Sorry about seeming to be snarky about Bing and Russ. I like Sablon, the "French Crosby," who sounded amazing like Bing. Blue of the Night seems like a killer of a song to sing right, with long line phrasing and brutal breathe control required; an American Il Mio Tesoro. Listening to Russ and Bing singing Blue... I got to wondering which one of them might have cracked first.
Both guys were singing with the vocal cords they had inside them, but for some reason Russ's voice always seemed a little thicker than Bing's. Maybe he should have sung a little higher and tried a tenor range. But all this was 80 years ago. Actually I like Jean Sablon better than Bing or Russ.
Both men were blessed with marvelous voices. Bing wins for me - the whilstling is divine and diction is superior. And, after all, this was the theme song for Bing's radio program. The clarity issue may be explained by better technology for Bing's works. Columbo's voice is certainly more "dreamy", and he would probably get my vote in other songs.
Sadly, the saying goes, "Comparisons are odious." Both singers were remarkable talents and who knows how far Russ Colombe would have gone if he had stayed alive. His song "Paradise" is untouchable, it will be his forever.
One problem with the Battle of the Baritones is that neither seems to be a baritone. Crosby was a bass or bass-baritone. Early in his career he sang only at the very top of his range. Later he descended. Columbo - the favorite of my first voice teacher - was more of a tenor.
Crosby's actual key here is pretty low. I can sing along with it easily. Of course I'm a real bass and it sounds terrible but it's not too high.
More than similar....it's the exactly the same style but from two different deliveries. Bing, a bit harder in his approach and Russ, somewhat softer. But the song itself In either case, is a rich peace and certainly raises some bittersweet nostalgia.
Check out The Russ Columbo Society at RussColumbodotcom. You're cordially invited to join us by clicking "LIKE" on our Facebook page (link on our website). Our two main goals are to keep Russ' music alive and to gain for him a well deserved and long overdue star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. To this end, we have the support of Mr. Hugh M. Hefner (a great fan of both Russ Columbo and Carole Lombard), among others. Please join us!
Perhaps if Mr. Columbo had lived longer his voice would have matured enough to be a real challenge to Mr. Crosby. But as it now stands, Bing wins hands down!
bing all the way. russ's singing was relatively flat. oh yeah... arnheim put in russ for crosby? how come the latter recorded at least a dozen numbers w/arnheim? oh yeah...russ taught crosby? bing was recording since '27; he needed no lessons from any body. bing was in the most popular movie listing as early as '33. where was russ? maybe carole lombard could have put in a good word for him, but he couldn't act. bing was a natural.
-Well, while they are both quite wonderful, -i find der ol'Bingo more entertaining, what with his awesome whistling-technique as a delightful ensemble; --and it is interesting to note that he was an exceptional talented drummer as well...!
Russ had to teach Bing to sing Bing's own song (he wrote it) Bing's first recording of the song is here on youtube...It is an old Brunswick and sung in strict 3/4 time and much more horrible than this one...So, Russ Columbo's cover of Bing's song still wins hands down...
Pietro Cimini, conductor and one of the premier opera coaches of the era, said Russ had the voice and the aptitude to be an opera singer of the first magnitude.
Russ became a pop singing star because Gus Arnheim asked him to substitute for a frequently drunk Crosby when Russ was a violinist with the Arnheim Orchestra. Russ became not only a "crooner", but he was a successful composer, a lyricist and a musician - multiple instruments. Crosby never leaned how to read muisic.
@Adoria01 2shay..... Bing just makes his version the original.. sorry ever the bing loyalist no matter. its the voice, whatever he sings is first and his.
Crosby's words are sung with clarity whereas Columbo seems to run out of breath in trying to prolong the notes. Columbo's is slower. We can compare but in the end it seems that personal taste decides it. Personally I prefer Crosby's version and his voice. The glissando is excellent.
bing, in a walk. johnny mercer said it best, columbo did not have crosby's original talent and would not have lasted like bing did. buddy rogers had about the same career as russ would have had, remember, as early as '33, bing was already in the top 10 list in movie popularity, along with his radio and records. after 31 & 32, russ was already fading. as to this song, both versions are great.. i always say bing should have had "echo in the valley" as his theme.
I gotta go with Bing. Russ Columbo is smooth and downright good but Bing is clearer and gets on with it. At times it seamed to me Columbo was just gonna run outta gas. Also Bing CAN whistle but Columbo's mmmdadadi dadada uh someone just does not cut it for me.
Interesting comparison... I would vote for Bing. Bing's clarity, interpretation & phrasing are better. Russ is smooth no doubt, but loses something in his delivery. On a side note, the best baritone vocals I’ve ever heard were Frank Sinatra from the mid-forties.
I don't understand how anyone prefers columbo's version. His is pedestrian while crosby's has edge and charm. never mind his whistling. Columbo also does that unforgiveable thing at the end the "for-ah Meeee". I don't like this song, but crosby manages to do something with it.
Columbo has just that edge over Crosby. More mellow tones and rounded performance.Was it the Artiste or just a better orchestration or higher quality recording? Other contributors have said that had he lived, he would have prevented Crosby from getting right to the top. - Probably correct but we shall never know.
Columbo has just that edge over Crosby. More mellow tones and rounded performance. Other contributors have said that had he lived, he would have prevented Crosby from getting right to the top. - Probably correct but we shall never know
Had Russ Columbo lived, Bing would have wound up like Rudy Vallee - very popular, but clearly surpassed. Bing was great, no doubt, but had the advantage of decades of technological improvements augmenting his recordings. Columbo was younger than Crosby, but evinced much greater control and depth - in addition, he was a talented instrumentalist - his capacity for interpretation was thus much much greater than Crosby's.
I prefer Columbo's interpretation of this song. His creative use of vocalizing the violin part as an alternate hummed verse is unique in the annuals of popular american music. His rendtion has more feeling, more pathos tnan Crosby's. this is not to denigrate Crosby's version which is more optimistic, lighter...like a travelogue... a sunny more upbeat version. When I was very young...12-14 I loved Crosby's version but when I got into my 30's I preferred Columbo's. His death was a great loss.
There is no competition to the smooth yet energetic voice of Bing Crosby. Bing has the elegant touch of every true crooner. Russ Columbo has a sound that makes me want to hear more of Bing. Something gentle of Bing's voice makes me feel calm. His voice is pure serenity.
It's hard to believe it but Bing Crosby was a full five year older than Russ Columbo. Columbo's tonal control and the smoothness of his voice was amazing. His voice sounds fully mature yet it retains the sweetness of youth in its very essence.
@Adoria01 Are you kidding? not only is he trying to be copy bing note for note, he is stuck in one range where bing goes so far beyond. Bing didnt sing for you nor at you, he just sang and this Russ columbo brought nothing original to his copy of bings versions. Bing outsang him completly. Bing brought creativity, range and wow to all his sings. Bing really is just where it started. Russ is nothing but another fan like me.
@Adoria01 Are you kidding? not only is he trying to copy bing note for note, he is stuck in one range where bing goes so far beyond. Bing didnt sing for you nor at you, he just sang and this Russ columbo brought nothing original to his copy of bings versions. Bing outsang him completly. Bing brought creativity, range and wow to all his sings. Bing really is just where it started. Russ is nothing but another fan like me.
Sorry about seeming to be snarky about Bing and Russ. I like Sablon, the "French Crosby," who sounded amazing like Bing. Blue of the Night seems like a killer of a song to sing right, with long line phrasing and brutal breathe control required; an American Il Mio Tesoro. Listening to Russ and Bing singing Blue... I got to wondering which one of them might have cracked first.
Gydinglight12 5 days ago
Both guys were singing with the vocal cords they had inside them, but for some reason Russ's voice always seemed a little thicker than Bing's. Maybe he should have sung a little higher and tried a tenor range. But all this was 80 years ago. Actually I like Jean Sablon better than Bing or Russ.
Gydinglight12 1 week ago
Both men were blessed with marvelous voices. Bing wins for me - the whilstling is divine and diction is superior. And, after all, this was the theme song for Bing's radio program. The clarity issue may be explained by better technology for Bing's works. Columbo's voice is certainly more "dreamy", and he would probably get my vote in other songs.
syzygy2539 1 month ago
I like both of them very much but in my opinion no one can sing a Russ Columbo song the way Russ Columbo can. Russ wins with me!!!!
DougJrFan93 4 months ago
Sadly, the saying goes, "Comparisons are odious." Both singers were remarkable talents and who knows how far Russ Colombe would have gone if he had stayed alive. His song "Paradise" is untouchable, it will be his forever.
idahoboy41 5 months ago
One problem with the Battle of the Baritones is that neither seems to be a baritone. Crosby was a bass or bass-baritone. Early in his career he sang only at the very top of his range. Later he descended. Columbo - the favorite of my first voice teacher - was more of a tenor.
Crosby's actual key here is pretty low. I can sing along with it easily. Of course I'm a real bass and it sounds terrible but it's not too high.
Agorante 5 months ago
Columbo every time. His voice is pure gold. A life tragically cut short.
barbrasgirl8 6 months ago
Russ Colombo with his gentle voice & Bel Canto training is the best crooner ever!
stalag1909 6 months ago
More than similar....it's the exactly the same style but from two different deliveries. Bing, a bit harder in his approach and Russ, somewhat softer. But the song itself In either case, is a rich peace and certainly raises some bittersweet nostalgia.
russocomedy 7 months ago
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Check out The Russ Columbo Society at RussColumbodotcom. You're cordially invited to join us by clicking "LIKE" on our Facebook page (link on our website). Our two main goals are to keep Russ' music alive and to gain for him a well deserved and long overdue star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. To this end, we have the support of Mr. Hugh M. Hefner (a great fan of both Russ Columbo and Carole Lombard), among others. Please join us!
DigitalDiscusVideo 7 months ago
Definitely Colombo.
hanffro 7 months ago
Perhaps if Mr. Columbo had lived longer his voice would have matured enough to be a real challenge to Mr. Crosby. But as it now stands, Bing wins hands down!
rockyj74426 8 months ago
bing all the way. russ's singing was relatively flat. oh yeah... arnheim put in russ for crosby? how come the latter recorded at least a dozen numbers w/arnheim? oh yeah...russ taught crosby? bing was recording since '27; he needed no lessons from any body. bing was in the most popular movie listing as early as '33. where was russ? maybe carole lombard could have put in a good word for him, but he couldn't act. bing was a natural.
patthecatman 8 months ago
-Well, while they are both quite wonderful, -i find der ol'Bingo more entertaining, what with his awesome whistling-technique as a delightful ensemble; --and it is interesting to note that he was an exceptional talented drummer as well...!
AryanKnight 10 months ago
Russ had to teach Bing to sing Bing's own song (he wrote it) Bing's first recording of the song is here on youtube...It is an old Brunswick and sung in strict 3/4 time and much more horrible than this one...So, Russ Columbo's cover of Bing's song still wins hands down...
jwhite2341 10 months ago
Russ Colombo always wins hands down with me.
closedcircle1 11 months ago
Well all I can say is 1. Where is the whistling in Columbo's version? 2. Who had more hits? and 3. Who the hell is Russ Columbo?
TheIrunalot2 11 months ago
Pietro Cimini, conductor and one of the premier opera coaches of the era, said Russ had the voice and the aptitude to be an opera singer of the first magnitude.
Russ became a pop singing star because Gus Arnheim asked him to substitute for a frequently drunk Crosby when Russ was a violinist with the Arnheim Orchestra. Russ became not only a "crooner", but he was a successful composer, a lyricist and a musician - multiple instruments. Crosby never leaned how to read muisic.
Adoria01 11 months ago
Since Columbo record the song first, it is difficult to see how Russ could have copied Bing "note for note."
Adoria01 11 months ago
@Adoria01 2shay..... Bing just makes his version the original.. sorry ever the bing loyalist no matter. its the voice, whatever he sings is first and his.
romuluscreative 11 months ago
Crosby is still my choice. His voice has that unique timbre and the lyrics much clearer.
Sainter2008 1 year ago
Crosby's words are sung with clarity whereas Columbo seems to run out of breath in trying to prolong the notes. Columbo's is slower. We can compare but in the end it seems that personal taste decides it. Personally I prefer Crosby's version and his voice. The glissando is excellent.
rosmhictreoin 1 year ago
bing, in a walk. johnny mercer said it best, columbo did not have crosby's original talent and would not have lasted like bing did. buddy rogers had about the same career as russ would have had, remember, as early as '33, bing was already in the top 10 list in movie popularity, along with his radio and records. after 31 & 32, russ was already fading. as to this song, both versions are great.. i always say bing should have had "echo in the valley" as his theme.
patthecatman 1 year ago
I gotta go with Bing. Russ Columbo is smooth and downright good but Bing is clearer and gets on with it. At times it seamed to me Columbo was just gonna run outta gas. Also Bing CAN whistle but Columbo's mmmdadadi dadada uh someone just does not cut it for me.
lookingback62 1 year ago
Russ Columbo. He blends with the instruments, a strong trait found much later in the mature Frank Sinatra.
BerlinBo 1 year ago
Interesting comparison... I would vote for Bing. Bing's clarity, interpretation & phrasing are better. Russ is smooth no doubt, but loses something in his delivery. On a side note, the best baritone vocals I’ve ever heard were Frank Sinatra from the mid-forties.
Horace87 1 year ago
I don't understand how anyone prefers columbo's version. His is pedestrian while crosby's has edge and charm. never mind his whistling. Columbo also does that unforgiveable thing at the end the "for-ah Meeee". I don't like this song, but crosby manages to do something with it.
daijenkinschaucer 1 year ago
They were great friends , Crosby was a pallbearer at Columbo's funeral !
vinoz53 1 year ago
Columbo has just that edge over Crosby. More mellow tones and rounded performance.Was it the Artiste or just a better orchestration or higher quality recording? Other contributors have said that had he lived, he would have prevented Crosby from getting right to the top. - Probably correct but we shall never know.
m222rjr 1 year ago
Columbo has just that edge over Crosby. More mellow tones and rounded performance. Other contributors have said that had he lived, he would have prevented Crosby from getting right to the top. - Probably correct but we shall never know
m222rjr 1 year ago
Russ forever! the best in all respects!
attiliobandiera 1 year ago
Had Russ Columbo lived, Bing would have wound up like Rudy Vallee - very popular, but clearly surpassed. Bing was great, no doubt, but had the advantage of decades of technological improvements augmenting his recordings. Columbo was younger than Crosby, but evinced much greater control and depth - in addition, he was a talented instrumentalist - his capacity for interpretation was thus much much greater than Crosby's.
LN1Campy 1 year ago
I prefer Columbo's interpretation of this song. His creative use of vocalizing the violin part as an alternate hummed verse is unique in the annuals of popular american music. His rendtion has more feeling, more pathos tnan Crosby's. this is not to denigrate Crosby's version which is more optimistic, lighter...like a travelogue... a sunny more upbeat version. When I was very young...12-14 I loved Crosby's version but when I got into my 30's I preferred Columbo's. His death was a great loss.
gerrymac10011 1 year ago
Gosh ----- Bing or Russ.....not fair!!! LOL --- a "tie" ---- they are both American classics and we have all been blessed to have these artists.....
ctmale1956 1 year ago
Well, Russ nwas definitely better looking, and his voice more polished and controlled.
MimiDove9 1 year ago
There is no competition to the smooth yet energetic voice of Bing Crosby. Bing has the elegant touch of every true crooner. Russ Columbo has a sound that makes me want to hear more of Bing. Something gentle of Bing's voice makes me feel calm. His voice is pure serenity.
rippletail 1 year ago
I am melting, Russ!
mcdsmith 1 year ago
It's hard to believe it but Bing Crosby was a full five year older than Russ Columbo. Columbo's tonal control and the smoothness of his voice was amazing. His voice sounds fully mature yet it retains the sweetness of youth in its very essence.
Adoria01 1 year ago
I'll vote for Russ Columbo. His voice is smoother and his delivery more personal. Russ sings to you while Bing sings at you.
Adoria01 1 year ago
@Adoria01 - Truer words were never spoken... I couldn't have said it better myself... and I'm a writer! ;-)
LeanUmbers 1 year ago
@Adoria01 Are you kidding? not only is he trying to be copy bing note for note, he is stuck in one range where bing goes so far beyond. Bing didnt sing for you nor at you, he just sang and this Russ columbo brought nothing original to his copy of bings versions. Bing outsang him completly. Bing brought creativity, range and wow to all his sings. Bing really is just where it started. Russ is nothing but another fan like me.
romuluscreative 11 months ago
@Adoria01 Are you kidding? not only is he trying to copy bing note for note, he is stuck in one range where bing goes so far beyond. Bing didnt sing for you nor at you, he just sang and this Russ columbo brought nothing original to his copy of bings versions. Bing outsang him completly. Bing brought creativity, range and wow to all his sings. Bing really is just where it started. Russ is nothing but another fan like me.
romuluscreative 11 months ago