I Had The Craziest Dream - The Golden Years Of Helen Forrest ORIGINAL RECORDINGS REMASTERED SET

I was a teenager in the nineties, when the whole Swing scene had made a big resurgence, and I did like the music, but I didn’t have immediate access to a whole lot of it at the time—or know anyone that did—and so I never studied it much. We couldn’t just “Google” back then. Now that we can, I recently (finally) got around to it, starting the end of last year, and found this lady upon being introduced to more of Benny Goodman’s music besides “Sing, Sing, Sing”. Wow, oh, wow. I’m impressed, and surprised that I had never heard of her before now.I would describe her voice as being like a liquid hybrid between silk and velvet… just absolutely gorgeous. I only had 2 songs with her vocals on them, and had to hear more. Four CDs with nearly 100 songs on them works for me. LolThe caress of her voice against the ears is quite addictive, and I am a big fan now. If I am missing any songs by her, I’ll probably buy those too! - Emha

I really didn't want to write this review because it's not easy to go against the prevailing opinion. However, how can I ignore what is so apparent? I can't turn a deaf ear to the poor audio quality of these discs. My opinion has nothing to do with Helen Forrest's singing ability. Far from it. I adore her singing, which is all the more reason to criticize these discs because they don't present her in the best light.I'm sure many people ignore the mediocre audio quality, but I can't. For example, I was disappointed that the hit song "I Had the Craziest Dream," written by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon for the underrated 1942 technicolor musical "Springtime in the Rockies," was taken from the soundtrack rather than the recording Ms. Forrest made several months before the theatrical release. On Disc Two "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen," also taken from a soundtrack, is typical of the songs that suffer from distortion. Her recording of "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" with Artie Shaw is missing from the collection, perhaps because the audio quality is too good!Even if I make allowance that some of the recordings were made in a crowd and broadcast over AM radio, that doesn't excuse the quality. I have other recordings that were made under similar circumstances that aren't anywhere as bad. Moreover, I've heard recordings from the 1920s on 78s that are much better. The Jewel box states that the recordings were put through the CEDAR (Computer Enhanced Digital Audio Restoration) process. CEDAR is very good at removing clicks, scatches, crackling and hissing. It has other effects as well, but it can't correct poorly rendered music. The decibel range on the recordings is very narrow, and both Ms. Forrest and the orchestra often hit the ceiling at the top of the range.On a positive note, the selection of songs is very broad and she performs them with the top bands of the era, although there's a fair amount of B-side material. Some of the songs in the collection aren't easily found elsewhere, for example, "Jenny" (actually "The Saga of Jenny," which had just been introduced when she sang it). "Supper Time" is given an unusually upbeat performance that belies the underlying tragedy. "Homework," from the long-forgotten Irving Berlin musical "Miss Liberty," is rarely performed.Ms. Forrest made more than four dozen studio recordings with Benny Goodman. The tracklisting indicates that No. 10 on Disk Two, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," was recorded with him. It's also likely that No. 9 is a Goodman recording because it was made on the same date. I was unable to verify that any of the other Goodman studio recordings are included in the collection. Album notes are vague and incomplete. Her discographies are unreliable.If having five hours of Helen Forrest's singing is more important than the sound quality, by all means, get this set of discs. However, I like to think that there are better recordings available, but perhaps not as large a collection. According to Jasmine Records, "The sound quality is bright and clear and this is an outstanding set of 97 vocals!" I disagree.

Helen Forrest was simply the best female singer of all time. Although her hits are great, it is her covers on this collection that make it worth buying. Bea Wain's "My Sister and I" is a rather obscure tune, but one of my big band era favorites, and Helen Forrest brings a level of beauty to it that brings the song to another level, as she does with every song she sings. Someone suggested she was like the female Frank Sinatra. Although it isn't a perfect comparison, mainly because it really isn't fair to compare anyone to the great Sinatra, it is pretty close to the way I think of her.Most of the best songs on this compilation I had never heard before, because they were all way before my time. It is hard to believe that the upbeat sounding "Night Over Shanghai", with Helen's voice soaring beautifully during her chorus, is actually about the Japanese bombing Shanghai prior to Pearl Harbor. The lyrics are a little mysterious unless you know that. The song was recorded in 1938, so she was probably with Artie Shaw at the time.So, how did I end up finding Helen Forrest and the rest of the wonderful singers and bands from the 30's and 40's? I asked my mother what kind of music she listened to when she was in high school, and she insisted it was rock and roll. So, I did a little research to find out what kind of music was being played in 1938, when she was 16, and it was Swing. Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman, and Harry James played swing, and Helen Forrest sang for all of them. Everyone danced holding hands or each other at that time, all they way until "The Twist" changed everything. Maybe that is what confused her.I think by now I have everything Helen Forrest put on vinyl or was transcribed from radio performances, and I think this comp is your best bang for the buck.

Absolutely love listening to this! Knew nothing about Helen Forrest until last month. The songs here are evidently the best of her years singing with the big bands of Artie Shaw,Benny Goodman, and Harry James. What a marvelous, accomplished performer she was! There are many instances of just exquisite beauty in the way she sings and presents the songs. I was unfamiliar with most of the music on here but am now a big fan! Highly recommended for those who are interested in great music and an absolutely superb performer.

I hadn't heard of Helen Forrest until I was browsing on Amazon and took a chance with this collection, where she sings with a variety of bands, and also duets with Dick Haymes, who has a most attractive, smooth-toned baritone. I'm really enjoying working my way through the collection and getting much pleasure from her singing. Lovely tone and effortless phrasing of a sort that reminds me of Jo Stafford. I'm also finding out what a big name she was at the time and it's always nice to find out new stuff and enjoy a new singer, even other people have known about her for ages. Good sound for the time on the CD's

古き良きアメリカ！良くも悪くも昭和30年代小学生の頃に、あこがれたアメリカの明るい部分を楽しめる１枚です。ビックバンドの歌手ですので、スイウィンギーな楽しいメローな歌を楽しみたい方は買って損は無いと思います。マーケットプライスだと４枚でとても安いですよ。

If you are looking at this set thinking that it must be the ultimate Helen Forrest collection containing all her big hits, you'll be disappointed. Nevertheless, this is a fine collection that showcases Helen's talents superbly. It is worth noting that Helen refused to sing up-tempo songs, which didn't always help her career, but she was brilliant at what she did. And while four CD's of ballads might sound a bit excessive, half of the music here was recorded in the big band era, with the other half being in a more lush, orchestral style. Thus, there is plenty of variety in the arrangements, with many mid-tempo songs among the slower songs.Helen's earliest recordings were with Artie Shaw in 1938 and 1939. Jasmine previously released two single compilations of Helen's music with Artie Shaw, both of which I bought and reviewed some years ago. The first CD here begins with 21 of these recordings but omits their two number one hits (They say, Thanks for everything), though some of their big hits together (notably Deep in a dream, I poured my heart into a song) are here. Still, Helen's music with Artie was all brilliant so I'm not complaining for myself. Others may resent buying this then having to buy two other compilations to plug important gaps in their collection. CD 1 ends with two tracks (I'd be lost without you, A ghost of a chance) recorded in 1940 with Lionel Hampton, Nat King Cole and his trio. There is no mention of these two tracks in the liner notes, but they are worth a listen.The first ten tracks from CD 2 are taken from Helen's recordings with Benny Goodman in 1940 and 1941. Several great female singers took their turn singing with Benny's band including Mildred Bailey, Helen Ward and Martha Tilton, but Helen didn't like just being a bit-part singer and quit after just a year in his band. It turned out well for both, as Helen signed for Harry James while Benny recruited Peggy Lee as Helen's replacement. Several of the hits that Helen had with Benny only feature Helen singing the chorus so, since this is a compilation of Helen's music rather than Benny's, they've been overlooked. The featured tracks here are those on which Benny gave Helen greater exposure (especially The man I love, More than you know, My sister and I)..For the hits where Helen was only a bit-part singer, look for a Benny Goodman compilation.The remaining 13 tracks feature Helen's recordings with Harry James, all made between 1941 and 1943. Helen and Harry had four number one hits together but only two (I don't want to walk without you, I had the craziest dream) are included here, the other two (Mister five by five, I've heard that song before) are omitted. Some lesser hits are included (notably But not for me, Skylark, I remember you) but also noteworthy is You made me love you. Originally a million-selling top five instrumental hit for Harry James in 1941, the version here features Helen's vocals and was used in the soundtrack of Private buckaroo.Helen subsequently pursued a solo career. Her first solo record (Time waits for no one) was a number two hit (Time waits for no one) but none of her other solo recordings charted. However, Helen recorded a lot of duets with Dick Haymes and together they charted ten hits. CD 3 and CD 4 cover Helen's solo and duet recordings from 1944, with all the charted hits included. Helen's last chart entry was in 1946 but she continued recording great music until the period covered by this set ends in 1950. Thereafter, Helen's recordings were sporadic but she had already proved that she was a brilliant ballad singer. While one might have expected her to succeed as a solo singer (especially given the quality of her solo recordings), that didn't happen, but her legacy of band recordings with Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman and Harry James, together with her duets with Dick Haymes, ensure her place in history.While this is not a definitive collection, it is a great showcase for Helen's music. If you haven't got any of her music, start here and if you want more, look for those other Jasmine compilations with Artie Shaw and a relevant Harry James compilation.

Listening to these recordings reminded me an anecdote about a professor at the Faculty of Medicine. He examines a pretty student and asks her to describe organ of love. The student is very well prepared. She gives an exhaustive description of the masculine and feminine genital organs. The professor says: "I shall give you a very good grade, which you deserve. However, I would like to tell you that when I was a student, the organ of love was the heart".These recordings belong to the time when a popular singer could not succeed without excellent vocal qualities and when the heart was the organ of love. I recommend this album to everybody, even to those who regard themselves as very modern persons.

helen forrest very good