Louis armstrong albums what a wonderful world

The legendary New Orleans singer and trumpeter Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong had been making records since 1923, but in 1967 he released “What A Wonderful World,” which would become the biggest-selling song of his long and storied career.

Though renowned as one of the pioneers of Dixieland-style jazz in the 1920s, Armstrong was no stranger to the pop charts in the 1960s, having topped Billboard’s Hot 100 with the Grammy-winning single, “Hello Dolly,” in 1964. But “What A Wonderful World” was very different from what he’d done before; a slow pop ballad that captured Armstrong in a rare reflective mood. With his craggy, weathered voice, he sang a song of hope that seemed to resonate with people everywhere. What made his performance magnetic was its poignancy: it was as if Armstrong, who was in his twilight years and ailing from a heart condition, was taking one last, appreciative look at life and taking stock of the simple things that most people take for granted.

Louis Armstrong - What A Wonderful World (Official Video)

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“What A Wonderful World” was written in 1967 by George David Weiss together with George Douglas, an alias for Bob Thiele, Armstrong’s producer at ABC Records. In his 2005 book, What A Wonderful World: A Lifetime Of Recordings, Thiele said that the song was intended as a reassuring antidote to the mounting problems facing America in the late 60s; a time defined by what he described as “the deepening national traumas of the Kennedy assassination, Vietnam, racial strife, and turmoil everywhere.”

The recording

After hearing Thiele’s demo tape of “What A Wonderful World,” Armstrong was keen to record the tune but Larry Newton, the president of ABC, purportedly hated it and vetoed the idea. Despite Newton’s protests, Armstrong secretly began recording the song in Las Vegas immediately after a show there in September 1967. His vocals were cut live with an orchestra, but the session didn’t go smoothly: two takes were aborted after loud whistles from passing freight trains were picked up by the studio microphones.

But that wasn’t the only problem confronting Armstrong. Larry Newton had come to Vegas to get some promotional photographs of the singer/trumpeter and, when he found out about the recording session, he tried to shut it down. Thiele ended up locking him out, but Newton got his revenge by refusing to promote the single when it was released in America.

The reception

Though it flopped in Armstrong’s home country, in other places around the world, especially in Europe, “What A Wonderful World” was hugely successful; it reached No. 1 both in the UK, where it sold 600,000 copies during a 29-week chart run, and Austria.

Armstrong re-recorded “What A Wonderful World” in 1970, a year before his death, adding a spoken intro. Then in 1988, the song was back in the charts when its appearance on the soundtrack to the hit movie Good Morning Vietnam brought it to the attention of a new generation of listeners. Eleven years later, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Since then, a diverse array of cover versions – from Tony Bennett to Joey Ramone and Celine Dion to the Flaming Lips – have helped to cement “What A Wonderful World”’s iconic status.

Decades after its original release, Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World” continues to inspire through its timeless message of love, peace, and harmony. For Armstrong, it told a story of possibility. “It seems to me, it ain’t the world that’s so bad, but what we’re doing to it,” he said on the intro to his 1970 version of the song. “All I’m saying is, see what a wonderful world it would be, if only we’d give it a chance.”

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What A Wonderful World is an album by Louis Armstrong, released in 1999. What A Wonderful World includes a.o. the following tracks: "What A Wonderful World", "The Home Fire", "Fantastic, That's You", "I Guess I'll Get The Papers & Go Home" and more. The album is a jazz CD.

• A1 What a Wonderful World 2:19

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• A4 Dream a Little Dream of Me 3:16

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• A5 Give me Your Kisses (I'll Give You My Heart) 1:59

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• A6 The Sunshine of Love 2:54

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• B2 There Must Be a Way 3:08

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• B3 Fantastic, That's You 2:57

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• B4 I Guess I'll Get the Papers (And Go Home) 2:47

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  • Hal Kanner

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• Total length: 31:29

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• Release view [combined information for all issues]

• 1968  Vinyl LP ABC / ABCS-650  

• 1976  Vinyl LP ABC / 27 276 XAT  

• 1988  CD MCA / MCD 01876 DMCL 1876  

• 1988  Vinyl LP MCA / 255 600-1  

• 1988  Vinyl LP MCA / MCA 11876 (MCL 1876)  

• 1988  CD MCA / CMCAMD 25204 571026T  

• 2007  CD Decca / UCCU-9414  

•   Vinyl LP MFP / MFP 50254  

Expand all 14 issues

• Release view [combined information for all issues]

• 1968  Vinyl LP ABC / ABCS-650  

• 1976  Vinyl LP ABC / 27 276 XAT  

• 1988  CD MCA / MCD 01876 DMCL 1876  

• 1988  Vinyl LP MCA / 255 600-1  

• 1988  Vinyl LP MCA / MCA 11876 (MCL 1876)  

• 1988  CD MCA / CMCAMD 25204 571026T  

• 2007  CD Decca / UCCU-9414  

•   Vinyl LP MFP / MFP 50254  

Expand all 14 issues

• Louis Armstrong
  vocals
• Bob Thiele
  producer, songwriterB1
• Expand credits [+18]

What a beautiful voice this man has (142/365)

What an icon in music this man is. He has such a brilliant voice but it can't be voted any higher as there are so many covers. So 3.5 it is. Listen to this man's voice!

Published

• A1 What a Wonderful World

• A2 Cabaret

• A3 The Home Fire

• A4 Dream a Little Dream of Me

• A5 Give me Your Kisses (I'll Give You My Heart)

• A6 The Sunshine of Love

• B1 Hello Brother

• B2 There Must Be a Way

• B3 Fantastic, That's You

• B4 I Guess I'll Get the Papers (And Go Home)

• B5 Hellzapoppin'

A fun little album full of poppy jazz tracks that make it hard not to smile. The real star of the show is the title track, which is a truly wonderful and nostalgic song for basically everyone. I had fun with this one.

3.5, pretty good

Published

Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world

As I had written yet Louis Armstrong incarnates jazz for me for whole my life – and his late record What a Wonderful World opened by the same-named song is my most beloved album by him. I actually noticed mentioned song as the one that I want to let to play on my funeral formerly, in times when “I think to myself what a wonderful world“. In its shortness this record is absolutely concentrated oeuvre. Songs especially by George David Weiss, George Douglas, Bob Thiele and Leonard Whitcup make the whole friendly atmosphere of the record. There’s no moderate piece and the composition of the songs about love, home and happiness (spiced by differently oriented numbers as Cabaret) seems to be intimate even for Louis who sings in the all tracks – with his beautiful voice full of emotions. think this album is Louis’ confession – tribute to life – and it’s the reason why it sounds so young. It’s not hindsight of an old man because he is looking around himself, seeing all the past as still blooming in present – and I must admit that when I listen this album all my weakness and worry melt and “I think to myself what a wonderful world“ again.

Published

There's something warm, inviting, and comfortable about this well-worn album. Made years before I was born, it still brings pleasure nearly 40 years later.

Louis doesn't have a great technical voice, but his is incredibly energetic and expressive. You can hear the genuine pleasure of sharing the comforts of family life in "The Home Fire"; the optimistic and anthemic quality of the title track; and even the energetic good time to be had in "Hellzapoppin'".

While it is difficult to be nostalgic about a time you've never personally experienced; I sometimes wish I saw more of the positive qualities this music captured in the music being released today. No era was perfect, but it does feel like the world would be a better place if it at least tried to live up to the optimism shared in the title track.

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Ratings: 426

Cataloged: 315

Track rating sets:Track ratings: 65

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• A1 What a Wonderful World

• A2 Cabaret

• A3 The Home Fire

• A4 Dream a Little Dream of Me

• A5 Give me Your Kisses (I'll Give You My Heart)

• A6 The Sunshine of Love

• B1 Hello Brother

• B2 There Must Be a Way

• B3 Fantastic, That's You

• B4 I Guess I'll Get the Papers (And Go Home)

• B5 Hellzapoppin'

• A1 What a Wonderful World

• A2 Cabaret

• A3 The Home Fire

• A4 Dream a Little Dream of Me

• A5 Give me Your Kisses (I'll Give You My Heart)

• A6 The Sunshine of Love

• B1 Hello Brother

• B2 There Must Be a Way

• B3 Fantastic, That's You

• B4 I Guess I'll Get the Papers (And Go Home)

• B5 Hellzapoppin'

• A1 What a Wonderful World 2:19

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• A4 Dream a Little Dream of Me 3:16

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• A5 Give me Your Kisses (I'll Give You My Heart) 1:59

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• A6 The Sunshine of Love 2:54

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  • Chet Gierlach

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• B2 There Must Be a Way 3:08

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• B3 Fantastic, That's You 2:57

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• B4 I Guess I'll Get the Papers (And Go Home) 2:47

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  • Hal Kanner

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• Total length: 31:29

• Louis Armstrong
  vocals
• Bob Thiele
  producer, songwriterB1
• Expand credits [+18]

• See all 61 lists

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