# Recommend a good 40's music cd **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 11, 2004, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-40s-music-cd/254544 "2004-07-11T07:39:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-40s-music-cd/254544/1 "2004-07-11T07:39:35Z")
I want to get a cd of 40’s popular music. I went on Amazon and saw that there was a bunch available. It’s a new genre for me, so I don’t know which one would be a good choice. I don’t want to get an expensive box set. Yet, anyway. Suggest away! also, “Mr Sandman”. The famous one isn’t by the Andrews Sisters? I looked for their cds and didn’t see it. Was the popular version really by the Chordettes? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-40s-music-cd/254544/2 "2004-07-11T17:31:19Z")
• [GI Jukebox: Songs from World War II](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00000DI1Q/qid=1089566804/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-9853706-1207016) • [16 Most Requested Songs of the 1940s](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000026SP/ref=pd_sim_music_3/103-9853706-1207016?v=glance&s=music) • [Those Were Our Songs: Music of World War II](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005QKG0/ref=pd_sim_music_1/103-9853706-1207016?v=glance&s=music) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-40s-music-cd/254544/3 "2004-07-11T20:36:09Z")
If you like big band swing from the 40’s, try some sort of greatest hits of the Glenn Miller Orchestra If you like pop, look for hits by the Andrews Sisters, Bing Crosby, Sinatra, etc. If you like Jump Blues - basically a standard blues-y progression, but played with a full orchestra - get “No Moe - Louis Jordan’s Greatest Hits”. Remember the big swing dancing revival from a couple of years ago? That CD is pretty much the bible for the bands that play that kind of music (back me up on this **Big Bad Voodoo Lou** ) If you like jazz, then at the time, be-bop was the hot thing, and I would strongly recommend Bird’s Best Bop a collection of Charlie Parker’s be-bop tunes. Just off the top of my head, but a good start. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-40s-music-cd/254544/4 "2004-07-11T21:06:33Z")
If you like big band swing, the names you can’t go wrong with are Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, and Glenn Miller. There are others, but they’re usually acknowledged as the best. There are literally dozens of big band swing compilation albums out there to choose from. While big band was going on in the mainstream and cutting across racial divides, the coolest jazz musicians were inventing bebop in after-hours New York clubs: a wild, fast, frenetic form of jazz that was meant for LISTENING, not dancing. Charlie Parker was the best sax player of the bebop era (and perhaps of all time). **WordMan** is not lying. Jump blues is awesome, and Louis Jordan was the best of that era. The missing link between big band swing of the ‘40s and rock ‘n’ roll of the ‘50s, jump blues featured blues-based song structures, rockin’ guitars, swingin’ horn sections, and often funny or sexually-charged lyrics. Wynonie Harris was another important jump blues singer in the late '40s, but everyone goes back to Louis Jordan. Like **WordMan** said, this stuff was probably the biggest influence on the “swing revival” of the late '90s. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-40s-music-cd/254544/5 "2004-07-11T21:09:39Z")
we have a lot of swing music already - DUke Ellington, Bassie, etc. I am mainly looking for ‘fun’ sing-y stuff. It all started off with us singing Mr Sandman to our baby. From there, we started to sing Rum and Coca Cola… and now my repetoire of 40’s songs is running out. Thanks for the suggestions! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-40s-music-cd/254544/6 "2004-07-11T21:45:35Z")
There was an excellent 4 CD collection called _Sentimental Journey_ that Rhino records put out. Unfortunately, I think it’s been discontinued, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to find copies still around online. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-40s-music-cd/254544/7 "2004-07-11T21:57:21Z")
My mistake. I just checked and all four CD’s are still in print. Amazon also has used copies of all four. Here’s the songs on them: Vol 1 1. Sentimental Journey - Les Brown & His Orchestra 2. Swinging on a Star - Bing Crosby 3. You’ll Never Know - Dick Haymes & the Song Spinners 4. Gypsy - Sonny Burke & Orchestra 5. Paper Doll - The Mills Brothers 6. Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief - Betty Hutton 7. Laura - Woody Herman & His Orchestra 8. Cottage for Sale - Billy Eckstine 9. Trolley Song - Judy Garland 10. I’ve Heard That Song Before - Helen Forrest 11. There! I’ve Said It Again - Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra 12. My Ideal - Billy Butterfield 13. I’ll Walk Alone - Martha Tilton 14. Candy - Johnny Mercer 15. Amor - Andy Russell 16. Stormy Weather - Lou Bring 17. Night and Day - Frank Sinatra 18. I’m Lost - King Cole Trio Vol 2 1. Far Away Places - Bing Crosby 2. Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me) - Dave Barbour & the Brazilians 3. Love Somebody - Buddy Clark 4. Buttons and Bows - Dinah Shore 5. Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend) - Vaughn Monroe & His Orchestra 6. Tennessee Waltz - Patti Page 7. My Foolish Heart - Russ Case 8. That’s My Desire - Frankie Laine 9. Little Bird Told Me 10. Again - Pete Rugolo & Orchestra 11. If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake - Eileen Barton 12. Little White Lies - Dick Haymes 13. It’s Magic - Doris Day 14. Tree in the Meadow - Margaret Whiting 15. Goodnight Irene - Gordon Jenkins 16. Music! Music! Music! - Teresa Brewer 17. Mam’selle - Art Lund 18. Linda - Buddy Clark Vol 3 1. Because Of You - Tony Bennett 2. Cry - Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads 3. Lover - Peggy Lee/Gordon Jenkins & His Orchestra 4. Come On-A My House - Rosemary Clooney 5. Kiss Of Fire - Georgia Gibbs 6. I Apologize - Billy Eckstine 7. The Song From Moulin Rouge (Where Is Your Heart) - Percy Faith & His Orchestra 8. You Belong To Me - Jo Stafford 9. Wheel Of Fortune - Kay Starr 10. I Get Ideas - Tony Martin 11. Little Things Mean A Lot - Kitty Kallen 12. That’s Amore - Dean Martin 13. Here In My Heart - Al Martino 14. How High The Moon - Les Paul & Mary Ford 15. Hold My Hand - Don Cornell 16. (Why Did I Tell You I Was Going To) Shanghai - Doris Day 17. My Heart Cries For You - Guy Mitchell 18. Wish You Were Here - Eddie Fischer Vol 4 1. Mack the Knife - Bobby Darin 2. Fever - Peggy Lee 3. Tammy - Joseph Gershenson & Orchestra 4. Let Me Go Lover - Jimmy Caroll Orchestra with Strings 5. What a Diff’rence a Day Made - Dinah Washington 6. On the Street Where You Live - Vic Damone 7. Singing the Blues - Ray Conniff & His Orchestra 8. Chances Are - Ray Conniff & His Orchestra 9. Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) - Doris Day 10. Wayward Wind - Buddy Bregman & Orchestra 11. Memories Are Made of This - Dean Martin 12. Old Cape Cod - Patti Page 13. Man That Got Away - Judy Garland 14. Fascination - Jan Morgan 15. I Could Have Danced All Night - Jack Pleis 16. Just in Time - Tony Bennett 17. That Old Black Magic - Sammy Davis, Jr. ---
**Author:** ![Live\_Better\_Electrically](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@Live\_Better\_Electrically](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Live_Better_Electrically)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-40s-music-cd/254544/8 "2004-07-11T23:38:30Z")
> [@Bad News Baboon](#): > > “Mr Sandman”. The famous one isn’t by the Andrews Sisters? I looked for their cds and didn’t see it. Was the popular version really by the Chordettes? Yes, the Chordettes had the famous version of that song. They did some rock ‘n’ roll later on, but started out as a female barbershop quartet.