Various Artists - Flappers Vamps And Sweet Young Things (20 tracks) +Album Reviews

Life is a Bowl Full of Cherries

03/02/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"How can anyone NOT love this sort of historical music? What some of these reviewers who complain about the "squeaky" voices, background noise, and unintentionally funny lyrics misunderstand is that this sort of music MUST be placed in the cultural context of the era in which is was meant to be heard.These sorts of songs and singers emerged after the entire world was recovering from the horrors and brutality of World War I--a war in which an entire generation (20 million) of young men was killed. These people wanted fun, fun, fun: "Four Wheels, No Brakes" and "Hey Chicken, Here's Your Roost"! The age of youth and consumer culture hit the scene and the United States hasn't looked back! After all, this was the era in which "dating" emerged. Previously, people engaged in courting on front porches. But now, young people's romantic activities moved from the front steps to the back seat!So maybe the sound is raw, the singers do squeak, and the lyrics seem nothing more than "cute." But this music certainly can't be labeled old-fashioned and in no way is it "innocent." This music is a testament to the times; these songs and singers' styles are historical cultural documents. Have fun with it like the co-eds, flappers, flivvers, and racoon-coated ukulele-toting collegiates did! Our times aren't so very different from theirs.~~23 Skidoo~~"

Historic Sounds

Paul Yohe | Uniontown, Pa. United States | 01/23/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you are here reading this you have been doing some home work. I bought this a few weeks ago and it is very good if your into the twenties. This cd has led me to seek out full cd's by some of these artists. My personal favorites are Ruth Etting,Annette Hanshaw and Libby Holman. The cd is well done the sound quality is very good. I was starved for new music and this is all new to me. Fun stuff."

The Cat's Pajamas

J. C Clark | Overland Park, KS United States | 12/19/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If not for a few clunkers and the weak notes this would be a certain 5 Star collection. You will hear voices unheard elsewhere, songs previously unknown, singers later famous at the beginning of their careers, and vocalists in performances you'll be shocked at. We know that young people have been behaving badly since the beginning of time, but this is the first time they really flaunted it, and the new medium of recorded sound made it easier to join in on the fun. This is jaunty, daring, snappy, well-performed, sophisticated and amazing well-remastered stuff.

I'll keep it brief. For the price, a winner! Enjoy, and be a bit startled at how "hot" the music was waaaay back then! The contemporary musicians may use more graphic language, but they have no monopoly on heat."

Light hearted, upbeat, romantic, and a bit bawdy.

J. C Clark | 06/23/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This well-chosen selection of songs, all by female singers, leans a bit heavily towards the blues, but there is only one truly sad song. Most of them are so sassy and tongue-in-cheek that you end up smiling. There are lots of toe-tapping, spirited numbers, and every one has a good melody. There isn't a clinker in the whole bunch. I own over 75 CD's of pre-1950 popular music, and this is one of the top 5."

Why is it so hard to get 1920-1930s music on CD?

tendays komyathy | U.S.A. & elsewhere traveling | 11/23/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Because it is hard to get music from this era, this CD is a rather above average offering (or an able introductory sampling for those not particularly familiar with this era's music). Personally, I bought this disc to get the (almost) only recorded song by Lillian Roth---"Why am I so Romantic"--- available on CD from this era. Other than this song---which is literally lifted from the Marx Brothers' Animal Crackers' film (and, incidentially, works there a lot better than here without the visual playfulness of Miss Roth---I was unfamiliar with the selections offered on this CD. Happily, It has introduced me to some added favorites of mine---Ruth Etting & Kate Smith's early years, amongst others. So, do help yourself to the song samples available herein and judge for yourself whether "this sound" of the 1930s appeals at all to you. If it sounds promising to you, I'd recommend this CD to you. Keep in mind, however, that the song quality from this era is probably not what you're used to---hissing static, amongst other imperfections from, now, 75 year old (usually mono) recordings are apparent on this disc. Admittedly, this is more annoying on a car stereo when you're in the thick of it, so to speak, listening to it in close proximity. On a home system, this effect is less annoying (athough still present, of course). It helps, moreover, to turn down your treble and/or disable your surround sound enhancement effect when listening to discs such as this one. That said, I nevertheless like this CD & listen to it on an infrequent, but regular basis. In effect, what I am saying here, is that don't expect a lot from this compilation. It is but a sampling from the era; a springboard which I hope you---if you are keen on familiarizing yourself with some fine music of the 1930s---will utilize, like I did, & come to know better many of the ladies that are contributors to this disc. Who you'll likely find favor with, I couldn't tell you, but I'd bet you'll have several candidates to explore further after listening to this disc. Cheers!"

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