Bedlam Ballroom [ENHANCED] [LIMITED EDITION]

Squirrel Nut Zippers

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 17, 2000)
• Original Release Date: October 17, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Limited Edition
• Label: Hollywood Records
• ASIN: B00004ZDV5
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #93,766 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  Music > Jazz > Swing Jazz > Retro Swing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every album tells a story..., December 26, 2000

By	Devin DiMattia "dimattiafilms.com" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Every Squirrel Nut Zippers album stands by itself, telling a different story, and writing the soundtrack for a movie never made. The Inevitable told the story of big band jazz of the 20s. Hot depicted New Orleans hot jazz at its finest. Perennial Favorites weaved the tale of different genres of music coming together to form one sound. And now, we have Bedlam Ballroom. This album, in my opinion, is the Squirrel Nut Zippers' best effort to tap into the mainstream jazz genre. You people can decide if that's bad or good. Personally, I choose the latter. Why, you ask? Because the Squirrel Nut Zippers can appeal to anyone even remotely interested in the jazz genre and still retain some wild and eccentric attitudes. Just look at "Ghost of Stephen Foster" from Perennial Favorites. It was a wild and crazy song with band members screaming at the end of the song...and the music video won an award! (By the way, you can see the video and its storyboards on the limited edition version of this CD.) Every cut, every beat, every audible sound is milked for all its worth. From the wild and wacky "Do What?" to the soothing lullaby, "Hush", Bedlam Ballroom is pure Zipper fun! Bedlam Ballroom is also the first Zipper album minus member Tom Maxwell, who was involved in the Squirrel Nut Zippers since their first album. I personally think that Tom Maxwell was a significant part of Zipper music, but this album is evidence that the Zippers are doing okay without him. Bedlam Ballroom is also a tribute to the late Stacy Guess, the trumpet player for The Inevitable. He personally wrote the title track and, even though there is a better version on the Zippers' EP Sold Out, the version on this album is pretty good. This album is also a place where the Zippers can show off their talents in other music genres. Nowhere is this more evident than in "Hush", in which Katherine Whalen's soothing vocals, Reese Gray's piano, and Andrew Bird's beautiful classical violin compositions vary greatly from other tracks on this album like "Bedbugs" and "Do It This A Way". "Hush" is sure to be a great song to sing to any child as nighttime beckons. With the exception of The Inevitable, all the Zippers' albums have been enhanced. That is, they have special software for use on your home computer. Hot and Perennial Favorites both had enhanced CDs created by CD wizard Clay Walker. I thought that these were great. They gave me everything I wanted to know about the band and their music in the blink of an eye. They were also filled with nifty little extras. But Bedlam Ballroom's enhanced CD is not by Clay Walker. It's made by a professional company in Chapel Hill. Even though they did a good job, and the videos ("Ghost of Stephen Foster" and "Missing Link") are great, I kind of miss the diverse qualities of Clay Walker's CDs. I hope he'll be back for the next CD. Most Zipper fans expect some weird and zany thing to happen on each Zipper album. Examples are the original version of "Hanging Up My Stockings" on Christmas Caravan, the three bonus songs on Sold Out, and "The Kraken" on Perennial Favorites. For Bedlam Ballroom, we have the very bizarre (and very short) "Bedlam Reprise". Clocking in at a measly twenty-one seconds, it's the Zippers' shortest song on the album. I really shouldn't even call it a song because, well, it isn't! It's just a quick menagerie of mixing effects, static, and a mumbling voice. Don't ask me why it's on the album. I have no idea.

I would like to say, in closing, that I am deeply influenced by the Squirrel Nut Zippers and I hope that, even though one of their members is deceased and a couple of them have left the band, they will continue to create wonderful albums that anyone can enjoy!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Zip, Zip, Hurray!, November 24, 2000

By	Glen Brandow (Hopewell Junction, New York USA) - See all my reviews

OK, I admit it, I'm not very objective when it comes to all things Zipper. But to anyone critical of this album, I would say, just Zip it. These guys are the most creative, original -- and I would add nicest -- band touring today. At a recent show in Washington DC, they closed the show marching band style, moving into the audience and out into the street while mixing easily with fans and signing autographs. I have the set list and signitures to prove it. I love the fact that Katharine Whalen takes center stage on this album. She is one of the most amazing talents in music today and tunes like Hush, Bent Out of Shape, and It All Depends show off her unique style. As for those longing for the signiture SNZ sound, Don't Fix It, Bedbugs, and Do it this Way should be ample reward for buying this CD. I suggest anyone considering this work also get Katharine Whalen's Jazz Squad or The Inevitable Squirrel Nut Zippers to better understand where this band has been, and put this effort in context. Thanks, Zippers for some of my all time favorite music.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Where's the fun?, October 22, 2000

By	"dougspaulding" (Green Town, Illinois) - See all my reviews

I'm sorry to say it, but this album is a disappointment. Everything from the cover design to the writing are lacking the creativity and spirit of their previous albums. Perhaps its Tom Maxwell's departure that has left such an empty hole. The lyrics here are all very corny, and sound very shallow and unthoughtful. Like so many swing revival songs they take a silly-sounding catch phrase and build a song around it. The music, especially the horns, sound subdued and boring, where as the traditional Zippers sound has always been loud, blaring, and slightly out of sink with one another, as if they're fighting each other to come out on top. And where's the great creepy song? Every album of theirs has had at least one INSANE song- La Grippe, Hell, Ghost of Stephen Foster. The closest they come- Bedlam Ballroom, also the best- wasn't even written for this album, but by their late member Guess. The Zippers have lost their ability to sound like a group of friends getting together and playing their instruments, and having a good time. This album sounds neat and tidy and boring, like a bad Big Bad Voodoo Daddy song. They were supposed to be better than all those swing revivals (they're not even supposed to be one of them), but it's what they've turned into. Only buy it if you're a loyal fan.