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The Songs Of John Williams: which are essential?


Sandor

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Nice cover!

 

Since it's a "digital" album (you're presumably not going to press it on a CD-R?), I'd include everything available, i.e. every title I listed in my "John Williams song" thread.

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24 minutes ago, Nick Parker said:

Gloria Estefan's done a John Williams song!? :blink:

 

She sang Moonlight at the Oscar ceremony in 1996 instead of Sting...

9 minutes ago, karelm said:

Where is that stupid voice over song of "Can You Read My Mind?"

 

Look up Lea Salonga’s version on YouTube: it’s mindblowing and it’s like you’ll hear it for the first time.

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1 hour ago, karelm said:

Where is that stupid voice over song of "Can You Read My Mind?"

 

Stop pissing on my childhood :D

 

58 minutes ago, Sandor said:

Look up Lea Salonga’s version on YouTube: it’s mindblowing and it’s like you’ll hear it for the first time.

 

Shirley Bassey also did a rendition in the '80s. It was on a Pickwick CD compilation my mom had:

 

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56 minutes ago, mrbellamy said:

It’s Barbra, not Barbara!

 

I'll edit that tomorrow! 

1 hour ago, JTWfan77 said:

 

Shirley Bassey also did a rendition in the '80s. It was on a Pickwick CD compilation my mom had:

 

 

Great! Didn't know! Thanks! And thanks to YouTube, I can even listen to it right now:

 

 

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15 hours ago, Sandor said:

And did I forget any 'big name' artists that performed or recorded a John Williams song? 

 

Maureen McGovern did a number of Williams tunes, and Johnny Mathis did at least Nice to be Around (one of Williams' most covered songs).

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I edited the cover, now stating Barbra and including Johnny Mathis and Shirley Bassey.

 

Surely making the cut are:

 

'If We Were In Love' - Luciano Pavarotti

'The Same Hello, The Same Goodbye' - Barbra Streisand

'Dream Away' - Frank Sinatra

'Somewhere In My Memory' - Bette Midler

'Can You Read My Mind' - Shirley Bassey

'Moonlight' - Sting

'Moonlight' - Gloria Estefan

'For Always' - Lara Fabian and Josh Groban

'Make Me Rainbows' - Ella Fitzgerald

'The Long Goodbye' - Harry Connick Jr. 

'Hold You' - Joseph Williams

'Can You Read My Mind' - Lea Salonga

'Nice To Be Around' - Johnny Mathis

'How Can I Remember' - Michael Dees

 

Still looking for a really good version of 'When You're Alone', but haven't stumbled upon it yet....

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3 minutes ago, mrbellamy said:

This isn't half bad

 

 

I'm not sure any "big names" ever did it...

 

That is certainly the best version recorded, but I think Karliene is ‘merely’ a YouTube artist....

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37 minutes ago, karelm said:

"We’re Lookin’ Good!"

 

You probably jest (I wouldn't know), but I don't think the song version exists anywhere; only a boot of the instrumental version.

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Yeah. Was never a big fan of the original Paul Williams version, so others are better.

 

What amazes me more is how "Make Me Rainbows" made the rounds back in the day, even performed by legends such as Ella Fitzgerald (a version I see is included in Sandor's programme).

 

Btw, I see you don't have the John Denver version of "America, The Dream Goes On" in the set?

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No love for WEDNESDAY SPECIAL, @Sandor?

 

After reading these posts, I'd say that the answer to the question posed by the thread title, is: none of them.

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Thor said:

Yeah. Was never a big fan of the original Paul Williams version...

Geez, Louise, Thor! Kiss your mother, with that mouth, do you?!

 

 

11 hours ago, Nick Parker said:

Here's a nice performance of Nice to Be Around, by Freddy Cole.

 

 

 

It really warms my heart to see how much this song has been embraced by the "outside" community...you know John Williams did a good job on a song when no one credits him for it! 

Sorry, Nick, but...what is the "outside" community?

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5 hours ago, Thor said:

Yeah. Was never a big fan of the original Paul Williams version, so others are better.

 

What amazes me more is how "Make Me Rainbows" made the rounds back in the day, even performed by legends such as Ella Fitzgerald (a version I see is included in Sandor's programme).

 

Btw, I see you don't have the John Denver version of "America, The Dream Goes On" in the set?

 

Didn’t know about the Denver version! Thanks!

16 minutes ago, Richard said:

No love for WEDNESDAY SPECIAL, @Sandor?

 

I like it!

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In terms of other 'star' singers, it's also worth mentioning soprano Kathleen Battle's version of his SEVEN FOR LUCK song cycle. Three of the songs are available in that old interview video (or its bootleg audio rips), but I can't find it on Youtube at the moment.

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2 hours ago, Richard said:

Sorry, Nick, but...what is the "outside" community?

 

Once is right, people who don't follow Williams or film scores at all. A lot of songs Williams has been involved with aren't _terrible_ per se, but when dudes like Leslie Bricusse writes the lyrics...you hear these tunes and say "These are movie songs", know what I mean? They don't really say anything outside of the film they're written for...but _some_ Williams songs...everything is at an equal level of quality, and the result is a song that can speak to people who don't even know that it was written for a film by a film composer, it transcends. 

 

Read the comments on videos of "Nice to be Around"...people relate to it so much. In fact, star singers like Helen Reddy loved the song so much, she performed it for forty years, up to her death!

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On 1/12/2019 at 5:17 AM, Nick Parker said:

In fact, star singers like Helen Reddy loved the song so much, she performed it for forty years, up to her death!

 

I thought Helen Reddy was still alive , and the news of her death was one of those celebrity death hoaxes.

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Tony Bennett recorded "My Inamorata" from "Not with My Wife you Don't". 

Maurern McGovern recorded three Williams songs. Nice To Be Around, Can You Read My Mind and Make Me Rainbows. 

Rosemary Clooney recorded Nice to Be Around. 

Nancy Wilson recorded Make Me Rainbows. 

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8 hours ago, Stempel said:

Tony Bennett recorded "My Inamorata" from "Not with My Wife you Don't". 

Maurern McGovern recorded three Williams songs. Nice To Be Around, Can You Read My Mind and Make Me Rainbows. 

Rosemary Clooney recorded Nice to Be Around. 

Nancy Wilson recorded Make Me Rainbows. 

 

Thanks! Will surely add the Tony Bennett recording, which I didn’t know about...

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