Search - Anita O'Day :: Cocktail Hour

Two discs for the price of one!

Mark Savary | Seattle, WA | 09/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Second only to Capitol's "Ultra-Lounge" series, Columbia/Allegro's "Cocktail Hour" is an impressive homage to swingtime artists both before and during the Swank Era.The Anita O'Day entry in the set offers up a two-disc collection of Anita's best work. The sound processing is good, but taken from the original, mono sources. As such, the listener should not expect state-of-the-art soundscapes or options. This is an old-school sound, which has merits all its own.The highlight here (for me, anyway), is the zippy "Massachusetts". Other winners are "Tabby the Cat", "Let Me off Uptown", "How High the Moon", "Penthouse Serenade", "Stop! The Red Light's On", and the odd-but-fun-sounding "Murder, He Says". Anita also offer up a great version of "Ain't Misbehavin'" with shades of Ella and Billy Holliday mixed in.This is a great collection, and a good value for the price.For film fans, you may recognize the tune on Disc 2, "Drum Boogie". It was featured as one of Sugarpuss O'Shea's numbers in the Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck screwball comedy "Ball of Fire"."

Anita Swings!

Michael | San Francisco Bay Area | 09/15/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This collection of Anita O'Day songs is an excellent value - 2 CDs for the typical price of 1. Many of the classic songs she is known for. Excellent for Lindy Hop dancing.The sound quality is such that many of the songs sound a little thin, but I don't know if they could sound better, considering they were recorded in the 1940s.One other problem I had with the CD is the lack of liner notes- I would have liked to know when the songs were recorded and with what band. I guess that's the tradeoff for the lower price."