Customer Reviews

Torch This Place

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First off, this is not swing music. When I first heard the music I was expecting something overly slick like all the other Vegas-esque acts out there. Not so! This is butt kicking rock/jump blues. It has more punk influence than swing, and damn is that a good thing. Don't get me wrong I love the old swing stuff. However, in the spirit of Louis Jordan these guys take it up a notch. John Bunkley may very well be one of the most daring vocalists to date. He shouts like an old blues shouter, but phrases with more of an edge; way up on top of the beat and with a lot of heat. Frankly, without him, the band would sound a bit lame. With him, they are quite the treat for cliche' worn ears.

One of the wildest neo-swing bands ever heard. Really powerful swing. Songs like The Man with the Hex, Swing Sweet Pussycat, Caviar and Chitlins are the highlights on this album. Lover Lies is a wonderful ballad (that Tom Waits could sing). Very enjoyable and danceable album.

One of my first experiences with swing dancing involved the song: Man With The Hex. Interested in the song I bought this CD, and I am infinitely glad that I did. This is definately one of my alltime favorite CDs. I'm sure a lot of people won't like this CD, because its very atypical. If you want to lindy to it forget about it. This music is wonderful to East Coast to, and also great to listen to! And that voice... You just have to hear it to appreciate it. Its perfect. Now, some people were complaining that the songs were similar. So. They are all good. I'd rather have a CD chock full of great songs, than a CD with a few great songs, and then a bunch of other stuff thats not nearly as good just to be different. If you could only buy 1 swing CD, this wouldn't be it, because, the songs are very similar. But it make an excellent addition to anyones swing library. I reccomend this to ANYONE who like neo-swing. I love this CD!

WOW, this is a great CD. Lover Lies is the only slow song on this CD. Drink Drank Drunk has a phenominal begining, and all the other song's are very good as well. They are a little repetitive with their lyrics but it still sounds great. A must have.

I bought this CD when it first came out cause I got a free sticker in the mail to advertise it. I figured it sounds like a cool album, then when I bought it home I listened to it and I was blown away. I litterally fell off my seat, the singer has a voice like that combines Louie Armstrong with the lead sing of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. He just sounds so cool, especially on songs like "Lover Lies" and it also has the ability to rip it up in songs like "Calypso King", and "Flower in Sand" and with those groovin' horn licks This is CD is Golden.

Torch This Place
If you like the swing music of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Cherry Poppin' Daddies then you will love The Atomic Fireballs Torch This Place.
This is a great CD, WOW! Man With a Hex, Caviar and Chitlins, Hit By a Brick, Pango Pango and Swing Sweet Pussycat are just great.
You will listen to this CD over and over and over...Well I guess you got the picture.. Fantastic music...BUY IT!
One bad thing, they don't have a bunch of CD's.

The music is powerful, and Bunkley's voice is irresistably soothing, cool, calm and collected. Very relaxing stuff.

The Atomic Fireballs are a great group of guys. They put on a great show, giving all they've got for their fans. When they're not in town, their CD is a great way to hold me over till they get back. I'd do anything to see them live and get ahold of this new CD!

Forget about swing. This band is Rock and Roll all the way. Catchy songs and a retro sound define this band and make them a sure hit with anyone who takes the time to listen. John Bunkleys unique vocal stylings make this album a must have for fans of good dancing and drinking music!

What many of the reviewers say here is true: the unique appeal of the band probably does lie in vocalist John Bunkley's voice. Unlike most of the other neo-swingers out there that try and cop a crooner vibe, Bunkley's sound is slightly reminiscent of Louis Armstrong's sandpaper over silk voice (without the silk..Bunkley isn't so hot on the sole slow tune. He's more like Armstrong would have been if he only did jump blues "shouter" numbers).

The band itself is competent but not stellar...there are no moments musically that make me go "Wow!". The horn arrangements are about what you'd expect.

HIGHLIGHTS:
"Caviar and Chitlins" is a fun novelty tune as is "Swing Sweet Pussycat". Despite Bunkley's voice being a bit gruff to pair well with the tune, I thought cheater ballad "Lover Lies" was decent. ("She thought she knew me/It should come as no surprise/She discovered how her lover lies") "Spanish Fly", an ode to the mythical aphrodisiac, is deliriously non-PC, as is adult beverage celebration "Drink Drank Drunk".

LOWS:
"Hit by a Brick" never really catches fire and since it's one of the longer songs here, it just drags. "Starve a Fever" is a fairly blah attempt at a mid-tempo bluesy number.

BOTTOM LINE:
If you, like me, caught on to neo-swing just as the "craze" hit, delved back into older swing, and then continued to listen to it once the fad was over, you may want to add this to the library for the 5 good cuts. Taken as an album, the overuse of repetition, lack of variety (nearly all uptempo), and Bunkley's inability to craft more than one vocal style (you can have whatever you want...as long as it's "scratchy blues shouter") keeps it out of the "essential" category.

If your interest in neo-swing only went as far as Brian Setzer Orchestra, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and Cherry Poppin' Daddies, you'll want to pass this one by.