RUDOLPH VALENTINO: He Sings & Others Sing About Him by Crawfish Band & Orchestra, Ross Vick, Shannon Kincaid, Others.

The double-album length CD contains the only two known recordings of Valentino's voice, superbly restored, with the orchestra re-created around him! And 20 other songs relating to his life, career and movies, performed by some of the best singers and musicians anywhere. The overall quality is well above the ordinary, with a luxurious, colorful, detailed 24 page booklet containing over 40 photographs! It is no ordinary jewel-case manufacture. THIS CD is in a gorgeous digi-pak, professionally replicated, printed and shrink wrapped, ready to be opened and enjoyed for years to come. See song descriptions, below.

Here are some quotes from early buyers of this CD:

"...You have done a truly splendid, splendid job with this music! I am so overcome I simply cannot write more at this time. PS: I just adore every note and every word of every song... it's a miracle" T. Porta, Pennsylvania

" It is Beautiful, Funny, Artistic and Touching, all wrapped up in one package!" Margo P. Minnesota

".. I love it and have played it over and over again. You did a wonderful job! So nice to hear Valentino's voice on something besides a scratchy version. Do you mind if I put your email address in my rave review of the CD on the Valentino Yahoo list?" Susan M. - New York

"...WOW! I do not know what to say about this! I could not imagine it could be better! This is wonderful, wonderful!" D. Hill - San Francisco

Here's a detailed description of each song:

1. ROLL THAT MOVIE - This anthem for the movies will wake you up smiling and get you ready for all the great Valentino songs. A very energetic 1920's sound! Mr. Valentino is the ONLY star mentioned in the lyrics!

2. RUDOLPH VALENTANGO - It's charming, funny and you'll laugh out loud at this most clever song. Sung by TrueHeart lead singer, Ross Vick.

3. IF I HAD A MAN LIKE VALENTINO - This 1922 gem is a highlight. The fun lyrics describe just what most women were thinking when they saw Rudy on the screen in 1922! Savor this lyric line from the song: "To keep his love if he got bored, I'd shimmy like a Model A Ford, If I Had A Man Like Valentino!" Sung by painter-singer Shannon Kincaid!

4. EL RELICARIO (The Bullfighter) Rudy sings this one himself! You may have heard the scratchy 78 of this sometime, if you're a big Valentino fan. But THIS version has been restored and re-orchestrated! It sounds WONDERFUL. The Spanish lyrics of this song are translated into English for you in the CD booklet.

5. THE YOUNG RAJAH - This song, from one of Rudy's lost movies, will delight and entertain you, as the sound and mood of the original sheet music is perfectly re-created. It sounds so exotic and romantic! Sung by songbird Angela Leis.

6. BEYOND THE ROCKS - This song was written expressly for the recently discovered 1922 film, "Beyond The Rocks" co-starring Gloria Swanson, which has been fully restored and is being shown in many American cities on the big screen! Sung by Ross Vick!

7. PLAYING AT LOVE - You may have seen this sheet music from the Valentino movie "Cobra". Well, NOW you get to hear this beautiful and charming lament as it was intended in the early 1920's! Sung by Angela Leis.

8. THE RUDOLPH VALENTINO BLUES - Here's another adorable song of which you may have seen the sheet music, but haven't heard the song. It's terrific! Sung by Angela Leis.

9. THE SHEIK - This song eventually became known as the song classic, "The Sheik Of Araby", but we use the original title, simply "The Sheik". This driving 1921 version by Club Royal Orchestra is supplemented by an accompanying "shadow band" to fill it out for you, and sung by the three singing members of pop band, TrueHeart! Such fun!

10. THE MAN BEHIND THE EYES - Most fans through the decades have pinpointed Rudy's piercing eyes as his most mesmerizing feature. But perhaps it was The Man Behind The Eyes, the spirit of Valentino, longing to be loved, which was closer to the truth. This is a song about that, sung by Shannon Kincaid, complete with band, accordian and fiery gypsy violin performed by Reginald Rueffer!

11. SAHARA MOON - Rudy's great success as The Sheik spawned a whole industry and numerous knock-off songs and movies. This syrupy song is one of the "offsprings" of Rudy's success. Sung by Shannon Kincaid.

12. THE VALENTINO TANGO - When Columbia Pictures made the film "Valentino" in 1950, staring Anthony Dexter as Valentino, they commissioned European composer Heinz Roemheld to write a tango for the film. It was heard frequently in the movie, performed by The Castilians. This is a new instrumental recording by Crawfish Band - Orchestra which elaborates on the song with violins, mandolin and Russian balalaika. It's a real beauty, too!

13. THAT NIGHT IN ARABY - Again, the sheet music has floated around among collectors for decades, but now you get to HEAR this fine song! It may cause your blood to quicken it's pulse! Sung by Angela Leis!

14. RED RED ROSE - From 1924's "Monsieur Beaucaire" silent film, this flowery, romantic song gets the full treatment. It's gorgeous. Sung by lyric tenor Mason McCamey!

15. BURNING SANDS - Another "desert" song spawned by Rudy's Sheik movie. The sheet music cover says, "The Answer To The Sheik". Pictures of sheet music covers to most of the songs are in the booklet in full color! Sung by Angela Leis.

16. A KINGDOM FOR TWO - A second song introduced in Rudy's 1924 silent film "Monsieur Beaucaire". SUCH simple and romantic lyrics! Back then, sheet music would usually travel with the reels of film and local musicians and singers would perform them at the theatre as the movie was shown. This romantic version is sung by baritone Dave Tanner, who has his own CD titled "Romance Language"!

17. YOU GAVE ME YOUR HEART - From the silent 1922 movie, "Blood and Sand", in which Valentino was a bullfighter. A CHARMING Latin flavored song, with rich orchestration and a gorgeous vocal by Angela Leis.

18. KASHMIRI SONG - The second song Valentino sings on this CD! Restored to perfection and the orchestra re-created, plus a mandolin and other extras. Sung in English, with the lyrics printed for you in the booklet. A VERY sentimental song which shows Rudy's deep romantic nature. A classic ballad originally written in 1908!

19. SON OF THE SHEIK - An upbeat instrumental, this song echoes the carnival-esque turn in Valentino's life at the time. The song was written at Rudy's request for his 1926 hit film, "Son Of The Sheik" in which he played dual roles... as the elder father sheik and also the young fiery son, appearing as both on the screen, using split-images; very high tech stuff at the time! A very infectuous melody and arrangement. You will be humming it for days.

20. I HAVE A RENDEZVOUS WITH YOU - This song is connected to 1921's "The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse" which starred Valentino and pushed him closer to great fame. But in this collection it presages Valentino's departure from us. Sung by Linda Petty, the first lady of song in the Dallas music scene!

21. THERE'S A NEW STAR IN HEAVEN TONIGHT - Valentino died in August, 1926 and this song was an enormous hit at that time, since it softened the loss of such a loved actor. This new version is very similar to the original recording, but also utilizes the sad tones of the Russian balalaika and a choir of voices along with the haunting lead vocal. Ross Vick ably sings this emotional goodbye to Rudy.

22. SOUVENIR DE VALENTINO - A plantiff, haunting piano solo soothes the soul after the loss of our hero. You'll be humming this one long after the CD player turns off. It is performed reflectively by Fort Worth music maestro and leader of Crawfish Band, Ron DiIulio.

The booklet with the CD contains Valentino's detailed biography, session and song notes, bios and photos of all the performers and singers, some notes about the audio restoration, and quite a bit more.

This CD is a wonderful gift for anyone who's tired of being hammered by all the hard rock and rap in today's mainstream music, and WHO LONGS FOR GREAT MELODIES WITH ROMANTIC, TOUCHING LYRICS. Produced by 3-Grammy winner Phil York, in the Dallas, Texas area, this CD could get him his fourth Grammy. Two years in research and production, it's finally available for you NOW. There are 40 photos in the luxurious 24 page booklet!

Interesting sidenote: Valentino died on August 23rd, 1926 at 12:10 P.M. of complications to an ulcer operation intended to save his life. After a year of research and gathering materials, producer Phil York scheduled the first recordings to begin on August 23, 2004, at 12:10 p.m., EXACTLY 78 years after his untimely death; one year for each revolution of the 78 rpm record carrying his singing voice.

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