Garage Sale Vinyl: Tony Bennett

Tony’s Greatest Hits / Columbia Records / 1958

by Christopher Long

Truth be told, I’d grown up listening to Tony Bennett records. To this day, I actually keep an original 1958 mono pressing of Tony’s Greatest Hits right next to my modest home office audio setup. Upon hearing the heartbreaking news of Bennett’s passing last week, I reached over six feet, grabbed my prized LP, mugged for a unique selfie, and posted it, pronto, on a popular social media platform. The simple caption read, “RIP Mr. Bennett. You’ll ALWAYS be the greatest!” And I had to smile, as a sea of my friends and followers soon joined me in this online celebration of life, “liking” and commenting on the little tribute. Then I was reminded of the cozy story of how I first was introduced to Tony Bennett’s timeless music, more than 50 years ago.

As a kid growing up in the Midwest during the late 1960s and early ’70s, I spent as much time hanging out at the Deskin residence as I did at my own house — Joe remains my lifetime bestie. Laney was that understanding “cool” mom in whom all of Joe’s friends could confide. To say his dad, Howard, was “obsessed” with music would be to understate the man’s passion. And Howard loved to blast his beloved jazz and big band records — loud. Dude, can you dial it down, just a smidge? In fact, when it came to music, Joe’s dad was what the late American philosopher Rick James would have described as a “Super Freak.”

With its multi-big-knob receiver, hi-fidelity turntable, quadrophonic reel-to-reel tape machine and MASSIVE 12-inch speakers, Howard’s stereo system was state-of-the-art in 1973. His comprehensive collection of hundreds (and hundreds) of pristine LPs included such contemporary artists of the day as the Carpenters, John Denver, and Barbra Streisand. It also included classics from the likes of the legendary Sarah Vaughan, the incomparable Nat “King” Cole, and — the great Tony Bennett.

Howard’s complete audio arsenal and LP collection all was housed in a sizable closet unit located in the family room. Even Joe’s young, naïve, ragamuffin associates knew better than to even look or point in the direction of “the closet,” especially when it was open. Keep on walking, kids. There’s nothing to see here.

Shortly after Howard’s passing a couple of years ago, I found myself visiting the ol’ hometown while traveling on my promotional book tour. One day, Joe and I drove over to his parents’ new-millennium condo. Upon walking into a back bedroom, Joe flung the closet door wide open. Angelic trumpets sounded instantly as I squinted from the bright light beaming down from Heaven. Whoa! There it was! Howard’s complete famed record collection. “It’s all yours,” Joe announced, grinning from ear to ear.

I couldn’t believe it. This was the single biggest, most stupefying blessing I’d received since that time Denise Kirschner agreed to go with me to the high school homecoming dance back in ‘78. But how on earth was I gonna transport 1,000 LPs from the “Show Me State” to the “Sunshine State?” I was flying home the next day with only one personal carry-on. Regretfully, I had to pass on Joe’s very generous offer.

But like a champ, a couple of months later, Joe showed up on my GF’s driveway — in Florida, with the ass-end of his minivan nearly dragging the pavement, as he’d hauled the entire load of Howard’s LPs cross-country. I was speechless. Among the seemingly endless array of records from Frank, Judy, Nat, Babs, Sarah, and so many others, was a SLEW of Tony Bennett titles — including the aforementioned original 1958 mono pressing of Tony’s Greatest Hits.

Overseen primarily by bandleader, composer, and conductor Percy Faith, Tony’s Greatest Hits was packed with many of Bennett’s most beautiful early hits and oozed the kind of gorgeous production you still can only experience from orchestral recordings of that era. Enhanced further by authentic cozy crackle, the record instantly became the crown jewel of my newly-acquired classic crooner collection.

Bennett’s 1953 recording of “Stranger In Paradise” arguably remains the most popular version of the oft-covered standard. Recorded in April 1951, “Because of You” was Bennett’s first major hit, reaching #1, where it remained for more than two months.

The first of the album’s two songs written by Hank Williams, “Cold, Cold Heart” was recorded and released by Williams in 1951, not long before it became a #1 hit for Bennett. The second Williams song, “There’ll Be No Teardrops Tonight” was a Williams hit in 1949, five years before Bennett’s hit version.

Among the many other album highlights was the 1953 chart-topper, “Rags to Riches,” along with the less successful “Young and Warm and Wonderful,” as well as Bennett’s non-charting debut single, the tango-driven “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.”

Tony’s Greatest Hits would be re-released in a semi-stereo format a few years later, in 1962. However, for my money, you just can’t beat the splendor of the original 1958 mono mix.

I truly felt blessed as we unloaded the dozen or so crates from Joe’s minivan the day he rolled up at my GF’s. These records were so important to me. And I got ‘em — ALL of ‘em — for F-R-E-E-! Ah, yes, rediscovering the magic of music… for “a song.”

Thanks for the music and the memories, Howard. You’ll always be a Super Freak in my book!

(5/5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tony’s Greatest Hits Track List

SIDE ONE

1. Stranger In Paradise (Forrest, Wright)

1. Cold, Cold Heart (Williams)

1. Because Of You (Hammerstein, Wilkinson)

1. Rags To Riches (Ross, Adler)

1. Boulevard Of Broken Dreams (Dubin, Warren)

1. Young And Warm And Wonderful (Zaret, Singer)

SIDE TWO

1. In The Middle Of An Island (Acquaviva, Varnick)

1. Ca, C’Est L’Amour (Porter)

1. Just In Time (Green, Comden, Styne)

1. There’ll Be No Teardrops Tonight (Williams)

1. Anywhere I Wander (Loesser)

1. Sing You Sinners (Coslow, Harling)

Tony Bennett