High Society (soundtrack)

Untitled

High Society is a 1956 soundtrack album, featuring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Grace Kelly. This was Crosby's fifth LP album, and his first recorded for Capitol Records. It was the soundtrack for the MGM feature film High Society, also released in 1956. Initially issued on vinyl either in mono or stereo format, the album has been issued on CD by Capitol in Japan (CD: TOCP-6587) in 1991 and by Capitol in the UK (CD: CDP 793787-2) in 1995. The album was also included in a 3-CD box set called "Original Soundtrack Recordings" issued by the EMI Music Group Australasia

Crosby's exclusive recording contract with Decca Records expired at the end of 1955 and he chose to go freelance.

After his recording of "True Love" with Grace Kelly went gold, Crosby joked that it was the only gold record to feature a real-life princess. "True Love" was the only song in the album to be nominated for an Academy Award but it lost out to "Que Sera, Sera".

Reception

The UK magazine The Gramophone liked the album saying: "...Lastly on Capitol LCT6116 El Bingo is heard along with nearly everybody else—Louis Armstrong, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra, for example—in the film "High Society". These numbers by Cole Porter are mostly available by the same artists on 45s, but whichever way you buy it do not neglect the wonderful 'Now You Has Jazz', in which Crosby introduces the band. It is an old gambit, but seldom fails, and certainly not here."

Personnel in Louis Armstrong band

Louis Armstrong (tpt); Trummy Young (tbn); Edmond Hall (clt); Billy Kyle (pno); Arvell Shaw (bs); Barrett Deems (dms)

Track listing

SIDE ONE

1. "High Society" (Overture) - Johnny Green, conducting the MGM Studio Orchestra - 3.32
2. "High Society Calypso" - Louis Armstrong and His Band - 2.14
3. "Little One" - Bing Crosby - 2.33
4. "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" - Celeste Holm, Frank Sinatra - 2.08
5. "True Love" - Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly - 3.07

SIDE TWO

1. "You're Sensational" - Frank Sinatra - 3.56
2. "I Love You, Samantha" - Bing Crosby - 4.30
3. "Now You Has Jazz" - Louis Armstrong and His Band, Bing Crosby - 4.18
4. "Well, Did You Evah!" - Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra - 3.50 (Note: the stereo version does not include Crosby's adlib "You must be one of the newer fellas.")
5. "Mind If I Make Love to You?" - Frank Sinatra - 2.24

All songs written by Cole Porter.

Chart positions

Chart	Year	Peak position
UK Albums Chart	1957	1
Billboard Best-Selling Pop Albums Chart	1956	5
Billboard Most Played by Jockeys Albums Chart	1956	1

Credits

• Louis Armstrong Performer, Primary Artist, Trumpet, Vocals
• Louis Armstrong & His Big Band Ensemble
• Saul Chaplin Adaptation, Music Supervisor
• Bing Crosby Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals
• Johnny Green Adaptation, Conductor, Music Supervisor
• Celeste Holm Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals
• Grace Kelly Performer, Primary Artist
• Skip Martin Orchestration
• Cole Porter Composer, Primary Artist
• Cole Porter Orchestra Performer, Primary Artist
• Nelson Riddle Orchestration
• Conrad Salinger Orchestration
• Frank Sinatra Performer, Primary Artist, Vocals
• Charles Walters Director