Customer Reviews

Ten Cents a Dance

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Ruth was extremely popular - and commercially successful - in the 1920's and 1930's, though she was less successful in her personal life, which was dramatised in the film Love me or leave me (starring Doris Day). In that film, Doris sang Sam the old Accordion man as well as the title track. The original versions of both those songs are included in this compilation.

This is the first compilation of Ruth's music released by ASV, and it contains 20 of her best songs. A further 25 songs that didn't make it on to this set can be found on the companion volume, America's sweetheart of song, which I've already reviewed. Even with a combined total of 45 tracks, they don't include all her hits, but they do contain most of the big ones.

Among the hits included here are Lonesome and sorry (#3 from 1926), Sam the old Accordion man (#5 from 1927), Love me or leave me (#2 from 1929), Mean to me (#3 from 1929), Ten cents a dance (#5 from 1930) - and there are plenty of others.

There is enough of Ruth's music to fill at least a third volume of similar quality to the first two. Buy this to give ASV the necessary incentive.

So just who is this Ruth Etting anyway? Just one of the most famous singers of popular songs in the late 1920's and early 1930's. Ruth arrived in Chicago at the ripe old age of 17 and kicked around for a few years going to school and working odd jobs. By all accounts she was ambitious, talented, extremely personable and a knockout!! She was primarily interested in pursuing a career in costume design. However, in 1922 she married a small time racketeer named Martin Snyder. He was in a position to open doors for his young wife and before she knew it she was singing on pioneer radio programs and making studio recordings. She quickly became known as "Chicago's Sweetheart of the Air". And people began to take notice. In fact, Florenz Ziegfeld signed her to sing in "Ziegfeld Follies of 1927" It appeared that the sky was the limit for the irrepressable Ruth Etting.

Between 1926 and 1933, Ruth Etting recordings were a fixture on the nation's airwaves. And she sold lots and lots of records. In fact over 60 of Ruth's recordings would make the charts! This collection from England's ASV records highlights the recordings Ruth made between 1926 and 1930. It is a marvelous overview of an artist at the height of her ability and popularity. You will be treated to several of Ruth's biggest hits including "Ten Cents A Dance", "Body and Soul" and her trademark song "Love Me Or Leave Me". There are a number of other tunes I heartily enjoyed including her version of "Button Up Your Overcoat" and the lively "Sam, The Old Accordian Man." I find that it is lots of fun to sample music from a different era and most of the tunes on this collection are quite enjoyable indeed. The disc is accompanied by three pages of interesting liner notes on the artist as well.

As things turned out life was not always a bowl of cherries for Ruth Etting. Her personal life kind of fell apart in the mid 1930's due in part to a most unfortunate shooting involving her husband Martin and a piano player she was seeing. As a result of all the publicity stemming from this incident, Ruth Etting decided to quit the business altogether. She would go on to marry that piano player and the couple retired to a small ranch in Colorado. And oh yeah, somebody did make a movie about the life of Ruth Etting. M-G-M released "Love Me Or Leave Me" back in 1955 starring Doris Day. That is a flick I definitely want to check out.

Any discussion about Ruth Etting leads to comparison with her contemporary Annette Hanshaw.Because Etting was much more commercially succesful,she was forever destined to be condemned by jazz critics and in the decades later in every reference books you will find that,yes Etting was succesful but Hanshaw was better.Which I find pure snobism.I just recieved my amazon orders with both girls collections and was really surprised that I found Hanshaw not-so-interesting,but Etting simply irresistible.At the glance on both singers CD's you will find 9 immortal standards on Ruth Etting collection and just 2 on Annette Hanshaw.I mean,come on,folks,Etting ended up with penality for her succes and every jazz critic under the sun claims that she was talentless,while Hanshaw was supposedly the best thing ever in 20-es.Listen to both of them and decide for yourself,dont pay attention what critics said.Her "Shaking the blues away" (from "Zigfield Follies of 1927.") sound so much like "I'd rather be blue over you (than happy with somebody else)" from "Funny girl" show/movie;this woman was the original Zigfield star and her connections with underground world makes her story even more interesting for me.While Hanshaw used her rich father as a background for her recording career,Etting used her beauty and charm,which I found more exciting.AND she could sing,I found Ruth Etting music simply irresistible,foxtrot,ballads and all.Putting her down,80 years after her popularity as "succesful but not really jazz" is same as is if somebody describes Madonna 80 years later as "popular but not really talented".

These recordings show the great talent of Miss Etting. Her excellent voice comes through loud and clear, very clear. Even though these recordings are more than 60 years old the quality is exceptional. I can't pick a favorite but you won't want to stop listening.

I was amazed by the beauty of the songs and the quality of the recordings. #3."Funny, Dear, What Love Can Do" and #20."Love Me or Leave Me" are absolutely beautiful. They can stand with Judy Garland's "Over the Rainbow" and Karen Carpenter's "Superstar."
"Ten Cents A Dance", "But I Do, You Know I Do", "If I Could Be With You", and "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes" are also great torch songs. "Could I", "Sam the Accordian Man" and "Dancing The Blues Away" are memorable dance tunes.
I agree with an earlier reviewer that "Mean to Me" is disturbing. It sounds like it is sung from the point of view of an abused woman who blames herself for her predicament.
Ruth Etting's voice matured from Flapperish in 1926 to elegant in 1930. She has a woman's voice, never a girl's. This differentiates her favorably from several of her contemporaries.

This cd is great. It is one that can be listened to over and over. Her songs really capture the era she lived in. The recordings are clear and make you wish there was a way to see her perform. She is not Annette Hanshaw and their styles should not be compared. If you like Ruth Etting you will like Annette Hanshaw. They both can be listened to as contempory singers on most recordings. This is the one to buy if you are interested in this great song stylist from long ago.

Ruth Etting can be compared to Annette Hanshaw and lots of others, but the bottom line is this: She was a great singer and this is a great collection of tunes. If you like to sing along and do little dances while you listen -- this is it. Buy it and enjoy.

this is the best cd re-issue of ruth etting,period!it has all her best stuff from 1926-1930,and the sound is great to boot.i simply cant listen to this disc enough,its that great!i also have the other ones that are available,along with others that arent anymore,and i still find that this is the best reprsentitive of her work.if you only buy one,this is it!

this is the best comp disc you can find on ruth. it has all her greatest columbia sides from before 1931,when she had her biggest hits. if you only get this one,you will be satisfied.

Had never heard Ruth Etting before this CD. My interest was piqued by watching Love Me or Leave Me recently so I got that soundtrack and this disc. WOW! Ruth is FANTASTIC! What a glorious, sweet voice. Doris Day may resemble Ruth Etting (although Jane Powell might have been a better choice, both in appearance and voice) and she has her own style which is not that of the Twenties and Thirties when Ruth was in full bloom. This CD has many electronic glitches: snaps, crackles, and pops from the original sources, but oh, that voice! It really comes through and you can easily forget the recording technique. Luckily, she is miked in the foreground so you can always hear her above the orchestra. Incidentally, some of the arrangements are absolutely outstanding! It appears that the unnamed orchestras and their leaders loved working with her because for the most part, they are superlative. Can't say enough about this disc and I wish we could have available every recording of hers remastered with the latest techniques from the best master sources available. Hearing her glorious voice is worth it. I don't know if the ASV recording (same cover) is identical in sound but do get a Ruth Etting disc. They truly do not make them like this anymore!