 1955. Bennett is coaxed to sing the song by Mitch Miller, acting as sort of host with TB as guest. The singer, apparently unprepared, begins to scat (quite well, actually) when he forgets the lyrics.

“Friend’s Blues” is an oddity: it’s a track from a 1958 Ralph Sharon jazz LP entitled RALPH SHARON QUARTET AND FRIEND on which Bennett doesn’t even sing, but he scats! “I Only Have Eyes For You” sports piano-only accompaniment (Sharon again) and is an outtake from the glorious BENNETT SINGS FOR TWO album.

For some reason, Columbia recorded and released (as a 45RPM 7” single #4-43141) an alternate Bennett version of “Waltz For Debby” with a COMPLETELY different George Siravo arrangement from the performance found on the WHO CAN I TURN TO? album. The online TB discography would have you believe that the 45 single is the same version from the album, but it is NOT SO!!!! I have posted this before but is included here for completion sake.

The next four tracks (#14-17) are outtakes from my favorite Bennett album, WHEN LIGHTS ARE LOW. The first three of them were issued as bonus tracks on a Sony reissue of this classic just a few years ago. Why they were left of the box is beyond logic!

“What Child Is This” is from a recent Bennett Christmas compilation and could have found a comfortable home on any of the various holiday-themed discs already included in the big box. “I, Yes Me, That’s Who!” and “Fred” are both unused recordings from the early 70’s that appeared years later on Columbia House’s GREAT AMERICAN COMPOSERS series (quite a few of these “missing” tracks come from that series).

Next we come to the two most egregious omissions, a purposeful sabotage of the MGM/Verve albums Bennett cut in the early 1970’s. The tragedy of the deliberate elimination of "O’ Sole Mio" is mind-boggling! This was a staple in Tony's act for many years after this LP was released and it always got rave applause. “If I Could Go Back,” is not Bennett at his best but it’s not too bad either.

This collection concludes with a wonderful rare single issued in 1973, “All That Love Went To Waste,” (flip side “Some Of These Days”) featuring the Ruby Braff-George Barnes Quartet with string orchestra arranged and conducted by Torrie Zito.

1. Let’s Make Love (rec. April 17, 1950) and taken from original 78rpm source
2. Our Lady of Fatima (rec. July 14, 1950)
3. Sing You Sinners (rec. July 20, 1950)
4. Kiss You (rec. August 23, 1950)
5. Beautiful Madness (rec. January 17, 1951)
6. We Mustn't Say Goodbye (rec. April 24 or 30, 1952) 
7. Madonna, Madonna (rec. May 11, 1954)
8. Taking a Chance on Love (rec. 1955) from Mitch Miller's Columbia House Party 
9. Kisses I'll Never Forget (rec. Sept 24, 1954) taken from original 78rpm source
10. Friend’s Blues (rec. June 3, 1958) taken from vinyl source
11. Firefly (rec. Aug 1, 1958) set mistakenly uses 12/22/58 Basie version instead of version actually released as single 4-41237
12. I Only Have Eyes For You (rec. October 28, 1959)
13. Waltz For Debby (rec. 1964) George Siravo, alt arrangement (totally different from LP version) Columbia Single 4-41341
14. How Long Has This Been Going On? (rec. February 26, 1964)
15. All Of You (rec. February 26, 1964)
16. We’ll Be Together Again (rec. February 26, 1964)
17. You Can’t Love ‘Em All (rec. February 26, 1964)
18. What Child Is This (rec. September 1, 1967)
19. I, Yes Me, That’s Who! (rec. January 20, 1970)
20. Fred (rec. May 21, 1971)
21. O Sole Mio (rec. September 9, 1972) from original vinyl source
22. If I Could Go Back (rec. September 20, 1972) from original vinyl source
23. All That Love Went To Waste (rec. November, 1973) from original vinyl 45 rpm source
24. Some of these Days (rec. November, 1973) from original vinyl 45 rpm source

Unless otherwise indicated, all above ripped lossless from CD sources
Arrangers: Marty Manning (#1,3,4,5), Percy Faith (#2,6,7 & 9), Ralph Sharon (#10 ,12,14-17), Ray Ellis (#11), George Siravo (#13), Marion Evans (#18), Peter Matz (#19), Torrie Zito (#20-24)