Music Album Review: 'The Very Best of the Boston Pops: John Williams & The Boston Pops Orchestra'

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Illustration by Sergio Baradat. Art design by Umi Kenyon. (C) 1991 Philips Classics Productions
On May 21, 1991, Philips Classics Productions released The Very Best of the Boston Pops: John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra. This album is a nine-track compilation that features a mix of themes from Hollywood classics, a television series, and several Broadway musicals. It also serves as a valedictory, of sorts, to the label's long association with Maestro Williams and the Boston Pops; Philips Classics Production was by now a division of PolyGram Records, which was itself owned by Philips NV, the Dutch electronics company responsible - with Sony- for the invention of the CD. 

As you can imagine, this Williams-Boston Pops Orchestra is an ode to showbusiness. Its eclectic mix of composers includes Alexander Courage, George Gershwin, Marvin Hamlisch, John Kander, Duke Ellington, Richard Rodgers, and - naturally, Maestro Williams himself. From Star Trek to Oklahoma! and the Great White Way, this one-hour program presents music from various eras of American cultural history. 

Here's an official Universal Music Group YouTube presentation from The Very Best of the Boston Pops.
https://youtu.be/g-Y93BGTYPQ
Track List:


  1. Star Trek - The Television Show

  2. Girl Crazy: Selections from Girl Crazy: I Got Rhythm - Embraceable You - Bidin' My Time - But Not for Me - I Got Rhythm

  3. New York, New York: New York, New York - Main Theme

  4. A Salute to Fred Astaire: Top Hat, White Tie And Tails - The Carioca - Dancing In The Dark - I Won't Dance - The Continental

  5. A Chorus Line: Overture To A Chorus Line

  6. Sophisticated Ladies - A Tribute to Duke Ellington:  Sophisticated Lady - Take the 'A' Train - Mood Indigo - It Don't Mean a Thing

  7. Love Theme From Superman

  8. Pops Salutes The Oscars: When You Wish Upon a Star - Swingin' On a Star - Moon River - Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head - Theme From the Way We Were - The Shadow of Your Smile

  9. Richard Rodgers Waltzes: Lover - Falling in Love with Love - Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' - It's a Grand Night for Singing

My Take

 Like many Philips compilation recordings of Maestro Williams' collaborative efforts with the Boston Pops Orchestra, The Very Best of the Boston Pops features tracks produced by two different producers; here, John McClure was responsible for creating tracks 1-6 and 8, while George Korngold, who produced several John Williams-centric albums for Varese Sarabande, created tracks 7 and 9. 

In addition, several of these tracks are present in other records made by Philips; Alexander Courage's famous Star Trek theme is also heard in 1983's Out of this World, while John Kander's New York, York was featured in 1982's Aisle Seat. Moreover, several tracks from this album later appear in A Celebration: John Williams & The Boston Pops Orchestra, a Decca recording made in 2004 and reissued in 2012 to mark Maestro Williams' 80th birthday.

Still, The Very Best of the Boston Pops is a fun album to listen to. Its mix of movie themes, pop standards - most of which started out as show tunes - and jazz from the Big Band era will brighten your day and keep your toes tapping.  I especially like the medley of music from classic movies in Pops Salutes the Oscars. With a duration of 10 minutes and 46 seconds, this arrangement by Morton Stevens features songs from various decades, starting with 1940's When You Wish Upon a Star and ending with The Shadow of Your Smile, which is perhaps the only good thing to come out of 1967's The Sandpiper. In between those two bookends, there are other movie songs, including Henry Mancini's Moon River. 

 If you like light classical music or show tunes, you can't go wrong with The Very Best of the Boston Pops. 

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