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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great compilation!, February 19, 2002
This is indeed a great compilation of Cantor performances from his films, with kudos particularly for those songs from "Whoopee," "Roman Scandals," and "Kid Millions." Many of the other available recordings of Cantor's catalogue feature studio recordings from various points in his career; the cuts on this CD are drawn from the soundtracks of the films themselves, and the energy that comes across is palpable. For those of us who grew up watching his movies on television (the Million Dollar Movie on WOR TV in New York was my venue), this is indeed a treat! It will be as well for those just discovering Cantor's work!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Solid CD with a few hard to find Eddie Essentials!, January 21, 2002
My first encounter with an Eddie Cantor flick was a late night showing -about twenty years ago- of "Roman Scandals." The opening musical bit was "Build a Little Home," and I was oh-so blown away by both the song and dance number. Ditto "Keep Young and Beautiful." I ran right out the next day to find these tunes on LP, and to my dismay, could find little Eddie Cantor, and neither of those hep tunes. Fast forward to the compact disc and internet era. I was certain I would find these scores on CD....nope! I finally found a "Roman Scandals" soundtrack on cassette tape, but for some odd reason these Eddie Cantor essentials seemed to dodge all compact discs. Lo and behold, I came across this import just a few months ago. I gladly purchased it because it contained "Build a Little Home" and "Keep Young and Beautiful." An even more pleasant surprise came when I found that this is an overall great Eddie Cantor compilation. If you're a newborn Eddie Cantor aficionado and wish to get a good sampling of his music, I would highly recommend starting right here. "Whoopee" gives you a few of the hits Cantor is best known for ("Makin' Whoopee," "Mandy," "If You Knew Susie"), as well as a good dose of quality tunes that didn't make past compilation rounds that often. This is by no means a complete collection if you dig Eddie Cantor as much as I do, but I do consider this CD an essential. I don't know if I'm the only one who went on a lengthy quest to find songs from "Roman Scandals," but if there are others out there like me, I think you'll be satisfied. The duration of both songs are shortened from their original length (which works well--- even though I would prefer it in its entirety, I must admit that casual listener would find the lengthy instrumentals reduntant, as they were made to accompany the visuals in the film). This is an awesome dose of Eddie Cantor!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Eddie Cantor front and center, August 26, 2007
Eddie Cantor enjoyed great success as an entertainer during the first half of the twentieth century; his songs are still well known amongst music aficionados to this day. This CD gives us a generous 24 tracks by Eddie Cantor with over 73 minutes playing time--great!
The track set begins with a classic--and humorous--Eddie Cantor number entitled "Makin' Whoopee." It sounds like it was remastered from a 78rpm record; but Eddie's diction is so good you won't miss a word! The musical arrangement bolsters "Makin' Whoopee," too. Great! "A Girl Friend Of A Boy Friend Of Mine" follows; Eddie sings this with panache and great sensitivity. The musical arrangement makes good use of the strings as Eddie sings this flawlessly. "In The Moonlight" gives Eddie a chance to sing about meeting his sweetheart under the romantic moonlight. Eddie handles all the notes gracefully as he compares his love to the great loves in history; but of course we know that it really wasn't all that easy to sing "In The Moonlight." Eddie Cantor's gift produced great numbers like these.
"Build A Little Home" starts with Eddie speaking a few words; when he starts to sing with the accordion this number really takes flight! "Build A Little Home" sports that 1920s/1930s flavor to it and Eddie delivers this without a superfluous note! The musical arrangement during the middle of "Build A Little Home" works wonders to bolster this number; and the chorus harmonizes perfectly, too!
"Put A Tax On Love" from the movie Kid Millions showcases Eddie's vocals as he sings a funny song about a love tax to raise money for the American government during the Great Depression. Eddie sings this with passion and he never misses a beat. "When My Ship Comes In" is a relentlessly upbeat, optimistic number that many people could relate to when they were not exactly wealthy. "Swing Is Here To Sway" features Eddie with The Peters Sisters and a great chorus to strengthen this number. Eddie handles the tempo changes like a pro--very impressive! "Swing Is Here To Sway" comes from the soundtrack of the movie entitled Thank Your Lucky Stars; and this explains the tap dancing sounds and the length of this number. Indeed, several of the tracks on this CD come from movie soundtracks--great!
"Dinah" lets Eddie sing a popular song of the time; Eddie performs this number with George Murphy, Joan Davis and Constance Moore. They handle the tempo changes smoothly and the musical arrangement lacks nothing. Awesome! The final track, "If You Knew Susie (Like I Know Susie)," an electric number, becomes even more energized when Eddie infuses this with all his might. Excellent!
The liner notes come with an informative essay about Eddie Cantor's career and life by Geoff Milne; and you get the song credits, too. The artwork impresses me.
In sum, Eddie Cantor was a giant in the entertainment industry and he will always be remembered fondly. I highly recommend this CD for Eddie Cantor fans and fans of early musical numbers and vaudeville. Get this CD and enjoy it--you won't be disappointed!
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