The 7 Best Albums of 1952
As the 1950s decade continued into ’52, the music industry’s tentative first steps of embracing rock and roll got a bit louder. Not to beat a dead horse on this subject, as I led with my piece on 1951 albums in much the same way, but the genre kind of became a big deal in just a couple more years. In 1952, though, Bill Haley and His Saddlemen became Bill Haley & His Comets, a group that would come to be associated with rock. And the Moondog Coronation Ball, organized by the purported coiner of the “rock and roll phase” Alan Freed, has come to be retroactively recognized as the first major concert of the style.
But in other realms of music, John Cage’s “4'33”,” the noted avant-garde composition of, well, silence, was first “performed” in 1952 as well. The top of the pops for the year didn’t signify rock’s impending dominance though; Percy Faith, Jo Stafford, Frankie Laine, and other musicians operating in the accepted paradigm stood at the peak of the charts. As for original, complete albums, the concept was gaining a little bit more steam. A number of established artists were getting into the game of 10-inchers with new sides, while up-and-comers followed up early single success with full-length records, as you shall see as I write about the best albums of 1952.
#7 — BECAUSE OF YOU — Tony Bennett
Favorite track: “Cold, Cold Heart”
Living legend Tony Bennett was seriously embarking on his singing career in the middle of the 1940s, but it was the 1951 hit “Because of You” that sent him up to the big leagues. The subsequent album of the same name, Bennett’s first, is a beautiful mix of traditional pop orchestrations and the singer’s soaring voice. Indeed, the record is so strong that its beautiful title track isn’t even its best song; that honor goes to Bennett’s version of Hank Williams’ “Cold, Cold Heart.” BECAUSE OF YOU isn’t across the board wonderful, but enough of it serenades with a passion and lush arrangements that mark it is a great debut achievement.
#6 — JOHNNIE RAY — Johnnie Ray
Favorite track: “Don’t Take Your Love from Me”
Johnnie Ray didn’t quite operate in rock, especially with his debut album (the first untitled album release in history yet immediately referred to as a self-titled one), but his belting voice and animated personality has led many to refer to him as a “father of rock and roll.” On JOHNNIE RAY, there are a number of sparkly piano songs with a bit of reduction in the singer’s vocal intensity, more closely hewing to the traditional pop of the day in instrumentation. But then there are a few other tunes that seem to channel jazz and rhythm and blues with proto-rock instincts, like Cab Calloway, and presage the delivery of those like Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley. A decent amount of JOHNNIE RAY’s lyrical concerns carry a somber angst, but the energy from the titular musician elevates the material into, if not radical, then freshly adapted territory.
#5 — BILLIE HOLIDAY SINGS — Billie Holiday
Favorite track: “Solitude”
Billie Holiday, whose career began in the 1930s, has been described as being in a slump for the last decade of her life, both personally, professionally, and in the waning quality of her voice. But I find the series of records of original material she put out in the ’50s, of which BILLE HOLIDAY SINGS was the first, to have a weary resignation that is as heartbreaking as it is beautiful. Holiday’s rendition of “Solitude” on BILLIE HOLIDAY SINGS may not quite carry the energy of her earlier recorded hit, but it certainly hasn’t lost a lot of its atmosphere, powered by her voice. Indeed, the whole album could match this description. Sure, there is a quality of faded glory to be heard on BILLIE HOLIDAY SINGS, but as the singer mostly maintains her vocal integrity, and the instrumentation backing her is of high fidelity, it adds another layer to make for a stirring listen.
#4 — UNFORGETTABLE — Nat King Cole
Favorite track: “Unforgettable”
For sheer vocal smoothness, not many could beat Nat King Cole, in 1952 or otherwise. UNFORGETTABLE, which carries one of Cole’s most enduring hits, of the same name, is jam-packed with songs that illustrate this. It’s not just “Unforgettable” that makes its mark; see also “What’ll I Do?,” “Lost April,” “Mona Lisa…” you get the point. UNFORGETTABLE is full of romantic tunes that play at a low-key yet emotionally moving vibration. Cole’s voice is well-modulated and pleasing throughout the album, but it’s when he makes little lilts into higher ranges that it really shines. As if its artist’s voice wasn’t enough, UNFORGETTABLE also envelops its listener with lush instrumentation that, if you’re open to it, can usher you off into a dreamy soundscape.
#3 — MOANIN’ THE BLUES — Hank Williams
Favorite track: “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”
As with my top album of 1951, HANK WILLIAMS SINGS, the inclusion of the country icon’s follow up MOANIN’ THE BLUES is a bit of a cheat for a list of original albums (and not the last on this list). A compilation of hits rather than the B-sides that populated Hank Williams’ first album, this only second and final record released in his lifetime nevertheless doesn’t hit quite the same for me. But that’s relative to another Williams effort and clearly not applicable to much of the rest of the music of 1952. Indeed, it carries the same plaintive charms and songwriting talents found on HANK WILLIAMS SINGS, and it’s not like its better-known tunes don’t deserve the fondness felt for them. Per its name, MOANIN’ THE BLUES rumbles along with an angst that’s nevertheless never totally depressing, overly sentimental, or forgettable because of Williams’ incredible artistry.
#2 — SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN — Various artists
Favorite track: “Singin’ in the Rain”
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952) deserves its place as one of the greatest movie musicals of all time, and probably as one of the greatest movies of all time, period. And as a musical, a big reason for that is of course the music. The SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN album’s title track, performed by Gene Kelly, is iconic and endlessly catchy. But the record is buttressed by the film’s other earworms, performed by Kelly, Donald O’Connor, and Debbie Reynolds. There is something more purely thrilling and enveloping to pair these particular songs with their visual complements, but if you’ve seen the film, there’s no way its imagery won’t immediately be conjured up by the sonic suggestions. And even still, SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN’s tracks stand on their own as lasting showtunes, all part of an unceasingly cheery and deeply refined series of enveloping listening experiences.
#1 — ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC — Various artists
Favorite track: “Le vieux soûlard et sa femme”
This is the biggest cheat of an “original 1952 album” on this list, that’s for sure. ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC, a massive three-volume/six-disc collection of underheard Americana, is an incredible undertaking of curation by filmmaker Harry Smith. Sourced from his personal collection of old singles, which were released from 1926 to 1933, the 84 tracks on the “album” (if I may refer to this mammoth project in the singular) channel the folk, country, and blues music of this country so well. Although technically relegated to just seven-to-eight years of recording, there is a lot of history packed into the old standards, the at-the-time-new songs that would become standards, and otherwise obscure compositions. ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC did not fare well upon its original release, but in time, it came to be recognized as a crucial document in the chronicling of this country’s musical history as well as the inspiration of a new wave, including musicians like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. The out-of-time aural liminality of this album, if I could try to assign a phrase to the intangible and deeply primal feelings I feel when I hear these songs, is presented at such a large scale that I cannot deny its impact, regardless of the strange criteria I set for myself here. ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICA FOLK MUSIC is a must-listen, not only for fans of its featured genres, but also for investigators of this country’s history.
