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Critic's Review
William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
The fourth volume of Vintage Recordings' series of albums devoted to the music of Billy Murray, solo and with other singers, concentrates on the 1910-1912 period and, more specifically, on Murray's recordings for Edison. At this point, he was contracted exclusively to Edison for cylinders, but also had a contract with Victor for flat discs and often recorded the same songs for each company. The 15 selections here should be considered more a sampling of his lighter Edison fare than a hits compilation. Some of his hits are included, most notable among them "Casey Jones," and there are also songs that were bigger hits for others, but that Murray covered, such as "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and "Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?" But other big sellers Murray recorded for Edison, such as "What's the Matter with Father?" and "Gee, But It's Great to Meet a Friend from Your Own Home Town," are missing. If this is not a best-of, strictly speaking, however, it does give a good sense of the breadth of Murray's performances, even within his "comic" persona. There are Irish dialect songs like "Mister Pat O'Hare," light romantic duets with Ada Jones, and dance tunes like "Everybody Two-Step." Murray is often accompanied by an unidentified vocal chorus, but he always stands out from the pack. The cylinder transfers are sometimes very scratchy, but that doesn't keep Murray from being heard, either. His great advantage in the acoustic era was his ability to cut through and articulate clearly, allowing his listeners to get a good sense of the lighthearted lyrics and be encouraged to sing along. Those talents are on display here, as they are on all Murray's recordings. (Vintage Recordings, 253 8th Street, West Palm Beach, FL 33401)
