Customer Reviews

Ultra-Lounge Sampler

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I do not know what on earth possessed me to buy this CD. I'm not a big lounge fan. I am not cool. I listen to bluegrass, for crying out loud.

The Fuzzy Sampler is indeed a packaging masterpiece. Could that have been it? No- I bought it from Amazon, sight unseen.

The music? The Fuzzy Sampler contains some of the silliest tunes ever to find their way into my CD player. "Lonesome Road" is like Spike Jones on acid. Do not sip on a martini while listening to "Teach Me Tiger"- you will choke on the olive. "Swamp Fire" sounds like something you'd hear at a church haunted house, and - "Holiday for Strings?" Speechless.

But then again, I turn the knob to 11 every time "Peter Gunn," "Pink Panther," and "I Love Paris" come on. Overall, the mix is perfect- uptempo beat, then smooth sex (er, I mean sax), short trip on an elevator, then back to jump...and the embarrassing moments ("French Rat Race"- ptooey!) are over quickly.

Great pick-me-up music, and what an eye opener. I can't wait to throw more money at the rest of Ultra Lounge series!

I originally bought this CD because I liked the cover. (Anything covered in tacky fuzzy leopard print is just too irresistable! And the actual CD has a giant martini olive on it!) But I got it home and absolutely fell in love with the songs. I have since given this CD as a gift to several people, all of whom have gotten as big a thrill from it as I have. In fact, it is the only music we played during our entire New Year's Eve party, and we never got tired of it. "Teach me Tiger" is one of the funniest songs I've ever heard, what were they thinking when they released that!?!?! Deano is his usual swingin' self with "Cha Cha D'Amour." Bobby Darin never fails to get me wanting "More." "Jump, Jive, an' Wail" has recently been remade, but of course, the original is much better. "Glow Worm Cha Cha Cha" will make you feel like you're at a skating rink. I'm amazed at how often I hear the music from this CD in commercial! s and radio announcements. But it's not just the music.... even the packaging and the insert that come with it help to put you in a 50's, atomic shelter, backyard BBQ, martini sipping, lipstick-stained-cigarette kind of mood.

Lower the lights, shake one up (a twist please) and prepare to experience what swank and smooth is all about. This fantastic collection is a veritable time/cool machine; projecting you back to an age of class and alcolhol induced enlightenment which, it seems, many of us have lost. A definate must have.

So like the "Ultra Lounge-Tiki Sampler" that I'll use the same words to review this: The variety and quality of Lounge genre music found on the "Ultra Lounge" samplers, is enough to put Lounge as my most favoured music form. I now want to collect all 23 CDs that the samples were taken from.

Lawrence Welk on steroids. What a blast this CD is. Slither into something more comfortable, shake up that perfect martooni, and listen to this. You'll be totally loose in no time. Don't go here though, if you can't groove on a little kitch, this CD is not for the black-clad masses. I mean, really, the cover is fuzzy leopard print. Need I say more.........

This CD is worth the price for the one track "Teach Me Tiger." Similar to other CDs offered, this is one where a smoking jacket and a retro 50's vibe come to life. There are also other funky tunes in here that are sure to have you wondering if they were serious or just having a great party. Either way, it works well as party background music, although you may find yourself shushing everyone up to hear the lyrics.

Music that makes you want to leave work early, head to the local lounge with your favorite lady, and sip, smoke and dream!

With the faux fuzzy leopard skin case, and Spanish olive design on the disc, not to mention the eclectic collection of tunes from the first twelve volumes of the series, the Fuzzy Sampler is a terrific introduction to the Ultra Lounge Series.

With two selections from each album, you get a good feel as to the mien of each disc. I personally have gone on to acquire half of the albums showcased, and three that have been release subsequently. And while the songs chosen aren't necessarily the best song off each album, their choice is more than apropos.

Now it serves no purpose to recite each and every song, listing the virtue of both the song and its original album. Rather, I will point out a few songs that stood out among the rest. The first song is Jackie Davis' GLOW WORM CHA CHA CHA. It is an enjoyable tune, that if you don't know it by name, you will undoubtedly recognize it from some elevator ride in your past, or a department store trip in your youth.

The second song that stood out for me was SO NICE (Samba de Verao) by Billy May. I first heard this song is a vocal arrangement on an early Sergio Mendes album, but it was hearing this instrumental version in a coffee shop in Albany, NY, that compelled me to seek out this CD for my collection.

Finally, the third song that stands out, now more than ever, is Louis Prima's JUMP, JIVE, AND WAIL. Now you may be sick of this song with the constant exposure it has had recently with the "Khaki's Swing" ad and the version by the Brian Setzer Orchestra. Consequently, you might ask why I would then bother to highlight this songs inclusion on the FUZZY SAMPLER. I do so to point out how far ahead of the times the folks in the Ultra Lounge truly are. For you see, the FUZZY SAMPLER was released in 1996. Two full years ahead of JUMP, JIVE, AND WAIL's renaissance.

But beyond all this, even if you despise "Lounge" music, you must buy the FUZZY SAMPLER. Why? Because it has the most ingenious packaging ever conceived, let alone, presented to the public for sale. It literally is a "Fuzzy" Sampler. With a soft "Leopard" skin case, and a Retro-look thick plastic Ultra Lounge logo affixed right on the front, it will stand out from every other CD in your collection, and garner more comments than thought conceivable.

Heard it on vacation at a friends house and had to buy it the next day. Smooth lounge music from the 50's and early 60's, makes you want to put up your feet, sip a cold hi-ball, and transport your mind to simpilar times. Very relaxing and novelty beats. Not to many vocals, but all around a great variety of classic sounds that seem to have been forgotten today.

This CD is one of the greatest purchases I ever made. I was brousing the cd's a my local record store and came upon this fuzzy, ultra-hip complilation. I have bought this CD for friends and used it for entertaining. Almost anyone will love this cd, if simply for the humour in it! FANTASTIC!