The Happiest Sound in Town

The Happiest Sound in Town is a studio album by American singer Marilyn Maye. It was released in September 1968 via RCA Victor and contained 11 tracks. It was the sixth studio album of Maye's career featuring songs that were categorized as easy listening material. It featured cover of popular recordings along with new material.

The Happiest Sound in Town
Studio album by
Marilyn Maye
ReleasedSeptember 1968 (1968-09)
Studio
  • RCA Studio A
  • RCA Studio B
GenreEasy listening[1]
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerJoe René
Marilyn Maye chronology
Step to the Rear
(1968)		 The Happiest Sound in Town
(1968)		 Marilyn Maye, Girl Singer
(1970)
Singles from The Happiest Sound in Town
  1. "Sing Me a Tune"
    Released: May 1969

Background, recording and content

Marilyn Maye had been on the RCA Victor label since releasing 1965's Meet Marvelous Marilyn Maye. She found success with "Step to the Rear", which appeared in several televised commercials for the Ford Motor Company. RCA issued six albums of Maye's recordings through 1970.[2] Among them was The Happiest Sound in Town. The project was recorded RCA Studio A and RCA Studio B in New York City.[3] It was produced by Joe René, whom had been serving as Maye's record producer for several albums.[4] René also was credited as an arranger for the album's songs, along with Frank Hunter and Glenn Osser. The liner notes featured a quote from Johnny Carson which read "Let's call her a super-singer."[3]

The album contained 11 tracks.[5] Included were covers of "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody", "Congratulations", "If My Friends Could See Me Now" and "Kansas City", "Detour" and "Consider Yourself". These songs had previously been included in Broadway musicals or had been singles that appeared on America's Billboard pop music chart.[3][6]

Release, reception and singles

The Happiest Sound in Town was originally released by RCA Victor in September 1968. It was distributed as a vinyl LP, featuring six songs on "Side A" and five songs on "Side B". It was Maye's sixth studio album and fifth with RCA.[3] A special edition version was reissued in Japan in 2000 on CD.[7] During the 2020s it was re-released digitally.[8] In its original release, the album was among 52 LP's released by RCA Victor in the fall of 1968.[9] Although no formal review was given, Billboard magazine named it a "four-star" album in its ratings in October 1968.[10] To promote the album, Maye appeared at New York City's Royal New York venue for two weeks in fall 1968. Also, the album was played on several easy listening stations at the time of its release according to Billboard.[1] "Sing Me a Tune" was issued as a promotional single from the album in May 1969.[11]

Track listing
Side one[3][8]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Congratulations"
2:07
2."Sing Me a Tune"Shelley2:40
3."Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody"
3:26
4."The Happiest Sound in Town"McLaughlin1:59
5."If My Friends Could See Me Now"
1:55
6."Kansas City"Lieber-Stoller2:13
Side two[3][8]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Popularity"
2:30
2."Detour"Westmoreland2:47
3."The Preacher"
2:26
4."Consider Yourself"Bart2:26
5."Star"
2:35

Technical personnel

All credits are adapted from the liner notes of The Happiest Sound in Town.[3]

  • Ed Begley – Engineer
  • Ray Hall – Engineer
  • Frank Hunter – Arranger
  • Glenn Osser – Arranger
  • Joe René – Arranger, producer
  • Anthony Salvatore – Engineer
  • Bob Simpson – Engineer

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Japan September 1968
  • LP Mono
  • LP Stereo
 RCA Victor [3]
Japan June 21, 2000 Compact disc
[7]
North America circa 2020
  • Music download
  • streaming
 Sony Music Entertainment [8]

References
  1. "From the Music Capitals of the World". Billboard. November 23, 1968. p. 74. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  2. Loudon, Christopher (April 26, 2019). "Marilyn Maye". JazzTimes. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  3. Maye, Marilyn (September 1968). "The Happiest Sound in Town (Disc Information)". RCA Victor. LMP-4054 (Mono); LSP-4054 (Stereo).
  4. "Cabaret Singer Marilyn Maye Discography". Marilyn Maye.com. Retrieved 21 June 2023.
  5. "The Happiest Sound in Town: Marilyn Maye: Songs, reviews, credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (2000). Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Singles 1955-1999. Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research. p. various.
  7. Maye, Marilyn (June 21, 2000). "The Happiest Sound in Town (Japan CD version)". BMG/RCA Records. BVJJ-34024 (CD).
  8. "The Happiest Sound in Town by Marilyn Maye". Apple Music. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  9. "RCA Offering 52 LP's for October" (PDF). Cashbox. September 27, 1968. p. 32. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  10. "Billboard Album Reviews: 4-Star". Billboard. October 12, 1968. p. 79. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  11. Maye, Marilyn (May 1969). ""Sing Me a Tune"/"Sing Me a Tune" (7 inch vinyl single)". RCA Victor. SPS-45-195.
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