[78-L] White Christmas

[Kristjan Saag]

Bud Black wrote:


> Bing Crosby actually recorded White Christmas twice for Decca.  Once in
> 1942 and again in 1947.  In the '42 version he "trills" the word 
> "dreaming," but
> sings it straight in '47,  I seem to have read somewhere (perhaps here) 
> that
> the reason it was re-recorded in '47 was because the original master was
> worn out.  Can anyone confirm this?
---
Funny that Decca didn't use the 1942 take A instead (couldn't have been worn 
out) - it's been released since, on this compilation, for instance
http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/pid/1104153/a/Voice+Of+Christmas:+The+Complete+Decca+Christmas+Songbook.htm
But let's not forget this recording, although it wasn't by Decca or for the 
turntables, at the time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Mjb4yLMeK8&feature=related
This was done before May 29 1942 (some time between November 1941 and 
February 1942) and is the oldest version of the song that has survived. 
(Martha Mears dubs for Marjorie Reynolds).
Bing's NBC radio broadcast form Christmas Day 1941 seems to have got lost.
Kristjan