It's All So New!
At the height of the big-band era, radio-network disputes with music-publishing clearing house ASCAP led to a scramble to find new sources of songs. After Tommy Dorsey's band succeeded with "I'll Never Smile Again," a submission from the unknown Ruth Lowe, his program regularly featured an amateur-songwriting contest.It's All So New!, drawn from broadcasts made between 1940 and 1942 and previously unavailable commercially, is comprised mostly of such tunes. Boy singer Frank Sinatra, along with vocalistsConnie Haines,Jo Stafford, and thePied Pipers, gamely and winningly tackles the likes of "I've Got a Restless Spell" and "Sunrise Over Taxco." The real winners here, though, are the debut performance of the semiamateur "Oh! Look at Me Now" (later revisited on Sinatra's 1957 classicA Swingin' Affair!) andIrving Berlin's "Be Careful, It's My Heart." As a revealing snapshot of the pre-solo Sinatra,It's All So New!is a must, as is its companionLearn to Croon.--Rickey Wright