Customer Reviews

Zoot Suit Riot: The Swingin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies

5 star:		(221)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

Cherry Poppin Daddies! Another one of my favorite swing bands. However, these guys are a little more hardcore than anybody else... lyrics are a little fun to listen to, as the name of the band can imply. The tempos are a little more variant, ranging from a nice slow gander to a fast lindy. But the music is still excellent! As mostly original songs, this album can give quite a bit of spice to a night of swingin. The band does have a few other albums, I believe, but as hardcore as these people are, I think this cd (a compilation of their best music) is just the right amount of their kind of swing music. It is a little more modern than all the other swing bands... but that's also what's fun! Check it out. You'll like it!

CPD is a good band. They are tight, efficient, skilled with their intruments, and fun to listen to. But are these guys a GREAT band? I don't think so, yet. Zoot Suit Riot was one of my first forays into the world of swing. It's catchy, full of fun, semi-memorable riffs, and the singer oozes suave, but they're also missing something vital to this kind of record, which is a basic understanding of what swing is all about. They've attempted something new, which is honorable: to take contemporary musical themes and mix them with the 40's beat. Unfortunately, some of the intent is lost in playback, and the whole record sounds a bit smarmy and anti-nostalgic. On the other hand, is it fair to argue that swing MUST be just like it was back then? But here's what I say. It's fine to modernize swing. The guys doing it back in the day were modern. I think the problem lies in the subject matter itself. The songs of the 40's dealt with easy-going stuff: love, dancing, swinging, clubs, vegas, stuff like that, rather than the darker issues of that time. In contrast, CPD tries to deal with those of the 90's: abusive parents, sex, and alcoholism, to name a few. I just don't think there's a place for that stuff in the swing genre. CPD used it in their ska/punk albums to good effect, but when it comes to swing, they ought to stick to the stuff that makes swing fun to listen to. The best new swing bands out there are the ones that can play about stuff that's swingin', but yet still modern. The Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra is a great example. I think CPD, if they plan to continue their swing playing (which they probably should, as it has gernerated a hell of a lot more revenue than ska/punk ever did for them), they would be wise to listen to Indigo Swing, Bill Elliott, RCR, and BBVD, and really try to get a feel for what they're doing before they jump right in. On another note (pun!) they are technically superb, almost as good as RCR, better then BBVD in most respects, and damn fun to listen to. Check these guys out, but take them with a grain of salt.

In parousing the other reviews, I notice that the only ones that are negative make reference to this music "not being real swing..." C'mon people...you are missing the boat. Instead of buying this CD with preconceived ideas of how it should sound, just slap it in your player and enjoy it for what it is...extraordinary song-writing, amazing musicianship, and more heart and soul than you could ever want. If you pay attention to any of the press on what the band is about, you would know that the very thing they want to steer clear of is rehashing the 30's and 40's swing. Unlike many of their contemporaries, (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Squirrel Nut Zippers, etc), they do not aspire to create a sound that could fit seamlessly into that distant era, but instead want to create new and exciting sounds like you find on this fantastic CD. For those of you who are open-minded and just love excellent music....buy it and enjoy!!

I am 14 years old, and I love this CD. The way the music flows, it just makes you want to dance! This is perhaps the best CD I have ever owned. The Cherry Poppin' Daddies have thrown swing into my life from the bell of a saxophone. After I listened to this CD I realized what mindless [...] I has been jammin' to before (System of a Down, Linkin Park, Korn etc.). I strongly urge you to buy this CD either for you, or as a gift for some teenager, or even child. Who knows, they might be chuckin' all their System of a Down Cd's and start blastin' some music you like too. Good Luck!

Smart, literate swing. And if you check out their other albums, you'll see that they are not limited to one style. Sometimes they sound like Hank Williams, sometimes like Stiff Little Fingers. Ocassionally gimmicky, but I like 'em.

I got this CD used at Wherehouse. My friend wanted me to get it as a joke, and I did. I listened to it a few times and decided not to listen to it again. A week later I listened to it again, this time deciding that the CD was indeed quite amusing. Although I'll admit that the CD is good, songs like "No Mercy for Swine" can be very annoying at times. "When I Change Your Mind" has to be one of my favorites, which is a great song to listen to when you see your "crush" from a distance. Even though I love that song, the best track on the CD is "Brown Derby Jump". If you've got the money and you feel like getting a CD that'll perk you up when you're down, buy this one.

This CD blows so much Goat Sac I can't stand listening to songs that have no point like "Pink Elephant." This CD loses its pizazz after about the 3rd time listening to Track 1. What hateful B.S.

Most of the people criticizing this album are taking issue over CPD's mean-spirited lyrics, as if this is a 90s defamation of innocent swing (oh, and "Mack the Knife" and "Her Tears Flowed Like Wine" were such cuddly tunes). But CPD has another reason to be criticized: they are foul musicians without a sense of rhythmn or unity to their playing, yet teenagers seemed to be convinced they are listening to "real" swing. Kids, go out and buy any one of the following: Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Charlie Barnet, Duke Ellington, Louis Prima, Bennie Moten, Gene Krupa, etc. and toss your CPD CDs out the damn window (believe me, you'll never listen to them again)! Start a revolution in taste in swing. We badly need it.

I had high hopes after reading the reviews, but I really regret wasting my money. If I want to hear about fathers beating their children and the kids' painful begging not to be hit with that thing in your hand, Daddy, I will meet with my clients. Word-pictures to let us all in on how it feels to be abused by a parent is not, IMHO, appropriate lyrics for the wonderful fun I have dancing to Swing. Stick with the classics. Don't let depressed people or children near this. I even hesitate taking it to a CD reseller.

This album rips! It's not another swing clone but something that is totally different to RCR or BBVD(both superb bands-try them) which is great. Swing is a blast but too much of a good thing can leave you jaded...and the neighbours if you like it loud. Zoot Suit Riot has bits of swing and ska chucked togrther and its a good recipe, and the horn section is just amazing. Tracks of worthy of rattling the windows are Zoot Suit Riot and No mercy for swine (? ). I would recommend CPD to anybody who wants something other than 'pure' swing, even tho I despise putting a band in the "swing" box. Whatever you do, play it loud>