Customer Reviews

Strict Education in Music: 50 of the Best [ORIGINAL RECORDINGS REMASTERED]

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This will be a short review, as i have nothing but good things to say about this. A double CD for the price of one, some rarities, many hits, some film songs. At that great price I bought two copies, one for me and the other for...ME (Don't tell me. It's a surprise!

Disc One
1. THINKING OF YOU (Theme)
2. YOU GO TO MY HEAD
3. THE UMBRELLA MAN
4. WHAT HAVE YOU GOT THAT GETS ME?
5. TWO SLEEPY PEOPLE
6. DEEP PURPLE
7. ON THE ROAD TO MANDALAY
8. THREE LITTLE FISHIES
9. STAIRWAY TO THE STARS
10. THE ANSWER IS LOVE
11. INDIAN SUMMER
12. FRIENDSHIP
13. FERRY BOAT SERENADE
14. LIKE THE FELLA ONCE SAID
15. YOU'VE GOT ME THIS WAY
16. THE BAD HUMOUR MAN
17. LIGHTS OUT 'TIL REVEILLE
18. WHY DON'T WE DO THIS MORE OFTEN?
19. THANK YOUR LUCKY STARS AND STRIPES
20. HOW LONG DID I DREAM?
21. QUE CHICA
22. HUMPTY DUMPTY HEART
23. WHO WOULDN'T LOVE YOU?
24. DON'T SIT UNDER THE APPLE TREE
25. PUSHIN' SAND
26. JINGLE, JANGLE, JINGLE

Disc Two
1. PRAISE THE LORD AND PASS THE AMMUNITION
2. STRIP POLKA
3. A ROOKIE AND HIS RHYTHM
4. I DUG A DITCH
5. THE GIRL I LEFT BEHIND ME
6. VICTORY POLKA
7. ALWAYS
8. SHINE ON HARVEST MOON
9. LIMEHOUSE BLUES
10. THERE GOES THAT SONG AGAIN
11. AC-CENT-TCHU-ATE THE POSITIVE
12. BELL BOTTOM TROUSERS
13. HORSES DON'T BET ON PEOPLE
14. THAT'S FOR ME
15. LOVE ON A GREYHOUND BUS
16. OLE BUTTERMILK SKY
17. HUGGIN' AND CHALKIN'
18. THE OLD LAMPLIGHTER
19. MANAGUA, NICARAGUA
20. AS LONG AS I LIVE
21. BOIN-N-N-NG
22. KATRINA
23. ON A SLOW BOAT TO CHINA
24. WOODY WOODPECKER

Glenn Miller was known to regard singers with a certain disdain. He always maintained that if he employed the best musicians, it didn't matter if the singers were merely adequate, although his female singer (Marion Hutton) was close to the best of her generation. His results vindicated his policy. Meanwhile, Kay Kyser appears to have built his success around Harry Babbitt and Ginny Simms, two truly outstanding singers. (Ginny left in 1941 so only appears on the first CD here.) Kay's musicians were certainly no match for those that Glenn Miller employed, although they improved with time.

This compilation serves as a good introduction to Kay's music although it omits two of his number one hits, White cliffs of Dover and He wears a pair of silver wings. In Britain, White cliffs of Dover was and is Vera Lynn's, but she didn't chart in America until 1948. For the American market, this classic song (which was written by Americans), was recorded by several artists, but Kay's proved to be the most popular version. Glenn Miller's version peaked at 6, so this was one case where Kay scored a victory over Glenn. It is therefore disappointing that his version wasn't included here. Nine of Kay's eleven number one hits (Umbrella man, Three little fishes, Lights out 'til Reveille, Who wouldn't love you, Jingle jangle jingle, Strip polka, Praise the lord and pass the ammunition, Ole buttermilk sky, Woody woodpecker) and a selection of his other big hits are included too. That said, a lot of big hits are missing besides the two number ones already mentioned and I wonder if this was deliberate with a view to compiling a second volume that (at least so far) has not appeared.

I'd never listened to Kay's music before buying this collection, but among the hits here, I recognized Stairway to the stars (a top five hit for Kay but a number one for Glenn Miller), Two sleepy people (which has been covered by plenty of other singers), Friendship (because it became the title track of Ray Charles' country duets album), Ferry boat serenade (a top ten hit for Kay late in 1941 despite being a number one hit for the Andrews sisters the year before), Strip polka (only a top ten hit for the Andrews sisters - Kay had the number one), Ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive (a number one hit for Johnny Mercer and a number two hit for Bing Crosby and the Andrews sisters), Woody woodpecker (a minor hit for Danny Kaye and the Andrews sisters, but a number one for Kay) and On a slow boat to China (recorded by a lot of different artists and a hit for several of them). I also recognized Deep purple, Don't sit under the apple tree, Always and Shine on harvest moon, all of which have proved very popular though none were among Kay's hits. Of these non-hits, I particularly like Deep purple, featuring a solo vocal by Ginny Simms.

The music included here covers the range of Kay's repertoire including sentimental ballads, fun novelty songs and patriotic war songs, plus the occasional swing instrumental. His theme song, Thinking of you, opens the collection. It provided him with a minor hit when originally released in 1935, but the version here is a 1939 re-recording. One song that made me chuckle (being a horse racing fan) is Horses don't bet on people.

Kay Kyser may not have been the best bandleader of his generation, but I enjoy his music and would certainly like to hear more someday. Meanwhile, this compilation at least provides a good introduction to his music.

For someone who couldn't play an instrument, sing or even read music, Kay Kyser (born June 18, 1905 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina) still turned out to be one of the most renowned and commercially successful of the so-called "sweet bands" of the Big Band Era, chalking up no less than 78 hit singles in North America from 1935 to 1948. And in this 50-track 2-CD set from Jasmine of the U.K. you get 26, including 9 of his 11 # 1s (the only ones missing are (There'll Be Bluebird Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover in late 1941/early 1942 on Columbia 36455, and He Wears A Pair Of Silver Wings in August 1942 on Columbia 36604 as the flip of another # 1, Jingle Jangle Jingle, which is here.

The insert contains five pages of background notes written in August 2002 by Brian Belton, along with a repeat listing of the contents showing recording dates and vocalists, and a complete sessionography. Only label and chart details are omitted.

His musical career began in college when he assumed the leadership of an aggregation previously headed by Hal Kemp, featuring as much comedy as he did straight music, and this evolved into highly successful radio stints, including his wildly popular Kollege Of Musical Knowledge which began in 1938 on Mutual Radio before transferring to NBC in 1939 and lasting to 1949 where he was commonly referred to as The Ol' Perfessor. He and his band also appeared in several movies over the years. Most of his arrangements were handled by George Duning.

Between 1935 and 1939 he recorded some 74 singles for Brunswick Records, then owned by American Record Corporation (ARC), but here Jasmine gives you just these 4 of the 21 hits he had for that label (including both # 1s): Two Sleepy People - # 7 November 1938 on Brunswick 8244 from the film Thanks For The Memory; The Umbrella Man - # 1 December 1938/Jan 1939 on Brunswick 8225 (vocals on both by Ginny Simms and Harry Babbitt); Three Little Fishies - # 1 May 1939 on Brunswick 8368 (vocals by Simms, Babbitt and Ish Kabibble - real name Merwyn Bogue); and Stairway To The Stars - # 4 June 1939 on Brunswick 8381. Also included is his first release, Thinking Of You, which came out in 1935 Brunswick 7449 and became his theme.

When Brunswick was purchased by Columbia in 1939, all subsequent releases came out on that label where, among his many releases (over 100), he registered 56 hits and here you get 22 (see the Comments section below).

Following the termination of his radio show in 1949, Kay called it quits in 1950 and turned to lecturing across the country in the subject of Christian Science. He passed away on July 23, 1985 at age 79.

All in all, one of the better Kay Kyser compilations on the market and at a great price, with very good sound. Finding all 78 hits in one box-set would, however, be the ultimate collection. And that should include one he recorded in late 1929 while still in college, Hark The Sound Of Tar Heel Voices, which is the University Of North Carolina school song and which had earlier been released on Victor 40258 (the flipside was Stackin' The Hay by the Ed Geoghegan Orchestra). When it was re-released in late 1938 on Bluebird 7892, it made it to # 16 in December b/w Collegiate Fanny.

Bought this item a couple of weeks ago.If you like Kay Kyser and Big Bands this is the item to purchase.Played several times along with other Big Band music in my collection.