The 7 Best Albums of 1954 Ranked
American music in 1954 was on the verge of momentous changes. Rock and roll was still incoming at the homogenous white mainstream level, as Black artists were plying the new sound and white performers were beginning to take note (or advantage). Jazz was entering new territory that would soon yield innovative approaches by the end of the decade. Country and folk were also reaching a new popular appeal. And all the while, the lushly produced pop paradigm of the late 1940s and earlier years of the 1950s was still being utilized for chart-topping tunes. The diversity of music in the country was ever-expanding, and in step with these changes, the album format was becoming the artistic accomplishment measurement for artists. The shorter 10-inch format was still the standard in 1954, but helped along by quite the masterpiece the very next year, the “long-play” would become even longer in 12-inch form. In the meantime, however, pop, country, jazz, and folk examples of the cohesive album art form still stood as the best releases of 1954.
#7 — BING: A MUSICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY — Bing Crosby
Favorite track: “Sweet Leilani”
As Bing Crosby contemplated retirement in the mid-1950s, he published a memoir in 1953 and took on a big recording project in the form of BING: A MUSICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY. Similar in form and function to friend Fred Astaire’s THE ASTAIRE STORY (1953), Crosby gives spoken word reflections on his career ahead of re-interpretations of his big hits. Accompanied by Buddy Cole’s new arrangements and his trio, the old crooner (who still had more than 20 years of recording ahead of him, by the way) can’t manage to top most any of the original songs he curates for this five LP set (only the first two is of the new material, the rest collects the old hits as originally issued). Even still, the warmth in Crosby’s voice, both in describing the halcyon days of his youth and in the slightly worn re-records, is palpable. BING: A MUSICAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY is a leisurely stroll through what was already a mammoth career, which was only slightly more than half over at the time of its release.
#6 — I SAW THE LIGHT — Hank Williams
Favorite track: “I Saw the Light”
After Hank Williams died, record label MGM issued onto LPs many hits that had not yet been brought to that format. Typically, those songs were arranged around a common theme, and with I SAW THE LIGHT, Williams’ most religious tracks were brought together. Now, I’m an atheist, but I love gospel music and any good tune, and this posthumous album beautifully communicates an aspect of Williams’ powers. Record opener “I Saw the Light” is indeed a soul-stirring song and the album that carries its name continues that energy from there.
#5 — SELECTIONS FROM IRVING BERLIN’S WHITE CHRISTMAS — Bing Crosby
Favorite track: “White Christmas”
In spite of his retiring intentions, Crosby had an incredibly busy 1954 in the form of both his musical autobiography and the Michael Curtiz film WHITE CHRISTMAS. The corresponding commercial record, not a straight soundtrack ripped from the movie, is a run of fun and heartwarming musical numbers that carry even more weight for a nostalgic fan of its source material. SELECTIONS FROM IRVING BERLIN’S WHITE CHRISTMAS, however, doesn’t feature the movie’s star Rosemary Clooney; because of record label contractual obligations, she was replaced by Peggy Lee for the album. As much as I love Clooney, her absence does not strike down WHITE CHRISTMAS’ appeal. The new version of its title track is not as everlasting as the one Crosby recorded for the earlier film hit HOLIDAY INN (1942), but it enters a different, more spacious territory. WHITE CHRISTMAS is closed out with that iconic finale, but everything leading up to it is also a wonderful collection of pop show tunes.
#4 — HONKY TONKIN’ — Hank Williams
Favorite track: “Jambalaya (On the Bayou)”
Well, so far, this list has been Bing Crosby and Hank Williams. That kind of reveals my tastes for the period, although that streak will be disrupted soon enough. In any event, HONKY TONKIN’ was another one of those posthumous collections like I SAW THE LIGHT, this time essentially providing danceable songs. In spite of my open-mindedness for a different philosophical perspective in my songs, I must admit that both the lyrical content and upbeat nature of HONKY TONKIN’ makes it a more outright entertaining and moving piece of old-school country from the icon.
#3 — SONGS FOR YOUNG LOVERS — Frank Sinatra
Favorite track: “My Funny Valentine”
Frank Sinatra had been in a career slump. He hadn’t released an album in nearly four years, an incredible span of time for an era where people churned out work like crazy (although he still issued 78s in this still single-dominated period, of course). And then along came a performance in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953) and an assortment of connected acclaim, reviving Sinatra’s recording career as well. SONGS FOR YOUNG LOVERS was the comeback album and what a comeback. Across eight tracks and just 21 minutes, Sinatra delivers a master class in smooth romanticism, helped along of course by his new pairing with arranger and composer Nelson Riddle. “My Funny Valentine” is one of my favorite songs from Ol’ Blue Eyes and its opening of the whole SONGS FOR YOUNG LOVERS sets up a dreamy, aching, and at times lively listening experience like almost no other in 1954.
#2 — CHET BAKER SINGS — Chet Baker
Favorite track: “Time After Time”
And yet trumpeter Chet Baker delivered an even dreamier and achier (if not livelier) listening experience with his first vocal album. CHET BAKER SINGS even carries “My Funny Valentine,” which would become a Baker staple that nevertheless, at least in this incarnation, can not top Sinatra’s interpretation. Even still, Baker’s cool jazz iterations of standards somehow sound ahead of their time, incredibly smooth, intimate, and reflective. His voice may not always be interpreted as the most technically powerful, but his reediness and the high notes he hits on “Time After Time,” for example, are able to strike a satisfying cord in my brain. CHET BAKER SINGS is not the most radical work from “The Prince of Cool,” but it is incredibly effective at setting a wonderfully laid back, yet often heartbreaking, mood.
#1 — MARK TWAIN AND OTHER FOLK FAVORITES — Harry Belafonte
Favorite track: “Man Piaba”
The recently departed Harry Belafonte’s debut album is an incredible display of his vocal talents and ability to enliven folk music of myriad cultures. MARK TWAIN AND OTHER FOLK FAVORITES ranges from English traditional songs to calypso to American South mythmaking and Belafonte’s voice runs up and down the scales. Accompanied by Hugo Winterhalter’s incredibly high-fidelity orchestrations, the singer delivers a mostly fun, sometimes somber listening experience with MARK TWAIN. The album is an eclectic celebration of many aspects of life, varying sounds to suit its songs’ countries of origin while honoring the storytelling potential of great folk music. Belafonte came out of the gate strong with MARK TWAIN, starting a long and fruitful career to come while making the best record of 1954 in an increasingly diverse field of American music.
