Search - Tiny Tim :: God Bless Tiny Tim: The Complete Reprise Recording

The world is wide with many things within, but few so rare a

Johnny Heering | Bethel, CT United States | 06/10/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Tiny Tim had an encyclopedic knowledge of American popular music from the 1890s to the 1950s, and could sing most anything you asked for right on the spot, with a perfect feel for the song, the era it came from, and the singers who sang it back then. On TV, he was a living, breathing color cartoon. He was instantly recognizable and unforgetable, with his long, curly hair, prominent nose, and that dainty ukelele that was dwarfed by his imposing 6' 1" frame. His exaggerated politeness--he called everyone "Mister" or "Miss"--was oddly endearing. And then there was his singing voice, absolutely unique, especially when he went into his unearthly falsetto. Americans were charmed by the fabulous old songs he sang, of course. He fit right into the nostalgic vogue for '20s and '30s style pop music that took place in the '60s, as exemplified by "Winchester Cathedral".



This 3 CD collection features Tiny Tim's complete Reprise studio masters and more. It is a limited edition of 3,000.



Disc One features his first album, God Bless Tiny Tim, which is quite wonderful. This album was a big hit back in the day. The disc also features many non-LP singles, as well as a few singles that had been on one of his albums, in a different mix. Most of these singles are also quite good.



Disc Two features Tiny's second and third albums. Album two was titled Tiny Tim's Second Album, somewhat unimaginatively. This is another terrific album, that unfortunately didn't sell. His third album was a children's album titled For All My Little Friends. This one didn't sell, either. This is a good album, but not nearly as good as the previous two. This is probably because Richard Perry, the producer of Tiny's first two albums, was unavailable to produce most of the album. Perry came up with some imaginative arrangements on Tiny's earlier albums, but Gene Shiveley, who produced most of the children's album, seemed content to just feature Tiny alone with his ukelele. I should mention that "The Viper", from Tiny's first album, is repeated here and it's the same version, not a new recording.



Disc Three begins with five previously unreleased masters, plus four radio commercials for Tiny's first album. These masters are about as good as anything else he recorded for Reprise, so it's a mystery why they weren't released. The bulk of the disc features many, many demos that Tiny recorded. Most of these demos were recorded as songs considered to possibly be included on his children's album. Nearly all of them just feature Tiny and his ukelele. These aren't all the demos he recorded for Reprise, a few were left off because there wasn't enough room for them.



This collection is a most have for any Tiny Tim fan. (All 3,000 of us!)"

Great Balls of Fire!

Parry P. Gripp | Santa Barbara, CA | 10/28/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This boxed set is a blessing! While Tiny Tim's first is a well known classic, his other recordings with the great producer Richard Perry are equally amazing. His version of "Great Balls Of Fire" off of his 2nd record is incredible and completely over the top! And if you like reading, Barry Hansen's liner notes are wonderful (what else would you expect from Dr. Demento).



If you love Tiny, you'll love this set. And if you have a roommate who doesn't love Tiny, this is the perfect collection to bug the hell out them and eventually drive them crazy! Yeah!"

Tiny Tim at his best

Ukulele Guide. | Amarillo Tx | 10/07/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tiny Tim was one of the greatest talents of his era but was not appreciated by the general public because he was presented only as a comedy routine with his irritating falsetto voice. On the cds in this set, you can hear him sing in a wonderful baritone register and enjoy one of the greatest ever versions of "As Time Goes By" which includes the seldom-heard verse as well as country versions of "Satiisfied With Life" and "Have You Seen My Little Sue?". "Frisco Flo" is a Dixieland number with a fantastic jazz band. There are versions of "I'm A Lonesome Little Raindrop" and "Remember Your Name And Address" that would have been better in a lower key but one gets the feeling that Tiny felt the need to live up to the expectations of the general audience for the very high and irritating effect."