Album DescriptionRaccon coats, bootleg liquor, frat pins, fast cars, and rebellious youth...College Life in the 1920s and 1930s meant wild parties and a period of carefree nonsense between the two world wars that was not equalled for another forty years. An elite group of white American youth reflected the changing musical tastes that also paralled the economic times. The hotter, upbeat tunes and whimsial lyrics pre-date the depression years to follow. The snapshot of popular music represented here covers a brief eight years aimed at a group of young, white music fans lucky enough to be in college at the time. Interestingly enough, the African-Americans made up a growing percentage of the college population, there are no black dance bands represented here. Those recordings (if any exist) are very uncommon at best, and most are not part of the college mainstream. This CD does, however, offer a diverse sampling of some of America's best white dance bands of the day, whose peppiest ! and most spirited sides prevail on these 18 tracks. Beginning with 1928's "Doin' The Raccoon" by George Olsen's band, this collection bounces around in the 1927-1934 period with two other popular sides by Olsen, two tracks by Ted Weems (another top notch band of the twenties), and two performances by Hal Kemp, an popular band leader of this period. Fans of the World War II era Kay Kyser band will be amused to hear 1929's obscure "Collegiate Fannie" and "Hark The Sound Of Tar-Heel Voices."