Customer Reviews

The Very Best Of Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...even after ten thousand times listening to these songs (of which there is not a single "filler"), I get goose-skin when this music plays. It's like a musical in the mind. For me, this is as good as Ellington or Miles; in other words, it belongs to the best music created in the 20th century. It's just a pity that the U.S. hasn't yet awoken to one of its most ingenious musical artists so far (and there have been quite a lot). Stony Browder and his cohorts deserve respect and recognition. It's never too late. And why doesn't Elektra Records finally release "goes to Washington", Savannah's third LP on CD? It's just as good as the two first LPs which are included on this Best-of Set. Again: whoever owns "goes to Washington", PLEASE go ahead and release it. (The original covers would be great, too.) And then, all three Original Savannah Band LPs should be re-released as one grand double CD-set. DR. BUZZARD'S ORIGINAL SAVANNAH BAND FOR EVER!

Man, this group was truly original from the very moment they emerged back in the late '70s. Fusing big band swing with the pulsating rhythms of disco and whatever chief songwriters/co-founders Stony Browder Jr. and August Darnell could pull from their fertile imaginitive minds, their sound became something that transcended even the most popular music of its day. Another plus they had going for them were the creamy yet playful vocals of lead singer Cory Daye, who really gave the songs that extra vitality needed to make the whole concept run as smoothly as it did. It's a shame this group only lasted a few years before splintering (with Darnell and fellow member "Sugar-Coated" Andy Hernandez branching off to form their own outfit under the name Kid Creole and the Coconuts, their music also worth checking out), but the material they managed to come up with here will definitely stand the test of time if it hasn't already. Recommended for ALL who just love and appreciate good music.

Note: the title of this collection is somewhat misleading, for it really contains the group's entire output (both their self-titled debut album and their slightly more ambitious '78 follow-up 'Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band Meets King Penett') for the RCA label. Unfortunately the tracks are not in chronological order and was probably done to give the impression of it being an actual "very best of" set. Pretty slick marketing ploy, but totally unnecessary if you ask me. Now if only their '79 Elektra release ('Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band Goes To Washington') would just get reissued, then you'd definitely have it all!

I heard the song "Chersee Le Femme" on the radio and loved it but the DJ never said who the artist was. It would get played once in awhile but it was just like this mystery song from out of nowhere. Fast forward to me finally finding out the artist was Dr. Buzzard and purchasing this greatest hits CD. The best way I can describe the style is a mix of Latin, big band, and a little disco. This is one of the most innovative, original, and ejoyable albums I have listened to in awhile. Why didn't this style catch on? Buzzard and Co. were really on to something here. I'm a fan of the Cab Callaway band style and Latin and disco so this was heaven for me. I got my "Cherzee Le Femme" plus new favorites like "I'll Play The Fool" and "The Gigolo and I". But what really caught my ear (and won't let go for at least 2 weeks) is "Sunshower". I love the children singing the chorus. It's just this adorable lovesong. I listen to it and I picture walking with my girlfriend though the park during an actual sunshower and the kids are singing in the background. Any band that can create images like that with music is worth listening to. This album is pure magic.

This is not really a greatest hits album, but rather a nearly complete combination of Dr. Buzzard's fairly well-known (and excellent) first record and their more artistically ambitious, but less well-known second record, my favorite of the three this band produced. "Mr. Love," "Gigolo," and "Soraya" deserve to be heard, alongside the familiar hits like "Cherchez les Femmes" and "I'll Play the Fool." This band was to disco what Parliament was to funk: masters of the style, but with an artistic vision and genre-bending playfulness that far surpassed the ordinary. The music attempts an amalgamation of European jazz, big-band swing, disco, Latin, and soul to match the lyrics' tongue-in-cheek promotion of a multicultural "mulatto" ideology. As this disc's sign-off says, "Comrade, go faster than lightning / Wir verstehen, yeah yeah!" Cory Daye's always slightly off-kilter voice adds a really pleasing dimension of mystery and dissonance. Half of this band became Kid Creole and the Coconuts, but this incarnation had infinitely more depth. Every cut has something to offer. If only a couple of the more explicitly political, darker-hued cuts from the band's third record had been included . . . .

I'd waited for years before this collection came out! I always liked "Cherchez La Femme," but the song that grabbed my attention was "Transistor Madness!" When I heard that song the first time, I made up my mind to go to "Big Ben's Records and Tapes" to get my copy. Man, that was 28 years ago, where does the time go! Their writing, musicianship and performing were top notch. The Big Band sound juxtapose to Disco and Latin sounds were fresh and definitely different. To put it simply, they had skills to pay those bills! Folks, the price is right, get a copy and see what those of us who know are talking about! My rating: A solid FIVE STARS for the Very Best of Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band!!!

AMEN to all the other reviewers of this magnificent CD. This group was the finest act from the classic disco era, period. I had the good fortune to be living in New York in 1979 when they did a concert following the release of their 3rd LP, "...goes to Washington". That show was one of the greatest of my 30 years of concert-going. The compilers of this CD have ingeniously mixed up the selections from their 2 RCA LPs, and this programming makes for a delightful listen. Let me add to the chorus of those who clamour for the band's Elektra LP to get a CD issue. In the meantime, do yourself a favor & savor the Savannah band with this marvellous package.

Savannah band takes me back to another world. It was the great days of Disco when we were young and carefree. Each song makes you want to dance! It becomes very addictive when you listen. The style of Savannah Band is very unique.

I never missed growing up in so much Brooklyn until I listened to this CD. Every cut reminded me of the simplicity and positivity of growing up in the 70s and early 80s. The groups of today can not compare to these unique bands/groups (SOS band, BT Express, Earth, Wind & Fire, Ohio Players, Slave, Faith, Hope & Charity, Rose Royce, Atlantic Starr, Midnight, Skyy, Change, LTD, The System, Shalimar etc). These new groups do not know how to entertain like these groups. I can not wait until they all do a tour, if they ever will. One Love

Question:
Who was Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine before Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine?

Answer:
Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band

The lovely voice of Cory Daye brought in Latin rhythms to a disco beat along with jazz and R & B mixed in! This album is truly their best material. The key tracks "I'll Play The Fool" and their biggest hit "Cherchez Le Femme/Se Si Bon/Whispering" (note the first words of the song, 'Tommy Mottola'!) are entertaining.

The album contains liner notes with little known facts and several pictures! Interesting sketched cover album and a disco ball behind a dog!

Corey Daye and August Darnell were amazing -- no one sounded like them before or since their advent in the '70s. Steely Dan's Donald Fagen admittedly tried very hard to imitate Daye's sound in the song "Glamour Professon" on "Gaucho," and Queen Latifah has done an excellent, fluid cover of "Hard Times" on her new "The Dana Owens Album." But no one sounds quite like the original. Dr. Buzzard transcended disco (much like Steely Dan itself transcended rock and Scritti Politti transcended pop) by creating music with very clever lyrics, oblique, unforgettable vocals and a driving beat. Strange but very beautiful.