[George Lyons]

Moody River isn't a Christmas song, huh?

Additional Playing Favorites lineup just announced:

Upcoming hosts:

• 12/10 Debby Boone
• 12/17 Pat Boone
• 12/24 Best Of Playing Favorites with Pat Boone, Lorrie Morgan and Steve Tyrell
• 12/31 Frankie Valli
• 1/7 Tita Cahn paying tribute to her late husband, Sammy Cahn
• 1/14 Dionne Warwick
• 1/21 Lesley Gore

[Mark Blackburn]

Thanks for the cheer, I hope you didn't mind my bending your ear . . .

I'm listening at this moment to Frank's "first take was the only take" studio version of "One for My Baby," so brilliantly described by Chuck Granata in his unsurpassed "Sinatra Sessions" masterwork -- how the producer arranged for a single spotlight, in a studio jammed packed with people, keeping their silence and refraining from applause.

I see by the previous page (5) thanks to Bob in Boston that I'm listening to Anthony (of Little Anthony and the Imperials fame) -- playing his favorites by Sinatra.

I just had to come here to relate a bit of synchronicity that is positively spooky! I'm drinking champagne (from Chile) by my lonesome and "Little Anthony" (bet he's no longer little, like "little Stevie Wonder" LOL!) and I'd been thinking of something my favorite 'spiritual writer' (Hillary Clinton's favorite too) "Henri Nouwen" once observed about our "true friends."

Henri Nouwen, a Dutch-born American priest (who taught at Yale, Harvard and Notre Dame before serving at a "L'Arche" home for the handicapped in Toronto, for the final 16 years of his life) wrote:

“When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives means the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand.”

Lo and behold, "Little Anthony" selects, as his favorite version of "Angel Eyes" by far the best live performance of this song (1981, MSG performance, I'm guessing? I don't own that CD -- yet!)

At the end of which there is thunderous applause and my wife just called out, "that's superb!" (She's not sharing the champagne, left over from last night -- "my stomach's not right," she says).

In the introduction Frank says of the protagonist (in "Angel Eyes") that,

"He doesn't want any answers . . . he just wants to talk."

My compliments to "Little Anthony" for choosing to include this "best-ever" version of "Angel Eyes" with that extended introduction by Frank, and including the long spoken 'extro.'

"It's just tea (& honey) . . . and if you believe that, I have 400 thousand acres of swampland over in Jersey to sell you!"

Originally Posted by Mark Blackburn

My compliments to "Little Anthony" for choosing to include this "best-ever" version of "Angel Eyes" with that extended introduction by Frank, and including the long spoken 'extro.'

It's a bit deceptive, Mark. That version of "Angel Eyes" with extended intro and following monologue (from The Main Event, live from Madison Square Garden [Buffalo, actually] in 1974) was inserted as filler by Sirius. It was not part of the selections chosen by Little Anthony (and not played in the previous shows this week), although it was certainly nice to hear.

Show #15 — Debby Boone: Dec. 10–15, 2007

1. Peachtree Street (duet with Rosemary Clooney)
2. My Shining Hour
3. The Song Is You
4. Night And Day
5. Come Rain Or Come Shine
6. Debby Boone – It Never Entered My Mind / In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning *
7. Just In Time
8. The Lady Is A Tramp
9. Someone To Watch Over Me
10. Send In The Clowns
11. Debby Boone – Time After Time *
12. All The Way
13. Stardust

* Selections from Debby Boone's 2005 Concord Records album, Reflections Of Rosemary

Very nice song selection and commentary this week by Debby Boone. Worth a listen!

Show #16 — Pat Boone: Dec. 17–25, 2007

1. Frank Sinatra – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
2. Bing Crosby & Carol Richards – Silver Bells
3. Frank Sinatra – Winter Wonderland
4. Perry Como – (There's No Place Like) Home For The Holidays
5. Pat Boone – In Harm's Way
6. Dean Martin – Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
7. Frank Sinatra – Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
8. Nat King Cole – The Christmas Song
9. Rosemary Clooney – Little Drummer Boy
10. Frank Sinatra – An Old Fashioned Christmas
11. Pat Boone – An Old Fashioned Christmas
12. Ella Fitzgerald – It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
13. Bing Crosby – White Christmas
14. Frank Sinatra – Ave Maria
15. Tony Bennett – Christmas Medley

[SinatraFan]

Good Christmas show with Pat Boone... he had some nice stories about Frank and Rosemary Clooney and even promoted his new album. The song selection was nice with plenty of songs by Frank including Ave Maria.

[Taylor]

< Moody River isn't a Christmas song, huh? >

No, but Andy Williams claims "Moon River" is his favorite Christmas song.

I've added an index to the playlists for all past shows in the lead post of this thread. I will keep this updated in the future.

(Show #3 hosted by Lorrie Morgan is being played right now, during this week of repeats.)

I happened to hear Pat Boone doing a show on Sirius 75 the other day. I hadn't heard him on there before. Does anyone know if he's been on awhile, or was this relatively new? I enjoyed his personal insights to the music and the artists. I actually didn't know that his daughter was married to Rosemary Clooney's son. When I heard him talk about that my mind did one of those six degrees of separation thing because I knew that Frank had recorded songs with Rosemary Clooney when they both were under contract with Columbia.
Is his show a regular feature?

Originally Posted by Tom Masselli

Is his show a regular feature?

Playing Favorites is a regular weekly feature. It's usually just three shows a week for each host, but they played Pat Boone's program more often during Christmas week. I believe they're all done with the repeats of his program.

Look back through this thread for all the past shows. There's an index now in the lead post.

Steve Tyrell's Show #4 will be repeated today at noon ET.

The New Year's Eve show on Monday (6 pm ET) will be hosted by Frankie Valli.

[SYLMML]

Bob...I have to thank you again for all the links, you make it easy for all of us.

I'm lisening to Steve Tyrell and I'm enjoying him talk about Nancy, Frank Jr, Tina and of course Frank Sinatra!

[Mark]

I caught Steve's show today!!! He kicked it right off with his favorite, 'That's Life,' talkin' about the bluesy Frank.

I love the 'Playing Favorites' programming. Great, great idea.

Sylvia: You're most welcome.

(Just for that, I won't quit doing it—until next year, at least!)

Show #17 — Frankie Valli: Dec. 31, 2007–Jan. 5, 2008

1. All Or Nothing At All (swinging Riddle version)
2. Angel Eyes
3. [ It Was A Very Good Year ]
4. Chicago
5. (Theme From) New York, New York
6. I've Got You Under My Skin
7. Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons – I've Got You Under My Skin (1966)
8. My Way
9. If You Are But A Dream (Stordahl version)
10. [ Blues In The Night ]
11. Night And Day (Costa strings version)
12. [ There's No Business Like Show Business ]

[ Songs in brackets were not introduced or referenced by Frankie Valli. ]

Short show by Frankie Valli (45 minutes). Repeats tonight at 10 pm Eastern.

[SYLMML]

I missed the early show today, will catch it at 10:00 tonight. I'm looking forward to hearing Frank sing "If You Are But A Dream". (my late brother Tommy's favorite Sinatra song).

B.J. Thomas has been added to the Playing Favorites guest host lineup for the week of January 28, 2008. See the index in post #1.