'S Wonderful (album)

'S Wonderful!
Studio album by Ray Conniff
Released 1956
Recorded 1955/1956
Genre Pop, Easy listening
Length 30:21
Language English
Label Columbia
Producer Mitch Miller
Ray Conniff chronology

'S Wonderful!
(1956)
Dance the Bop!
(1957)

 '​S Wonderful is a 1956 album by Ray Conniff, his orchestra and (wordless) chorus. It was his first album released under his name. The album was produced completely in Mono by Mitch Miller at Columbia Records' 30th Street Studios in New York City.

Recording dates*:

November 11, 1955: Stardust / Begin The Beguine (to be released as a single first)

March 26, 1956: Dancing In The Dark / That Old Black Magic

June 15, 1956: September Song / Speak Low / I Get A Kick Out Of You / Sometimes I'm Happy

June 18, 1956: 'S Wonderful / Wagon Wheels / I'm An Old Cowhand / Sentimental Journey (* the dates refer to Ray Conniff's diaries)

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

The Allmusic review by William Ruhlmann awarded the album 4.5 stars stating "Conniff updated the big band sound to the '50s, retaining its danceable tempos and building upon the unison section innovations of Glenn Miller...Employing standards with familiar melodies, the imaginativeness of his work became all the more noticeable."[1]

Track listing

International edition [2][3]
No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "'S Wonderful"  George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin 2:29
2. "Dancing in the Dark"  Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz 2:46
3. "Speak Low"  Kurt Weill, Ogden Nash 3:55
4. "Wagon Wheels"  John Leipold 3:15
5. "Sentimental Journey"  Les Brown, Ben Homer, Arthur Green 2:42
6. "Begin The Beguine"  Cole Porter 2:42
7. "September Song"  Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson 2:46
8. "I Get a Kick out of You"  Cole Porter 3:14
9. "Stardust"  Hoagy Carmichael, Mitchell Parish 2:18
10. "I'm An Old Cow Hand"  Johnny Mercer 2:55
11. "Sometimes I'm Happy"  Vincent Youmans, Irving Caesar 3:02
12. "That Old Black Magic"  Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer 2:47

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Ruhlmann, William. " '​S Wonderfull! Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  2. " '​S Wonderfull! Information". Amazon.com. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  3. " '​S Wonderfull! Information". iTunes. Retrieved 1 May 2011.