Kay Starr - Capitol Collectors Series

Starr Billing

Kay Starr was one of a rare breed who, after years of success with one major label, were able to move to another label and continue to rack up the hits.

In her case, after launching her career in 1937 at age 15 with the Joe Venuti orchestra, and then singing briefly with each of the Glenn Miller, Charlie Barnet, and Bob Crosby bands, she struck out on her own in 1945. Her first hit, however, didn't come until 1948, but from that initial Capitol success [track 3] to 1954 [track 21] she would have 28 hit singles, and in this volume you get 18 of them.

After moving to RCA Victor in 1955 she put another ten into the Billboard Top 100 between that year and 1957 before moving back to Capitol where, in 1961, she added another three on the pop charts (one of them included here at track 23), and three more on the Adult Contemporary [AC] charts in 1965/66. Her final AC charted single came in 1967 with the ABC label.

In this volume they give you, in addition to the 19 hits, two unsuccessful singles [tracks 1 and 2], a 1959 LP cut [track 22], a 1962 LP cut [track 24], and another from 1963 [track 25 - which is NOT her hit version of Rock & Roll Waltz which was recorded for RCA Victor in 1955).

The 15-page insert contains several nice shots of Kay over the years, a colour centrefold depicting a number of her LP covers, a complete discography of the contents, and five pages of liner notes by Scott Shea.

I don't know if Capitol is contemplating a volume two, but if they are hopefully they will include: How It Lies, How It Lies, How It Lies [# 26 in 1949]; Ain't Nobody's Business But My Own (the flip of I'll Never Be Free [# 3 pop/# 2 Country] and also a duet with Tennessee Ernie which charted at # 22 pop and # 5 Country on its own in 1950; Oh, Babe [# 7 in late 1950]; Oceans of Tears [# 15 in 1951] and its B-side, You're My Sugar [# 22], again a duet with Tennessee Ernie; Come On-A My House [# 8 in 1951]; Angry [# 26 in late 1951]; Three Letters [# 22 in late 1952 and the flip of track 13; Fortune In Dream [# 17 and the A-side to track 21]; I'll Never Be Free [# 94 in 1961 and a new solo recording]; Four Walls [# 92 in 1962]; Never Dreamed I Could Love Someone New [# 23 AC in 1965]; Tears And Heartaches [# 19 AC in 1966] and its flipside, Old Records, [# 26 AC].

There are legions of her fans out here just waiting. August 23, 2007

Hitch your wagon to a Starr!

Here is Kay Starr at her greatest, with her catalogue of chart-singles for the Capitol label produced between 1950-1964.

Most of these recordings capture Starr during her pop phase, though in later years she reinvented herself in the country and gospel genres. Whatever the mood, Starr has the kind of voice that easily adapts to every style. Included here is her million selling "Wheel of Fortune", a song that took a long time to get released because the recording engineers wanted to get an authentic sound of a dice being rolled. "Allez-vous-En" comes from Cole Porter's 1953 Broadway musical "Can-Can", and she gives a very fun reading of it. "Comes A-Long A-Love", one of the quintessential Starr platters, is also here.

Very few female singers of the period were able to touch Starr for sheer vocal ability; hers is an instrument of remarkable scope and clarity, able to convey anything and everything with the simplest inflection of a lyric or phrase. Considering you get a whopping 25 tracks of pure classic Starr, this disc is at a bargain price, and highly-recommended from this reviewer.

[Capitol CDP-7 94080 2] March 20, 2007

Kay Starr's "Collector's Series" is a must for collectors !!!

Kay Starr was one of the very few women in the 20th century who truly had the capacity to sing--and sing well. Her voice was rich, vibrant and full of energy. She gave every song her all; and this CD proves it.

The CD has a wonderful 25 (yes, 25) songs on it; and once you listen it will be difficult to pick your favorite! The CD has her classic hit "Wheel of Fortune" which took forever to produce because they needed just the right sound of the dice at the very beginning of the song. The effect is incredible; and the musical arrangement is also very well done. Other great songs on this CD include the polka "Hoop De Doo," "Bonaparte's Retreat," "Comes A-Long A-Love," "Side By Side," "Allez-Vous-En," "If You Love Me (Really Love Me)," "Lazy River" and "The Rock And Roll Waltz." Incredible!

The quality of the sound is excellent and the musical arrangements are all very well done. A nice plus is Kay's duet with Tennessee Ernie Ford on "I'll Never Be Free" and Kay sings with The Lancers on "Kay's Lament" and "Fool, Fool, Fool."

The liner notes boast an extensive essay about Kay's life by Scott Shea. There are wonderful color photographs of Kay as well as some black and white pictures, too. There are even pictures of her record album covers in a type of collage that is very nicely done. You get the song credits and the release dates and chart dates of each song. Awesome!

This is a great CD for Kay's fans (obviously), as well as fans of classic pop vocals. My only disappointment (and it's a minor one) is that this is a collection of Kay's recordings for Capitol Records so it doesn't have her recordings from her years at RCA, for example. Nevertheless, it is such a quality CD with so much value (twenty five songs) that I still highly recommend it. A quality album--YES! Great job, Kay! ENJOY!!!
July 10, 2006

Kay Starr,The brightest star in the firmament

How can anyone put into words the magic of Kay Starr"s heavenly voice and the words of her material?I grew up listening to songs like "Down among the sheltering palms"and when I hear them again it takes me back to simpler times.She is still the best female vocalist in my book.Theresa Brewer And Dolly Parton are the only ones who come close. October 4, 2002

Starr - Collectors Series

Big band, old time great music. Has "Side by Side", The Rock & Roll Waltz" and other music you'll love. Listen to the samples and you'll see what I mean. February 20, 2002

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