Blue Skies (Decca album)

Updated on Dec 19, 2023

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Recorded 1946 Release date 1 October 2011 Label Hallmark Records		Artists Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire Genre Classical

Released 1946 (original 78rpm album) 1949 (original LP album) Length 27:09 (original 78rpm album) 21:41 (original LP album) Blue Skies (1946) Bing Crosby – Jerome Kern (1946) Blue Skies (1946) The Astaire Story (1952) Similar Favorite Hawaiian Songs - V, Victor Herbert Melodies, Favorite Hawaiian Songs - V, Selections from Going My Way, Bing Crosby – Jerome K

Bing sings blue skies

Blue Skies is a studio album of phonograph records by Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire released in 1946 featuring songs that were presented in the American musical film Blue Skies. Like Song Hits from Holiday Inn, the entire 78 rpm album would be composed of Irving Berlin songs written specifically for the film. This was the first release of one of Astaire's greatest songs, "Puttin' On the Ritz", on shellac disc record.

Blue skies bing crosby

Reception

Down Beat magazine liked it:

Don’t miss this show album. Any of the complete score albums that Decca turns out have rotten tunes thrown in with the good. This one is no exception - but it does have Crosby, and Astaire in what may very well be his last wax appearance. Astaire may be no singer, but even on wax, his personality comes through.

The album quickly entered Billboard's album charts reaching the No. 2 spot and was also ranked No. 20 of the top selling popular record albums for 1947.

Track listing

These newly issued songs were featured on a 5-disc, 78 rpm album set Decca Album No. A-481. The first four discs are sung by Bing Crosby, while the last disc has Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire dueting on "A Couple of Song and Dance Men" and Astaire soloing on "Puttin' On the Ritz". All music and lyrics by Irving Berlin.

LP release

Eight of the songs were included on the Decca 10" LP Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" (DL 5042) issued in 1949. The omissions were "A Serenade to an Old-Fashioned Girl" and "Everybody Step".

Side one