Customer Reviews

Wild Cool & Swingin Too: Ultra Lounge 15

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a great collection!! I bought this CD to play during the cocktail hour at my wedding reception, since the DJ will not be set up yet and we will just be playing one CD over the reception hall's sound system. I wanted something uptempo, lively, fun, amusing, and appealing to a wide range of ages, and this is it! These are the songs you (and your parents) have heard and loved for years sung by the singers you've loved to listen to. It's also a collection of songs with a real sense of humor and tongue firmly in cheek. Just when you realize that the lyrics to "Wives and Lovers" are REALLY pre-feminist (maybe more like Neanderthal), but you love the song anyway, you notice that it's followed up by that great Peggy Lee version of "The Boy from Ipanema". The mix of tempos and styles and ratio of male to female singers is perfect. I'll listen to this CD (so will my mother) for years.

Like its predecessor, this CD stands out as a collection of all-vocal tracks, while other Ultra-Lounge CDs feature a few vocal songs at most and many volumes are totally instrumental. That's something all you lounge lizards out there should probably know, since most people I know definitely prefer either vocal or instrumental lounge music and that will affect how you feel about this CD. That fact aside, this is every bit as swingin' and enjoyable a collection as the first volume. The inclusion of the classic "Boy From Ipanema" alone makes this an album worth owning if you are a martini-swilling night owl. However there are many other classic tunes here as well and if vocals are your thing, this is one of the better compliations out there to throw on when you're trying to seduce someone in your shag-carpeted living room over a couple of cosmopolitans.

I'm a big Ultra Lounge fan, but this album is really special. I can't resist Gorme's 'Frenesi', Darin's 'Charade', Bennett's 'With Plenty of Money and You', and Wilson's 'Lot a Livin to Do'. I can't really resist any of the songs. One song, in particular, is a real wacky, anachronistic whopper--Snootie Little Cutie. I make all my friends listen to it. The other songs are timeless.

I was pleasantly surprised by this collection! As an avid lindyhopper, I was afraid that this volume wouldn't be as dancable as the first Wild, Cool & Swingin' collection. There is a wide variety of tempos on this CD, from the energetic '5 months, 2 Weeks, 2 Days' and blues-dancing-worthy 'Daddy', this CD lives up to its title. Even the songs that aren't 'dancable' are a delight to listen to.

This CD is chock full of great songs performed by some of the greatest talents of the 20th century. There is a total of twenty-one (yes, twenty-one) tracks on this CD making it both a lot of fun and a great value. It's also excellent for lounge music lovers and fans of classic pop vocals.

The CD starts off with Eydie Gorme doing a smash "Frenesi." The song is beautifully arranged and Eydie's voice is in excellent form. Her other half, Steve Lawrence, follows up quickly with the beautiful "Night And Day." Awesome!

The songs on this CD are all wonderfully musically arranged and the quality of the sound is excellent. No excess noise here! Bob Norberg at Capitol Recording Studios did an excellent job of digitally remastering these tracks.

I loved Nancy Wilson's electric version of "A Lot Of Livin' To Do;" and Peggy Lee does some hot job of "The Boy From Ipanema." Bobby Darin fans will delight that two of his songs are on this CD: "Charade" and "Call Me Irresponsible." Dinah Washington fans get an equally nice treat; Dinah sings both "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby" and "Destination Moon" on this album.

Wayne Newton does a particularly good job with "Strangers In The Night" and I also liked the style with which Louis Prima delivers "5 Months, 2 Weeks, 2 Days." One playful number that I really enjoyed was the medley of "Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" by Louis Prima. A chorus accompanies Louis on this number and the result is thrilling!

The liner notes are very, very good. You get song credits and the dates the songs were recorded by the artists. There's an extensive essay by R. J. Smith--and there are even two drink recipes: one for a "blue blazer" and the other for a "millionaire." Not bad, not bad.

I highly recommend this CD for fans of classic pop vocals, lounge music, and the great vocalists of the 20th century such as Tony Bennett, Dinah Washington, Louis Prima, Dean Martin and Bobby Darin. All these performers and many more can be found attacking their songs with all their might here on this CD! Get this CD, turn down the lights and enjoy your favorite drink--and maybe enjoy a little romance while you do!

It's another great addition to the Ultra-Lounge series. Obviously a lot of care has gone into the continuity of the selections and it is simply fantastic listen after listen!

This CD is better than all the rest. Wild Cool and Swingin I and II are the two best collections of 60's Big Band Swing Vocals I have ever heard. Hurry with Volume III !

Good variety of songs that move right along and keep you tapping to the beat - excellent song quality as well. If you like 40's style music - this one kicks!!!

This is one album you can listen to from start to finish. From Eydie Gorme to Mel Torme, each song is delicious. Just press play and let the artists take you away. If you like upbeat swing with great singers, you'll love this one.

It took me a long while to decide to get this CD, because I suspected that vocal lounge music would be too schmaltzy--that is, would lack the punch of the instrumental stuff on the other CDs. When I finally decided to get it (after reading the other reviews here), I was very pleasantly surprised. The highlights include "Charade", "Angel Eyes", "It Had Better Be Tonight" (one of the three bonus tracks), and, best of all, the two tracks by Louis Prima (Oooohhh-Aaaaaahhh!).