Customer Reviews

'Boobs'- Ruth Wallis' Greatest Hits

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Being a comic drag queen, I was absolutely thrilled to have discovered works by Miss Wallis nearly two years ago. I own several of her LP's and a few 78's...

This CD was a delight to find -- recordings without the crackle. However, for "the best" album, I feel that it really runs short of highlighting some brilliant songs she's done.

These are studio recordings -- showing off her clear voice -- and all have incredible orchestration. This is really a must-have...

Feel free to contact me with any questions.... Thanks!

Like many others, I first heard Ruth Wallis on Dr. Demento's radio show in the early 70's. It was broadcast live every Sunday in SoCal and forever warped my taste in music. (For that I will be eternally indebted to Barry "Dr. Demento" Hansen.) To hear more I had to scour thrift shops, cut-out bins, flea markets, and record conventions to find 78's and 45's with "Wallis Original" labels. THOSE are the very best of Ruth Wallis but, alas, no one has seen fit to reissue all those sides. This CD is about the best available. But if you don't own the originals, this is a great introduction to Ruth's tongue-in-cheek recordings.

Compared with the language used by some contemporary rappers, Ruth Wallis' risque innuendo seems squarely tame. Her lyrics are suggestive but never vulgar. She couldn't afford to be! When those records first came out, a person could go to jail for selling or owning "obscene" material. But lines like "Johnny's got the same little yo-yo" and "You've got to stay out of my pantry, mister" could have entirely innocent meanings. Of course, most everyone got the joke but there was an unspoken understanding among open minded adults.

Teasing the listener's imagination is far more stimulating than today's explicit lyrics. Ruth Wallis was a master of playful double entendre and that her recordings stand up well in this "Parental Advisory" era is testament to Ruth's talent. Listeners that haven't been pummeled into numbness by contemporary explicit language will find Ruth Wallis' wicked ditties delightfully naughty.

I first head Ruth Wallis on the Dr. Demento show singing a song about Davy's Dinghy (it shows up in a number of songs). Recently I found this CD and decided to give it a try. I am very pleased.

Clear singing, good humor, excellent musicians all combine to create music you would listen to even if you weren't in it for the lyrics. The lyrics themselves are full of innuendo, suggestion and double entendres to beat the band. All together it makes for an excellent album that is fun to listen to over and over again.

Ruth Wallis was known as the saucy singer of the late 1950's and early 1960's. She, along witht he likes of Rusty Warren and Terri O'Mason, established the good cheer in adult fun. These songs prove she is a great songwriter as well. I am most interested in communicating with other Rulth Wallis fans. (jsapub@aol.com) Is she still alive and well? Ruth, where are you now?

After winning tickets to go see the off-Broadway show "Boobs: the Musical", I was thrilled. Truly a great musical. Shortly afterwards, Ive searched for any Ruth Wallis CDs in major record stores and came up dry. Luckily, I found this great CD on amazon.com. I hope her other tracks will soon be released on CD.

Nothing but delightful, soft-core fun here! It's a bit of a shame Ruth Wallis didn't record more things seriously as a singer since she had a beautiful, rich voice. She's vocally similar to legendary Alma Cogan at times - like Alma crossing the line of sassiness from some of her zanier work! Of course, in the "PC hysterical" world of today there are one or two tracks that couldn't be done on this collection any more...you know - "Good Holiday Spirit, Jack! Good Holiday Spirit to you, too!"

I consider myself a bit of a collector of the camp and outrageous, as far as music is concerned and I am so shocked to learn that this lady has escaped my attention all these years. Thank goodness I've caught up with her at last. Ruth Wallis I would have loved to have met or seen in cabaret. She is so refreshing and so risque - for her time. The songs are a breath of fresh air and absolutely riddled with double-entendre and sometimes not even that subtle but they have the desired effect and put a smile on your face. There are a couple of 'duds' on the cd but they are well out-weighed by the treasure chest of goodies.

I used to listen to these songs when I was a kid. For along time we didn't get the double meanings. When we eventually were told we laughed. It may have been explicit in the 40's and 50's, but today I'm surprised they don't jump rope to the songs in the playground. Even back in the 70's we took some of the songs to school and played them for our 7th grade teacher(after shool hours, of course) and she was delighted! I LOVE Ruth Wallis!

'Boobs'- Ruth Wallis' Greatest Hits may have songs with plenty of risqué lyrics; but they're not quite as explicit as this website may suggest. Yes, years ago when Ruth Wallis recorded these songs they were truly explicit and you certainly would never have heard them on the radio; but in our times there's nothing terribly explicit, nor will you hear a single four letter curse word. (Well, we hear one or two not-so-nice words in Spanish.) What you will hear, predictably, is plenty of song lyrics full of double entendres that are extremely amusing; and when Ruth sings these tunes she really does these numbers right! Ruth's excellent diction and her sense of timing make these tunes all the funnier and engaging; and that's terrific. These songs are such a pleasure that one CD can't be enough; I already know I want more by Ruth Wallis and I'll probably search for vinyl record albums out there by her that don't have the songs on her CDs.

The songs all have the common themes of romance, masculinity and femininity; every minute of this album is loaded with fun and laughs. Whether Ruth Wallis is singing the hilarious "Follies Bergère" or the very naughty "Drill `Em All," I just can't help but laugh. Ruth makes each song even funnier by delivering it as if it really was a serious song and not a playful one; this works wonders for this album. For example, she sings with a Caribbean accent on the track entitled "(The) Gay Young Lad (From Trinidad)." To further increase the effect of these tunes being serious songs, Ruth went so far as to record these numbers with a full band; this works well for every number. The liner notes indicate that she worked with Jimmy Carroll and the musicians from his big band; the music invariably fits in very well with her somewhat silly yet playful and very funny lyrics. Wisely, the musicians never steal the spotlight away from Ruth; she remains front and center--right where she belongs!

The sound quality is excellent; as another reviewer notes there is no sign of the age of these recordings--no surface noise here! Each track has been carefully remastered so that Ruth shines every time she sings yet another tune. She has a very fine voice.

Overall, I recommend this album for anyone who likes humor about romance and very similar topics; it's really not explicit--more the most part the lyrics are suggestive with lots of double entendres more than anything else.

Enjoy!

Ruth Wallis died in 2007. Do a google search to find her obituary. I had never heard of her before, but the obituary was hilarious and showed that she was really a wonderful, funny, and risque character. So ... on the strength of an obituary, I bought the CD. She is quite versatile with different accents. If she were alive today, she would fit in well as a member of the Capitol Steps, or on Comedy Central.