Fancy Meeting You Here

Fancy Meeting You Here is a 1958 RCA Victor studio album of duets by the American singers Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney, arranged by Billy May, who also conducted the orchestra.[2] The album was originally issued in both mono and stereo, catalog numbers LPM/LSP 1854. Fancy Meeting You Here is an early example of a concept album, the 13 songs combining romance and travel with songwriters Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen contributing introductory and concluding versions of "Love Won't Let You Get Away" as well as a new tune called "Fancy Meeting You Here". Cahn wrote special lyrics to standards like "How About You?" and "I Can't Get Started" that reflected the late 1950s and the personalities of the two stars. Billy May conducted, and contributed his usual bouncy and lively arrangements. All of that served as a setting for the always enjoyable interaction between Crosby and Clooney.

Fancy Meeting You Here
Studio album by
Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney
Released1958
RecordedJuly 28–August 11, 1958
GenreVocal pop, vocal jazz
Length38:11
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerSimon Rady
Bing Crosby chronology
Jack B. Nimble – A Mother Goose Fantasy
(1958)		 Fancy Meeting You Here
(1958)		 Around the World with Bing!
(1958)
Rosemary Clooney chronology
Swing Around Rosie
(1958)		 Fancy Meeting You Here
(1958)		 Hymns from the Heart
(1959)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

In 1969, the album was reissued on the budget RCA Camden label under the title Rendezvous with a truncated and re-sequenced track listing and different cover artwork. This reissue destroyed the concept of the original album, and the abridgment, which omitted the first version of "Love Won't Let You Get Away" as well as "Calcutta" and "Isle of Capri," further voided the concept. Following the death of Bing Crosby in October 1977, the 1958 RCA Victor stereo LP was reissued with its original title and artwork with the catalog number AFL1-1854.

Critical reception

In its review on January 12, 1959, Time magazine called this album, "An infectious musical dialogue between two of the sassiest fancy talkers in the business. C. & C. give slick and witty readings to a selection of retreads — 'On a Slow Boat to China', 'You Came a Long Way from St. Louis' — and introduce a punchy, potential hit named 'Calcutta'. One of the most intriguing vocal entertainments since Noël Coward had his famous chat with Mary Martin."

Variety said, "Two savvy singers team up in a charming rundown of a dozen numbers for a pop set with adult appeal."[3]

Billboard also liked it, saying: "A lot of charm here — A flock of tunes carrying different place names, carrying out the idea of the album title... Cover also carries out the theme. Performances are very smart, with occasional interpolations and asides by Crosby and Clooney. Arranged and conducted in grand style by Billy May."[4]

The British publication The Gramophone in their April 1959 edition went further. "Even so for the duet-warbling of the month I would turn to RCA SF5022 (Mono RD27105): 'Fancy Meeting You Here' with Rosemary Clooney and the old groaner himself, Bing Crosby, bumping amicably into each other in a dozen stage sets scattered around the world...The Billy May accompaniments throughout are first class, and so, obviously, is the singing; but principally it is the infectious easygoing good humor of the record which remains in the mind. That, and an occasional twist of lyric; no record can be neglected which ends a nostalgic and twang-ridden version of the 'Isle of Capri' with 'I've often felt that we both might have stayed there, if it weren't for those stale mandolins.'"

Track listing

Original release and 1977 reissue
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Fancy Meeting You Here"Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen2:31
2."(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China"Frank Loesser2:40
3."I Can't Get Started"Vernon Duke, Ira Gershwin3:50
4."Hindustan"Oliver Wallace, Harold Weeks2:53
5."It Happened in Monterey"Billy Rose, Mabel Wayne2:44
6."You Came a Long Way from St. Louis"John Benson Brooks, Bob Russell3:07
7."Love Won't Let You Get Away"Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen2:03
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."How About You?"Burton Lane, Arthur Freed3:14
2."Brazil"Ary Barroso, Bob Russell3:31
3."Isle of Capri"Will Grosz, Jimmy Kennedy2:40
4."Say 'Si Si' (Para Vigo Me Voy)"Ernesto Lecuona, Francia Luban, Al Stillman2:22
5."Calcutta"Ray Evans, Jay Livingston2:55
6."Love Won't Let You Get Away" (reprise)Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen3:41

1969 RCA Camden reissue (Rendezvous)
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China"Frank Loesser2:35
2."Hindustan"Oliver Wallace, Harold Weeks2:53
3."Fancy Meeting You Here"Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen2:28
4."Brazil"Ary Barroso, Bob Russell3:28
5."You Came a Long Way from St. Louis"John Benson Brooks, Bob Russell3:03
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."How About You?"Burton Lane, Arthur Freed3:11
2."I Can't Get Started"Vernon Duke, Ira Gershwin3:47
3."Say 'Si Si' (Para Vigo Me Voy)"Ernesto Lecuona, Francia Luban, Al Stillman2:20
4."It Happened in Monterey"Billy Rose, Mabel Wayne2:40
5."Love Won't Let You Get Away"Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen1:53

2001 Bluebird CD reissue
Titles 1–13 are the original album tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)PerformersLength
14."Ain't A-Hankerin'"Arthur AltmanRosemary Clooney and Bob Hope2:10
15."Protection"Arthur AltmanRosemary Clooney and Bob Hope2:37
16."Love Won't Let You Get Away"Sammy Cahn, James Van HeusenBing Crosby and Jo Stafford1:18
17."Fancy Meeting You Here" / "(I'd Like to Get You on a) Slow Boat to China" / "Hindustan" (medley)Cahn, Van Heusen / Frank Loesser, Oliver Wallace, Harold WeeksBing Crosby and Jo Stafford4:09
18."Ol' Man River"Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome KernBing Crosby1:43
19."Twilight on the Trail"Louis Alter, Sidney MitchellBing Crosby2:01

Personnel

References
  1. Bush, John. "Fancy Meeting You Here". AllMusic. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  2. Fancy Meeting You Here at AllMusic
  3. "Bing Crosby-Rosemary Clooney: "Fancy Meeting You Here" (RCA Victor)". Variety. November 26, 1958.
  4. "Spotlight Winners of the Week". Billboard. November 24, 1958.
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