Search - Mae West :: Come Up & See Me Something

"...and I assure you, I can cure you, if you're feelin' blue

James Morris | Jackson Heights, NY United States | 12/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I "discovered" Mae West at the age of 12, when a local NYC TV station offered several of her classic films for multiple showings during the summer of 1966. As a soon-to-be-budding gay man, I immediately fell in love with her wit and unabashed approach to sex and sexuality. Over the next several years, I came to appreciate her even more, when I learned that she had actually written many of her own screenplays. I later learned that, even if this was something of an exaggeration, she did write the play that her first starring vehicle was based on, and she also "suggested" dialogue and one-line witticisms for many of her 1930's films. She probably also wrote much of the screenplay for My Little Chickadee, her 1940 vehicle co-starring W. C. Fields.



As time passed, my fascination for her faded, as many of the interests of youth do, but I always retained a respect for her marvelous wit and wonderfully colossal ego. By the time she died in 1980, she had fallen out of fashion with many of her gay male fans, including me, but I did feel an enormous sadness at the passing of such a durable icon. Through the years, I had managed to acquire just about all of her recordings, and came to have a special love for the natural, amazing comic timing and delivery she presented in her vocal efforts, which never strayed far from her style or persona. Now that I am over 50, I have a renewed appreciation for her unique talent, especially since many young people of my acquaintance have (sadly) professed no idea of who she was and what she did. I take heart in the fact that, once exposed to her wit and awesome comic abilities, many people who hadn't even been born when she died at the age of 87 seem to warm to her charms immediately.



The bulk of the tracks contained in this recording are available on other CD's, with the exception of the 1947 Mezzotone recordings (presented here nearly complete) and the extremely rare (I'd never heard it before) 1934 commercial 78 of My Old Flame, with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. On that track, Miss West receives extremely sympathetic accompaniment from the Duke and his great jazz sidemen, which may have something to do with the fact that she and Ellington were lovers for a time, or so I have heard it strongly rumored. For a minute, I thought that the previous reviewer here who mentioned the inclusion of this track was mistaken; the opening verses on this recording sound exactly like the version from the movie soundtrack that fans of Miss West have treasured for years. But after the first chorus, it takes a different and lovely departure from the film soundtrack, and it is clearly a studio effort recorded for the commercial 78 market. What a nice surprise; it's been many years since I'd heard anything "new" by Mae, and this track alone makes the CD well worth its rock-bottom bargain price. I do have one correction to the other review here - according to the liner notes, the 78 of My Old Flame was actually a Victor and not a Brunswick recording (the songs from She Done Him Wrong and I'm No Angel were released on Brunswick 78's).



The bulk of the Mezzotone sides have also never (to my knowledge) been available on CD before, which never bothered me - I had long ago converted most of Miss West's rare vinyl albums to digital (thanks to the magic of modern technology). This CD leaves out the novelty song, "Page 54", easily the weakest of the eight comedic novelty numbers that comprise the Mezzotone tracks, but it does include the extremely rare "Imaginary Love", one of Miss West's few attempts at serious romantic pop. The inclusion of this track alone makes this CD a must for fans, even for those who have never heard the other relatively obscure Mezzotone sides before. Those fans are in for a treat. Her comic timing, delivery and wit shine through on every track, and the sultry delivery she presents with the song, "Come Up and See Me Some Time" makes it my all-time favorite of her "early" efforts. The song "Come Up and See Me Sometime" was originally recorded by a male singer named Cliff Edwards in 1933, as a tribute to the fact that her famous signature-phrase had entered the English lexicon immediately following the release of She Done Him Wrong. As for the other Mezzotone numbers, the self-parody combined with the poke at censorship of "That's All Brother" is delightful, as is her trade-mark double-entendre and comedic sexual content that permeate each of the other 1947 tracks.



Although the soundtrack recordings presented here have been available on other CD's, they appear to have the benefit of careful re-mastering, and I was impressed by the sound on most of them, despite the disclaimer that they "emanate from soundtrack recordings of the thirties that are primitive by today's standards". I think they sound just fine.



The CD concludes with four tracks from her finest effort, the 1954 Decca album, "The Fabulous Mae West". That album is now also available in its entirety as a separate release, and if you are a fan of the lady and have never heard it, I can only tell you that if you don't pick it up, you are missing what are arguably her greatest and funniest moments in the recording studio.



The "Come Up and See Me Sometime" compilation is a product of the British label, Living Era. I own several of their other titles, which always contain an amazing number of high-quality vintage recordings. I am very happy with all the Living Era CD's I own.



Now, if someone would just see fit to release her marvelously campy 1960's rock and roll albums, Way Out West (which contains surprisingly hearty and effective vocals, considering she was 71 years old at the time it was recorded); the elusive 1968 release, "The Naked Ape" (also known by its reissue title, "Great Balls of Fire") and her curiously blues-infused Christmas album, her CD catalogue would be complete. I had converted the first two of these to digital CD's from original vinyl pressings some time ago for my own use, along with the ultra-rare 20th Century Fox 45 release of the two songs from Myra Breckinridge, but official re-releases of her late material is all that is lacking in the Mae West audio canon. A major revival in the interest of her wonderful and unique presence is long overdue, and these tracks help pave the way for that happy possibility."

Goodness had nothin' to do with it

Baby Jane Hudson | Hollywood | 08/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Goodness sure had nothin' to do with Miss West's style of delivery when she sang. But, she is so wonderful!

To the fans who think you already have everything she ever recorded - you're wrong! This CD set includes "Imaginary Love" and the single of "My Old Flame" that she recorded separately from the movie version. It's great to hear the song all the way through. This version has previously only been on the Brunswick 78 RPM record. Rare piece of memorabilia.

It's worth it just for these alone.

Of course, there are errors in the liner notes concerning her career- there always are, for some reason.

Buy it!"

Mae west

Ronald D. Largent | Fort Worth, Texas | 12/25/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Been a Mae West fan since I was a kid. She just rated something to every male at any age. This is a good album. Have enjoyed very many times. Would recoment to any Mae West fan and the just curious."