Favorites in Stereo

Favorites in Stereo is a studio album by Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy. The album was recorded in stereo and released by RCA Records in 1959.[1] For its monaural release the title was changed to Favorites in Hi-Fi. The album peaked at number 40 on the Billboard 200 chart.[2] It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on October 27, 1966.[3]

Favorites in Stereo
Medium shot of a tall blond-haired man embracing an attractive red-haired well-dress woman.
Studio album by

Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy
Released1959 (1959)
Recorded1957 and 1958, New York, NY and Hollywood, CA, USA
Genreoperetta, pop
Length32:15
LabelRCA
ProducerSimon Rady, Ed Welker
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Background

Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald were a popular romantic screen team in a series of eight motion pictures produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer between 1935 and 1941.[4] The two reunited on a 1957 broadcast of the CBS Television series The Big Record starring Patti Page. Their performance of the "Italian Street Song" from their first film together, Naughty Marietta (1935) created a renewed interest for the team. As a result, RCA brought them together to record Favorites in Stereo.[5] During its making, MacDonald feared that the changing music tastes of the public would cause the album to underperform, and was pleasantly surprised about the album's success.[6]

Reception

The album was popular with critics and audiences, selling over one million copies.[7] In his review of the album music critic, Bruce Eder, noted: "The results are impressive, even though both singers' voices had darkened somewhat since their heyday of the '30s – the dimensionality of stereo separation is not pushed artificially, but the division of the voices and the perspective of the orchestral accompaniments does allow for some superb listening moments, particularly on "Italian Street Song" on side one."[1]

The Democrat and Chronicle added: "[The album] showed the two singers in peak form."[6] Phil Sheridan for The Philadelphia Inquirer made the album his Album Choice, predicting that "young and old will embrace this album" and praised the "memorable" performances as "singing in grand style[.]"[8]

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleLyricsMusicPerformed byLength
1."Will You Remember?" (from Maytime)Rida Johnson YoungSigmund RombergJeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy2:48
2."Rosalie" (from Rosalie)Cole PorterPorterEddy2:29
3."Giannina Mia" (from The Firefly)Otto HarbachRudolf FrimlMacDonald2:16
4."Rose Marie" (from Rose Marie)Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein IIRudolf Friml and Herbert StothartEddy3:02
5."Italian Street Song" (from Naughty Marietta)Rida Johnson YoungVictor HerbertMacDonald2:16
6."Indian Love Call" (from Rose-Marie)Harbach and HammersteinFriml and StothartMacDonald and Eddy2:16
Side two
No.TitleLyricsMusicPerformed byLength
1."Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life" (from Naughty Marietta)YoungHerbertMacDonald and Eddy3:19
2."The Breeze and I"Al StillmanErnesto LecuonaMacDonald2:32
3."While My Lady Sleeps"Bronisław KaperGus KahnEddy3:26
4."Wanting You" (from New Moon)HammersteinRombergMacDonald and Eddy3:03
5."Stouthearted Men" (from New Moon)HammersteinRombergEddy2:24
6."Beyond the Blue Horizon" (from Monte Carlo)Leo Robin, Richard A. Whiting, and W. Franke HarlingRobin, Whiting, and HarlingMacDonald2:24

References
Footnotes
  1. Eder, Bruce. Review of Favorite in Hi-Fi at AllMusic. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  2. Awards for Favorites in Hi-Fi at AllMusic
  3. "Searchable database". RIAA. 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  4. Turk 1998, pp. 362–371
  5. Turk 1998, p. 313
  6. "Jeanette MacDonald Scores on Records". Democrat and Chronicle. May 13, 1959. p. 65.
  7. "Nelson Eddy Gets Gold Record After 23 Years". The Valley Times. North Hollywood, California. February 24, 1959. p. 9.
  8. Phil Sheridan (February 27, 1959). "Record Review". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 18.
Bibliography
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