The Four Freshmen - More 4 Freshmen and 5 Trombones, The Four Freshmen in Person, Vol. 2 (2002)

In 1996, Collectors' Choice Music licensed from Capitol Records and released a two-fer CD combining the Four Freshman's albums Four Freshmen and 5 Trombones and The Four Freshmen in Person, so combining the respective follow-ups to those LPs, More 4 Freshmen and 5 Trombones and The Four Freshmen in Person, Vol. 2, is a logical enough step. One might ask why the two trombone albums and the two live albums were not combined, but in fact the pairings make more sense the way they are. The first two albums were released in 1956 and 1958, a period when the Four Freshmen were major album sellers; the first trombone album reached the Top Ten and the first live album the Top 20. The second live album was released in 1963, the second trombone album in 1964. This was a very different time in the group's career; they were long off the charts and, in fact, the second trombone album was their final Capitol LP. You don't get any sense of decline on these performances, however. On the studio recordings that make up the first 11 tracks, the Four Freshmen apply their familiar vocal harmony to a series of early-'60s pop standards, most of which remain familiar almost 40 years later, and Pete Rugolo's arrangements find the trombones complementing the vocal blend well. There are only hints of the group's humor and exuberance here, but those qualities really come out on the live material, which also allows for individual showcases and a sense of the group's instrumental talents. These two albums may come at the end of their Capitol tenure, but the recordings are as entertaining as any in their catalog.