Customer Reviews

Louis Armstrong - All-Time Greatest Hits

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an excellent introduction to the work of the great Louis Armstrong. In my opinion, Armstrong is the greatest musician America has ever produced, and is one of the world's all time great artists. This is an anthology of his most popular songs. I have never heard an Armstrong song I have not liked, and this collates some of his best, such as "What A Wonderful World" (the real deal, not that Kenny G travesty); my personal favorite, "Kiss To Build A Dream On"; "Skokiaan"; & more.

I want to add, that I am a music critic for a local metal/goth 'zine and NONE of the musicians I review would be where they are if it wasn't for Louis Armstrong. He is the father of American popular music.

Five stars simply is not enough for this album. No matter what genre of music you are into, even if you don't like jazz - run out and get this album! It's a winner!

Attempting to review a Louis Armstrong disc is rather like trying to hold back the proverbial flood waters with a bucket. Without question Louis is, in the words of Duke Ellington, "the epitome of jazz and always will be". That being said since I not only enjoy this cd so very much but also having no small admiration for "Pops" as well than I felt a review would be my way of showing respect.

Now, first things always being first, the jazz consumer should understand that " Louis Armstrong's All-Time Greatest Hits" is actually a compilation of songs from his years with Decca, circa 1951-1967, and represents more of a 'crossover' appeal than his much earlier work when he was playing not only jazz but also Rag-time, New Orleans and Big Band. That being the case the songs here do offer a wonderful variety of the different sides of Louis singing, playing and generally just having himself a wonderful time! Again not necessarily 'real' jazz ( and who should care? ) but, in the case of Mr. Armstrong, I am more than happy with the results.

And what results! Reviewing highlights of this disc simply seems unnecessary so why bother? Basically what the disc represents is not only of a first-rate musician but also a man who simply loved people and life and it comes out in every song that is chosen for this selection. A certain "Joie de Vive" that I find irresistable! My favorites, "What A Wonderful World" a song that I suspect is everyone's, "La Vie En Rose" so splendid it almost makes me forget Edith Piaf and of course "A Kiss To Build A Dream On" a tune that is so sweet and romantic it makes me wish I were in love....again! Now I do understand that many 'jazz purists' may view this disc as something less than the best of what Mr. Armstrong has to offer. Which is to play straight forward jazz without this 'pop' sensibility which permeates this disc. But make no mistake.... if you are unable to enjoy this fine cd because it isn't true jazz than you really are missing an important aspect of what makes Louis Armstrong such a musical genius ( yes, there's that word...but HEY it applies! ). Which, I feel, is simply to love music, play it with your heart...and soul, and believe that it truly is "a wonderful world".

In ending, what Louis Armstrong represents, to me, is a musician who creates music that simply defies catagorization. But, and this is so important, with honesty, integrity, humour and also in a wonderfully carefree fashion that I find so lacking in today's 'oh so serious' jazz players! Purchasing this disc is up to each of you of course but you might consider this.....without these virtues that I've previously stated, would we honestly be enjoying the jazz that we have the pleasure of listening to today if not for his incredible vision? I already have my answer...perhaps this disc will help you find yours. Thank-You "Pops"!!

Deciding at the age of 21 that it was high-time I spread my musical tastes from stuff produced during my own lifetime, Louie Armstrong is the first artist I turned to. He is, by the accout of his peers as well as artists today, the father of American popular music. I looked through racks of CDs for almost an hour, and this is the best single-disc compillation that has been produced of his work. It starts with the classic "What a Wonderful World" and features other popular songs such as "Mack the Knife" (popularized by Bobby Darin) and "Gone Fishin'" (duet with Bing Crosby). It also has other fifteen other Armstrong favorites that I never would have known were favorites without reading the highly informative CD jacket. I have no idea how anyone who likes music could dislike this album and I think that Satch's "All Time Greatest Hits" is a great buy for those who are conisseurs of his music, as well as for those who have no exposure at all.

My 14 year old son asked for this CD for Christmas. He only knew 4 songs on it when he got it, (What a Wonderful World, On The Sunny Side of The Street, A Kiss To Build A Dream On, and When You're Smilin). He now loves all the songs so much that he can't stop listening to them. The sound is great and the CD is a must-have.

I have loved Louis Armstrong since I picked up a cornet some twenty six years ago and started to play. He is indeed one of the founders of the improvisational solo and as such is the spiritual father of any number of rock legends. Miles Davis once said of Satchmo, "all horn players should get on their knees and thank Louis Armstrong, nobody has played anything that he didn't play first." In fact, it seems a shame that Satchmo isn't remembered foremost for his horn playing. He was a genius on the order of Picasso, Einstein, Becket and Welles.

I bought this collection after listening to Pops' work with the Hot Fives and Sevens for years. This CD has stuff primarily from the fifties and sixties, when Louis was in his fifties and sixties. The music is very well produced and of course lacks the raw genius energy of his youth. What this music does have is beautiful wisdom. An extremely pleasant suprise on this CD is the tune Skokkian, it rocks, it is just too cool and I wish to God I could have seen Louis Armstrong perform Skokkian live. I have a five disk CD changer and my wife always has it in the player. This is also my 9 month old boy's absolute favorite disk, so I know we're raising him right.

This CD is wonderful! Every song is excellent, every tune fun and nice to listen to.

All of Armstrong's best known songs are present from "Hello Dolly" to "Mack the Knife." One of my all time favorite songs from Armstrong is on this CD as well: "Sittin' in the Sun." Moreover, "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" a song which also appears on the "Sleepless in Seattle" soundtrack, and "What a Wonderful Life," probably one of Louis most famous songs are present as well.

As always Louis has a very distinctive voice which sounds great with all the tunes. The mix contains ragtime style, to pure Jazz, to big band style. Every song on this CD is great! There are no bad apples in the bunch! If you are a big Jazz fan, then you will not want to be without this CD. This CD always puts a smile on my face when I listen to it because Louis' music is so fun to hear. This one of my favorite CDs in my overall collection!

I must disagree with the review below which slams this recording. Maybe this record isn't the absolute best Louis Armstrong, but it is dynamite and showcases the talent ole' Satchmo had as the king of the jazz\swing era. At the retail store I work at I frequently play this album and EVERYONE loves it! Kids, teenagers (even the freaky ones), older kids, middle aged adults, and the "seasoned"; EVERYBODY loves this album! It is a genuine feel good album and belongs in any music collection. 'Nuff said!

I am often amused by how seriously some folks write these reviews. Considering Mr. Armstrong's long career, isn't it a bit foolish to think any one album could have ALL his best -- just marketing hype. DUDE! take things in stride (more like ... all the best tracks MCA had that didn't cost that much to include ... huh?).

What can be said for sure is that there are many tasty numbers on this CD. I GET IDEAS is a really cute tune - paying great homage to how much a talented songwriter AND performer can "SAY" about human "relations" (if you will) without actually saying anything. Another less known treasure on this disk is THE DUMMY SONG. Really shows LA's playful side as does his take on that early 1900's hit CHLOE which has oft been lampooned for its overt sentimentality (think of it as the "Feelings" of the WWI era). Louie does a great job walking the fine line that makes for a great performance -- at one point he actually answers the chorus' baleful cries of "Chloe? Chloe?" <chuckle>. Check out Spike Jones for another classic "interpretation" of this old, old standard.

Seems to me the criteria that might have been used to pick these recordings were:
1. Lush orchestrations - most all these have those 50's string orchestral sounds you might hear behind Steve Lawrence, Judy Garland, Tony Bennet etc. IMHO very classic and tasteful stuff.
2. Good recordings - All the recordings are of "modern" quality.
3. Middle-of-the-Road - Everything here is G-rated and not even mildly controversial.

These criteria result in a "packaged" sound perhaps, but nice-to-da-ears. To round things out you will need earlier recordings with more bluesy material that have more of a anxious and raw edge. Look for one with BLACK AND BLUE (one of my all-time LA fabes) It will serve as a good marker for a "different" set of tunes.

In my humble opinion, Louis Daniel Armstrong is one of the great musical and cultural icons of history. I admit to being biased in that I'm from the birthplace of Jazz. Nonetheless, it's a mighty task to rate any compilation of Mr. Armstrong's recordings given his long and brilliant career as 'America's Music Ambassador'.

Actually I give this collection 4 1/2 stars. The only reason I deduct half a star is that I would have liked this to be a 2-CD collection so some of his other classics like "All Of Me", "Ain't Misbehavin'", "Indiana", "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans" and a few others could have been included.

But make no mistake: If you have to choose one collection to buy , this is a sure-fire winner. The song "What a Wonderful World" is truly the perfect song for Satchmo to leave us with. Many others have put it much more eloquently than I am able to but I feel we all, especially those lovers of Jazz, owe much to this man, not only as a pioneer of Jazz trumpet and vocals, but also as a very genuine human being. Anytime he appeared on film, played on stage, or performed on record, Louis Armstrong helped to make this 'A Wonderful World' for us all.

I didn't find anything remarkable about this album. It seems that I have heard lots better Armstrong arrangements than what is represented here. I recommend Louis Armstrong Greatest Hits (RCA Victor) instead, even though it has fewer selections and totally different selections, except for What a Wonderful World. Even that song is slightly different on the other album. This is not a bad album and it may claim to have Armstrong's All Time Greatest Hits, but there are better Armstrong albums out there. Gone Fishin' is a pleasant enough ditty but I don't know that it belongs on this album. This album is a little disappointing because it could have been so much better. As one reviewer pointed out a 2-CD album would have been nice and more inclusive of some of the great Armstrong songs. Where is Basin Street Blues, St. Louis Blues, Mood Indigo and Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?