Rodgers and Hart Revisited IV was the fourth of what would become a five-volume set of rare Rodgers and Hart songs, an amazing set of mostly undiscovered (especially at the time the albums were done) Rodgers and Hart gems. Those five volumes were one of the crown jewels of the Ben Bagley Revisited series. For the fourth volume, Bagley gathered together a pretty stellar company, including Elaine Stritch, Anthony Perkins, Lynn Redgrave, Nancy Andrews, Blossom Dearie, and crooner, Johnny Desmond. The arrangements and orchestrations are by frequent Bagley collaborator, Dennis Deal.

Rodgers’ work with Hart is brilliant and original, jazzy, romantic, and fabulously inventive. In this, the fourth volume, you get rarities from Heads Up, I Married an Angel, Simple Simon,Garrick Gaities, Two Weeks with Pay, I’d Rather Be Right, Chee Chee, and cut songs from Pal Joey, By Jupiter, and Betsy. Rediscovering this rare material is a gift from the heavens and the cast here is just wonderful.

These albums were and still are a tonic for this crazy world. Brilliantly constructed, witty, fun, heartfelt, and even occasionally sentimental, but all in their style, which was like no one else’s. We all know the classics, but what fun to discover the rarities.

As we’ve done for all these releases, we’ve considerably spruced up the sound for this new release. And the cover art is, of course, by the great Harvey Schmidt. -KRITZERLAND

Heads Up (Medley)
1.1 Men And Women– Knees
1.2 Johnny Desmond– It Must Be Heaven
1.3 Men And Women– Me For You
2 Lynn Redgrave– I Love You More Than Yesterday
3 Anthony Perkins– I Can Do Wonders With You
4 Lynn Redgrave– Queen Elizabeth
5 Johnny Desmond– Now That I Know You

I Married An Angel (Medley)
6.1 Nancy Andrews and Her Men– Did You Ever Get Stung?
6.2 Blossom Dearie– A Twinkle In Your Eye
6.3 Nancy Andrews (2) and Her Men– How To Win Friends And Influence People

I'd Rather Be Right (Medley)
7.1 The Women– Take And Take And Take
7.2 Johnny Desmond– I'd Rather Be Right
7.3 Men And Women– Sweet Sixty-Five

8 Anthony Perkins– I'm Talking To My Pal
9 Lynn Redgrave and Men– Fool Meets Fool
10 Elaine Stritch– A Little Souvenir
11 Anthony Perkins, Nancy Andrews – You're The Mother Type
12 Blossom Dearie– Moon Of My Delight
13 Nancy Andrews and Chorus– Grand Finale

Musical Direction, Vocal Arrangements, and Orchestrations by Dennis Deal