Customer Reviews

Vol. 7: 1929-1930

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

 

 

I finally discovered Annette Hanshaw was the voice behind the song, "I'm Following You", which I instantly loved, after hearing it in the movie: "Christabel" starring Elizabeth Hurley. I highly recommend this movie by the way. It is a very important piece of history and one of the greatest human stories I have ever heard. Anyway, this CD has some real gems to savour!

If you already enjoy this period of music, you will appreciate the various takes that Annette did and some of the differences in the same song are a lot of fun. The music itself is fantastic. "I Have to Have You" and "Ain'tcha" will have you on your feet and moving! My wife and I were compelled to go to a Roaring '20s show last night and we are now looking for dance lessons.

Also featured are telling songs of the times as far as the status of women go. Interesting and well done is the information about the songs in the insert. The actual music of the songs is top notch and this is a perfect CD for parties for background character. "Happy Days are Here Again" is a surprisingly excellent song (a far cry from how you hear it in the M*A*S*H episodes!) and lends a small feeling of what it must have been like following the tragedy of WWI. It makes me want to wear a derby hat whilst drinking from my pint glass! The only songs I feel are silly and not that worthwhile are tracks 3 thru 6...they are sung entirely in the baby voice. But I guess they have to be there in a Volume CD.

Please buy this CD and continue to support an era of truly great music and culture.

Anyone who dismisses popular music of the 1920s/early 1930s obviously hasn't heard Annette Hanshaw. Hanshaw was exceptional in her vocal abilities and handling of popular tunes.

Overall, the volumes in this series have been enjoyable and provide excellent documentation. However, Vol. 7 fails to meet the usual standards of the series. While the detailed liner notes and multiple takes of certain tunes demonstrate the extent of Hanshaw's talent, sound quality is wanting on some tracks. The intro of one take of "When I'm Housekeeping for You" is significantly marred by a loud buzz. Worse, attention to detail went MIA on the clipped ending of "I'm Following You," where the track ends before Hanshaw finishes her trademark "That's All."

Vol. 7 has merit, but doesn't provide the optimal showcase that Annette Hanshaw deserves.

This last of the three volumes currently available from Sensation coincides with the start of the Grand Depression, and marks a shift in the nature of the songs, away from the subject of feisty independent females, towards the happy little housewife. Three of the titles (If I Can't Have You, He's so Unusual, and I Think You'll Like It) are presented with both issued and alternate takes. When I am Housekeeping for You was recorded on three separate occasions, with Ben Selvin (or Irving Brodsky) an unidentified studio group, and Sam Lanin. Cooking Breakfast for the One I Love also merited three separate recordings, with a largely unidentified studio group, Jack Albin, and Sam Lanin. As before, Will Friedwald's liner note guides us through these complexities, and provides a reliable commentary on Annette's varied singing styles.