Customer Reviews

Original Dance Music of 1920's & 1930's

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I recently bought this "Swing Time" CD as part of an eBay shopping spree. (I know, "fool me once," etc.) I saw that the disc had rave reviews here, and so I was willing to take a chance. Plus there were numbers on it that greatly appealed to me. ("Miss Annabelle Lee" by Mike Speciale was the clincher.) Well, I'm afraid the disc has that "Hebden touch"--that tell-tale sound of digital hedge trimmers above the music. Being more confident and resourceful now in the thick of middle age, I immediately ripped the disc to my hard drive and equalized it in Wavepad (though I imagine Audacity would work well also), cutting all frequencies above 4600 hz. I have to say that except for the one or two that were processed beyond recall (with that lovely underwater digital sound), I managed to create a quite listenable disc. No more loud, screeching, piercing digital noise.

Mr. Hebden always finds such delightful, rare records--and vandalizes them. Good stuff here, hence two stars rather than one. Still, I can't recommend this CD unless you are willing to re-equalize out the higher frequencies and you particularly wish to hear some of the selections.

This is a fantastic CD! Even though some of the artists are unknown the quality of the music is excellent. If you like "oldies", you will love this. The songs were all before my time but very enjoyable. It's a peppy CD.

ORIGINAL DANCE MUSIC OF THE 1920's & 1930's has quite a few perennial favorites on it, like: "I Wanna Be Loved By You," "Happy Days Are Here Again," "I Found A Million Dollar Baby," "Broadway Melody," "Who's Your Little Who Zis," "You're THe Cream In My Coffee" and "Who's Sorry Now?"

Unlike the swing orchestras of a decade later that had distinguishable styles, there was a certain homogeneity to Roaring '20s hot dance bands, and that is apparent from these 24 sides. Many of the musicians who appear in these older recordings later worked for the most famous 1940s big bands. One example is Benny Goodman, barely out of his teens, who is among the ensemble playing "I Found A Million Dollar Baby." Undoubtedly, Glenn Miller and the Dorseys are here, as well.

Liner notes are insufficient. The album's back cover lists titles and recording dates only. ORIGINAL DANCE MUSIC should please any fan of pre-big band tunes willing to overlook lack of details and some source material in less-than-pristine condition.

PLAYLIST --
(3:03) Remarkable Girl - Ted Weems Orch (v/Country Washburn)
(3:14) I Wanna Be Loved By You - Broadway Nitelites (v/Vaughn DeLeath)
(2:49) Don't Wake Me Up Let Me Dream - Howard Lanin Orch
(3:07) What Do I Care What Somebody Said - Jan Garber Orch (v/C Warren)
(2:40) Miss Anabelle Lee - Mike Speciale Orch (v/Billy Carola)
(3:22) Happy Days Are Here Again - Ben Selvin Orch
(3:10) There's Too Many Eyes - Ted Weems Orch (v/Art Jarrett)
(3:22) You're The One I Care For - Bert Lown Orch (v/Elmer Feldkamp)
(3:23) I Found A Million Dollar Baby - Frank Auburn Orch
(2:45) On A Night Like This - Howard Lanin Orch
(2:59) Shine - Jesse Stafford Orch
(2:40) Broadway Melody - Ben Selvin Orch
(3:14) Who's Your Little Who Zis - Ben Selvin Orch
(3:22) Me And The Man In The Moon - Ambassadors (v/Frank Salvano)
(2:49) You're The Cream In My Coffee - Ambassadors (v/Frank Salvano)
(2:51) 'Leven-Thirty Saturday Night - Ambrose Orch (v/Sam Brown)
(3:00) Who's Sorry Now? - Green Brothers Novelty Orch
(3:27) Girl Of My Dreams - Blue Steele Orch (v/Kenny Sargent)
(2:48) When Eyes Of Blue Are Foolin' You - Howard Lanin Orch
(3:13) What A Day - Ted Weems Orch (v/Parker Gibbs)
(3:18) Somebody Loves Me - Henry Lange Baker Hotel Orch
(2:40) She's Got It - Ted Weems Orch (v/Parker Gibbs)
(3:00) Rainy Weather Rose - Adrian Schubert & his Salon Orch (v/Irving Kaufman)
(2:51) Red Headed Baby - Gene Kardos Orch (v/Dick Robertson)
TOTAL RUNNING TIME -- 73:07

The Ted Weems Orchestra has heavy representation on this CD. His songs sound as if they were recorded off a radio - too much tinny cymbals, speaker vibrations and hisses. Can't modern technology eliminate the noise? The songs are great. I love #18 - "Girl of My Dreams" recorded by the Blue Steel Orchestra. It is incredibly poignant and beautiful. Overall 5 stars for the songs, but 3 stars for reproduction.

You get plenty of bang for your buck with this collection. Try some of the sound samples on this site and you will find out how enjoyable this album is. I found the audio restoration to be quite good.

Bill Hebden is the class clown of audio engineers. He is totally oblivious to any criticism. Best to steer clear of his work and any of the lables that he has made up. He completely destroys the sound of the music with his digital gimmicks. You can hear him constantly turning the dials as the music is playing so all kinds of extra noises pop up through the record. It's a real shame because he has some great records and then ruins them with his gimmicks.

Original Dance Music of 1920's & 1930's is a great single CD compilation of some of the "hottest" hits that people danced to and heard on the radio before the big band era. The quality of the sound is rather good considering the age of the recordings; and the artwork is excellent. One thing to take note of, however: Amazon indicates that this album is available for digital MP3 download; but when I checked it out the link up above leads you to a song set for another CD altogether. OOPS, AMAZON!

"Remarkable Girl" by Ted Weems & His Orchestra sounds wonderful; and when Country Washburn comes in to sing the lyrics this number takes off like a jet! "Remarkable Girl" is also noteworthy because it showcases an early recording by the great Ted Weems & His Orchestra. The brass is used very well in the musical arrangement, too. "I Wanna Be Loved By You" is a classic hit that some people may recognize even in these times; Helen Kane doesn't sing this rendition but The Broadway Nitelites and Vaughn Deleath do a sublime performance! There's also another great tune when we get "Miss Annabelle Lee (Who's Wonderful, Who's Marvelous)." "Miss Annabelle Lee (Who's Wonderful, Who's Marvelous)" gets the royal treatment from The Mike Speciale Orchestra with Billy Carola singing the lyrics. Sure, there's some surface noise on this track; but it still sounds very good anyway.

We also hear the classic tune, "Happy Days Are Here Again." This was the "theme song" for FDR's first campaign for the presidency; and it still sounds wonderful to my ears. The Ben Selvin Orchestra never misses a single note although unfortunately the CD manufacturers don't know who sang the lyrics to this song. Sorry, folks. "I Found A Million Dollar Baby (In A Five And Ten Cent Store)" is another adorable love song that I always enjoy hearing; this gets a fine interpretation by The Frank Auburn Orchestra along with a very young Benny Goodman! Similarly, "You're The Cream In My Coffee" sparkles with very little surface noise, if any; and I think you'll enjoy this number if you like this type of music. Frank Salvano sings "You're the Cream in My Coffee" to perfection--and beyond!

I never knew that "Who's Sorry Now?" went this far back; unfortunately this has surface noise but I hope that you'll enjoy this rendition anyway. Listen also for "What A Day;" I always love to hear this tune. Ted Weems and his band mates give this their all with Parker Gibbs singing very well. How these guys could turn out a tune! "She's Got It" is another number with a fine musical arrangement; when Parker Gibbs comes in this number shines! The CD also ends well with The Gene Kardos Orchestra performing "Red Headed Baby." This'll leave you wanting more!

Original Dance Music of 1920's & 1930's offers us a lot of the best music from the 1920's and the 1930's. If you like this album I suggest you try other CDs that have music from this era.

This is a really top-notch collection of 20s & 30s dance music by various bands, mostly underservedly forgotten. A very entertaining CD that gives a good idea of the fun and energy of 20s & 30s dance music. You won't be able to stand still.

My aunt and uncle are in their nineties and recently expressed a desire to hear songs they loved while meeting and falling in love.
I searched Amazon and found many choices that were popular in the 30's and 40's which brought back wonderful memories. They have been married over 70 years and these beautiful songs were part of their lives. Thanks for having them available.

For whatever reason, I'm suddenly into 1920s-1930s music. This CD was another great find, a fun compilation of "vintage dance music" - you'll find yourself dancing about your house, even if you are just dusting the furniture!