Spotlight on Betty Hutton [Original recording remastered]

Betty Hutton | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Capitol Records
• ASIN: B000B61CQ4
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #608,254 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

1. It Had To Be You~~~ 2. A Square In The Social Circle~~~ 3. I Wake Up IN The Morning Feeling Fine~~~ 4. Love Is The Dardest Thing~~~ 5. Stuff Like That There~~~ 6. What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes at me for?~~~ 7. Hamlet~~~ 8. His Rocking Horse Ran Away~~~ 9. I Wish I Didn't Love You So~~~ 10. Rumble, Rumble, Rumble~~~ 11. Blue Skies~~~ 12. That's Loyalty~~~ 13. Poppa, Don't Preach To Me~~~ 14. Doin It The Hard Way~~~ 15. The Sewing Machine~~~ 16. Now That I Need You~~~ 17. Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's Up, It's Bouncy, August 16, 2007

By 

Larry D (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spotlight on Betty Hutton (Audio CD)

I've always considered Betty Hutton something of a novelty act -- gesticulating, face-pulling, and only incidentally singing (and often yelling) a series of jivey up-tempo numbers in a brassy (if not particularly distinctive) voice. And while I pretty much stand by that assessment, this collection of mid-1940s Columbia sides proves that when called upon, the late Ms. Hutton could put over a ballad; if not with the best of them (Judy Garland this ain't), certainly with the rest of them. Ms. Hutton's more famous songs -- "Murder He Says" and "It's Oh So Quiet" (the latter given a new lease on life by Bjork's 1995 cover) are absent. But there's plenty of boistrous novelty numbers here -- among the best, Frank Loesser's "Hamlet" (the Shakespeare classic condensed to two minutes and 49 seconds of slang lyrics and brass), and "His Rocking Horse Ran Away", the rapid-fire lament of an overworked, overwrought mother of a mischievous little boy. The pleasant surprise here is the relative tastefulness with which Ms. Hutton croons "It Had to Be You" and "I Wish I Didn't Love You So". A particular treat for me is what I assume is the original version of "Stuff Like That There", covered by Bette Midler in her 1991 film "For the Boys". This collection hasn't turned me into a hard-core Betty Hutton fan; but it's definitely a fun listen.