Nice introduction to Patty, Maxene and LaVerne
Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 12/08/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"These brilliant sisters clocked up well over 100 hits in the American charts, sometimes in duets with others. No compilation could possibly contain all of them, but most of them have been made available on CD. This particular compilation is not by any means the strongest but it does contain a good selection of their music. Several duets are featured along with their version of Sabre dance, a track that does not get released very often but is definitely worth hearing. The sound quality is as good as it is reasonable to expect on recordings from the 1940's.Among the classic songs here are their American number one hits Bie mir bist der schoen, Shoo-shoo baby, Rum and cocoa cola, I can dream can't I and I wanna be loved. The last two are billed as Patty Andrews solo, but LaVerne and Maxene sing backup. As Patty was the lead singer anyway, the difference between a Patty Andrews solo and an Andrews sisters record is not obvious. Duets are strongly featured here with Bing Crosby (twice), Dick Haymes, Carmen Miranda, Danny Kaye and even Al Jolson getting a share of the action. Oh you sweet one features Russ Morgan. Also known as the Schnitzel bank song, it has the same tune as the Christmas song, Must be Santa.Among the obvious omissions are Ferryboat serenade, Don't fence me in (with Bing Crosby) and Beer barrel polka (sometimes known as Roll out the barrel). All these songs have appeared on many other Andrews sisters compilations while Don't fence me in has also appeared on plenty of Bing compilations.Although they recorded some ballads, the best and most famous of which is I'll be with you in apple blossom time, their speciality was upbeat, swinging songs. You might think that these would be similar to each other, but the sources for their songs were many and varied, including songs of European and Mexican origin. What made them unique in mainstream pop was their recording technique. Almost all their singing was a capella, with musicians playing their instruments when the ladies weren't singing. On those occasions where musicians did play as they sang, their playing was very restrained. This was even true on their duets, including those with Bing. The musicians play while Bing sings, but as soon as the sisters start to sing, the musicians stop. As an introduction to the music of the Andrews sisters, this is wonderful despite all the omissions."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1