St. Patrick's Day (album)

St. Patrick's Day is a compilation album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby released in 1947 featuring songs with an Irish theme. This includes one of Crosby's most-beloved songs, "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral" which was number four on Billboard for 12 weeks, and topped the Australian charts for an entire month,[1] on shellac disc record. This version, the 1945 re-recording, was released earlier in another Crosby album, Selections from Going My Way.

St. Patrick's Day
Compilation album by
Bing Crosby
Released1947 (original 78rpm album)
1949 (10" LP album)
1949 (45rpm album)
Recorded1940, 1945, 1946
GenrePopular, Irish
Length28:54 (original 78rpm release)
23:00 (10" LP release)
22:45 (45rpm release)
LabelDecca
Bing Crosby chronology
Bing Crosby – Jerome Kern
(1946)		 St. Patrick's Day
(1947)		 Bing Crosby – Victor Herbert
(1947)

Reception

Billboard liked it:

Aiming at maximum holiday sales, this package of five platters brings together 10 Erin faves cut at varying times by Bing Crosby, getting vocal assist on some of the sides from the Jesters and the King's Men, while the music making belongs to Bob Haggart, Victor Young and John Scott Trotter. Der Bingle in good Erin form for each of the sides and song selections are tops ... Photo of the smiling Bing on the album cover, with notes on the singer and the songs in the accompanying booklet.[2]

Down Beat was not impressed however saying:

Bing's album, despite his usual graceful ease of interpretation, lacks his old fullness of voice. If Crosby is going to keep on making records with his evident sloppiness and lack of interest, it would be better if he would stop now and let his millions of fans remember him by his older and far better discs.[3]

The album quickly reached No. 3 in Billboard's best-selling popular record albums chart in March 1947[4] and was still selling well the following year when it reached No. 1 in the same chart on 20 March 1948. It was 18th in the annual chart of top selling record albums for 1948.[5]

Original track listing

These previously issued songs were featured on a 5-disc, 78 rpm album set, Decca Album No. A-495.[6]

Side / TitleWriter(s) Recording datePerformed withTime
Disc 1 (23495):
A. "McNamara's Band"Shamus O'Connor and John J. StamfordDecember 6, 1945the Jesters, and Bob Haggart and His Orchestra2:40
B. "Dear Old Donegal"Steve GrahamDecember 6, 1945the Jesters, and Bob Haggart and His Orchestra2:35
Disc 2 (23786):
A. "Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder?"George L. GieferDecember 6, 1945the Jesters, and Bob Haggart and His Orchestra2:27
B. "It's the Same Old Shillelagh"Pat WhiteDecember 6, 1945the Jesters, and Bob Haggart and His Orchestra2:44
Disc 3 (23787):
A. "Did Your Mother Come From Ireland?"Jimmy Kennedy, Michael CarrDecember 9, 1940The King's Men and Victor Young and His Orchestra3:10
B. "Where the River Shannon Flows"James J. RussellDecember 9, 1940The King's Men and Victor Young and His Orchestra3:06
Disc 4 (23788):
A. "The Rose of Tralee"Charles W. Glover, E. Mordaunt SpencerJuly 17, 1945John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra3:15
B. "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling"Chauncey Olcott, George Graff Jr.May 7, 1946John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra2:52
Disc 5 (23789):
A. "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral"James Royce ShannonJuly 17, 1945John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra3:17
B. "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen"Thomas P. WestendorfJuly 17, 1945John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra2:48

[7]

LP track listing

The 1949 10" LP album issue Decca DL 5037 consisted of eight songs on one 33 1/3 rpm record. It left out two of the songs, "I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen" and "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral".[8] The album reached the No. 3 spot in Billboard's album charts in March 1951.[4]

Side 1

  1. "McNamara's Band"
  2. "Dear Old Donegal"
  3. "Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder?"
  4. "It's the Same Old Shillelagh"

Side 2

  1. "Did Your Mother Come From Ireland?"
  2. "Where the River Shannon Flows"
  3. "The Rose of Tralee"
  4. "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling"[8]

Other releases

In 1949, the album along with the LP, was released on a set of four 45 rpm records on Decca 9–49. This version left out the songs "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" and "The Rose of Tralee" Many of Crosby's Irish songs have been released on other newer albums, but no further incarnations of this album were produced.

References
  1. "Song artist 4 – Bing Crosby".
  2. "Billboard". Billboard: 106. 8 March 1947.
  3. "Down Beat". Down Beat. 26 March 1947.
  4. Whitburn, Joel. Joel Whitburn's Top LP's, 1945 – 1972. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 39.
  5. "Billboard". Billboard. 1 January 1949.
  6. "DECCA (USA) 78rpm numerical listing discography: 23500 – 24000".
  7. "A Bing Crosby Discography - part 1b: Commercial Recordings - The Decca Years". Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  8. "Bing Crosby and the Jesters – St. Patrick's Day".
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