Customer Reviews

Wild Cool & Swingin: Ultra Lounge 5

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I suppose I will divide this review into two parts, one for the listener who is not familiar with the " Ultra Lounge" series and those (like myself) who wait anxiously for the next release in the series. If you are new to Ultra-Lounge, well, you can dive in about anywhere in the series and get an idea of the Ultra-Lounge outlook on life: life is good, relaxation is essential, and a good mixed drink should never be far away. If this is a philosophy you agree with, and you're tired of all the cookie-cutter pop music and bland jam-band rock, give lounge music a try to perk you up without sounding cliched (or perhaps by sounding so cliched you don't realize you're hearing a cliche!) These Ultra Lounge CDs give you a chance to sample some of lounge's many subgenres without committing to a CD by a sole artist.

For those of us who have heard these collections before, this one is familiar territory. Be warned, however, that all tracks on this and "W,C, and S II" are vocal tracks, which may put off some who prefer their lounge music more Martin Denny-style, laid back and instrumental.

One of the strongest volumes in the series, and a great introduction for the beginning lounge aficionado, this one includes all the '60s Vegas lounge royalty, and it swings right out of the galaxy!

Aside from a few tracks like "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" by a young Sammy Davis, Jr., the sultry "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" by Julie London, and the uber-classic "Fever" by Peggy Lee, this volume is commandingly owned by Louis Prima, Bobby Darin, and Dean Martin.

Prima checks in with mega-hit "Jump Jive an' Wail" (recently played to death when the Brian Setzer Orchestra covered it), but his best entry is the uproarious "Closer to the Bone," a cute song about the singer's love for skinny women. Each verse gets more sidesplitting than the last, and if that last one doesn't have tears of laughter rolling down your cheeks, you probably need to listen more closely! (And makes sure to listen for sax player Sam Butera sampling from Glenn Miller's "Pennsylvania 6-5000" at the start of his solo!)

Good ol' Dino is represented here with two of his greatest songs. Everybody loves the soaring "Volare." And the bottom line is, it just doesn't get any better than "Ain't That a Kick in the Head." Dean at his hard-swingin' best and Nelson Riddle's magnificent brassy arrangement made this the perfect tune to kick off the volume.

Bobby Darin wins hands down, with THREE entries. "Sunday in New York" is a beautiful song, capturing Darin's laid-back manner better than any other song I've heard. And light, cool, breezy "More" is just one of the greatest songs ever. (I fell in love with it years ago when I heard it on a car commercial.)

As of now, I've yet to hear the follow up, Volume 15, but if it's anything like this one, it'll be money well spent!

Like many of the other reviewers, I was lured in to the Ultra Lounge series's seductive web with the fuzzy sampler; (that leporard-skinned temptress had me lapping melted ice out of her palm before I knew what hit me, why with her tight packaging, and velvety smooth case, my mere "regular guy" defenses were no match...but that's a different story). Sure I've branched out. How could I resist? The sampler leaves you wanting more and more...

Wild, Cool & Swinging is by far my favorite of the series(with WCS,TOO)right next door. These 2 cd's get away from some of the truly ecclectic, electric and quirky beats of other cd's in the series(which breathe their own life, but we're talkin'favorites here). Instead the WCS cd's come with straight ahead swing. Songs about gals who want guys and vice versa... providing it doesn't interfere with cocktail hour. The sauve sense of the lyrics, the accenting punch of the horn sections, and and the big finish style of each song, will leave your fingers snappin' and lips mumblin' cool baby, real cool....

This CD is one of the greatest ones I own. The owner of the Pasta House that I work at recommended it to me and I am now hooked. I couldn't get through the week without it. Everyone should own a CD that makes them feel this good!

Too bad you can't go more than 5 stars. This is the best selection of music. There are no weak tracks. Each song has great style. If you aren't dancing to it, you are probably singing along. I've purchased other Ultra-Lounge CD's. But so far, this is head and shoulders above the rest.

I cannot say enough about how good this CD mix is. I love it so much that I am getting a new copy to replace one that was loaned out (probably never to be seen again - big mistake!). It is one of my fave CDs and never fails to get me in a good mood and swinging to the beat. Not a bad song on it - and I didn't know many of them before I bought it many years ago. I was in a music store and they were playing it in the background. I asked what it was since it was so cool! That was their last copy and I bought it on the spot. Best purchase that I ever made. (Okay really I know it sounds like I work for amazon or something but really this CD is so hot!)

All time fave on it of course is "Jump, Jive and Wail" - the original is much better than the remake. Other greats are "Fever", "Closer to the Bone", and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head". Just all awesome songs. Whoever put this together really knew what they were doing.

Enjoy it! I can't wait to get my new copy. I miss it.

I hate this album! Why? Because I cannot stop playing the darn thing!!! It is the happiest, grooviest, coolest cd produced for the series and, quite possibly, the best cd I have ever bought. If you want to feel good about yourself and the world, want to listen to 'real' music and don't mind involuntaringly bopping around the room, then do yourself a favour and get this cd now! Bobby Darin's "More" is the greatest song ever recorded! Every song is fantastic! What are you still reading this for?? Go get it!

This volume in the ULTRA LOUNGE series is another excellent one, with a sizzling set of vocals from first cut to last. The highlights are the tracks by Bobby Darin and by Louis Prima, plus an outstanding scat song by a young Sammy Davis Jr. (P.S.: If you enjoy this CD, there's no reason not to also get Vol.15--it's just as good.)

Songs Include :

Ain't That A Kick In The Head - Dean Martin
Dig That Crazy Chick - Sam Butera & The Winesses
More - Bobby Darin
Fever - Peggy Lee
Jump Jive An Wail - Louis Prima
Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone - Sammy Davis Jr.
Danke Schoen - Wayne Newton
French Poodle - Sam Butera & The Witnesses
What Is This Thing Called Love - Kelly Smith
Sunday In New York - Bobby Darin
Closer To The Bone - louis Prima
Nobody But Me - Lou Rawls
Little Girl - Vic Damone
L.O.V.E. - Nat King Cole
Volare - Dean Martin
That Old Black Magic - Louis Prima & Kelly Smith
You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To - Julie London
Hello Dolly - Bobby Darin

The UltraLounge series definately covers the genre throughly, and this one is about the best in the series. Not every song is well-known, but most are very very enjoyable. This is a good place to start if you are introducing yourself to the genre. I thought Bobby Darin's More was the most lush and enjoyable of the tunes. You'll get a chuckle out of Prima's Closer to the Bone, a song not found on the usual Prima samplers. You certainly get a "you are in old Vegas" feel off of these tunes! Check out their UltraLounge website for a good look at the full series. Definitely recommended.

UPDATE [9/08] The UltraLounge website is now defunct. Amazon shows that this disk is the best seller in the entire UltraLounge series.