Customer Reviews

The Original "Boop-Boop-a-Doop" Girl, Classic Years -- 1928-1930

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although I imagine Ms. Kane turns in her grave everytime she's mentioned in the same breath as Betty Boop (She tried to sue the makers of Boop's cartoons - unsuccesfully - for stealing her persona and by default, her career), this collection of all her recordings shows once and for all that she was a unique talent in her own right.

Her version of such songs as "Button Up Your Overcoat" have never been bettered, sung with a mix of Betty Boop and Eddie Cantor, with all the innocent innuendo you could get away with in the late 20s.

Amoung the less well known gems on the disc are "That's My Weakness Now" (the song that rocketed her career) and "I've Got It and It don't Do Me No Good..." (what a title!).

I'd love to see some of the films she made for Pararmount in the very early 30s, but I wouldn't trade this CD for anything. A grade "A" genuine classic!

Most jazz collectors prefer the recordings of Ruth Etting and Annette Hanshaw in the 20's, because of their whistful swinging styles. Often overlooked are Lee Morse and Helen Kane. Kane did have a squeeky voice and an accent, however she had a wonderful sense of rhythm and her timing was impeccable. She could be just as wistful and swinging as Etting and Hanshaw, and she had charm and humor to add to that. She had what it took to be a jazz singer. This CD brings back all of her recordings from the 20's & 30's in digital srereo impressions, thanks to Robert Parker who has restored these timeless performances to sound as though they were recorded just yesterday. All the tunes are wonderful, including her hit "I Wanna Be Loved By You" as well as the classics "Button Up Your Overcoat" and "Get Out & Get Under The Moon." Most of these songs find Kane backed by top notch jazz oriented dance bands, and on "I Wanna Be Loved By You" there is a brief bass sax solo, that sounds very Adrian Rollini-ish. This is the 1st release ever on cd of Kane, and it is exellent, Louisiana Red Hot Records has released another gem. Recommended to anyone who likes good and fun music.

My 78-collecting sister, father, and I were delighted to see this finally issued, as Helen Kane's 78's are quite hard to find and never cheap. This cd is (the only existing) collection of Babs Kane's entire catalog for RCA Victor from 1928-1930. This is my favorite (pre-rock) era of American Music - just before the Swing era took the country by storm, and just after the roaring 20's flapper craze, in a delightfully innocent time that wasn't without its share of thinly-veiled sexual innuendo and giddy gaities. Helen doesn't sing as much as talk (or squeak) through many of these tunes, all of which are above average for even this golden era. Her band is innovative and amusing, walking the line between the 'sweet' sound that was coming into vogue in this period, and the novelty bands of the earlier 1920's. If you're a Betty Boop fan, a novelty music fan, or just want to take a trip to a bygone innocent age, this is for you. All classics, all remastered in brilliant sound.

If there's a place in heaven for people who are just downright pleasant, Helen Kane is sitting it it at this moment. For my money, there've never been better renditions of "Button Up Your Overcoat" and "I Wanna Be Loved By You." And "Dangerous Nan McGrew" will make you squirt milk out your nose. Feeling a bit down? "Get out and get under the moon." Any one of these songs makes the CD worth owning.

"Me and the man in the moon" say about Helen: "That's my weakness now." A must buy!

I must agree with Michael Jered Kopp of Chicago!

Helen Kane had perhaps the best diction of any pop singer of the 20's and well beyond, but because of the attempt to create a sterophonic effect most of the lyrics are impossible to decipher.

Anyone who has heard the great restoration of I Wanna Be Loved By You on the RCA CD Nippers Greatest Hits would be hard pressed to identify the Helen Kane here with the genuine aricle.

Too bad, because the collection of songs is the most comprehensive available on one disc.

I don't want Helen Kane in stereo - Helen Kane in a crisp mono would be just fine for me!

Helen Kane is one of those "vintage" artists people either love or hate. She was a huge Broadway star in the late 20's but her career faded quickly and today few people recognize the name. Such a shame for an artist that was so unique.

I have been collecting original Helen Kane 78's for years and was delighted to find this CD. The sound quality is good considering the sources though I would have prefered a crisp original mono sound to simulated stereo. (I don't know why labels feel that kind of processing is necessary.)

If you like novelty dance music of the 20's or if you like Betty Boop, you will love this CD.

The music is wonderful, but I was extremely disappointed with the sound of this CD.

This release has been remixed by producer Robert Parker with digital stereo effects and other "enhancements" that result in a very artificial, unbalanced sound. For example, the bass has been over-emphasized with instruments like the piano almost completely buried in the mix. Perhaps this is the producer's idea of making the music accessible to "modern ears".

If you know Helen Kane's music from old 78s or LPs, you may find this remastering to be very disturbing. Sure, the bass thunders on your sub-woofers, but is that appropriate for music from this era?

There are many fine labels that reissue older music without ruining the sound, such as Arhoolie, Document, Rounder, Smithsonian-Folkways and Yazoo. I'm hopeful that one of them will reissue the Helen Kane recordings in an unmolested form.

Please understand that this is purely a matter of personal taste. If fake stereo and other digital enhancements don't bother you, then buy this CD. The music really is terrific. However, if you prefer a more natural sound to vintage recordings, then avoid this like the plague. I only wish I had seen a review like this before I wasted my own money.

I really can't say much more than has already been said about Helen Kane's performance style: it's definitely in the "novelty" category, but nonetheless consistently entertaining and even risque. Irrespective of the voice or the New Yawk accent, she's a darned good singer. The three short years she was famous have influenced listeners and performers for more than 72 years. What a pity that her career died so quickly!
The documentation accompanying this CD is excellent, in that it covers her biography, the historical context of her career rise and fall, recording dates, and record matrices. Regarding the sound processing, let me say at the outset that I'm fundamentally opposed to stereoizing monophonic sources. Having said that, I can say that Robert Parker's stereo effects are fairly subtle, and certainly his denoising and equalization are generally quite good (occasionally I think the highs are rolled off a bit too much). The pseudo-stereo effect at its worst add a moderately annoying echo to Ms Kane's voice; the accompanying bands don't seem to suffer nearly so much from the processing. I wish that Parker had not done this; however, he could have done *far* worse.

Helen Kane is the flapper who was the model for Betty Boop. When you listen to this CD, you can appreciate just how well Mae Questal, who provided the voice of Betty Boop, imitated Helen Kane. The music on this CD is great fun. Not only do you get to hear more complete versions of songs that Betty Boop sings, but there are also songs like "He's So Unusual" that Betty Boop should have sung.

While most folk will connect Helen Kane with Betty Boop, the songs on this set stand on their own merits. Delights such as "That's My Weakness Now" and "I Want To Be Bad" speak more for the "Flapper" era in America than any textbook could. This set contains all of Helen's recordings.