Four Star Favorites


Four Star Favorites is a compilation album of phonograph records released in 1941 by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra on Victor Records, containing studio recordings by his second, third and fourth orchestras.
During the 1930s and 40s, Shaw's orchestras recorded two main styles of music inside of the jazz genre, danceable pop music following conventions of the time and a more sophisticated blend of classical music and jazz, aided with a string section. These styles opposed each other, and during his career Shaw's attempts to make art music oftentimes failed because it wasn't commercially viable.
Bridging the divide in Shaw's catalog, the compilation appealed to audiences of both swing music and more progressive forms of jazz. Well-reviewed upon release, the album stayed in-print for over a decade.

Background and reception

Acknowledged as the most cerebral of the dance bandleaders, throughout his career, Artie Shaw had an uneasy relationship with popularity. Preferring to record songs for perceived artistic value rather than cater to popular demand, in 1938, his second band struck massive success with "Begin the Beguine", a number-one hit for six weeks; From then on, the Shaw outfits were some of the most popular of the swing era. However, critics speculated Shaw never wanted the massive amount of success he received. Frustrated with the way his black musicians such as Billie Holiday were treated, the commercial nature of playing hit songs repetitively, and the music business in general, Shaw disbanded his orchestra in November 1939 and took 2 months off in a brief move to Acapulco, Mexico.
In Acapulco, Shaw first heard the then-new Alberto Domínguez composition "Frenesí". Reforming his band in early 1940 with the addition of a string section, Shaw recorded the song in March, which first appeared on Billboard charts on August 3. In late December, the single jumped from the 7th position to the top of the chart, holding its place for thirteen weeks and proving to be one of the largest hit singles of the 1940s decade. However, by the time the record hit number 1, Shaw had already progressed to his fourth band with largely different personnel. The sides included were representative of all three: tracks 2, 4, 6 and 8 were from Shaw's first successful orchestra and second overall; track 1 Shaw's third; and tracks 3, 5 and 7 his fourth.
Four Star Favorites was well received in music publications. The New Yorker designated it a "perfectly swell album... which includes several of the band's best accomplishments." Radio and Television Mirror briefly recommended it, and while Variety was positive, they noted the potential of fans to disagree with Victor's selections, due to the contrast between Shaw's more orchestral leanings and popular, danceable swing material. The American Music Lover, a publication mainly devoted to classical music, assigned the album four "A"s, their highest rating:
Don't look at the album and think it's re-hash of old stuff... Admit instead that it was a clever stunt on Victor's part to recouple eight sides of Artie's best contributions made during various stages of that mind-changing-about-musicians career of his... Artie, as a musician, shines in each piece... they're all well done.

Track listing

These reissued songs were featured on a 4-disc, 78 rpm album set, Victor P-85.
Disc 1:
Disc 2:
Disc 3:
Disc 4:

Release history

The original album was issued on four ten-inch 78 rpm records, September 5th, 1941 on Victor Records. Imprints of the album produced after February–March 1946 feature RCA Victor on the cover and labels. In 1949, truncated as six songs, the album was reissued on 45 rpm, WP 85. In 1950, after the format war between vinyl discs subsided, RCA Victor reached a cross-liscening agreement with Columbia to issue their records on LP. The following year, the label reissued the six-track album on a 10" LP, LPM-30.

Chart performance

While Four Star Favorites saw release nearly 3 years before the first Billboard magazine Best Selling Popular Albums chart appeared, the continued public interest in Shaw's recordings kept the album in print for over 10 years. As such, it did chart, peaking at number 4 on July 28, 1945. The 1949 EP configuration also charted, debuting in late 1951 and reappearing at number 8 in early 1952.
Six out of the album's eight tracks charted upon their original release. "Beguine" and "Frenesí" were both number-one hits, as well as the only selections in the album to chart outside the United States. The four other songs all reached the Top 10 in the US.
'''Notes'''

Personnel

Track numbers reference the 78 rpm album configuration. Complete personnel per the Glenn Miller Archive, University of Colorado Boulder.
Woodwinds
Brass
Strings
  • Harry Bluestone – violin
  • Robert Barene – violin
  • Sid Brokaw – violin
  • Dave Cracov – violin
  • Peter Eisenberg – violin
  • Jerry Joyce – violin
  • Alex Law – violin
  • Mark Levant – violin
  • Alex Beller – violin
  • Truman Boardman – violin
  • Bill Brower – violin
  • Ted Klages – violin
  • Eugene Lamas – violin
  • Bob Morrow – violin
  • Jack Ray – viola
  • Stan Spiegelman – viola
  • Dave Sturkin – viola
  • Keith Collins – viola
  • Allan Harshman – viola
  • Irv Lipschultz – cello
  • Jules Tannenbaum – cello
  • Fred Goemer – cello
Rhythm
Arrangers