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Nat 'King' Cole Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set)

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This is the first of two Bear Family boxes devoted to Nat King Cole, the second covers his final...more

Nat 'King' Cole: Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set)


This is the first of two Bear Family boxes devoted to Nat King Cole, the second covers his final five years of recording (1960-1964) and together will form the definitive statement of the last and most amazing decade of one of the greatest stars of all time

Nat King Cole (1919-1965) was the most popular male singer of his generation, and, along withBing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, one of the four best known male vocalists of all time. Making Cole's story all the more remarkable, he began his career not as a pop singer but as one of the greatest of all jazz pianists. Yet by the time he had made the transition from jazz to pop, he had sold more records and racked up more hit singles than anyone in the immediate post-war era, even Frank Sinatra. He was also the first Afro-American pop music superstar - and still the greatest.

This Bear Family box contains Cole's complete recordings, all done for Capitol Records, of the years 1955-1959. The 11 CDs and 298 tracks contain a combination of Nat King Cole's most famous and most obscure work.

The set includes all the material for no less than 16 classic Nat King Cole albums: The two piano-centric albums of 1955-'56: 'The Piano Style' (with Nelson Riddle) and 'After Midnight' (with Sweets Edison, Juan Tizol, Willie and Stuff Smith) as well as the 'bonus session' for 'Penthouse Serenade.' The 1955 albums with Nelson Riddle, 'Night Lights' and the 'bonus session' for 'Two In Love.' The two classic albums withGordon Jenkins, 'Love Is The Thing' (1956) and 'The Very Thought Of You' (1958), as well as the spiritual album with Gordon Jenkins, 'Every Time I Feel The Spirit' (1958). Nat's great jazz-ballad album with Billy May, 'Just One Of Those Things.' King Meets Count! Nat King Cole's classic meeting with the Count Basie Orchestra, 'Welcome To The Club' (1958), and another great album of swinging standards from the same year arranged by Dave Cavanaugh, 'Tell Me All About Yourself.' Two best-selling albums recorded for the Latin-American market of classic Latin songs sung in Spanish,
'Cole Espanol' (1958) and 'A Mis Amigos' (1959). Two masterpiece albums with Nelson Riddle, 'To Whom It May Concern' and his magnificent album of W. C. Handy classics, 'St. Louis Blues,' both from 1958. The rock-inspired material that was later collected in the 'Looking Back' compilation LP, issued here for the first time without the dreadful overdubbed rhythm sections that were added after Nat King Cole died in 1965.

In addition to these classic albums, the box contains nearly a hundred singles, which range from major hits like Ballerina, Looking Back and Non Dimenticar to some of the rarest recordings in his career, including many selections previously only heard as singles and EPs. All selections are presented without the overdubs that were often artificially imposed in the mid-'60s.

The 208-page hardcover book contains the most complete discography by Russ Wapensky, Jordan Taylor, Michel Ruppli & Richard Weize ever done of Nat King Cole's Capitol recordings in this period, along with hundreds of rare photographs of recording sessions from the Capitol archive, and reproductions of album and EP covers, and other Cole memorabilia and paraphernalia. The comprehensive liner notes are the work of Will Friedwald, that well-known Famous Author Dude.


Article properties:Nat 'King' Cole: Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set)

  • Interpret: Nat 'King' Cole

  • Album titlle: Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set)

  • Label Bear Family Records

  • Genre Pop

  • Edition 2 Deluxe Edition
  • Preiscode KL
  • Artikelart Box set

  • EAN: 4000127163424

  • weight in Kg 3.1
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 1
01I'd Rather Have The Blues (The Blues From...)Nat 'King' Cole
02I Hear My MusicNat 'King' Cole
03My Heart Stood Still (1)Nat 'King' Cole
04My Heart Stood Still (2)Nat 'King' Cole
05I Never KnewNat 'King' Cole
06Tea For TwoNat 'King' Cole
07Nothing Ever Changes My Love For YouNat 'King' Cole
08Breezin' Along With The BreezeNat 'King' Cole
09Someone You LoveNat 'King' Cole
10What Can I Say After I Say I'm SorryNat 'King' Cole
11Takin' A Chance On LoveNat 'King' Cole
12Don't Blame MeNat 'King' Cole
13It Could Happen To YouNat 'King' Cole
14I Surrender Dear (1)Nat 'King' Cole
15I Surrender Dear (2)Nat 'King' Cole
16Little GirlNat 'King' Cole
17ImaginationNat 'King' Cole
18April In ParisNat 'King' Cole
19Love Walked InNat 'King' Cole
20I See Your Face Before MeNat 'King' Cole
21Stella By StarlightNat 'King' Cole
22I Didn't Know What Time It WasNat 'King' Cole
23If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)Nat 'King' Cole
24Autumn Leaves (english version)Nat 'King' Cole
25I Get A Kick Out Of YouNat 'King' Cole
26Intro to: We Are Americans TooNat 'King' Cole
27We Are Americans TooNat 'King' Cole
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 2
01There Will Never Be Another YouNat 'King' Cole
02My Dream SonataNat 'King' Cole
03Let's Fall In LoveNat 'King' Cole
04Love Is A Many Splendoured ThingNat 'King' Cole
05Ask MeNat 'King' Cole
06Just One Of Those ThingsNat 'King' Cole
07I Want To Be HappyNat 'King' Cole
08You Are My SunshineNat 'King' Cole
09Up Pops LoveNat 'King' Cole
10Take Me Back To ToylandNat 'King' Cole
11Love Me As Though There Were No TomorrowNat 'King' Cole
12Too Young To Go SteadyNat 'King' Cole
13Dreams Can Tell A LieNat 'King' Cole
14Back In My ArmsNat 'King' Cole
15Mr. Juke BoxNat 'King' Cole
16Dame CrazyNat 'King' Cole
17I Just Found Out About LoveNat 'King' Cole
18I Got LoveNat 'King' Cole
19My Personal PossessionNat 'King' Cole
20StayNat 'King' Cole
21BelieveNat 'King' Cole
22That's All There Is To ThatNat 'King' Cole
23Night LightsNat 'King' Cole
24The ShadowsNat 'King' Cole
25To The Ends Of The EarthNat 'King' Cole
26I Promise YouNat 'King' Cole
27The Way I Love YouNat 'King' Cole
28Never Let Me Go (from film 'Scarlet Hour')Nat 'King' Cole
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 3
01UnfairNat 'King' Cole
02Make MeNat 'King' Cole
03Sometimes I WonderNat 'King' Cole
04Once BeforeNat 'King' Cole
05I'm Willing To Share This With YouNat 'King' Cole
06I Need A PlanNat 'King' Cole
07The Story's OldNat 'King' Cole
08You Can Depend On MeNat 'King' Cole
09CandyNat 'King' Cole
10Sweet LorraineNat 'King' Cole
11It's Only A Paper MoonNat 'King' Cole
12(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66Nat 'King' Cole
13Don't Let It Go To Your HeadNat 'King' Cole
14You're Looking At MeNat 'King' Cole
15You're Looking At Me (alt.)Nat 'King' Cole
16Just You, Just MeNat 'King' Cole
17I Was A Little Too Lonely (And You Were A...)Nat 'King' Cole
18How Little We KnowNat 'King' Cole
19Should I?Nat 'King' Cole
20BallerinaNat 'King' Cole
21CaravanNat 'King' Cole
22Lonely OneNat 'King' Cole
23Blame It On My YouthNat 'King' Cole
24What Is There To SayNat 'King' Cole
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 4
01Sometimes I'm HappyNat 'King' Cole
02I Know That You KnowNat 'King' Cole
03When I Grow Too Old To DreamNat 'King' Cole
04Two Loves Have INat 'King' Cole
05True Blue LouNat 'King' Cole
06Like Someone In LoveNat 'King' Cole
07I'm Shooting HighNat 'King' Cole
08TangerineNat 'King' Cole
09One SunNat 'King' Cole
10You Are My First LoveNat 'King' Cole
11Maybe It's Because I Love You Much Too MuchNat 'King' Cole
12Love LettersNat 'King' Cole
13I Thought About MarieNat 'King' Cole
14Where Can I Go Without You?Nat 'King' Cole
15StardustNat 'King' Cole
16Love Is The ThingNat 'King' Cole
17It's All In The GameNat 'King' Cole
18When I Fall In LoveNat 'King' Cole
19Ain't Misbehavin'Nat 'King' Cole
20When Sunny Gets BlueNat 'King' Cole
21At LastNat 'King' Cole
22Stay As Sweet As You AreNat 'King' Cole
23When Rock And Roll Came To TrinidadNat 'King' Cole
24China GateNat 'King' Cole
25Blue MoonNat 'King' Cole
26With You On My MindNat 'King' Cole
27Don't TryNat 'King' Cole
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 5
01Send For MeNat 'King' Cole
02Let's Make More Love (I Want Your Love)Nat 'King' Cole
03Don't Get Around Much AnymoreNat 'King' Cole
04The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On)Nat 'King' Cole
05You'll Never KnowNat 'King' Cole
06Just For The Fun Of It (alt.)Nat 'King' Cole
07The Song Of Raintree CountyNat 'King' Cole
08Who's Sorry Now? (mono)Nat 'King' Cole
09Who's Sorry Now? (stereo)Nat 'King' Cole
10These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)Nat 'King' Cole
11Once In A WhileNat 'King' Cole
12Just For The Fun Of ItNat 'King' Cole
13Just One Of Those ThingsNat 'King' Cole
14I Should CareNat 'King' Cole
15The Party's OverNat 'King' Cole
16A Cottage For SaleNat 'King' Cole
17I UnderstandNat 'King' Cole
18When Your Lover Has Gone (mono)Nat 'King' Cole
19When Your Lover Has Gone (stereo)Nat 'King' Cole
20There's A Gold Mine In The SkyNat 'King' Cole
21Around The WorldNat 'King' Cole
22An Affair To Remember (Our Love Affair)Nat 'King' Cole
23FascinationNat 'King' Cole
24How Did I Change?Nat 'King' Cole
25It's None Of My AffairNat 'King' Cole
26Angel SmileNat 'King' Cole
27Nothin' In The WorldNat 'King' Cole
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 6
01Overture: Love Theme/Hesitating BluesNat 'King' Cole
02Harlem BluesNat 'King' Cole
03Chantez Les BasNat 'King' Cole
04Friendless BluesNat 'King' Cole
05StayNat 'King' Cole
06Joe Turner's BluesNat 'King' Cole
07Beale Street BluesNat 'King' Cole
08Careless LoveNat 'King' Cole
09Morning StarNat 'King' Cole
10Memphis BluesNat 'King' Cole
11Yellow Dog BluesNat 'King' Cole
12St. Louis BluesNat 'King' Cole
13Make It LastNat 'King' Cole
14Thank You, Pretty BabyNat 'King' Cole
15Looking BackNat 'King' Cole
16Just As Much As EverNat 'King' Cole
17Do I Like It?Nat 'King' Cole
18I Wish I Knew Way To Your HeartNat 'King' Cole
19This Is All I AskNat 'King' Cole
20The More I See YouNat 'King' Cole
21I Found A Million Dollar Baby (In A Five...)Nat 'King' Cole
22Making Believe You're HereNat 'King' Cole
23My Heart Tells Me (Should I Believe My...)Nat 'King' Cole
24Don't Blame MeNat 'King' Cole
25Cherchez La FemmeNat 'King' Cole
26The Very Thought Of YouNat 'King' Cole
27ParadiseNat 'King' Cole
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 7
01CachitoNat 'King' Cole
02Noche De RondaNat 'King' Cole
03Maria ElenaNat 'King' Cole
04Lisbon Antigua (english)Nat 'King' Cole
05Acercate Mas (Come Closer To Me) (english)Nat 'King' Cole
06Tu Mi Delirio (You Are My Obsession)Nat 'King' Cole
07El Bodeguero (Grocer's Cha Cha)Nat 'King' Cole
08Come To The Mardi Gras (1)Nat 'King' Cole
09Come To The Mardi Gras (2)Nat 'King' Cole
10Te Quiero Dijiste (Magic Is The Moonlight)Nat 'King' Cole
11Arrivederci Roma (Goodbye To Rome)Nat 'King' Cole
12Quizas, Quizas, Quizas (Perhaps, Perhaps,...)Nat 'King' Cole
13Las MananitasNat 'King' Cole
14AdelitaNat 'King' Cole
15Acercate Mas-1 (Come Closer To Me) (spanish)Nat 'King' Cole
16There Is No Greater LoveNat 'King' Cole
17Magnificent ObsessionNat 'King' Cole
18Cherie I Love YouNat 'King' Cole
19ImpossibleNat 'King' Cole
20But BeautifulNat 'King' Cole
21For All We KnowNat 'King' Cole
22Too MuchNat 'King' Cole
23LovesvilleNat 'King' Cole
24Can't Help ItNat 'King' Cole
25I Got LoveNat 'King' Cole
26She's Funny That WayNat 'King' Cole
27Anytime, Anyday, AnywhereNat 'King' Cole
28I Want A Little GirlNat 'King' Cole
29Mood IndigoNat 'King' Cole
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 8
01The Blues Don't CareNat 'King' Cole
02AvalonNat 'King' Cole
03Baby, Won't You Please Come Home?Nat 'King' Cole
04The Late, Late ShowNat 'King' Cole
05Welcome To The ClubNat 'King' Cole
06Look Out For LoveNat 'King' Cole
07Wee Baby BluesNat 'King' Cole
08MadridNat 'King' Cole
09To Whom It May ConcernNat 'King' Cole
10Love-WiseNat 'King' Cole
11In The Heart Of Jane DoeNat 'King' Cole
12My Heart's TreasureNat 'King' Cole
13You're Bringing Out The Dreamer In MeNat 'King' Cole
14Give Me Your LoveNat 'King' Cole
15Coo Coo Roo Coo Coo PalomaNat 'King' Cole
16Non Dimenticar (Don't Forget)Nat 'King' Cole
17Bend A Little My WayNat 'King' Cole
18This Morning It Was SummerNat 'King' Cole
19A Thousand Thoughts Of YouNat 'King' Cole
20For YouNat 'King' Cole
21Crazy She Calls MeNat 'King' Cole
22Until The Real Thing Comes AlongNat 'King' Cole
23You Are My LoveNat 'King' Cole
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 9
01Ain't Gonna Study War No MoreNat 'King' Cole
02Everytime I Feel The SpiritNat 'King' Cole
03Standin' In The Need Of PrayerNat 'King' Cole
04Go Down, MosesNat 'King' Cole
05Steal AwayNat 'King' Cole
06I Couldn't Hear Nobody PrayNat 'King' Cole
07I Want To Be ReadyNat 'King' Cole
08Nobody Knows The Trouble I've SeenNat 'King' Cole
09In The Sweet By And ByNat 'King' Cole
10Sweet Hour Of PrayerNat 'King' Cole
11Oh Mary, Don't You WeepNat 'King' Cole
12I Found The AnswerNat 'King' Cole
13The Best Thing For You Would Be MeNat 'King' Cole
14Dedicated To YouNat 'King' Cole
15(I Would Do) Anything For YouNat 'King' Cole
16This Is AlwaysNat 'King' Cole
17I Had The Craziest DreamNat 'King' Cole
18I Wish I KnewNat 'King' Cole
19Be Still My HeartNat 'King' Cole
20As Far As I'm ConcernedNat 'King' Cole
21LoreleiNat 'King' Cole
22This Holy LoveNat 'King' Cole
23Peace Of MindNat 'King' Cole
24You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want To Do It)Nat 'King' Cole
25Tell Me All About YourselfNat 'King' Cole
26When You Walked ByNat 'King' Cole
27You've Got The Indian Sign On MeNat 'King' Cole
28My LifeNat 'King' Cole
29If You Said NoNat 'King' Cole
30That's YouNat 'King' Cole
31Something Happens To MeNat 'King' Cole
32Sweethearts On ParadeNat 'King' Cole
33When You Belong To MeNat 'King' Cole
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 10
01UnfairNat 'King' Cole
02You're My ThrillNat 'King' Cole
03LaughableNat 'King' Cole
04For The Want Of A KissNat 'King' Cole
05Again (mono)Nat 'King' Cole
06AgainNat 'King' Cole
07I Must Be DreamingNat 'King' Cole
08The Night Of The Quarter MoonNat 'King' Cole
09Midnight FlyerNat 'King' Cole
10Sweet Bird Of YouthNat 'King' Cole
11The World In My ArmsNat 'King' Cole
12Time And The RiverNat 'King' Cole
13Whatcha' Gonna DoNat 'King' Cole
14In A Mellow ToneNat 'King' Cole
15PerfidiaNat 'King' Cole
16Nadie Me AmaNat 'King' Cole
17Aquellos Ojos VerdesNat 'King' Cole
18FantasticoNat 'King' Cole
19El ChocloNat 'King' Cole
20Suas MaosNat 'King' Cole
21Capullito De AleliNat 'King' Cole
22Nao Tenho Lagrimas (Come To The Mardi Gras)Nat 'King' Cole
23Caboclo Do RioNat 'King' Cole
24Ay Cosita LindaNat 'King' Cole
25AnsiedadNat 'King' Cole
26Yo Vendo Unos Ojos NegrosNat 'King' Cole
27Brazilian Love SongNat 'King' Cole
28Ninguem Ma Ama (portugese)Nat 'King' Cole
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 11
01Back In My ArmsNat 'King' Cole
02UnfairNat 'King' Cole
03One SunNat 'King' Cole
04There's A Gold Mine In The SkyNat 'King' Cole
05Around The WorldNat 'King' Cole
06An Affair To Remember (Our Love Affair)Nat 'King' Cole
07FascinationNat 'King' Cole
08Nothin' In The WorldNat 'King' Cole
09Thank You, Pretty BabyNat 'King' Cole
10Just As Much As EverNat 'King' Cole
11Bend A Little My WayNat 'King' Cole
12I Had The Craziest DreamNat 'King' Cole
13I Wish I KnewNat 'King' Cole
14Be Still My HeartNat 'King' Cole
15You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want To Do It)Nat 'King' Cole
16Sweethearts On ParadeNat 'King' Cole
17You're My ThrillNat 'King' Cole
18For The Want Of A KissNat 'King' Cole
19AgainNat 'King' Cole
20I Must Be DreamingNat 'King' Cole
21Midnight FlyerNat 'King' Cole
22Sweet Bird Of YouthNat 'King' Cole
23The World In My ArmsNat 'King' Cole
24Time And The RiverNat 'King' Cole
25Brazilian Love SongNat 'King' Cole
Nat King Cole "Some performers - like myself - have to be loud and rambunctious. But Nat was... more
"Nat 'King' Cole"

Nat King Cole

"Some performers - like myself - have to be loud and rambunctious. But Nat was just Nat."
- Sammy Davis, Jr.


On December 20, 1954, a little more than a week before the start of the period covered by this box set, Nat King Cole and his musical director Nelson Riddle recorded A Blossom Fell. The song would be one of Cole's big hits of 1955; in 1956 it would become the lead track of his album 'Ballads Of The Day,' a popular compilation of successful singles. Empirical evidence suggests that Cole and his producer, Lee Gillette, regarded A Blossom Fell as one of the singer's all-time greatest hits. Cole would land more than a hundred songs on various hit charts over a 25-year period in his lifetime alone yet A Blossom Fell was one of the 36 songs they chose to re-record in stereo in 1961, for the retrospective album, 'The Nat King Cole Story.'

A Blossom Fell was in many ways, a typical Nat King Cole song. Like many of his hits in the '50s and '60s, it was a European import. Cole must surely hold the record, you should forgive the expression, for doing more foreign-born songs than any other American entertainer – with the possible exception of Louis Armstrong. In this particular case, the song came from England, where it had been written by three rather obscure authors named Harold Cornelius, Dominic John and Howard Barnes. (The only other fact I have been able to find out about them is that they also wrote one other song that Cole put on the charts: the 1955 Dreams Can Tell A Lie. This tune was neither anywhere near as good a song nor, correspondingly, nearly as big a hit as A Blossom Fell.)

For most of his career, not only did a significant portion of Cole's material come from outside the United States, a large percentage of his market resided there as well. Around the same time A Blossom Fell was released in America, Cole's disc also charted in the song's native country, where Cole's version climbed considerably higher than rival recordings by home-grown crooners, Dickie Valentine and Ronnie Hilton.

The song is also an archetypical Nat King Cole hit in that, with no disrespect intended to Mr. Valentine and Mr. Hilton, I doubt that anyone would remember this particular song – and many others - were it not for Cole. In a sense, this was the opposite of the traditional path into The Great American Songbook. In many cases, the original source of the great songs is irrelevant; only scholars and music nerds would care that All The Things You Are was introduced by a singer no one has ever heard of (even in 1939) in a show called 'Very Warm For May' that quickly flopped. A Blossom Fell is precisely the reverse scenario: we care about the song only because Nat Cole had a hit with it. We would have no reason to remember the song were it not for Cole; he not only put it on the map, he was the whole map.

Even though it has been recorded by a handful of other singers, the song's only cred comes from the Cole-Riddle hit recording. The Austrian jazz singer Simone Kopemajer recently included it on an album because, as she told me, she loved the Cole performance of it. To Frau Kopemajer, Blossom represents a slice of the Great American Songbook and of the Cole canon – I don't think she was aware that the song had actually originated in Europe.

But in contrast to All The Things You Are - which is, admittedly, an unfair standard of excellence to compare it to - A Blossom Fell is by no means a classic example of songwriting. The lyric pivots on two points, the first being the use of plants as a metaphor. Cole would sing other songs that used variations on this idea, most notably the famous Blue Gardenia (1953), the obscure Sweet William (1952), and the classic Autumn Leaves (which he would perform for the first of many times later in 1955).

The lyric also employs another time-honored conceit of songwriters: the idea that gypsies, being fortune-tellers, are a race of mystics who have the inside dope on fate. While many of the ethnic stereotypes of Tin Pan Alley had disappeared by the postwar era, the preconceived idea regarding gypsies was apparently alive and well. In songs like Golden Earrings and The Gypsy (and even Cole's own, earlier That Ain't Right), lovers evaluate their affairs based on tell-tale signs read by gypsies in tea leaves and crystal balls.

I have no idea if the tradition presented in A Blossom Fell is a genuine gypsy custom, or if it was invented wholly for the song. In fact, it's kind of an awkward idea, one of those concepts that's so goofy, I would almost like to think it really was part of the folklore of real-life Romany. According to the lyric, if two lovers are sitting beneath a tree, exchanging vows of affection, and a blossom happens to fall off a branch and touch the lips of one of the two lovers, it means he or she isn't telling the truth when he or she says he loves him or her.

It's an awkward idea to express in song, and make no mistake, it is very awkwardly expressed. The song opens, "A blossom fell / From off a tree / It settled softly / On the lips you turned to me." That's the A section, and the last two lines are very cumbersome. They make little sense when you read them in print, especially considering that even if this is a genuine gypsy tradition, it's certainly one that not many people would be familiar with. As the late Sammy Cahn once observed, it's a mortal sin for a lyricist to put something in a line that has to be explained: a songwriter's job is to make his point immediately understandable, and if it's deep and profound, like Cole Porter or Alan Jay Lerner, so much the better.

The most obvious point was that only a really top drawer vocal artist - a Cole, a Sinatra, a Clooney, a Holiday - could take a lyric like this and not only make it crystal clear, but sing it so compellingly that millions of listeners would want to rush out and buy the single. As he so often did, Cole compensates for any inadequacies a text might have - he puts over exactly what the lyricist wanted to say even on those frequent occasions where the lyric is lacking. The lyric needs help, and it gets it.

Arranger-conductor Nelson Riddle does the same for the melody: he opens with a glorious string flourish that actually suggests the wind blowing threw leaves and branches in a cherry orchard with blossoms falling all over the place. The secondary voice on Blossom is valve trombonist Juan Tizol, who appears frequently on Cole's sessions in the mid-'50s, most prominently on the 1956 album 'After Midnight.' (When Cole remade the arrangement in 1961, he took the chart slightly slower and replaced the valve trombone with the customary slide instrument.) Yet Riddle doesn't deserve all the credit; Cole, more than nearly all other pop singers, had a unique capacity for improving any melody, for emphasizing the parts of the tune that worked and minimizing its shortcomings. It's no insult to Sinatra to say that, for all his musical strengths (including a remarkable sense of timing), that he had to take a backseat to Cole in the realm of pure melody. The only major singers who compete with Cole in this respect were Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. But neither of those grand divas was the interpreter that Cole was.

Bing Crosby or Carmen McRae could have sung A Blossom Fell and put the meaning across, but Cole does something I don't feel any other singer could have possibly done with it, and that is to make us believe it. Cole sings it as if he was imparting wisdom gained from actual experience, and he makes the words and music sound unique to his idiom. As much as I love Sinatra, I somehow don't think he could convince me that he exists in this particular world - a stylistic universe where liars can be readily identified by the blossoms sticking to their prevaricatin' lips. I don't mean that at all disingenuously: Cole makes you believe it in the most literal and direct way. There never would have been any Watergate or Monica-gate in this world, because Nixon and Clinton would have had blossoms all over their faces.

Nat Cole is the kind of talent that's hard to fully fathom in the world of 21st century popular culture - where almost nothing means what it's supposed to mean. Everything in the millennial era would appear to be ironic or sarcastic, a series of codes where meaning is hidden and nothing is obvious. Yet Cole is precisely the opposite: when he sings about blossoms falling on the lips of liars, he doesn't mean it metaphorically, he isn't singing symbolically, he means exactly what he sings.

In fact, the song is precisely suited to Cole, not Sinatra or anyone else, great as they may be, simply because in this world that he creates, Cole himself would never have a blossom stuck to his own lips. If the song has any kind of symbolism at all, it's that which describes the singer himself.

That, in fact, is the central tenet of Cole's music. Sinatra, contrastingly, was about singing great songs with multiple levels of meaning - songs with deep gray areas between black and white, like Glad To Be Unhappy. Even when Sinatra sings something simple, he makes it deeper and more complicated, and adds in gradations of feeling - Johnny Hodges-like microtones and emotional glissandos in between points A and B. Cole, on the other hand is more direct. Sinatra can take a simple song and make it profound; Cole takes a complex song and makes it simple...

Nat King Cole 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD)
Read more at: https://www.bear-family.de/cole-nat-king-1955-1959-vol.1-11-cd.html
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Customer evaluation for "Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set)"
5 Sep 2017

a real collection

what a nice box

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The Very Best Of Nat King Cole (2-LP, 180g Vinyl)
Nat King Cole: The Very Best Of Nat King Cole (2-LP, 180g Vinyl) Art-Nr.: LPNOT2238

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The Man and the Music by Fred Dellar & Mal Peachey
Frank Sinatra: The Man and the Music by Fred Dellar & Mal Peachey Art-Nr.: 0019036

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Pappa Was A Poor Man - No Regrets (7inch, 45rpm, PS)
Jersey, Jack: Pappa Was A Poor Man - No Regrets (7inch,... Art-Nr.: 45JJ625019

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I Can Stand Tomorrow - Woman 7inch, 45rpm, PS
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Untamed (LP)
Johnny Tame: Untamed (LP) Art-Nr.: LP202207320

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Indistinct Horizon (LP)
Johnny Tame: Indistinct Horizon (LP) Art-Nr.: LP202787320

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L-O-V-E The Complete Capitol Recordings 1960-1964 Vol.2 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set)
Nat 'King' Cole: L-O-V-E The Complete Capitol Recordings... Art-Nr.: BCD16717

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Nobody's Darlin' But Mine (5-CD Deluxe Box Set)
Jimmie Davis: Nobody's Darlin' But Mine (5-CD Deluxe Box Set) Art-Nr.: BCD15943

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Fighting Fire With Gasoline (CD)
The Kokomo Kings: Fighting Fire With Gasoline (CD) Art-Nr.: CDRBR5897

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Too Good To Stay Away From You (CD)
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Artificial Natural (CD)
Kokomo Kings: Artificial Natural (CD) Art-Nr.: CDGTR03

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L-O-V-E The Complete Capitol Recordings 1960-1964 Vol.2 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set)
Nat 'King' Cole: L-O-V-E The Complete Capitol Recordings... Art-Nr.: BCD16717

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The Memphis Blues Box - Original Recordings 1914–1969 (20-CD Deluxe Box Set)
Various: The Memphis Blues Box - Original Recordings... Art-Nr.: BCD17515

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Sun Blues Box 1950-1958 (10-CD Deluxe Box Set)
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Tall Dark Stranger (8-CD Deluxe Box Set)
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Queen Of The Coast (4-CD Deluxe Box Set)
Bonnie Owens: Queen Of The Coast (4-CD Deluxe Box Set) Art-Nr.: BCD16178

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Tracklist
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 1
01 I'd Rather Have The Blues (The Blues From...)
02 I Hear My Music
03 My Heart Stood Still (1)
04 My Heart Stood Still (2)
05 I Never Knew
06 Tea For Two
07 Nothing Ever Changes My Love For You
08 Breezin' Along With The Breeze
09 Someone You Love
10 What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry
11 Takin' A Chance On Love
12 Don't Blame Me
13 It Could Happen To You
14 I Surrender Dear (1)
15 I Surrender Dear (2)
16 Little Girl
17 Imagination
18 April In Paris
19 Love Walked In
20 I See Your Face Before Me
21 Stella By Starlight
22 I Didn't Know What Time It Was
23 If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)
24 Autumn Leaves (english version)
25 I Get A Kick Out Of You
26 Intro to: We Are Americans Too
27 We Are Americans Too
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 2
01 There Will Never Be Another You
02 My Dream Sonata
03 Let's Fall In Love
04 Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing
05 Ask Me
06 Just One Of Those Things
07 I Want To Be Happy
08 You Are My Sunshine
09 Up Pops Love
10 Take Me Back To Toyland
11 Love Me As Though There Were No Tomorrow
12 Too Young To Go Steady
13 Dreams Can Tell A Lie
14 Back In My Arms
15 Mr. Juke Box
16 Dame Crazy
17 I Just Found Out About Love
18 I Got Love
19 My Personal Possession
20 Stay
21 Believe
22 That's All There Is To That
23 Night Lights
24 The Shadows
25 To The Ends Of The Earth
26 I Promise You
27 The Way I Love You
28 Never Let Me Go (from film 'Scarlet Hour')
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 3
01 Unfair
02 Make Me
03 Sometimes I Wonder
04 Once Before
05 I'm Willing To Share This With You
06 I Need A Plan
07 The Story's Old
08 You Can Depend On Me
09 Candy
10 Sweet Lorraine
11 It's Only A Paper Moon
12 (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66
13 Don't Let It Go To Your Head
14 You're Looking At Me
15 You're Looking At Me (alt.)
16 Just You, Just Me
17 I Was A Little Too Lonely (And You Were A...)
18 How Little We Know
19 Should I?
20 Ballerina
21 Caravan
22 Lonely One
23 Blame It On My Youth
24 What Is There To Say
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 4
01 Sometimes I'm Happy
02 I Know That You Know
03 When I Grow Too Old To Dream
04 Two Loves Have I
05 True Blue Lou
06 Like Someone In Love
07 I'm Shooting High
08 Tangerine
09 One Sun
10 You Are My First Love
11 Maybe It's Because I Love You Much Too Much
12 Love Letters
13 I Thought About Marie
14 Where Can I Go Without You?
15 Stardust
16 Love Is The Thing
17 It's All In The Game
18 When I Fall In Love
19 Ain't Misbehavin'
20 When Sunny Gets Blue
21 At Last
22 Stay As Sweet As You Are
23 When Rock And Roll Came To Trinidad
24 China Gate
25 Blue Moon
26 With You On My Mind
27 Don't Try
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 5
01 Send For Me
02 Let's Make More Love (I Want Your Love)
03 Don't Get Around Much Anymore
04 The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On)
05 You'll Never Know
06 Just For The Fun Of It (alt.)
07 The Song Of Raintree County
08 Who's Sorry Now? (mono)
09 Who's Sorry Now? (stereo)
10 These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)
11 Once In A While
12 Just For The Fun Of It
13 Just One Of Those Things
14 I Should Care
15 The Party's Over
16 A Cottage For Sale
17 I Understand
18 When Your Lover Has Gone (mono)
19 When Your Lover Has Gone (stereo)
20 There's A Gold Mine In The Sky
21 Around The World
22 An Affair To Remember (Our Love Affair)
23 Fascination
24 How Did I Change?
25 It's None Of My Affair
26 Angel Smile
27 Nothin' In The World
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 6
01 Overture: Love Theme/Hesitating Blues
02 Harlem Blues
03 Chantez Les Bas
04 Friendless Blues
05 Stay
06 Joe Turner's Blues
07 Beale Street Blues
08 Careless Love
09 Morning Star
10 Memphis Blues
11 Yellow Dog Blues
12 St. Louis Blues
13 Make It Last
14 Thank You, Pretty Baby
15 Looking Back
16 Just As Much As Ever
17 Do I Like It?
18 I Wish I Knew Way To Your Heart
19 This Is All I Ask
20 The More I See You
21 I Found A Million Dollar Baby (In A Five...)
22 Making Believe You're Here
23 My Heart Tells Me (Should I Believe My...)
24 Don't Blame Me
25 Cherchez La Femme
26 The Very Thought Of You
27 Paradise
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 7
01 Cachito
02 Noche De Ronda
03 Maria Elena
04 Lisbon Antigua (english)
05 Acercate Mas (Come Closer To Me) (english)
06 Tu Mi Delirio (You Are My Obsession)
07 El Bodeguero (Grocer's Cha Cha)
08 Come To The Mardi Gras (1)
09 Come To The Mardi Gras (2)
10 Te Quiero Dijiste (Magic Is The Moonlight)
11 Arrivederci Roma (Goodbye To Rome)
12 Quizas, Quizas, Quizas (Perhaps, Perhaps,...)
13 Las Mananitas
14 Adelita
15 Acercate Mas-1 (Come Closer To Me) (spanish)
16 There Is No Greater Love
17 Magnificent Obsession
18 Cherie I Love You
19 Impossible
20 But Beautiful
21 For All We Know
22 Too Much
23 Lovesville
24 Can't Help It
25 I Got Love
26 She's Funny That Way
27 Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere
28 I Want A Little Girl
29 Mood Indigo
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 8
01 The Blues Don't Care
02 Avalon
03 Baby, Won't You Please Come Home?
04 The Late, Late Show
05 Welcome To The Club
06 Look Out For Love
07 Wee Baby Blues
08 Madrid
09 To Whom It May Concern
10 Love-Wise
11 In The Heart Of Jane Doe
12 My Heart's Treasure
13 You're Bringing Out The Dreamer In Me
14 Give Me Your Love
15 Coo Coo Roo Coo Coo Paloma
16 Non Dimenticar (Don't Forget)
17 Bend A Little My Way
18 This Morning It Was Summer
19 A Thousand Thoughts Of You
20 For You
21 Crazy She Calls Me
22 Until The Real Thing Comes Along
23 You Are My Love
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 9
01 Ain't Gonna Study War No More
02 Everytime I Feel The Spirit
03 Standin' In The Need Of Prayer
04 Go Down, Moses
05 Steal Away
06 I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray
07 I Want To Be Ready
08 Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen
09 In The Sweet By And By
10 Sweet Hour Of Prayer
11 Oh Mary, Don't You Weep
12 I Found The Answer
13 The Best Thing For You Would Be Me
14 Dedicated To You
15 (I Would Do) Anything For You
16 This Is Always
17 I Had The Craziest Dream
18 I Wish I Knew
19 Be Still My Heart
20 As Far As I'm Concerned
21 Lorelei
22 This Holy Love
23 Peace Of Mind
24 You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want To Do It)
25 Tell Me All About Yourself
26 When You Walked By
27 You've Got The Indian Sign On Me
28 My Life
29 If You Said No
30 That's You
31 Something Happens To Me
32 Sweethearts On Parade
33 When You Belong To Me
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 10
01 Unfair
02 You're My Thrill
03 Laughable
04 For The Want Of A Kiss
05 Again (mono)
06 Again
07 I Must Be Dreaming
08 The Night Of The Quarter Moon
09 Midnight Flyer
10 Sweet Bird Of Youth
11 The World In My Arms
12 Time And The River
13 Whatcha' Gonna Do
14 In A Mellow Tone
15 Perfidia
16 Nadie Me Ama
17 Aquellos Ojos Verdes
18 Fantastico
19 El Choclo
20 Suas Maos
21 Capullito De Aleli
22 Nao Tenho Lagrimas (Come To The Mardi Gras)
23 Caboclo Do Rio
24 Ay Cosita Linda
25 Ansiedad
26 Yo Vendo Unos Ojos Negros
27 Brazilian Love Song
28 Ninguem Ma Ama (portugese)
Cole, Nat 'King' - Stardust - The Complete Capitol Recordings 1955-1959 Vol.1 (11-CD Deluxe Box Set) Box set 11
01 Back In My Arms
02 Unfair
03 One Sun
04 There's A Gold Mine In The Sky
05 Around The World
06 An Affair To Remember (Our Love Affair)
07 Fascination
08 Nothin' In The World
09 Thank You, Pretty Baby
10 Just As Much As Ever
11 Bend A Little My Way
12 I Had The Craziest Dream
13 I Wish I Knew
14 Be Still My Heart
15 You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want To Do It)
16 Sweethearts On Parade
17 You're My Thrill
18 For The Want Of A Kiss
19 Again
20 I Must Be Dreaming
21 Midnight Flyer
22 Sweet Bird Of Youth
23 The World In My Arms
24 Time And The River
25 Brazilian Love Song