Vic Damone - Albums Collection 1956-1965 (5CD) 10 Classic Albums on 5CDs, Remastered Reissue 1997-2003

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Vic Damone - Albums Collection 1956-1965 (5CD) 10 Classic Albums on 5CDs, Remastered Reissue 1997-2003

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One of the prototypical Italian-American crooners, Vic Damone parlayed a smooth, mellow baritone into big-time pop stardom during the '40s and '50s. Early in his career, his inflection and phrasing were clearly indebted to Frank Sinatra, who once famously called him "the best set of pipes in the business." Overall, though, Damone's style was softer than Sinatra's and owed less to the elasticity of jazz, especially since he was a solo performer who never served an apprenticeship with a swing orchestra. Very much the heartthrob in his heyday, his repertoire relied heavily on romantic ballads, though he did sprinkle in the occasional pop novelty or Italian folk song. He managed a parallel career as a film actor and, later, a TV variety host, and remained an active nightclub performer for decades after he disappeared from the charts.

Damone was born Vito Rocca Farinola in Brooklyn, NY, on June 12, 1928. His mother was a piano teacher and his father an electrician who also sang and played guitar, but it was Sinatra who provided his first musical awakening, and inspired him to start voice lessons. His first performances came in a youth choir and at school events. When his father was seriously injured in a work accident, young Vic was forced to drop out of school to help support the family, and got a job at the Paramount Theater in Manhattan as an usher and elevator operator. One night, while taking Perry Como up to his dressing room, Vic gave an impromptu performance and asked the singer if he had any talent; Como encouraged him, referred him to a local bandleader, and became something of a mentor to him.

Adopting his mother's maiden name, Damone won first place on the Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts show in 1947, which led to regular professional gigs on local radio. While on the set of the show, he also met Milton Berle, who helped him get gigs at the prominent nightclubs La Martinique and the Aquarium. All the attention landed the 19-year-old Damone a record deal with Mercury in fairly short order. His debut single, "I Have But One Heart," sold well, and the follow-ups, "You Do" and the Patti Page duet "Say Something Sweet to Your Sweetheart," were also successful. He began hosting his own radio show, Saturday Night Serenade, and played big New York venues like the Copa and the Paramount (where he'd once worked).

Damone scored his first runaway smash in 1949 with "Again," and followed it with the similarly successful "You're Breaking My Heart"; both singles sold over a million copies. A steady stream of new releases followed through 1950, with the biggest including "Vagabond Shoes," the Top Ten "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena" (a cover of the Weavers' adaptation of an Israeli folk song), "Cincinnati Dancing Pig," and the Top Five "My Heart Cries for You." The following year, he signed a film contract with MGM and appeared in two movies, The Strip and the musical Rich, Young and Pretty. He also returned to the Top Five with a version of Guy Mitchell's "My Truly, Truly Fair." However, he was drafted into the military late that year, and served through 1953. Mercury continued to issue previously recorded material during Damone's tour of duty, and in that time, he hit the Top Ten with "Here in My Heart" (a cover of Al Martino's debut smash), Les Baxter's "April in Portugal," and "Ebb Tide"; he also found some success with the Charlie Chaplin-penned "Eternally."

When Damone returned from the military, he resumed his film career and married actress Pier Angeli; over the next two years, he appeared in the likes of Athena, Deep in My Heart, Kismet, and Hit the Deck, as well as guesting on Berle's TV show. However, his run of hit singles was coasting to a stop, and when Mercury dropped him, he followed his former A&R man Mitch Miller to Columbia. In 1956, Damone overcame the advent of rock & roll to score a number four pop hit with the My Fair Lady tune "On the Street Where You Live." That year, he also issued his first proper 12" LP, That Towering Feeling!, which reached the Top 20 (all his previous LPs had been 10"s or movie soundtracks). Outside of the musical arena, Damone appeared in another film, Meet Me in Las Vegas, and landed the first of what would prove to be several variety-show hosting gigs; this initial TV series, The Vic Damone Show, lasted from 1956-1957. Unfortunately, his marriage to Angeli broke up in 1958.

Damone was initially able to dodge the rock & roll bullet, but his career momentum soon ground to a near-halt. He had only one more Top 20 single, 1957's "An Affair to Remember (Our Love Affair)," and he was slowly forced to try reinventing himself as an album artist and an interpretive singer for adult audiences. The consistency of his albums did improve, with the most notable result being 1961's On the Swingin' Side, but Columbia let Damone move over to Capitol afterward. Hoping that Damone could ease some of the sting of losing Sinatra, Capitol coaxed some of the singer's strongest LPs out of him, including 1962's romantic Linger Awhile With Vic Damone and The Lively Ones. Both charted in the Top 100, but failed to win the audience of, for example, latter-day Sinatra. Damone moved on to Warner Brothers for a one-off album, You Were Only Fooling, in 1965; its title cut gave Damone a last hurrah on the singles charts.

Damone next moved on to RCA and made a few recordings in the late '60s, but by this time he was primarily a TV personality and frequent variety-show guest. He staged a major concert in Las Vegas in 1971, where he became a regular on the casino circuit; this helped him iron out some financial problems that resulted in a brief period of bankruptcy in the early '70s. Damone subsequently enjoyed a steady career touring nightclubs and casinos around the country, and experienced something of a renaissance in the U.K. during the early '80s. He capitalized with extensive touring there, and also cut a few new albums for RCA during the first half of the decade. In 1987, he married actress Diahann Carroll (his fourth wife), which lasted until 1996. In addition to his live performances, he continued to record occasionally as well. Vic Damone died in February 2018 at the age of 89.

Steve Huey, Allmusic.com

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Vic Damone - Albums Collection 1956-1965 (5CD) 10 Classic Albums on 5CDs, Remastered Reissue 1997-2003

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Vic Damone - Albums Collection 1956-1965 (5CD) 10 Classic Albums on 5CDs, Remastered Reissue 1997-2003

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That Towering Feeling! (1956)

Vic Damone's first proper album for Columbia Records is still considered one of his finest efforts. A ballad session with a couple of Sinatra-style swingers thrown in for good measure, Damone's pure vocals float over a bed of subtle strings as jazz solos move in and out (trumpeter Buck Clayton and trombonist Urbie Green are the only musicians to get mentioned in the liner notes). Damone had such a naturally beautiful voice that he's often at his best when he isn't pushing too hard, as attested by his gorgeous interpretations of "The Touch of Your Lips" and "Time on My Hands" heard here. He's also loose and nimble on the upbeat numbers, and "swinging" isn't the first word generally associated with Vic Damone. Still considered one of the best vocal pop albums of the 1950s, That Towering Feeling! was a hit in Great Britain but never really caught fire stateside the way that Damone's singles for the label did. That's a shame, because it really is one of Damone's best, and his three jazz-etched Columbia albums (this one, On the Swingin' Side, and especially This Game of Love) were so much better than his concurrent singles for the label, many of which were overblown and melodramatic. Thankfully, after being a collector's item for years, the album is once again in print and is on compact disc for the first time, including on a number of two-for-one CD reissues which house it with other Damone albums of the same period.

Nick Dedina, Allmusic.com

On The Swingin' Side (1960)

On the Swingin' Side is an unadulterated up-tempo delight that deserves to be rediscovered. The charts are bright, Vic Damone is relaxed but never dull, and the mood finds a nice balance between romance and spirited humor.

Nick Dedina, Allmusic.com

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Vic Damone - Albums Collection 1956-1965 (5CD) 10 Classic Albums on 5CDs, Remastered Reissue 1997-2003

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This pairing of two of Vic Damone's Columbia albums spotlights both his strengths and weaknesses as a performer. Closer Than a Kiss showcases Damone's beautiful yet somewhat emotionally empty voice on a respectable but ultimately dull collection of standards. This Game of Love, however, may just be the best album that the crooner ever cut. Damone recorded the session with a small but superb jazz group that gives diverse backings to a strong selection of ballads and rhythm tunes. You wouldn't think that Vic Damone, the world's whitest white man, could be capable of spinning off a vibrant version of Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin'," but he does. Thankfully, Damone and his crew of crack jazz musicians are as good on the rest of the album's 11 selections. Closer Than a Kiss may be far from essential, but This Game of Love is so good that vocal pop fans will still want to add this two-for-one CD to their collections.

Nick Dedina, Allmusic.com

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Vic Damone - Albums Collection 1956-1965 (5CD) 10 Classic Albums on 5CDs, Remastered Reissue 1997-2003

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Vic Damone had a relatively good career while at Columbia Records in the 1950s and he even had his fair share of chart successes. But he always seemed to be on the verge of being a major star without ever actually becoming one. While Columbia was geared toward trying to get artists hit singles, Capitol Records concentrated more on having its roster attempt to cut hit albums. Kids buy singles and adults buy albums and kids were getting into rock & roll, so Damone made the jump to Capitol in 1962 in hopes of getting the same upscale action that Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole enjoyed. While he didn't earn major sales while at the label, Damone did release a string of good albums while at Capitol and this CD features two of his best. Both albums feature energetic, jazz-flavored, medium-tempo swing arrangements by Jack Marshall. Linger Awhile With Vic Damone is high-class makeout music that uses the Sinatra/Riddle "heartbeat rhythm" sound as its starting point. Damone often sounded relaxed, but on this session, he's relaxed and swinging. My Baby Loves to Swing uses the same approach with songs that have "baby" in the title with "Alright, OK, You Win" blindly thrown into the mix – at least it's a good rhythm tune. Vic Damone's sessions are always good but they can be a little lifeless, so these two bright, breezy albums are great to have on one CD.

Nick Dedina, Allmusic.com

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Vic Damone - Albums Collection 1956-1965 (5CD) 10 Classic Albums on 5CDs, Remastered Reissue 1997-2003

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While Vic Damone was always a pleasant and talented singer, he wasn't particularly hip or jazz-influenced in the way Frank Sinatra was. That said, he always surrounded himself with excellent musicians and swinging arrangements that made the best of his abilities. EMI's two-fer On The Street Where You Live/The Liveliest combines two of Damone's best albums. On The Street Where You Live is a well-produced, mid-'60s date centered around the popular title track, with Damone's relaxed and clear-toned voice framed nicely by punchy horns, lush strings, and a swinging rhythm section. Similarly, The Liveliest is a stellar live club date from '63 at Basin Street East in New York City. Starting coolly with a dramatic version of "You and the Night and the Music," Damone really shines on the Scott Walker-esque ballad "What Kind of Fool Am I?"

Matt Collar, Allmusic.com

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Vic Damone - Albums Collection 1956-1965 (5CD) 10 Classic Albums on 5CDs, Remastered Reissue 1997-2003

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Here ideally coupled are two of the better albums Dean Martin and Ray Price never made, Damone's entire Warners 1965 discography–a brief interregnum at his vocal peak. Damone began in a Tony Martin mode as a casual but natural singles crooner for Mercury, became an album artist at Columbia (where he made his sole Italian treasury) and graduated to full concept-album mastery (cf. Mr. Sinatra) at Capitol in swinging collaborations with the imprint's better arranger-conductors, notably Billy May and Jack Marshall. This WB interlude preceded Damone's final major-label stint, at RCA and further fine work with Nelson Riddle.

The singer was not yet 40 when he made the varied, Dinoesque and very commercial title album, longer than but inferior to the very idiomatic Nashville ballads set that exactly parallels Ray Price's extremely sophisticated countrypolitan albums from this period. Damone was his own man, however, with the Italianate crooning style Sinatra so admired, and although Damone, reinventing his recordmaking persona, is at the mercy of his producers here the albums are not derivative.

Ernie Freeman conducted the pop album in Hollywood in his Dean Martin mode, and the aggressive drum thwacks in "You were only fooling" unsuccessfully drown out the singer who scored a mid-career chart success (here Damone's career intersects the great Kay Starr, who made the song a hit in 1948). The remainder is assorted and very eclectic, Damone covering Tom Jones and Perry Como, channeling Connie Francis with "For Mama" and delivering obscure balladeer romantica in "Stranger in the world," "And roses and roses" and "Careless hands." It's a louder and more commercial album than need be but beautifully produced and almost entirely enjoyable.

The better album of country torch songs was conducted by veteran Bill Justis ("Raunchy") in Nashville Sound mode, but omitting steel guitar and any nasality or twang by the sophisticated vocalist. The short playlist is extremely choice, with no filler or duds, and Damone's urbane and impassioned takes on several quality standards–"A fool such as I," "Room full of roses," "Together again," "Faded love" and "You don't know me"–are particularly memorable and worth replaying, all leading up to Damone's killer version of "You win again." The album title misleads, as these are not optimistic happy songs but wistful torch songs of loss and regret, universally confessional and done full justice by an interpreter as suave and knowing as Vic Damone. If there is any tendency to assign Damone to second-tier crooner status, this stunning achievement in unexpected repertoire silences any doubts.

Damone the WB popster is agreeable enough and a pleasure to your ears, but the country album is a real masterpiece–and this is uptown country crooning such as Damone's admirer Sinatra would never attempt. Bravo for the singer's ambitious artistic reach, fulfilled quite gloriously in the Nashville set.

Cody Robert at Spokane