(LP & CD, Liberty Records, 1960)
Many audiophiles are well aware of Julie London, but many surprisingly are not. She came to my attention only early in this century – over thirty years after her last ‘regular’ album was released in 1969 – in a CD collection of women torch singers. Once I did discover her I fell hard, as have so many other (mainly male) music fans before me. She was an iconic figure in American popular music in the fifties and early sixties. “Cool” or “lounge” music was much in vogue in that time, and though her albums generally were thought of such I will assert that her best work, at least, transcended such categorization.
Her voice – a smoky contralto – conveys a downright... ah, pronounced sexuality, the like of which few other female vocalists have ever achieved. Her album covers were designed to support that image. She was actually rather shy about appearing in person though she conquered it well, often with the help of a drink before going on stage. Billboard named her America’s most popular female vocalist three years running, in 1955-57, no minor recognition. She had a successful concurrent career in movies, and after she retired from recording she continued acting, most notably as nurse Dixie McCall in the TV series Emergency.
It was difficult choosing which London album to review, but I wanted one that was really good and one I felt had not received the attention it deserved – at least, not this century. As well as being a fine album and excellent example of London’s work, I don’t believe After Midnight has received the attention that some of her other albums have, which is to say the audiophile remastering and reissue treatment.
In 1955 London had provided the Liberty record label its first big hit with her rendition of “Cry Me a River” and became one of their biggest artists. Five years later she was arguably in her vocal prime and regularly turning out albums that if not exactly chart-toppers never failed to sell well, of which this is a fine example. Around Midnight was one of two she released in 1960, and is regarded by at least some critics as one of her best. Many of her albums feature her fronting smaller jazz combos, but here she is backed by more big-band orchestrations and that works for her just fine indeed.
Her voice is in wonderful form here, caressing the lyrics and notes as well as she ever did. The songs are well chosen, by some of America’s great songsmiths, including the Gershwins, Irving Berlin, Comden and Green, and other luminaries – some of the songs are standards, others are less well known.
Some of the songs swing; “Lonely Night In Paris,” “You and the Night and the Music” “But Not for Me,” are good examples. Others are more ballads, such as “The Party’s Over,” “Misty,” and “Something Cool.” The numbers differ in styles, but London’s treatment and the backing orchestration vary accordingly and are very well done.
On first exposure some may label London’s music as dated and “schmaltzy.” I can understand that, but I hope they can get past that impression to give it a serious and considered listen. I suggest that doing so in the evening with an appropriate adult beverage to hand may improve one’s appreciation. On this album, I have to say that her version of “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” might possibly make you forget Sinatra’s more famous rendition. And her smoky rendition of “Black Coffee” is just about worth the price of admission in itself.
Around Midnight was London’s 12th of 33 albums released during her lifetime. (I know of six others released since she died in 2000, and there may be more than that.) Not all of them were great – some her albums are admittedly a bit... variable in their overall quality, but most are very worthwhile indeed. (I own all of the 33, in more than one pressing/version.) I believe they are all available as CD of course and probably streaming, but – please: For Julie London I must recommend the LPs even more than I usually do – her vocals are best experienced and appreciated in analog. (A caveat: Liberty Records was not known for high-quality pressing, and caution should be used when considering used copies.)
A few of her albums have been reissued in audiophile formats/ pressings, which are a good bet. Most of her albums have also been produced by the Japanese in good fidelity LP and CD formats, and those I have had very good luck with. New copies of those are probably rather costly, but if you can find used ones on the internet they may be more reasonable.