THE ASTAIRE STORY - 1952 ORIGINAL PRESSING ALBUM SET OF 4 - HAND SIGNED #1056
$
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Description
You are bidding on: VINTAGE & RARE
THE ASTAIRE STORY - 1952 ORIGINAL PRESSING ALBUM SET OF 4 - HAND SIGNED & NUMBERED #1056 BY FRED ASTAIRE
This scrapbook style album is used, but in good condition. The outside cover is not attached to the rest of the spiral bound book, but is included. The cover has some dirt smudges and wear, but still looks good. The gold embossed lettering on the front looks good and is legible, though lighter than it was 65 years ago. The 4 blue vinyl records look very good! Records not professionally graded.
This is a hard to find item. The Astaire Story was produced by Norman Granz in 1952. This one is #1056 of only 1,384 copies produced, and has been hand signed/authographed by Astaire. The set includes 4 LPs, a booklet with exclusive photos and a set of drawings by David Stone Martin. Apparently it is missing 6 black and white drawings. The records themselves are in great condition. Measures approximately 14" wide x 12 1/2" tall x 1" thick. This will be a great addition to your collection!
The Astaire Story is a 1952 album by Fred Astaire. The album was conceived of and produced by Norman Granz, the founder of Clef Records (and later Verve Records), who was also responsible for the Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts, at which all of the musicians on the album had performed.
Content and reception
The album's song selection provides an overview of Astaire's singing career although Astaire also demonstrates his tap dancing on three tracks and there is one informal instrumental Jam session. Some later LP and CD re-issues add two versions of Oscar Peterson's instrumental "The Astaire Blues."
Oscar Peterson spoke warmly of the sessions that produced The Astaire Story in his autobiography, noting that vocally, Astaire was naturally attuned to jazz phrasing, and that Astaire enjoyed playing the drums at home. Astaire gave each of the musicians on the album a gold identification bracelet, inscribed "With thanks, Fred A". Ray Brown lost his bracelet, Alvin Stoller's was stolen, but Peterson wore his for the rest of his life.
The Astaire Story won the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999, which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least 25 years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance."
Release history
A deluxe four LP box set was produced of The Astaire Story, in a strictly limited edition of 1,384 copies, each one hand-signed by Astaire and the artist David Stone Martin, who contributed original drawings and paintings to the album. In addition to the limited-edition boxed set, each of the four LPs was released individually, and the tracks were also issued on nine EPs.
Track listing
LP 1
side A- "Isn't This a Lovely Day?" (Irving Berlin) – 4:26
- "Puttin' on the Ritz" (Berlin) – 2:51
- "I Used to Be Color Blind" (Berlin) – 4:14
- "The Continental" (Con Conrad, Herb Magidson) – 3:28
- "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 4:36
- "Change Partners" (Berlin) – 3:13
- "'S Wonderful" (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin) – 2:56
- "Lovely to Look At" (Dorothy Fields, Jerome Kern, Jimmy McHugh) – 3:26
- "They All Laughed" (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin) – 2:55
LP 2
side A- "Cheek to Cheek" (Berlin) – 5:39
- "Steppin' Out with My Baby" (Berlin) – 2:22
- "The Way You Look Tonight" (Fields, Kern) – 2:57
- "I've Got My Eyes on You" (Cole Porter) – 2:57
- "Dancing in the Dark" (Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz) – 4:45
- "The Carioca" (Edward Eliscu, Gus Kahn, Vincent Youmans) – 4:48
- "Nice Work If You Can Get It" (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin) – 2:07
- "New Sun in the Sky" (Dietz, Schwartz) – 2:27
- "I Won't Dance" (Fields, Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach, Kern, McHugh) – 3:01
- "Fast Dances (Ad Lib)" – 2:24
LP 3
side A- "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" (Berlin) – 4:00
- "No Strings (I'm Fancy Free)" (Berlin) – 2:54
- "I Concentrate on You" (Porter) – 2:43
- "I'm Putting all My Eggs in One Basket" (Berlin) – 2:54
- "A Fine Romance" (Fields, Kern) – 3:43
- "Night and Day" (Porter) – 5:22
- "Fascinating Rhythm" (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin) – 2:41
- "I Love Louisa" (Dietz, Schwartz) – 2:40
- "Slow Dances (Ad Lib)" – 2:55
- "Medium Dances (Ad Lib)" – 2:01
LP 4
side A- "They Can't Take That Away from Me" (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin) – 4:22
- "You're Easy to Dance With" (Berlin) – 3:22
- "A Needle in a Haystack" (Conrad, Magidson) – 2:22
- "So Near and Yet So Far" (Porter) – 3:18
- "A Foggy Day" (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin) – 4:00
- "Oh, Lady be Good!" (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin) – 5:01
- "I'm Building Up to an Awful Letdown" (Fred Astaire, Johnny Mercer) – 3:59
- "Not My Girl" (Astaire, Desmond Carter, Van Phillips) – 3:37
- "Jam Session for a Dancer" – 6:34
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