Customer Reviews

Bedlam Ballroom

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(18)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Every Squirrel Nut Zippers album stands by itself, telling a different story, and writing the soundtrack for a movie never made. The Inevitable told the story of big band jazz of the 20s. Hot depicted New Orleans hot jazz at its finest. Perennial Favorites weaved the tale of different genres of music coming together to form one sound. And now, we have Bedlam Ballroom. This album, in my opinion, is the Squirrel Nut Zippers' best effort to tap into the mainstream jazz genre. You people can decide if that's bad or good. Personally, I choose the latter. Why, you ask? Because the Squirrel Nut Zippers can appeal to anyone even remotely interested in the jazz genre and still retain some wild and eccentric attitudes. Just look at "Ghost of Stephen Foster" from Perennial Favorites. It was a wild and crazy song with band members screaming at the end of the song...and the music video won an award! (By the way, you can see the video and its storyboards on the limited edition version of this CD.) Every cut, every beat, every audible sound is milked for all its worth. From the wild and wacky "Do What?" to the soothing lullaby, "Hush", Bedlam Ballroom is pure Zipper fun! Bedlam Ballroom is also the first Zipper album minus member Tom Maxwell, who was involved in the Squirrel Nut Zippers since their first album. I personally think that Tom Maxwell was a significant part of Zipper music, but this album is evidence that the Zippers are doing okay without him. Bedlam Ballroom is also a tribute to the late Stacy Guess, the trumpet player for The Inevitable. He personally wrote the title track and, even though there is a better version on the Zippers' EP Sold Out, the version on this album is pretty good. This album is also a place where the Zippers can show off their talents in other music genres. Nowhere is this more evident than in "Hush", in which Katherine Whalen's soothing vocals, Reese Gray's piano, and Andrew Bird's beautiful classical violin compositions vary greatly from other tracks on this album like "Bedbugs" and "Do It This A Way". "Hush" is sure to be a great song to sing to any child as nighttime beckons. With the exception of The Inevitable, all the Zippers' albums have been enhanced. That is, they have special software for use on your home computer. Hot and Perennial Favorites both had enhanced CDs created by CD wizard Clay Walker. I thought that these were great. They gave me everything I wanted to know about the band and their music in the blink of an eye. They were also filled with nifty little extras. But Bedlam Ballroom's enhanced CD is not by Clay Walker. It's made by a professional company in Chapel Hill. Even though they did a good job, and the videos ("Ghost of Stephen Foster" and "Missing Link") are great, I kind of miss the diverse qualities of Clay Walker's CDs. I hope he'll be back for the next CD. Most Zipper fans expect some weird and zany thing to happen on each Zipper album. Examples are the original version of "Hanging Up My Stockings" on Christmas Caravan, the three bonus songs on Sold Out, and "The Kraken" on Perennial Favorites. For Bedlam Ballroom, we have the very bizarre (and very short) "Bedlam Reprise". Clocking in at a measly twenty-one seconds, it's the Zippers' shortest song on the album. I really shouldn't even call it a song because, well, it isn't! It's just a quick menagerie of mixing effects, static, and a mumbling voice. Don't ask me why it's on the album. I have no idea.

I would like to say, in closing, that I am deeply influenced by the Squirrel Nut Zippers and I hope that, even though one of their members is deceased and a couple of them have left the band, they will continue to create wonderful albums that anyone can enjoy!

I never saw a contract or specification saying that the Squirrel Nut
Zippers had to play Dixieland or Swing, or any other kind of music on their albums. Like most other bands, they play what they feel compelled to play. On this particular CD they play
Southern-Influenced music that is not like previous albums. Some
record buyers want bands to turn out same-sounding records so that when they listen to them there is no thinking involved. But
if an artist is allowed to express himself, or herself, wonderful
things can happen--like on this album. A little bit of R&B or
Rockabilly can be expected in Southern-influenced music. And there have been a lot of great Rockabilly groups to be influenced by over the years. Some of
the music here reminds me of Brave Combo (a band with no hint of
sticking to any genre, but still play great entertaining music.)
Bedlam Ballroom has the same great musicians as all the other
albums they have done. Maybe their next one will be like the
older ones, maybe it will be something completely different.
Variety, they say, is the spice. This CD is a great listen.
Buy it and grow. Or not. It's your cash.

I was a little wary about "Bedlam Ballroom," mainly because of the absense of some of the original Zippers members (Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher.) However, my worries were set aside once I actually listened to the album. There are some notable differences in the band's sounds as compared to their previous album, but it still has that Zipper-ful heart. In all, "Bedlam Ballroom" is fun, and definitely worth a listen, whether you're a hardcore fan or a curious stranger.

OK, I admit it, I'm not very objective when it comes to all things Zipper. But to anyone critical of this album, I would say, just Zip it. These guys are the most creative, original -- and I would add nicest -- band touring today. At a recent show in Washington DC, they closed the show marching band style, moving into the audience and out into the street while mixing easily with fans and signing autographs. I have the set list and signitures to prove it. I love the fact that Katharine Whalen takes center stage on this album. She is one of the most amazing talents in music today and tunes like Hush, Bent Out of Shape, and It All Depends show off her unique style. As for those longing for the signiture SNZ sound, Don't Fix It, Bedbugs, and Do it this Way should be ample reward for buying this CD. I suggest anyone considering this work also get Katharine Whalen's Jazz Squad or The Inevitable Squirrel Nut Zippers to better understand where this band has been, and put this effort in context. Thanks, Zippers for some of my all time favorite music.

I'm sorry to say it, but this album is a disappointment. Everything from the cover design to the writing are lacking the creativity and spirit of their previous albums. Perhaps its Tom Maxwell's departure that has left such an empty hole. The lyrics here are all very corny, and sound very shallow and unthoughtful. Like so many swing revival songs they take a silly-sounding catch phrase and build a song around it. The music, especially the horns, sound subdued and boring, where as the traditional Zippers sound has always been loud, blaring, and slightly out of sink with one another, as if they're fighting each other to come out on top. And where's the great creepy song? Every album of theirs has had at least one INSANE song- La Grippe, Hell, Ghost of Stephen Foster. The closest they come- Bedlam Ballroom, also the best- wasn't even written for this album, but by their late member Guess. The Zippers have lost their ability to sound like a group of friends getting together and playing their instruments, and having a good time. This album sounds neat and tidy and boring, like a bad Big Bad Voodoo Daddy song. They were supposed to be better than all those swing revivals (they're not even supposed to be one of them), but it's what they've turned into. Only buy it if you're a loyal fan.

The Squirrel Nut Zippers were the first and best of the swing revival of the late nineties. And with the release of Bedlam Ballroom, they live to outlast their would-be contemporaries. They're in peak form here. Despite the radio success of "Hell," from their sophomore effort Hot, the album as a whole did not live up to the promise and perfection of 1995's The Inevitable. 1998's Perrenial Favorites improved on that promise, and Bedlam Ballroom finally gets around to delivering on every promise ever made.
The premier strength and selling point for the Zippers has always been their authenticity. They're not a band trying to sound like they're from the 1920's. These cats are the 1920's incarnate. Mathus' writing has never been better, has never been hipper. Bedlam Ballroom is more flat-out fun than any of their prior releases, with cuts such as "Do What?" and "Stop Drop & Roll" just begging you to get out of your chair and dance around. And, of course, Katherine Whalen's vocals remain at the top of today's jazz-chicks, in a league with the likes of Diana Krall and Lisa Ekdahl.
It almost seems as though the Squirrel Nut Zippers made this album just for the fans. It's everything we might have come to expect, and more. One final addendum: of particular note on this album is the inclusion of the late Stacy Guess's "Bedlam Ballroom," a rerecording of a track from their Sold Out EP, and a fitting tribute to a departed friend.

Its Bedlam out there!

I have just bought the CD and listened to it 2x and.....it might just be their best work to date. This is definitely the most zipperized CD.

Do What? Stop Drop and Roll & a new Bedlam Ballroom epitomize the zippy SNZ funkified sound.

Don't Fix It will definitely remind you of their old stuff as well.

This is just a great CD! I am more jazzed about this CD after 2 listenings than all of the previous CDs - and I loved em all.

GET IT! You won't be disappointed.

I'll be honest: I was prepared to really hate this CD. One of the major players in the band, Tom Maxwell, had left the band under less than ideal circumstances and I felt that Jim Mathus would be taking the band away from their original sound and purpose. Well, suffice to say that he did integrate several vestiges of 50's rock on several of the tracks here (like Baby Wants A Diamond Ring and Do What?) and does dabble in 40's swing (like Just This Side Of Blue) but for the most part long time fans will not be disappointed with tracks like Don't Fix It and Do It This Way which retain the hot jazz the band is known for. Kathleen Whalen's vocals keep getting more confident each release and the new players, especially Reese Gray on piano, are real standouts (Andrew Bird's work on stings of course is always excellent). Although Mathus/Widenhouse/Smith aren't as imaginative as Ken Mosher and Tom Maxwell with the horn charts, I still found myself playing this release repeatedly. So will you.

This may not be my favourite Squirrel Nut Zippers album but definately worth owning. They venture off into some new genres and add some new sounds into the mix which at first bothered me until I realized that again the band shows their genius. Another album that blows your socks off from the group that puts on one of the best live performances I've ever seen.

I love the first 3 SNZ cds. This one does not live up to the standards that the first 3 set. Much has gone wrong. The main problem is that some original members have left the group and their replacements don't match up. I had the fortune of seeing the Zippers in mid-November at the Crocodile in Seattle. They are still fun live, but something is sorely missing. The sound on Bedlam Ballroom is different and not as stirring as the first 3 recordings. The ZIP is gone.