Sing More Golden Hits

In 1960, as a follow-up to We Got Us, its first LP release by the married duo of Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, ABC-Paramount Records released Eydie Gorme and Steve Lawrence Sing the Golden Hits, which was not, as the title might have suggested, a compilation of previously recorded tracks, but rather a newly recorded collection of songs that had been hits for other artists, mostly back in the big-band era. On the other hand, this album, Sing More Golden Hits, really is a compilation of previously recorded tracks, issued as a budget-priced disc by MCA Special Products. MCA absorbed the old ABC-Paramount label long ago, and the ten songs on what would appear to be a sequel to Sing the Golden Hits actually come mostly from its predecessor, We Got Us. That album didn't contain Steve & Eydie hits, either, but it did contain a bunch of songs well suited to duet treatment, songs like "Side by Side" and "Together Wherever We Go." (The latter was written as a trio, in fact, but is easily adaptable.) Of course, the singers have a natural musical affinity, with their clear voices and precise enunciation, but they don't put much heat or characterization into their performances. So, for example, "Baby, It's Cold Outside," which ought to have an erotic undercurrent, doesn't, and Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe's "I Remember It Well" from Gigi, in which two old lovers remember things differently, lacks the affectionate bite it should display. Lawrence and Gorme certainly sound like a happy couple, and they sing well, but neither of them digs into the meanings of the lyrics very deeply. The album concludes with Gorme's solo treatment of "And the Angels Sing," the Benny Goodman hit, which comes from the Sing the Golden Hits LP.