Mexican Joe in Caribbean (4 CD Set + Book)

Mitchell Torok | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 16, 1996)
• Label: Bear Family
• ASIN: B000001B47
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,115,496 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Nacogdoches County Line

2. I'll Get My Lovin' from Someone Else

3. Clingin' Heart

4. Piney Woods Boogie

5. Yearnin'

See all 29 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Marching My Blues Away

2. Country and Western (That's for Me)

3. Red Light, Green Light

4. No Money Down

5. It'll Be Alright

See all 32 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. You Drive, Buddy

2. The P.T.A. Rock and Roll

3. Here I Come Cruel World

4. Teenie Weenie Bikini

5. Cryin' Honky Tonk Blues

See all 27 tracks on this disc

Disc: 4

1. El Tigre

2. Eating My Heart Out

3. The Commancheros

4. Rio Grande

5. Fool's Disguise

See all 23 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

Mitchell Torok had a number one country hit in 1953 with "Caribbean," but a four-disc box set of his recordings from the late '40s through the early '60s comes as a bit of a surprise, especially when there is no available single-disc anthology. Despite his relative obscurity, Torok was a versatile performer and a talented songwriter who recorded in a variety of styles including country, pop, and rockabilly, which makes an extended set such as this more listenable over the course of 111 tracks. Torok was practically the king of the ethnic novelty, recording dozens of songs about the Caribbean, Mexico, Hawaii, China -- even Hungary, from where his parents hailed. Although the prospective audience for this expensive set is small, the few who make the financial leap will find much to enjoy. ~ Greg Adams, All Music Guide --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Found him at last!, December 28, 1999

By 

Peter N. Simmons (Washington State,U.S.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mexican Joe in Caribbean (4 CD Set + Book) (Audio CD)

This is a great box set. If there are any Mitchell Torok fans reading this the four cd,s are a great investment as you cannot find him anywhere else. We gave it to my mother for xmas and she is absolutely thrilled with it as she was a (and still is) a great fan of Mitchells. If you read this Mitchell Great stuff and pleaseE.Mail us

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Product So Excellent You Simply CAN'T Give It Less Than 5 Stars, August 16, 2007

By 

AvidOldiesCollector (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mexican Joe in Caribbean (4 CD Set + Book) (Audio CD)

Even so, what is it with these multi-disc box sets of artists who had but a handful of hits - or just one - [see Marvin Rainwater and Robin Luke as two more examples], but for whom there are no optional single-disc albums?

In this case, Mitchell Torok burst onto the scene in 1953 for the tiny Abbott label with the Country hit Caribbean [# 1 for two weeks that October and 24 weeks in all on the charts], b/w Weep Away. The following January he had his second Country hit when Hootchy Kootchy Henry (From Hawaii) reached # 9 b/w Gigolo.

All four sides are here, as is his Guyden remake of Caribbean in 1959 which reached # 27 Billboard Pop Hot 100 b/w a new version of Hootchy Kootchy Henry. Two years prior to that he also had a # 25 Billboard Pop Top 100 hit for Decca with Pledge Of Love b/w What's Behind That Strange Door? All are in this set as are Pink Chiffon [# 60 Hot 100 in 1960] and its flipside, What You Don't Know (Won't Hurt You), again for Guyden.

But either Bear could not [or didn't bother trying to?] get his final charted hit - Instant Love [# 73 Country] - which hit the charts in February 1967 b/w I Let The Hurts Put Me In The Driver's Seat on the Reprise label. Seems to me that, in putting together a 107-track 4-CD set for a guy who had but a handful of hits, there might have been just a little more effort in obtaining the rights to include, among the many alternate takes and failed singles, what was, after all, a legitimate hit.

The book/background notes contain a wealth of fascinating information and, as always with a Bear Family product, the sound reproduction is excellent. But come on, folks, can't someone put out a reasonably-priced, single disc, 20 track CD which contains his hits, their B-sides, plus maybe a few LP cuts?

5.0 out of 5 stars Hootchy Kootchy Henry (From Hawaii), December 20, 2011

By 

WhyteTyger - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mexican Joe in the Caribbean (Audio CD)

Since I heard this song when I was younger I got hooked. I absolutely loved it and have been searching high and low on the internet for just this one song. The last time I heard it was on a 45 and that was geeeeesh like ages ago. I didn't know the singer but I sure did know the song and words. One of my oldest brothers told me the name of the artist and I went hunting online for this one. I am glad I got this box set even just for Hootchy Kootchy Henry (From Hawaii) I think it was worth it to me anyways.