Various Artists - The First Torch Singers, Volume One: The Twenties

The First Torch Singers, Volume One: The Twenties

By Various Artists

Very Good Condition

During the 1920s an unusual melancholy type of ballad surfaced in the midst of the raging jazz age. These would come to be known as torch songs and probably began with My Man; an English version of the French hit Mon Homme introduced by the chanteuse Mistinguet. Ziegfeld brought Mistinguet to New York to perform this moving number in his 1921 edition of the Follies, but then turned the song over to Fanny Brice because Mistinguet's voice displeased him. Brice's poignant, heart-wrenching performance of My Man became an enormous success. Later, other songs of this type became the fashion, such as Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man from Showboat, Love Me Or Leave Me from Whoopee, and Moanin' Low from The Little Show. These songs shared common theme of unfulfilled love for a man sung in a plaintive style and laments in which the singer was portrayed as a victim of a futile, if not outright abusive romance. Torch songs flourished following the introduction of electrical recordings; a new process in 1925 that improved sound and provided the intimate style essential to these passionate songs. This first volume offers torch songs from their inception in the 1920's.

Tracklist

1              My Man               Fanny Brice         1927       2:46

2              I`d Rather Be Blue Over You        Fanny Brice         1928       2:30

3              Can`t Help Lovin` Dat Man     Helen Morgan          1928       3:03

4              Don`t Ever Leave Me      Helen Morgan   1928       3:19

5              Love Me or Leave Me    Ruth Etting          1928       3:22

6              The Right Kind of Man   Ruth Etting          1929       3:12

7              Why Was I Born                Libby Holman     1929       3:13

8              More Than You Know    Libby Holman     1929       3:24

9              The Man I Love Sophie Tucker   1928       2:56

10           `Cause I Feel Low-Down               Sophie Tucker   1928       3:09

11           That`s How I Feel About You       Belle Baker         1928       3:03

12           I Still Go On Wanting You              Belle Baker         1929       3:23

13           If You Want The Rainbow             Lee Morse          1928       3:20

14           If I Can`t Have You           Lee Morse          1929       2:48

15           Maybe Who Knows        Kate Smith          1929       3:09

16           That Wonderful Something is Love        Kate Smith    1929       2:47

17           I Must Have That Man   Annette Hanshaw           1928       3:00

18           What I Wouldn`t Do for That Man   Annette Hanshaw   1929      2:48

19           Then You`ve Never Been Blue   Frances Williams       1929       2:41

20           Moanin` Low      Eva Taylor            1929       3:31

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