Golden Greats

Nat King Cole

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Golden Greats Review

by John Bush

The three-CD box set Golden Greats offers, at a budget disc's price and with a budget disc's meager additions, a complex view of Nat King Cole's career. The set includes 76 tracks from his 25-year span as a pop icon, spread well throughout his various periods, and neglecting very few of his classics (among the hits on tap: "Unforgettable," "Orange Coloured Sky," "Nature Boy," "Sweet Lorraine," "Route 66," "Embraceable You"). It compiles early classics from the King Cole Trio -- "Gone With the Draft," "Are You fer It?," "I Like to Riff" -- and correctly focuses on the first half of his career, including a variety of lesser known songs that work perfectly in context ("When I Take My Sugar to Tea," "Save the Bones for Henry Jones," "It's Only a Paper Moon"). Just like any well-done budget collection, it includes much music yet little context.

Track Listing - Disc 1

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Unforgettable Irving Gordon	Nat King Cole	03:14	Spotify Amazon
2	Orange Colored Sky Milton Delugg / William Stein	Nat King Cole	02:35
3	Nature Boy Eden Ahbez	Nat King Cole	02:37	Spotify Amazon
4	Sweet Lorraine Clifford R. Burwell / Mitchell Parish	Nat King Cole	02:54
5	The Frim Fram Sauce Ray Evans / Joe Ricardel	Nat King Cole	03:16
6	(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 Bobby Troup	Nat King Cole	02:47
7	(What Can I Say) After I Say I'm Sorry? Walter Donaldson / Abe Lyman	Nat King Cole	03:01
8	Embraceable You George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin	Nat King Cole	03:22
9	My Baby Just Cares for Me Walter Donaldson / Gus Kahn	Nat King Cole	02:43
10	For All We Know J. Fred Coots / Sam M. Lewis	Nat King Cole	02:57
11	I'm Thru With Love Gus Kahn / Jay Livingston / Matty Malneck	Nat King Cole	02:52
12	For You My Love Paul Gayten	Nat King Cole	02:23
13	Save the Bones for Henry Jones Danny Barker / Michael H. Goldsen / Henry Jones	Nat King Cole	02:36
14	I Don't Know Why (I Just Do) Fred E. Ahlert / Roy Turk	Nat King Cole	03:09
15	(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons William Best / Deek Watson	Nat King Cole	02:51
16	This Will Make You Laugh Irene Higginbotham	Nat King Cole feat: Irene Higginbotham	03:15
17	Slow Down Redd Evans	Nat King Cole	03:07
18	I Like to Riff Nat King Cole	Nat King Cole	02:46
19	Shoo Shoo Baby Phil Moore	Nat King Cole	02:55
20	It Only Happens Once Frankie Laine	Nat King Cole	02:31
21	What'll I Do? Irving Berlin	Nat King Cole	03:03
22	Baby (We Could Have a Lot of Fun) Kay Butler	Nat King Cole	02:36
23	Dream a Little Dream of Me Fabian André / Gus Kahn / Wilbur Schwandt	Nat King Cole	02:52
24	Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby? Bill Austin / Louis Jordan	Nat King Cole	02:37
25	The Christmas Song Mel Tormé / Robert Wells	Nat King Cole	03:10

Track Listing - Disc 2

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time	Stream
1	Mona Lisa Ray Evans / Jay Livingston	Nat King Cole	03:19	Spotify Amazon
2	Too Young Sylvia Dee / Sidney Lippman	Nat King Cole	03:14	Spotify Amazon
3	Could Ja' Bill Carey / Carl Fischer	Nat King Cole	02:58
4	Blue and Sentimental Count Basie / Mack David / Jay Livingston	Nat King Cole	02:33
5	Put 'Em in a Box, Tie 'Em With a Ribbon (And Throw 'Em in the Deep ...) Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne	Nat King Cole	02:38
6	I Get Sentimental over Nothing John Alston / Nat King Cole	Nat King Cole	03:05
7	Don't Blame Me Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh	Nat King Cole	03:22
8	Makin' Whoopee Walter Donaldson / Gus Kahn	Nat King Cole	02:30
9	Baby Won't You Please Come Home Charles Warfield / Clarence Williams	Nat King Cole	02:13
10	How Deep Is the Ocean? Irving Berlin	Nat King Cole	02:53
11	Besame Mucho Sunny Skylar / Consuelo Velázquez	Nat King Cole	02:47
12	The Best Man Roy Alfred / Fred Wise	Nat King Cole	03:02
13	She's My Buddy's Chick Charles Atkinson / Sy Oliver	Nat King Cole	03:01
14	Then I'll Be Tired of You E.Y. "Yip" Harburg / Arthur Schwartz	Nat King Cole	03:11
15	Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me Duke Ellington / Bob Russell	Nat King Cole	02:24
16	The Old Music Master Hoagy Carmichael / Johnny Mercer	Nat King Cole	02:50
17	If I Had You Jimmy Campbell / Reginald Connelly / Ted Shapiro	Nat King Cole	03:01
18	That's What Nat King Cole / Oscar Moore	Nat King Cole	02:24
19	Gone With the Draft Nat King Cole / Wesley Prince	Nat King Cole	02:41
20	That Ain't Right Nat King Cole	Nat King Cole	03:15
21	That'll Just About Knock Me Out Louis Jordan	Nat King Cole	02:40
22	I've Got a Way With Women Roy Alfred / Abner Silver / Fred Wise	Nat King Cole	02:44
23	Katusha Matvey Blanter / Hy Zaret	Nat King Cole	02:29
24	There's a Train Out for Dreamland Frederick Heider / Carl Kress	Nat King Cole	02:39
25	Kee-Mo Ky-Mo (The Magic Song) Roy Alfred / Bob Hilliard	Nat King Cole	02:19

Track Listing - Disc 3

	Title/Composer	Performer	Time
1	Straighten Up and Fly Right Nat King Cole / Irving Mills	Nat King Cole	02:26
2	It's Only a Paper Moon Harold Arlen / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg / Billy Rose	Nat King Cole	02:54
3	I Used to Love You (But It's All over Now) Lew Brown / Albert Von Tilzer	Nat King Cole	03:01
4	I Miss You So Jimmy Henderson / Sydney Robin / Bertha Scott	Nat King Cole	03:02
5	You're the Cream in My Coffee Lew Brown / Buddy DeSylva / Ray Henderson	Nat King Cole	02:27
6	The Love Nest Otto Harbach / Walter Hirsch	Nat King Cole	02:35
7	Naughty Angeline Cliff Lee / C.L. Roberts	Nat King Cole	02:40
8	I Think You Get What I Mean Ben Black	Nat King Cole	02:39
9	But All I've Got Is Me Nat King Cole / D.W. George	Nat King Cole	02:50
10	When I Take My Sugar to Tea Pierre Norman Connor / Sammy Fain / Irving Kahal	Nat King Cole	02:22
11	I'll String Along With You Al Dubin / Harry Warren	Nat King Cole	03:11
12	I'm an Errand Boy for Rhythm Nat King Cole	Nat King Cole	02:19
13	Are You Fer It? Nat King Cole / Cliff Lee	Nat King Cole	03:08
14	I've Got the World on a String Harold Arlen / Ted Koehler	Nat King Cole	03:16
15	'Tis Autumn Henry Nemo	Nat King Cole	03:05
16	Too Marvelous for Words Johnny Mercer / Richard A. Whiting	Nat King Cole	02:33
17	Little Girl Francis Henry / Matt Hyde	Nat King Cole	02:25
18	Nat Meets June Mergentroid, R.	Nat King Cole	03:41
19	On the Sunny Side of the Street Dorothy Fields / Jimmy McHugh	Nat King Cole	02:30
20	Solid Potato Salad Gene DePaul / Hughie Prince / Don Raye	Nat King Cole	02:01
21	There I've Said It Again Redd Evans / Dave Mann	Nat King Cole	03:11
22	You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love) Russ Columbo / Con Conrad / Gladys Dubois / Paul Gregory	Nat King Cole	02:39
23	Please Consider Me James F. Hanley / Ballard MacDonald	Nat King Cole	02:39
24	Rhythm Sam James F. Hanley / Ballard MacDonald	Nat King Cole	02:15
25	Lulubelle Nat King Cole	Nat King Cole	02:13
26	How High the Moon Nancy Hamilton / Morgan Lewis	Nat King Cole	02:40