On the Swingin' Side
| On the Swingin' Side | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 19, 1960 | |||
| Genre | Traditional pop, vocal pop, standards | |||
| Length | 28:01 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Jack Marshall | |||
| Vic Damone chronology | ||||
| ||||
On the Swingin' Side is the twelfth studio album by American singer Vic Damone, released on December 19, 1960, by Columbia Records, and was available both in stereo and mono.[1] It was produced by Jack Marshall.
The album was released on compact disc by EMI Music Distribution in 2000, as tracks 13 through 24 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 1 through 12 consisting of Damone's 1956 Columbia debut, That Towering Feeling!.[2] Collectables included this CD in a box set entitled Only the Best of Vic Damone, which contains six of his studio albums and one compilation and was released on November 27, 2007.[3]
On the Swingin' Side was included in a box set entitled Seven Classic Albums Box Set, which contains all 7 of his studio albums, and was released on February 5, 2016.[4]
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [5] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
| Billboard | [7] |
| Disc | [8] |
| New Record Mirror | [9] |
William Ruhlmann of AllMusic said that On the Swingin' Side "is an unadulterated up-tempo delight that deserves to be rediscovered."[5]
Giving it four stars to indicate "strong sales potential", Billboard notes "He Lends his superior vocal talents to a flock of great standards - eschewing his usual sweet ballad groove in favor of a swinging beat. It's a highly effective change of pace for the warbler and fine wax for jocks."[7]
Cash Box claimed "Jack Marshall's arrangement keep the pace on the easy swing side, sympathetic to the singer's style".[10]
Jimmy Watson of New Record Mirror described the album as "One of Vic's Best to date" and notes "The album swings easily along from start to finish.[9]
Nigel Hunter of Disc believed "Their presentation has been brought right to date by high-class arranging and accoimpaniments from Jack Marshall.[8]
In A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers, Will Friedwald writes "He knows his own strengths and weakness enough to stick to doing ballads with a beat, as opposed to out and up-tempo singing in the Sinatra Swingin' Lover tradition.[11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music described the album as "well-regarded"[6]
Track listing
Side one
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Falling in Love with Love" (from the Broadway musical: The Boys from Syracuse) | Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart | 1:37 |
| 2. | "It's All Right with Me" | Cole Porter | 2:56 |
| 3. | "When My Sugar Walks Down the Street" | Gene Austin, Jimmy McHugh, Irving Mills | 2:51 |
| 4. | "Cry Me a River" | Arthur Hamilton | 3:12 |
| 5. | "Home (When Shadows Fall)" | Harry Clarkson, Geoffrey Clarkson, Peter van Steeden | 1:57 |
| 6. | "Swingin' Down the Lane" | Isham Jones, Gus Kahn | 2:19 |
Side two
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Cried for You" | Gus Arnheim, Abe Lyman, Arthur Freed | 2:19 |
| 2. | "Speak Low" | Kurt Weill, Ogden Nash | 2:19 |
| 3. | "It's a Wonderful World" | Jan Savitt, Jan Savitt, Johnny Watson | 1:49 |
| 4. | "Girl of My Dreams (I Love You)" | Sunny Clapp | 2:21 |
| 5. | "Deep Purple" | Peter DeRose, Mitchell Parish | 2:09 |
| 6. | "Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye!)" | Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman, Danny Russo | 2:01 |
References
- ^ Kinslow, Chris (2015). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide 2015. Penguin. p. 140. ISBN 9-781440-243721. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
- ^ "That Towering Feeling!/On the Swingin' Side". AllMusic. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
- ^ "Only the Best of Vic Damone". AllMusic. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ 7 Classic Albums - Vic Damone | Album | AllMusic, retrieved April 29, 2025
- ^ a b "Vic Damone – On the Swingin' Side: Ratings". Allmusic. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 392. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved August 31, 2024.
- ^ a b "Pop LPs Strong Sales Potential: On The Swingin' Side". Billboard. December 31, 1960. p. 24.
- ^ a b Hunter, Nigel (July 29, 1961). "LPs reviewed by Nigel Hunter, A SWINGING BEAT FROM SHEARING, LP Jazz for popsters... Ray Martin gimmick...mellow Damone: On the Swingin; Side" (PDF). Disc. No. 175. p. 13. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ a b "POP STAR LP. LINE-UP... VIC, AIMA, BRENDA, FATS, BUZZ, etc" (PDF). Record Mirror. No. 19. July 22, 1961. p. 10.
- ^ "Album Reviews". Cash Box. Vol. 22, no. 22. January 28, 1961. p. 30.
- ^ Friedwald, Will (2010). A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers. Pantheon Books. p. 132. ISBN 9780375421495.