The 10" LP
Le Bing: Song Hits of Paris is
Bing Crosby's first 33-1/3 rpm LP to be recorded as such. It was cut in Paris and consists of eight songs sung in French, including the
Edith Piaf standard "La Vie en Rose" and "La Mer," later known as "Beyond the Sea" when it was given an English lyric.
Crosby is a competent singer in French, though he certainly wouldn't fool a native speaker. Just as in his long period of cutting singles for Decca Records, he is game to try his hand at nearly any style of pop music, and his name alone should be enough to sell this pleasant collection, particularly in France itself, even if the French are notoriously judgmental about foreigners trying to speak (or sing) their language. ~ William Ruhlmann