The Complete Glenn Miller and His Orchestra (1938-1942)

The Complete Glenn Miller and His Orchestra (1938-1942) Artist: Glenn Miller Orchestra
Label: RCA
Category: Music



Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Format: Box set
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 13


UPC: 078636101521
EAN: 0078636101521
ASIN: B000002WGD


Release Date: 1991-09-24

Related Categories:

General General
Related | Jazz | Styles | Music
Swing General Swing General
Related | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
General General
Related | Pop | Styles | Music
General General
Related | Jazz | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Big Band Big Band
Related | Jazz | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Classic Big Band Classic Big Band
Related | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Contemporary Big Band Contemporary Big Band
Related | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Listmania:

  1. American Songbook: Anthology Performances 1942-1944
  2. American Songbook: Anthology Performances 1939-1941
  3. 20 cd's I'd have to take, while stranded on a desert island
  4. Best of Glenn Miller

Tracks:

  1. My Reverie
  2. By The Waters Of Minnetonka
  3. King Porter Stomp
  4. (Gotta Get Some) Shut-Eye
  5. How I'd Like To Be With You In Bermuda
  6. Cuckoo In The Clock
  7. Romance Runs In The Family
  8. The Chestnut Tree ('Neath The Spreading Chestnut..
  9. And The Angels Sing
  10. Moonlight Serenade
  11. The Lady's In Love With You
  12. Wishing (Will Make It So)
  13. Three Little Fishes (Itty Bitty Poo)
  14. Sunrise Serenade
  15. Little Brown Jug
  16. My Last Goodbye
  17. But It Don't Mean A Thing
  18. Pavanne
  19. Runnin' Wild
  20. To You
  21. Stairway To The Stars
  22. Blue Evening

Tracks:

  1. The Lamp Is Low
  2. Rendezvous Time In Paree
  3. We Can Live On Love (We Haven't Got A Pot To...)
  4. Cinderella
  5. Moon Love
  6. Guess I'll Go Back Home (This Summer)
  7. I'm Sorry For Myself
  8. Back To Back
  9. Sliphorn Jive
  10. Oh! You Crazy Moon
  11. Ain't Cha Comin' Out?
  12. The Day We Meet Again
  13. Wanna Hat With Cherries
  14. Solid American
  15. Pagan Love Song
  16. Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead
  17. Over The Rainbow
  18. The Little Man Who Wasn't There
  19. The Man With The Mandolin
  20. Starlit Hour
  21. Blue Orchids
  22. Glen Island Special

Tracks:

  1. Love With A Capital 'You'
  2. Baby Me
  3. In The Mood
  4. Wham (Re-Bop-Boom-Bam)
  5. An Angel In A Furnished Room
  6. Twilight Interlude
  7. I Want To Be Happy
  8. Farewell Blues
  9. Who's Sorry Now
  10. My Isle Of Golden Dreams
  11. My Prayer
  12. Blue Moonlight
  13. Basket Weaver Man
  14. Melancholoy Baby
  15. (Why Couldn't It Last) Last Night
  16. Out Of Space
  17. So Many Times
  18. Blue Rain
  19. Can I Help It?
  20. I Just Got A Letter
  21. Bless You
  22. Bluebirds In The Moonlight (Silly Idea)

Tracks:

  1. Faithful Forever
  2. Speaking Of Heaven
  3. Indian Summer
  4. It Was Written In The Stars
  5. Johnson Rag
  6. Ciribiribin
  7. Careless
  8. Oh, Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh
  9. In An Old Dutch Garden (By An Old Dutch Mill)
  10. This Changing World
  11. On A Little Street In Singapore
  12. Vagabond Dreams
  13. I Beg Your Pardon
  14. Faithful To You
  15. It's A Blue World
  16. Ooh! What You Said
  17. The Gaucho Serenade
  18. The Sky Fell Down
  19. When You Wish Upon A Star
  20. Give A Little Whistle
  21. Missouri Waltz
  22. Beautiful Ohio

Tracks:

  1. What's The Matter With Me
  2. Say 'Si Si' (Para Vigo Me Voy)
  3. The Rhumba Jumps
  4. Star Dust
  5. My Melancholy Baby
  6. Let's All Swing Together
  7. Rug Cutter's Swing
  8. The Woodpecker Song
  9. Sweet Potato Piper
  10. Too Romantic
  11. Tuxedo Junction
  12. Danny Boy (Londonderry Air)
  13. Imagination
  14. Shake Down The Stars
  15. I'll Never Smile Again
  16. Starlight And Music
  17. Polka Dots And Moonbeams
  18. My! My!
  19. Say It
  20. Moments In The Moonlight
  21. Hear My Song, Violetta
  22. Sierra Sue

Tracks:

  1. Boog It
  2. Yours Is My Heart Alone
  3. I'm Stepping out With A Memory Tonight
  4. Alice Blue Gown
  5. Wonderful One
  6. Devil May Care
  7. April Played The Fiddle
  8. Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear To Tread)
  9. I Haven't Time To Be A Millionaire
  10. Slow Freight
  11. Pennsylvania 6-5000
  12. Bugle Call Rag
  13. The Nearness Of You
  14. Mister Meadowlark
  15. My Blue Heaven
  16. When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano
  17. A Million Dreams Ago
  18. Blueberry Hill
  19. A Cabana In Havana
  20. Be Happy
  21. Angel Child
  22. The Call Of The Canyon

Tracks:

  1. Our Love Affair
  2. Crosstown
  3. What's Your Story Morning Glory
  4. Fifth Avenue
  5. I Wouldn't Take A Million
  6. A Handful Of Stars
  7. Old Black Joe
  8. Yesterthoughts
  9. Falling Leaves
  10. Shadows On The Sand
  11. Goodbye, Little Darlin', Goodbye
  12. Five O'Clock Whistle
  13. Beat Me Daddy, Eight To The Bar
  14. Ring, Telephone, Ring
  15. Make Believe Ballroom Time
  16. You've Got Me This Way
  17. A Nightingale Sang In Berkley Square
  18. I'd Know You Anywhere
  19. Fresh As A Daisy
  20. Isn't That Just Like Love
  21. Along The Santa Fe Trail
  22. Do You Know Why

Tracks:

  1. Somewhere
  2. Yes, My Darling Daughter
  3. A Stone's Throw From Heaven
  4. Helpless
  5. Long Time No See, Baby
  6. You Are The One
  7. Anvil Chorus (Part I And II)
  8. Frenesi
  9. The Mem'ry Of A Rose
  10. I Do, Do You? (Do You Believe In Love)
  11. Chapel In The Valley
  12. Prairieland Lullaby
  13. Ida! Sweet As Apple Cider
  14. Song Of The Volga Boatmen
  15. The One I Love (Belongs To Somebody Else)
  16. You Stepped Out Of A Dream
  17. I Dreamt I Dwelt In Harlem
  18. Sun Valley Jump
  19. When That Man Is Dead And Gone
  20. The Spirit Is Willing
  21. A Little Old Church In England
  22. Perfidia

Tracks:

  1. It's Always You
  2. Spring Will Be So Sad (When She Comes This Year)
  3. The Airminded Executive
  4. Below The Equator
  5. Boulder Buff
  6. The Booglie Wooglie Piggy
  7. The Chattanooga Choo Choo
  8. I Know Why
  9. Don't Cry Cherie
  10. The Cradle Song
  11. Sweeter Than The Sweetest
  12. I Guess I'll Have To Dream The Rest
  13. Take The 'A' Train
  14. Peekaboo To You
  15. The Angels Came Thru
  16. Under Blue Canadian Skies
  17. The Cowboy Serenade (While I'm Rolling My Last...)
  18. You And I
  19. Adios
  20. It Happened In Sun Valley
  21. I'm Thrilled
  22. The Kiss Polka

Tracks:

  1. Delilah
  2. From One Love To Another
  3. Elmer's Tune
  4. Says Who? Says You, Says I!
  5. Orange Blossom Lane
  6. Dear Arabella
  7. The Man In The Moon
  8. Ma-Ma-Maria (Fee-dle, Ee-dle-lee,Fee-dle, Ee-dle)
  9. This Time The Dream's On Me
  10. Dreamsville, Ohio
  11. Papa Nicolini (The Happy Cobbler)
  12. Jingle Bells
  13. This Is No Laughing Matter
  14. Humpty Dumpty Heart
  15. Ev'rything I Love
  16. A String Of Pearls
  17. Baby Mine
  18. Long Tall Mama
  19. Day Dreaming
  20. Moonlight Sonata
  21. Slumber Song
  22. (There'll Be Blue Birds Over) The Whites Cliff Of
  23. We're The Couple In The Castle

Tracks:

  1. It Happened In Hawaii
  2. Moonlight Cocktail
  3. Happy In Love
  4. Fooled
  5. Keep 'Em Flying
  6. Chip Off The Old Block
  7. The Story Of A Starry Night
  8. At The President's Birthday Ball
  9. Angels Of Mercy
  10. On The Old Assembly Line
  11. Let's Have Another Cup O' Coffee
  12. Skylark
  13. Dear Mom
  14. When The Roses Bloom Again
  15. Always In My Heart
  16. Shhh, It's A Military Secret
  17. Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone...)
  18. She'll Always Remember
  19. The Lamplighter's Serenade
  20. When Johnny Comes Marching Home
  21. American Patrol
  22. Soldier, Let Me Read Your Letter
  23. Sleep Song

Tracks:

  1. Sweet Eloise
  2. (I've Got A Gal In) Kalamazoo
  3. Serenade In Blue
  4. At Last
  5. Lullaby Of The Rain
  6. Knit One, Purl Two
  7. That's Sabotoge
  8. Canchita, Marquita, Lolita, Pepita, Rosita,...
  9. The Humming Bird
  10. Yesterday's Gardenias
  11. Dearly Beloved
  12. Moonlight Mood
  13. Caribbean Clipper
  14. Here We Go Again
  15. That Old Black Magic
  16. Moonlight Becomes You
  17. Juke Box Saturday Night
  18. It Must Be Jelly ('Cause Jam Don't Shake Like...)
  19. I'm Old Fashioned
  20. A Pink Cocktail For A Blue Lady
  21. Rainbow Rhapsody
  22. Sleepy Town Train
  23. Rhapsody In Blue

Tracks:

  1. Wanna Hat With Cherries
  2. Pagan Love Song
  3. Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead
  4. My Isle Of Golden Dreams
  5. Blue Moonlight
  6. Tuxedo Junction
  7. Mister Meadowlark
  8. Beat Me Daddy, Eight To The Bar
  9. Make Believe Ballroom Time
  10. A Nightingale Sang In Berkley Square
  11. Long Time No See, Baby
  12. Anvil Chorus (Part II)
  13. Frenesi
  14. Ida! Sweet As Apple Cider
  15. Spring Will Be So Sad (When She Comes This Year)
  16. The Kiss Polka
  17. Humpty Dumpty Heart
  18. Skylark
  19. When The Roses Bloom Again
  20. That Old Black Magic

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Close to perfection.......2006-06-18

This is the collection to have if you want all the recordings of the Glenn Miller Orchestra made for RCA/Bluebird between 1938 and 1942. This box set will include lots of vocal numbers, mainly from the underrated Ray Eberle, the cute Marion Hutton and the great saxman Tex Beneke, plus a few others along the way. Also, there's many great instrumentals that you've probably never heard before.

Now, comparing this to the "Glenn Miller Story" (volumes 1 - 4 on 16 discs) from Avid records which includes songs from radio broadcasts, that weren't recorded for RCA; but I'd still say this one is the better choice. Why? Well, the problem lies in the Avid sound quality, there's too much noise reduction, at least for me. Where as this RCA collection breathes better, and has all the sparkle and fire that is missing from the Avid collections. So, if you're not afraid of a little surface noise, go for this box set, but, look around for a price that's $100 or less. If you want a taste of what this collection sounds like, try out the "Popular Recordings" three disc set first.

Lastly, why can't these compilations of old 78's have a few more seconds between them? Essentially we have a bunch of singles all crammed together, so why not let them have some breathing room. As I recall, the UK Beatles albums from 1963-1966 had a seven second break between songs. I loved it! It was like giving each song it's own spotlight. Oh, the days of one song at a time.

5 out of 5 stars The definitive band of the Swing Era - Alton Glenn Miller!.......2005-05-01

This is the complete Victor/Bluebird set that was released during the 70's on Bluebird LP. I purchased that set as the discs came out, and have finally ordered the CD reissue. Firstly, I want to add that I was born three years after Mr. Miller died, so I heard most of his music from my folks' 78s. I've always been fascinated by the tunes that weren't the big hits; the "B" sides, if you will. It's fun to compare and enjoy different versions of the same song by different bands.

Every band of that time had to record the tunes that the record company's executives wanted issued. That is why Tex Beneke had to sing on "Three Little Fishies." I'm sure he didn't want to do that tune! So you can blame the executives for a lot of mediocre tunes. The great thing is that Glenn and the band made most of their music at a very high level. Miller was a perfectionist, as well as a good businessman. You will discover seldom heard tunes that you will enjoy. The set is worth every cent and then some. It's a musical education for all, especially for the younger listeners. This band could swing and play the sweet tunes equally well. I'm not going to go into detail about individual tunes because that has been done by other reviewers.

Finally, to address the sound quality; these records were made between 1937 and 1942. In a lot of cases the original masters were lost or destroyed, so that dubs had to be made from original 78 rpm discs. Since Glenn was so popular, his records were played until they wore out. You will hear surface noise on a lot of these performances, but that is not really a problem because the music is what counts!

I suggest that anyone who wants to start appreciating Glenn Miller, get this set! There are so many musical goodies here that you can spend hours at a time listening. Share this with a youngster, as my parents did with me. Enjoy!

4 out of 5 stars Good collection but could have been better..........2005-03-02

As a longtime Glenn Miller fan this is a set that I had wanted for a long while. Finding it was a problem because it is out-of-print. I bought it, here, a few weeks ago and really looked forward to hearing music from Glenn Miller that I was not familiar with. This set, 13-Discs in total, is complete and has it all.

For those of you who are tired of hearing the over-played "In The Mood", "Little Brown Jug', "Pennsylvania 6-500", etc. there is plenty here to listen to that will be new to you and very enjoyable. (Otherwise there are plenty of collections out there that have all of the over-played Miller favorites in a single-disc format at a fraction of the $150 price-tag).

That said, after listening to the set a number of times since it arrived, I have come to realize that for every Miller gem there are 2-3 novelty tunes that would have been better off not being recorded. It is a complete set but there is a lot of music here that I could just as soon do without ("Sweet Potato Piper"? "Booglie Wooglie Piggy"?). These tracks have altered my opinions of Miller's music in totality.

I love the Miller sound (I played on the band myself in the '90's for eight years in the reed section) and seldom heard or broadcast items like "Yesterday's Gardenias" or "I'm Thrilled" make the set worthwhile if only because the vast majority of this collection is not available on CD anywhere else.

I was disappointed with the cheap packaging. A musical icon like Miller should merit at least cases for each individual CD instead of 4 discs crammed into a double case (and there's 3 of them) with disc 13 being the odd-one out in it's own case. They are all packaged in a box with a flip-top that will probably fall off if you plan to play the set a lot.

The accompanying booklet, on the other hand, is very well done with a lot of good information and detailed listings of personnel, dates and arrangers for each selection.

The sound quality is not nearly as good as other recordings of the same vintage. Again, with Miller being such a huge figure in 20th Century Popular Music you would have figured a little more painstaking work would have gone into such a mammoth project.

There is some great music in this set and it is nice to finally hear some things that have, unfortunately, been over-shadowed by the same 12 songs that most of the public wants to hear over and over and over again. The band was always VERY polished, tight and was the most individual ensemble of the era. The recordings are a testament to the orchestra's musicianship and execution. Miller's vocalists, especially The Modernaires, were a huge asset to the success of the group. In short, Miller's music epitomizes the Big Band sound. To many people, Miller WAS the Swing Era.

For the casual Miller fan, this set is not for you. For the die-hard Miller fan, however, it is a must-have. 4 stars for completeness. Different packaging would have been more appropriate. Perhaps a newer version will correct this edition's shortcomings.

5 out of 5 stars Stunning, simply stunning.......2004-12-05

This is some of the most finely crafted pop music you'll ever hear. Miller's music immortalizes the pop culture of white, mainstream America in the wartime era... Although it's clearly a big nostalgia trip for us all today, this music also holds up on its own over the decades... heck, even over the centuries, as it turns out. It's both corny and elegant, populist and refined. And a joy to listen to... This box set (SADLY out of print, and in need of reissue!!) is really the way to go for Miller's best work... Like other reviewers here, I also own the multi-volume Bluebird LP sets from the 1970s, and I can hardly describe what a pleasure it is to also have them in digital form as well... this is the kind of box set you can enjoy for weeks on end. Highly recommended!

5 out of 5 stars A Box Set To End All Box Sets.......2004-09-21

Now THIS is a box set! Every single Bluebird recording by the great bandleader, Glenn Miller, all in one convenient compact set. Thirteen CD's in all, and everyone packed to the max with music every bit as alive today as it was over 60 years ago. This is the sound that defined a generation and an era, all from one man who knew what the record buying and jukebox playing public wanted to hear.
Amazon has the complete listing, so there is no need to get into song titles. But, just so you know, every charted song Mr. Miller released is here - all 127 charted hits - except two: Solo Hop on the Columbia label, and Every Day's A Holiday which was on the Brunswick label (hence the reason for these two numbers not being included - they are not Bluebird or Victor releases!). Plus so many more songs that are, to me, every bit as good as the hits. Along with that there are some very good alternate takes on disc 13.
The main reason, however, to purchase this set above the others is the sound quality of the tunes. It is a truly remarkable sound that RCA has been able to pull off of the original (lacquer?) discs. You'd swear the songs were recorded 30 years after the fact - the sound is that good. A full bass, no ear piercing highs (nice and crisp as they should be), and the mid range sounds just right. Not a click or a pop within ear shot.
Is this set pricey? Well, yeah. I guess it is.
But is it worth the price being asked? Every penny!
This is one set that RCA did absolutely perfect, including the extremely informative booklet (141 pages!).
This is one set that, heaven forbid, if anything should happen to it, I would replace it in a heartbeat (house payment be damned!).
A treasure trove filled with gems from the past by the master of the WWII sound.
I'm sure Glenn would approve.

Music CD:

  1. Bill Plays Bud ~ Bill Cunliffe
  2. Summer Times ~ Franck Amsallem
  3. V-Disc Recordings ~ Duke Ellington
  4. Open, To Love ~ Paul Bley
  5. Private Concert ~ John Lewis
  6. Skyline ~ Bobby Hutcherson
  7. Al Hirt - RCA Victor: Greatest Hits ~ Al Hirt
  8. Great Piano Romance ~ Randall Atcheson
  9. Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco ~ Cannonball Adderley Quintet
  10. Darn That Dream ~ Joe Farrell, Art Pepper

Music CD

Music CD

Music CD

The Hardway ~ Javier & The Str8jackers

I Love Rock & Roll: Hits of the '50s ~ Various Artists

Dick's Picks, Vol. 1 ~ Grateful Dead

Deadsexy ~ Scarce

Burning Rain

Cinematique 2

Pop Legends-Live

A Day in the Life: A Pokadelick Adventure ~ Kwamé & a New Beginning

Hellborn ~ Hellborn

Fish Outta Water ~ Grand Agent