Comments for London, Julie, The End of the World-Nice Girls Don't Stay For Breakfast

Another gift from Liberty Records: two classic Julie LPs now released on one CD! "The End of the World" is a collection of jazz/pop standards that boasts some of Julie`s finest performances: the title track is a most memorable rendition of a fine tune, "My Coloring Book" is given just the right amount of pathos, and "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" is one of Julie`s finest performances ever. "Fly Me to the Moon" and "Desafinado" show a wonderfully sultry flair for the bossa nova, and "Call Me Irresponsible" is a must for any sentimental lover of standards. A couple of tracks bear a distracting jazz organ (an acquired taste, at best) but it definitely isn`t the end of the world with songs and performances like these. The other album included here, "Nice Girls Don`t Stay for Breakfast" ranks as one of Julie`s most seductive sets ever. Recorded in `67, this is one of her later efforts, and her voice is noticeably aged and a bit smokier: maybe the cigarette she`s holding on the cover offers a clue as to why. But never mind, the hoarse overtones suit her sensuous tones just fine. "I`ve Got a Crush on You" and "When I`m Too Tired to Dream" are stellar performances, and "I Surrender, Dear" and "You Go to My Head" are so subtle but sizzling they give one the impression that on a cold winter night, one could leave the fireplace unlit and merely turn on this record. Again, the jazz organ is present, but Julie`s flawless vocals make even this odd choice of instrumentation easy to overlook. "Mickey Mouse March" is puzzling; (yes, it`s the "M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E" song) surely this was something of a joke between Julie and the guitarist that accompanies her. But never mind. Julie proves that while Nice Girls don`t stay for breakfast (the title tune is a scorcher written by her husband Bobby Troup, by the way) they certainly know how to sing some sweetly seductive jazz. Kudos to Liberty for continuing to release this wonderful singer`s superior albums. Now let`s have "Make Love to Me" and "Your Number Please" on one disc!!!