Kyser historian says 'Not fun years for Kyser'
S. Beasley | Northridge, Ca. | 04/18/2005
(2 out of 5 stars)
"This disc is representative of Kay Kyser only in the sense that he DID record these songs from the mid to late 40s. The songs barely reflect his presence, and come off as VERY generic easy listening pop, w/ very little energy.
As a Kyser historian I know these were difficult years for Kyser in a couple of ways- he had an arthritic-like condition in his feet which pained him when he stood, walked or danced (and if you saw Kay in the early days of his success, he moved about the stage like an early Bruce Springsteen- jumping, dancing, mugging), and he hid this from his public. In private life, if he had to move through an airport, say, he used a wheelchair. These words were spoken to me by his widow, Georgia. So, not a fun time for Kyser. Next, after the war he wanted to retire from show biz entirely- he felt he'd contributed all he could offer, and was no dummy- he wanted to quit at the top. Unfortunately, contracts prevented him from doing so until 1950, when after doing 2 seasons (1 year) of TV for Ford, he retired. Disappeared, more like, as he didn't announce his retirement, just packed up his family and his million dollars and moved back to North Carolina, where he spent the remainder of his life in public service for his state and his church of Christian Science. What many don't know is he ended up the President of the Church of CS in the early 80s. As for this CD, it's not bad, as Kyser was too intuitive to release anything bad. It's just not FUN! Scat/rhythm vocalist Sully Mason is featured on only one cut, but longtime KK vocalist Harry Babbitt is represented here quite often. Liner notes say Kyser's last feature film (there were 7, w/ guest spots in 2 more) was CAROLINA MOON. It was CAROLINA BLUES. Sheesh..."
Excellent collection of rare postwar Kyser band sides
Thomas Bumbera | Maplewood, NJ USA | 12/02/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Collectables does it again. This collection brings together rare (mostly post-WW2) sides from a neglected period of the Kyser band. Some excellent forgotten tunes here, and fine vocals from the likes of Gloria Wood, cult-fave Lucy Ann Polk and, of course, Harry Babbitt. Excellent remastering, as on the recent Collectables' Eddy Duchin set. Small quibble: would love to have seen the inclusion of two of my faves from this period, "Things Have Changed" (fabulous Babbitt vocal on this obscure Hoagy Carmichael tune) and "Dreamland" (the superior flip of the inane "A Trout No Doubt" which was perversely included). Please note, Amazon's editorial review mentions songs that are not on this collection (copied over from a previous review, no doubt)."
Track Listings (25) - Disc #1
