Tonight You Belong to Me - John Waters, David, Lee
Jet Boy Jet Girl - John Waters, Deprijck, L.
Ain't Got No Home - John Waters, Henry, Clarence "Fr
I'd Love to Take Orders from You - John Waters, Dubin, Al
In Spite of Ourselves - John Waters, Prine, John
All I Can Do Is Cry - John Waters, Davis, Roquel
Big Girls Don't Cry - John Waters, Crewe, Bob
Imitation of Life - John Waters, Fain, Sammy
Sometimes I Wish I Had a Gun - John Waters, Grillo, Brian
Johnny Are You Queer? - John Waters, Paine, Bobby
Night Time is the Right Time - John Waters, Herman, Lew
Hit the Road to Dreamland - John Waters, Arlen, Harold
If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake - John Waters, Hoffman, Al
Bewildered - John Waters, Shirley & Lee
History's already shown that the self-proclaimed master of "bad taste" has always had impeccably good taste, even at his most extreme. A large part of the reason that his aesthetic has had a real and unabated influence sin... more »ce the early 1970s is that there's nothing forced or ironic about his approach to film-making, including the soundtracks to his movies, which the director terms "little-known, weird vintage music." Waters says that the selections on A Date are "all romantic seduction music I would play if I had you over." Naturally, it's an off-kilter patchwork selection; most folks would not try to seduce someone with either an Ike & Tina Turner number or "Sometimes I Wish I Had a Gun," sung by Waters habitué Mink Stole. The collection is fun and veers from mellow crooners and hopped-up rhythm and blues to forgotten rocker hits from the '50s ("Tonight You Belong to Me" by Patience and Prudence) and '70s ("Jet Boy Jet Girl" by Elton Motello). If the collection sells well, the director promises to bring you Breaking Up with John Waters, as if you needed another reason to buy this one. --Mike McGonigal« less
History's already shown that the self-proclaimed master of "bad taste" has always had impeccably good taste, even at his most extreme. A large part of the reason that his aesthetic has had a real and unabated influence since the early 1970s is that there's nothing forced or ironic about his approach to film-making, including the soundtracks to his movies, which the director terms "little-known, weird vintage music." Waters says that the selections on A Date are "all romantic seduction music I would play if I had you over." Naturally, it's an off-kilter patchwork selection; most folks would not try to seduce someone with either an Ike & Tina Turner number or "Sometimes I Wish I Had a Gun," sung by Waters habitué Mink Stole. The collection is fun and veers from mellow crooners and hopped-up rhythm and blues to forgotten rocker hits from the '50s ("Tonight You Belong to Me" by Patience and Prudence) and '70s ("Jet Boy Jet Girl" by Elton Motello). If the collection sells well, the director promises to bring you Breaking Up with John Waters, as if you needed another reason to buy this one. --Mike McGonigal
Timothy C. Ratajczak | Baltimore, Maryland United States | 02/15/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"John Waters is the man who made Christmas meaningful for me again with "A John Waters Christmas". Now with the release of "A Date With John Waters" I'm almost tempted to start dating again. If this pervy music doesn't get you in the mood, nothing will. Mind you, John could have picked songs from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and made them sound...well...dirty. A great collection overall, but what makes this disc indispensible is the inclusion of the rare 45 by Edith Massey "Big Girls Don't Cry". Edie's reading of the old Four Seasons song not only makes you forget about the original, it makes you weep to recall what an original Edie truly was. Bravo, John! Can we look forward to "A Night in Hell with John Waters"?"
Take a campy roller coaster thrill ride with John Waters on
Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 02/15/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Valentine's Day should be every day--so I suppose therefore that this review is not too late to be posted! John Waters produces a Valentine's Day CD that gives you the emotional experience of a roller coaster ride. You simply never know which type of song you're going to hear next unless you've read the liner notes. I advise you not to read the liner notes first and just play this CD to climb onboard the best musical roller coaster ride you ever took!
The CD starts with a beautiful sister act named Patience and Prudence performing "Tonight You Belong To Me." The surface noise enhances the romantic quality of the recording. I normally detest surface noise after a CD has been digitally remastered; but I also must admit there can be a certain romantic quality to hearing a record on vinyl with its imperfections. John Waters wants to give us that experience here on this number. It sure will bring back fond memories!
The CD takes a remarkably sharp turn into the world of much less traditional relationships with the punk rock song "Jet Boy Jet Girl." Elton Motello's voice is in great form on this track--great!
Other more traditional songs many people will recognize include "Ain't Got No Home" performed by the highly talented Clarence "Frogman" Henry and the torch song "All I Can Do Is Cry" by Ike and Tina Turner. In addition, Eileen with the New Yorkers perform the classic cutie "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked A Cake."
No John Waters album could ever be complete without plenty more camp and "less usual" types of romance. Mildred Bailey & Her Swing Band perform "I'd Love To Take Orders From You" from 1935 to perfection; and Mink Stole sings beautifully on "Sometimes I Wish I Had A Gun." On the track "Sometimes I Wish I Had A Gun" Mink Stole performs a singing portrait of a woman who wants to boss her man around for the "fun" of it.
Country music appears in the form of "In Spite Of Ourselves" performed by John Prine with Iris DeMent. This song boasts a great country beat and the musical arrangement uses the guitar so wonderfully. The lyrics will amuse you, too.
I notice that John Waters worked very hard on the liner notes for this CD; and the CD artwork is excellent, too. Therefore, I think that "The Right Time" by Ray Charles was probably intentionally presented here as a scratchy recording to help us reminisce about loves in our past while we enjoy the awesome beauty of this song. It would be just like John Waters to do that; John probably figured that this particular recording of "The Right Time" also increased the campy retro feel of this CD. Just my two cents, everyone!
Shirley & Lee perform the ending track entitled "Bewildered." "Bewildered" has the same 1950s sound of the opening number "Tonight You belong To Me" by Patience and Prudence. This retro feel makes us want to reminisce even more about former loves and the time when we met that special someone we share life with now. This adds a type of romantic effect to the CD; and therefore "Bewildered" provides a strong ending for the CD.
John Waters writes the cheerfully cracked and silly liner notes for this CD. The songs credits are there for you, too.
I highly recommend this CD for fans of the John Waters campy genre. People who enjoy the "oldies" will like this CD, too. However, this CD contains explicit lyrics and I would not recommend it for children nor would I recommend it for anyone uncomfortable with explicit lyrics.
"
Sensational Stuff
Curmudgeon | West Australia | 03/23/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"John Waters should be releasing compilations more often - A Date With John Waters is simply fantastic. A great collection of oldies, mastered from different sources but all sounding incredibly vibrant. Now I know why my mum would often sing "If I knew you were coming I'd've baked a cake"! Hilarious, hokey, somehow imbued with an incredible tenderness. Waters' film soundtracks are often great, also; one of his most recent, "A Dirty Shame", is very fine."
A New Life
Kent J. Smythe | CA USA | 03/17/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I've been playing this endlessly since it arrived this week in my mailbox. Because of John Waters,my formerly worthless life now has new meaning. I bless you in Baltimore,you're a great man. I'm looking forward to your next amazing cd release"
He's Dreamy
Jim Whittaker | USA | 02/10/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If John Waters ever attempts to take you home and seduce you, this will be the soundtrack of the date. Just in time for Valentine's Day, John has released an eclectic mix of romantic songs, in the style of his earlier release A John Waters Christmas. Highlights include: "Tonight You Belong To Me"- 50s pop harmonizing; "Jet Boy Jet Girl"- aggressively weird Belgian punk rock; "In Spite Of Ourselves"- hilarious hillbilly duet; "Sometimes I Wish I had A Gun"- smoky jazz from Mink Stole; and "Johnny Are You Queer?"- rockin' 80s new wave. There's something for everyone in the mix. Play it on your next dirty date!"