Search - Various Artists :: Dime Store Hot Dance

Nice sound, decent tunes

"Gimpy" Peach Johnson | 01/21/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With this compilation, Jazz Oracle has released another fine CD--this is a 5-star production, but the music itself deserves only 3 or at most 4 stars. Still, thank goodness someone is preserving this stuff! On the whole, this is decent 1920s dance band fare, played by competent bands with some clever arrangements and a handful of fairly good solos. Unfortunately, many of the tunes are downright forgettable; most collectors probably won't recognize the majority of the selections, and with good reason. The liner notes reveal that these songs were often written by staff composers at the Plaza Music Group (makers of Banner, Regal, Romeo, and other related dime-store 78 rpm labels from which these selections were taken). To save money on composer royalties, a "hit" tune would often be paired with one of these staff-composed stock fillers. Many of these songs were never recorded or published anywhere else. Still, there's enough here to keep your toes tapping and I found a few songs which have stuck in my head ("Who Says They Don't Care," "They Don't Come Better Than Betty," and "That's My Idea" are among my favorites). The CD has its share of awkward moments... like when Irving Kaufman sings the vocal on "In My Wedding Gown"--I wonder what *that* would look like! The remastered sound (by John R. T. Davies) is excellent, and remarkable considering the poor quality of the original pressings. The enclosed booklet is quite informative and fun to read. Serious 1920s dance band collectors won't want to miss this collection, but if you're a casual listener looking for a good sampler of 1920s music, look elsewhere. Not essential, but fun."

For the hardcore collector...

Thomas Bumbera | Maplewood, NJ USA | 04/17/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"...here is an interesting collection of bargain-label dancebands from the late 20s. If you like this type of music there's really no reason to be reading this, you'll probably buy it anyway. Be aware that the condition of many sides is less-than-great (I have cleaner copies of several in my own collection and so may you) but the remastering is good, considering the poor quality of the original 78 pressings."

DANCE MUSIC FROM THE 20'S

COMPUTERJAZZMAN | Cliffside Park, New Jersey United States | 11/12/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"THIS CD FEATURES DANCE BAND TUNES FROM THE 1920'S. NONE OF THEM WERE HITS OR WERE MADE BY ANY OF THE "BIG NAME" DANCE BANDS OF THE 20'S THIS WAS BARGAIN BASEMENT STUFF, BUT IT IS A NICE COLLECTION OF MUSIC FROM THAT ERA. MOSTLY "SWEETMUSIC" WITH A LITTLE TIN PAN ALLEY THROWN IN, THE KIND OF STUFF THAT WAS MADE FAMOUS BY GUY LOMBARDO ("THE SWEETREST MUSIC THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN"). THERE'S A LOT OF HISS AND STATIC ON MOST OF THE RECORDINGS"