Ben Bagley’s Frank Loesser Revisited is another delightful entry in the Revisited series. Back when these Revisited LPs came out they were like an oasis in the desert. Even when they were issued on CD, these were still frequently the only recordings of certain songs.

Frank Loesser was one of the great treasures of The Great American Songbook – so many of his songs become timeless classics, both the songs for which he wrote music and lyrics and the songs for which he only wrote lyrics with other composers. He also wrote a few of the greatest musicals ever written, including Guys and Dolls, The Most Happy Fella, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He regularly wrote for the movies and those songs produced a huge number of hits for many of the biggest stars. And they continue to be recorded and his show continue to be revived. Even his less successful musicals are chockful of great songs.

As with all of Bagley’s Revisited series, you’ll get a few classics but mostly you’ll get some Loesser-known songs, all of them quite delightful and uniquely Loesser. The performers are great and include Jo Sullivan Loesser and daughter Emily Loesser, plus Blossom Dearie, Johnny Desmond, Rhonda Fleming, Madeline Kahn, Bibi Osterwald, Gloria Swanson, and Margaret Whiting, with arrangements by the brilliant Dick Hyman. The performers are all top-notch and this is one of the best of the Bagleys.

As we’ve done with the other albums in this series, we have considerably spruced up the sound. For the CD release, Bagley went into the studio and recorded bonus material to fill out the CD length. And as with all the Bagley albums, you get the wonderful Harvey Schmidt artwork.

BEN BAGLEY’S FRANK LOESSER REVISITED is limited to 500 copies.

1 Rhonda Fleming - Kiss the Boys Goodbye [from Kiss the Boys Goodbye] 3:15
2 Blossom Dearie - Three Cornered Tune [cut from Guys and Dolls] 2:06
3 Margaret Whiting - I Wish I Didn't Love You So [from Perils of Pauline] 3:38
4 Johnny Desmond - Dancing on a Dime [from Dancing on a Dime] 2:58
5 Madeline Kahn - Rumble, Rumble, Rumble [from Perils of Pauline] 2:54
6 Blossom Dearie - Snug as a Bug in a Rug [from The Gracie Allen Murder Case] 2:06
7 Rhonda Fleming - Where Are You Now That I Need You? [from Red, Hot and Blue] 3:49
8 Bibi Osterwald - Hamlet [from Red, Hot and Blue] 3:12
9 Margaret Whiting - Poppa Don't Preach to Me [from Perils of Pauline] 2:53
10 Johnny Desmond - Why Fight the Feeling [from Let's Dance] 2:51
11 Gloria Swanson - They're Either Too Young or Too Old [from Thank Your Lucky Stars] 4:02
12 Rhonda Fleming - Let's Get Lost [from Happy Go Lucky] 3:02
13 Bibi Osterwald - "Murder", He Says [from Happy Go Lucky] 2:52
14 Blossom Dearie - Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary [from Las Vegas Nights] 1:54
15 Margaret Whiting and Johnny Desmond - Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year [from Christmas Holiday] 3:40
16 Rhonda Fleming - Pleasures and Palaces [from Pleasures and Palaces] 3:13
17 Emily Loesser and Jo Sullivan - You Understand Me [from Senor Discretion Himself] 2:53
18 Jo Sullivan, Emily Loesser, Colin Romoff and Douglas Romoff - Wind at My Window 2:58
19 Colin Romoff, Emily Loesser and Jo Sullivan - Travelin' Light [cut from Guys and Dolls] 2:08
20 Jo Sullivan and Colin Romoff - Delicatessen of My Dreams 2:09
21 Jo Sullivan - Bless the Day [cut from Greenwillow] 3:20
22 Emily Loesser and Jo Sullivan - Hans Christian Anderson Medley [from Hans Christian Anderson] 4:50