Info: Real name Gayle Peck, she was born in Santa Rosa, California in 1926 and died in October, 2000 in Encino, in the same State. London was originally an actress (appearing in more than 20 films) but was convinced to pursue a singing career by her second husband, composer Bobby Troup. Julie Is Her Name was released in 1955, reaching No.2 in the charts, as her debut and is currently #7 on www.rateyourmusic.com for this year. The most well known of the tracks off the album is "Cry Me A River", where London is accompanied by gentle guitar and a bassist, and the unique sound of her singing was achieved mainly by her standing very close to the microphone when recording. The song reached No.9 in the US charts in December, 1955 and has appeared in scenes of films such as The Girl Can't Help It, starring Tom Ewell and Jayne Mansfield, in which an alcholic press-agent is paid by a gangster to make his girlfriend a famous singer, in one scene where the main character hits rock bottom he plays "Cry Me A River", and suddenly Julie London appears singing the song using a faded visual technique. The song has more recently been in 2005's V for Vendetta when Natalie Portman arrives in V's underground dwelling (where I first heard the song). Other key tracks are opener "Say It Isn't So", "I Should Care" and "Easy Street". I managed to get the album on vinyl recently and it's a very enjoyable and easy-listening recording, it was also released at the very edge of the rock n' roll explosion, and in some ways marks the end of one era and the beginning of another.
Track Listing:
A1 Say It
Isn't So
A2 It Never
Entered My Mind
A3 Easy Street
A4 S'
Wonderful
A5 No Moon at
All
A6 Laura
A7 Gone with
the Wind
B1 Cry Me a
River
B2 I Should
Care
B3 I'm in the
Mood for Love
B4 I'm Glad
There Is You
B5 Can't Help
Lovin' That Man
B6 I Love You
