Four Freshmen

In 1999, Collectors' Choice released Voices in Latin/The Freshman Year, which contained two complete albums – Voices in Latin (1958, originally released on Capitol) and The Freshman Year (1961, originally released on Capitol) – by the Four Freshmen on one compact disc.

A vintage and influential vocal group formed in the 1950s, the Four Freshmen's harmonic-drenched vocal style would set the stage for the Beach Boys and many others in the decades that followed, and to hear the quartet in full flight backed by jazz horns and arrangements is indeed something special, particularly since the Freshmen stack their vocals like a horn chart anyway. It makes for fun stuff, and it's heartbreakingly gorgeous more often than not. Highlights here include the breezy opening track, "Laura," the stone cold classic "Graduation Day," and the closer, "Goodnight Sweetheart." These guys must have eaten breakfast, lunch and dinner with the angels, because angels are what they sound like.

In 1998, Collectors' Choice released Voices in Love/Love Lost, which contained two complete albums - Voices in Love (1958, originally released on Capitol) and Love Lost (1959, originally released on Capitol) - by the Four Freshmen on one compact disc.
The Four Freshmen were one of the top vocal groups of the 1950s, and formed the bridge between '40s ensembles like the Mel-Tones and harmony-based rock & roll bands such as the Beach Boys as well as groups like Spanky & Our Gang and the Manhattan Transfer…

Day by Day consists of 15 tracks recorded in 1962 for broadcast on a public-service program sponsored by the Navy. Though these cuts aren't as polished as the album versions, most of the Four Freshmen's best-known songs are here: "Their Hearts Were Full of Spring," the title track, "Route 66," and "Lulu's Back in Town." The arrangements are loose, and the solos are a bit more sprightly than their original versions. "Once in Love with Amy," recorded with Russ Barbour doing his best Donald Duck impersonation, will strike listeners as either hilarious or abrasive.

Four Freshmen - Four Freshmen and 5 Trombones (1955) {2015 Japan Universal 100 Series UCCU-99192}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 102 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 78 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 15 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1955, 2015 Capitol / Universal Japan | UCCU-99192
Jazz / Vocal Jazz / Harmony Vocal Group / Early Pop / Mainstream Jazz / Trombone

A masterpiece – and possibly the greatest record ever by the Four Freshmen! The album is arranged by Kentonite Pete Rugolo, who gives it a very dark feel – similar to his amazing work on June Christy's Something Cool album (which is a perfect complement to this one) – and he's selected a core group of west coast jazzers to back the Freshmen up, including Barney Kessel, Shelly Manne, Frank Rosolino, and Claude Williamson. Don't worry about the "trombone" part, because the horns are used to provide dark deep washes of emotion to the songs – with the boys' vocals way out over the top, in mindblowing harmonies that could also exist perfectly without any backing.

The Capitol Collectors Series CD has their most popular material; this concentrates on their LP tracks, offering 18 cuts that they recorded between 1954 and 1961. As is par for the course on Capitol's Spotlight series, the emphasis is on orchestrated standards.