Customer Reviews

OKeh Western Swing

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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Stellar collection of western swing. For the uninitiated it's a perfect introduction. Of the original four album sides, one is entirely Bob Wills. As good as he was, you might find that you like the other three sides even better. Songs run the gamut from instrumentals (the favorites "Bass Man Jive" and Spade Cooley's "Three Way Boogie") to the humorous ("I Love My Fruit") to gospel ("When I Put On My Long White Robe") to just plain old great western swing. This is the real deal.

True, the artists aren't named on the disk or the accompanying booklet; when I replaced the vinyl with CD I photocopied the information before trading in the old 2LP set. If you're unable to find this in print, keep looking by all means, but there's a highly recommended 4CD set (no mp3 downloads as yet) on the Proper UK label, "Doughboys, Playboys & Cowboys". 99 tracks currently priced at $26 here on Amazon Doughboys, Playboys and Cowboys: The Golden Years of Western Swing. Searching the label "Proper Box UK" will turn up a couple hundred box sets of all kinds of music at amazingly affordable prices. Or if you're just looking for a single disk collection of western swing, doing an advanced search on the label "Proper" or "Proper Pairs" will turn up sets by Spade Cooley and Hank Penny. The Proper label provides excellent packaging, copious liner notes and good sound.

Nice western swing volume. Perhaps a little heavy with Bob Wills material (he has so much available elsewhere) but its all great listening. Others complained of no track listings--had to look around a little but came up with this--enjoy!

1 Hesitation Blues 3.10 Al Bernard with The Goofus Five
2 Lovesick Blues 2.52 Emmett Miller & His Georgia Crackers
3 Sadie Green (The Vamp From New Orleans) 2.51 Roy Newman & His Boys
4 Give Me My Money 2.53 Blue Ridge Playboys
5 Range Riders' Stomp 2.39 Range Riders
6 There'll Be Some Changes Made 2.43 W. Lee O'Daniel and His Hillbilly Boys
7 Fort Worth Stomp 2.28 Crystal Springs Ramblers
8 Get With It 3.05 Bob Wills
9 Who Walks in When I Walk Out 2.55 Bob Wills
10 Too Busy 2.37 Bob Wills
11 Playboy Stomp 2.45 Bob Wills
12 Oozzlin' Daddy Blues 2.29 Bob Wills
13 Pray for the Lights to Go Out 2.53 Bob Wills
14 The Girl I Left Behind Me 2.41 Bob Wills
15 Hot as I Am 2.24 The Saddle Tramps
16 One More River to Cross 2.49 Sons of the Pioneers
17 Knocky, Knocky 2.29 The Light Crust Doughboys
18 Zeke Terney's Stomp 2.47 Hi-Neighbor Boys
19 Chill Tonic 2.51 Hank Penny & His Radio Cowboys
20 When I Put on My Long White Robe 2.51 Swift Jewel Cowboys
21 I Love My Fruit 2.33 Sweet Violet Boys
22 Bass Man Jive 2.35 Ocie Stockard & His Wanderers
23 Reno Street Blues 2.33 Hi-Flyers
24 Panhandle Shuffle 2.27 Sons of the West
25 Gulf Coast Special 2.59 Adolf Hofner & His Orchestra
26 Brown Bottle Blues 2.59 Slim Harbert & His Boys
27 Three-Way Boogie 2.44 Spade Cooley & His Orchestra
28 Take It Away, Leon 2.43 Leon McAuliffe and His Western Swing Band

This is the jazzy side of western swing, meaning lots of horn arrangements, some of which are indistinguishable from straight-ahead swing jazz of the 30s-40s. But this is no criticism... mighty fine swinging material. Wills and all are in fine form. There is one HUGE ommission though, at least in the CD version. Frustratingly, there is NO IDENTIFICATION OF THE ARTISTS IN THE TRACK LIST! Artist names are buried in the notes, but nothing that says who plays what song. Very poor quality control on the part of CBS!

I love this album...it is one of the first times I heard Western Swing.

Contrary to what some of the reviews say, it *is* or at least was available on disc. Mine says CBS Special Products A 37324, and below that DIDP 072015.

I'm afraid I took it out of the Jewel Box to put it in a sleeve, and some of the notes are missing, so this may not be all the numbers, but it is everything on the disc itself. It's well worth tracking down, assuming you can.

I taped the LP from the public library over 13 years ago and still listen to it all the time. I would buy a CD rerelease in a heartbeat. Wonderful music for western swing, blues or any oldtime syncopated music fans.

This is one of the best western swing compliations. Too bad it isn't on c.d......yet. But if you need a fix in the meantime, I suggest you check out the Bob Wills Tiffany Transcriptions collection. Any of the many that are out there will suffice.

great music! had it on my boat all summer long, became especially attached to "wheni put on my long white robe". they just don't make great music like this anymore.i only wish it was on cd.... 8-)

Wonderful