5 comments about Everybody Stomp.

1. An excellent, comprehensive collection for fans of the Hoosier Hot Shots. Includes several of their originals as well as covers of classic early 20th century pop tunes. The accompanying booklet is pretty sparse. A brief history on the recording of each song would have been useful to those of us more detail oriented fans, but, for the price, I highly recommend it.



2. This is a great collection of wonderful music by a group that was preeminent in the 1920s and 1930s. What most reviewers miss saying is that this group was an early jazz-swing group and the clarinet work is astounding. Some of it is hokey or corny, some of it is repetitious, but a great deal of the music is simply joyful and swings like any of the big bands that followed. The only possible downside is that this is a package of four separate records, reproduced on four CD's, and some of the songs are repeated from CD to CD. But unless you are listening to all four of these sequentially, you won't notice. If you are looking for feel-good music and want to know what swing was like in its earliest years, this is a great buy.



3. Hooo boy! The Hoosier Hotshots were stars of radio back in the 1930's and 40s, weekly regulars on WLS Chicago's "National Barn Dance" for over 15 years. They were an off-beat marriage of Dixieland Jazz, Ragtime, Minstrelry, Jugband, and Country Swing, often very corny; their use of off-beat instrumentation such as the slide whistle and the washboard puts them firmly in the "novelty music" category.
   
   This four-disc set covers their career from 1933-46, and includes all of their hits. Some people might prefer their stuff in smaller doses than a CD at a time, the formulaic nature of many of their songs, (an ensemble sung opening verse, a washboard or slide whistle solo, a solo vocal, another ensemble sung verse, final chorus and instrumental riff) gets a little repetetive. But it's an embarrasment of riches for a Hoosier Hotshots fan, this is the biggest (and best) collection of their work ever available.



4. I got turned on to the Hoosier Hot Shots when I heard their version of "Breezin' along with the breeze." It is a novel take on that oldie. I also saw a few videos of them performing and they were visually as playful as their music sounded. Here's the problem: they had some good ideas (slide whistle, hot rhythm guitar, good harmonies) but they only had a few good ideas and they used the same instrumentations in song after song after song with little variation. You really only need one Hoosier Hot Shots album in your collection - four is too much of the same old same old. By the time this box set was finished, I never wanted to hear them again. Too much of the same formula.
   A great group of midwestern guys, I'm sure. But I have had enough slide whistle to last me a while.



5. Proper did an awesome job with this boxed set. 4 CD's crammed to the brim with tracks, all in a very neat boxed set with a 35-page booklet featuring tons of info and photos - all for under $25!! If this same set was offered from the Bear Family label, it would cost just under $100. If you are even looking at this collection, then chances are you like this kind of old hillbilly music, and this one will not disappoint. The remastered songs sound great. Hoosier Hot Shots can best be described as more upbeat than Sons of The Pioneers and cornier than The Prairie Ramblers . They use lots of whistles, kazoos and other goofy sound effects in just about every song so this might be a little bit grating if you try to listen to too many tracks in a row. But the songs really are fun, catchy and will put you in a good mood!

No comments about Comedy Superstars.

4 comments about American Comedy Box 1915-1994: But Seriously....

1. This box set is supposed to encapsulate the history of American comedy on records. Undertaking such a task is probably foolhardy, because you couldn't possibly include everything. So a number of things were bound to get left out, leaving the assemblers open to criticism. The most obvious ommision to me is Bob Newhart, who had the first comedy album to win the Grammy for Album of the Year. And the second (and last) comedy album to win Album of the Year, The First Family by Vaughn Meader, was also left out. There are a number of other worthy performers left out, but I don't want to list all of them. Instead, I'll look at what is actually included here. I would say that all of the performers here are worthy of inclusion, even though some of the material is dated or political correct by today's standards. But the choice of material is often questionable. The Bill Cosby routine (about taking his daughter to a football game), while funny, is not one of his classic bits. On the subject of football, it's weird that three football routines were included on disc three. And there are a number of other performers who aren't represented by their best material. But despite it's shortcomings, this collection provides a good amount of laughs. Just don't expect it to be the "be all and end all" of American comedy collections.



2. RHINO really screwed up with THE AMERICAN COMEDY BOX.
   
   The cover has a raised image in plastic of a pair of Groucho gag eyeglasses (with nose and mustache). But look inside the package-- there's not a Marx Brother to be found anywhere! An excerpt of one of Groucho's many 1940s radio appearances would have been most welcome here. Speaking of radio--
   
   There's -nothing- from Burns & Allen, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Fred Allen or Fanny Brice-- vaudeville and radio stars all. So what do we get from that great comic medium? A lesser Stan Freberg single, a weak Henry Morgan track and two tepid Bob & Ray routines-- and that's IT. Oh-- and where are Jonathan Winters, Prof. Irwin Corey, Don Rickles, Bob Newhart, Pat Cooper, Rusty Warren, Don Adams and so many others? There's no Firesign Theater or P.D.Q. Bach on this album, either. So, why not???
   
   A further problem are the tracks that ARE here. Smith & Dale were certainly "Pioneers," yet their recording isn't vintage-- it's the last one these old vaudevillians made, from the early 1960s. It seems that in the majority of other cases, better material was available. For instance, why an excerpt of 2000 AND TWO YEAR OLD MAN and not the original classic Brooks & Reiner routine? Why a Tom Lehrer song from 1965, instead of his great earlier stuff, or "Al 'N Yetta" rather than "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah"? ALL bad bad choices!
   
   The guaranteed-to-disintegrate tabloid-style newspaper liner notes are a poor decision, too-- mine has already yellowed and frayed. Finally, why do the four CDs average only an hour each? For these reasons and more, THE AMERICAN COMEDY BOX could have been so much better! NOT recommended.
   
   TOTAL RUNNING TIMES --
   DISC ONE (Pioneers/Radio & The Movies/Musical Comedy) -- 59:47
   DISC TWO (Political Humor/One-Liners) -- 48:04
   DISC THREE (Storytellers/Sketches) -- 62:26
   DISC FOUR (Characters/Stand-Ups) -- 60:51



3. Four CDs' worth of memorable moments from recorded comedy in the 20th Century. It can't help but be disappointing, at times, considering the breadth of material that could have been included, but one unforgivable flaw is that the CDs are simply not filled to capacity. (One disc is barely fifty minutes long, for example). Considering the asking price ..., this is inexcusable. That said, many great comics are represented (Lenny Bruce, Reiner and Brooks, Tom Lehrer, W.C. Fields, Shelley Berman, Spike Jones, Abbott and Costello, Allan Sherman, Bob and
   Ray, Bill Cosby, George Carlin, the Credibility Gap and Steven Wright), as well as good to middling material from lesser lights. The liner notes (in the form of a mock newspaper--again with the chintz) are OK.



4. I had wanted this pricey CD box set for years. It was frankly, disappointing. Some of the recordings at the beginning, (they're listed chronologically), are of such poor quality that they're difficult to understand. Even though it was truly interesting listening to the individual styles, it's sort of a listen once then file it kind of deal. It's not something I'd listen to repeatedly or bring out at parties. I was also sorry to hear that many of the more recent entries have concepts or words that aren't appropriate for children to listen to, (i.e.Robin Williams' take on Lorena Bobbitt). It's not like Robin Williams has never worked clean and been funny at the same time.

   On the more positive side, I learned a lot, both from the recordings and also from the extensive newspaper-style liner notes that accompany it. It also contains several comedy bits I remember having heard as a child in the 60's, such as those by the Smothers Brothers, Flip Wilson, and the classic "Who's On First" by Abbott & Costello. Okay, all things considered I guess I'm not sorry I bought it. It brought back memories, and allowed me to share some of them with my neice and nephew.

5 comments about Great Speeches of the 20th Century.

1. It was what I needed for my high school public speaking class. The students are able to listen to great speeches. This way they had a reference to what makes an excellent speech.



2. I have to admit I bought this CD set mainly for Winston Churchills "Darkest Hour" speech,then thought "Hey I could get all sorts of great speeches at once. All the speeches are pretty impressive and some of them are a little creepy to hear. I mean to "HEAR" a President talk about the "Indians" when they were still living on the plains and in the mountains of America is just strange.
   Some of the speeches are complete, however Churchills "Darkest Hour" was not one of them. Over all it was a great collection, but I wish that some of the speeches had not been trunkated. You might look for a CD that more accurately targets what you're looking for than trying to get a one stop shop with this set.



3. Particularly in this day of manufactured charisma on television, great public speaking has become a lost art--look at what we are using for President right now! This set will serve as a reminder of what we used to enjoy, particularly on the political scene. Certainly, a Franklin Roosevelt or a John Kennedy only comes once in a great moon and this is an opportunity to remember what we have had, and lost. I have had this set for several years and my only regret is that it isn't longer; I suppose for practicality's sake the entire texts of the speeches couldn't be included. Sound quality is remarkable, particularly for the old pre-electric recordings. It will probably be a surprise to many to actually hear the pre-FDR Presidents speak; again, they were not homogenized in the manner popular now.
   
   This is a great 'starter' set for those who enjoy the spoken word for its own sake.



4. This is a must for any US History teacher. It's one thing to read a landmark speech, quite another to hear it as you read along. Studying history is much more interesting when students can "touch" "hear" "see" it. To have the actual voice putting inflection and feeling to the words makes it more memorable. Students today are so visual that merely listening to the speech is ineffective. (trust me, they will fall asleep.) Hand out a printed copy of the speech for them to read along with and highlight key points. It's also helpful when students are taking the AP US History exam to be able to quote speeches in their DBQs.



5. As a teacher this set is invaluable. The recordings are well-chosen and nicely mastered. It's a good survey of 20th century audio recordings.

No comments about Legends of Radio: The Bob Hope Show.

5 comments about The Best Of William Burroughs: From Giorno Poetry Systems.

1. This is not an inexpensive summation of Burroughs' experimental prose and recordings, but it's worth every penny for enthusiasts. I doubt that I'm alone in preferring to experience his material through his recitations rather than in print. The sound of his inimitable voice, rendering his words exactly as he meant for them to be expressed, adds immeasurably to their impact. Crazed, drug-addled, bizarre, liberal and cynical at the same time, quite often hallucinatory and occasionally even sentimental, Burroughs pushed the envelope of narrative fiction as much as any author of the 20th century, and few writers have ever been so adept at the oral interpretation of their own work. If you buy it, you're likely to get hooked. As it were.



2. listening to someone read is so calming even if his voice is as off the wall as william s.'s is. four discs is a lot but if you take it one at a time it's not plus the pictures are good.



3. Spanning the whole of his career, this 4-disc box set is well worth the price. Not only does Bill's intonation assist the reader into how to go about reading the author's works, Burroughs's satire and wit is a mile a minute on every disc except Disc Four. The final disc is a collection of his cut-up experiments that he conducted in the early 1960's. These spliced fragments of passing cars, television commercials, and poetry readings foreshadow '90's alternative. The package includes an extensive collection of photos spanning over the whole of the author's life. From pre-Naked Lunch to this final work, The Cat Inside, this is a great audio collection for anyone wanting to appreciate the Godfather of the Beats.



4. The man that knew William Burroughs best, John Giorno, has put together the best information on WSB that exists. John has no axe to grind and no interest to protect, unlike Burroughs other editors (heir, adopted son). The list of what was buried with William is worth the CD alone. Although John says that he was with William when Burroughs died, he means it in a zen way. He was not there, but no one was closer to WSB than Giorno (except for those that inherited the money). Buy it now if you really like the old man. It is boring, for sure, but Burroughs voice is worth a few dollars.



5. To sum this collection up in a word....Brillant. Hat's off to the folks responsible for this essential compilation of some of the finest spoken performances I have ever heard. This monster 4cd set, is packed to the gills with classic pieces from Bill's entire writing life time. The box contains a large booklet with rare photo's and additional info, as well as an unpublished piece. Each cd box, contain small booklets with even more rare photo's of Burroughs through out his life. This is a genius time machine. No distracting music. The audiences in the live segments,are mixed down to a dull roar. It may not have everything.... but it certainly satisfies, none the less. A must have for any true Burroughs fans.

No comments about Canterbury Tales.

1 comments about Detectives and Crime Fighters.

1. This set and the Old Time Radio: Master Detectives (ISBN: 1570193649) set are nearly identical. Both sets have 10 CD's and 9 of those 10 are the same. The only difference is that the older Master Detectives set has a disc devoted to Jeff Regan, Investigator (a pre-Dragnet show staring Jack Webb), and this newer set has The Shadow instead of Jeff Regan. And since The Shadow is a true classic of old radio, that makes this newer set clearly superior.
   
   The episodes of the Shadow on this set are very good (both staring Bill Johnstone). But my favorite episodes are from Sam Spade and Yours Truly Johnny Dollar. Sam Spade was the greatest of the hard-boiled detectives, with most of the toughness of Philip Marlowe and a far better sense of humor. Bob Bailey starred as Johnny Dollar about 10 years after the hard-boiled detective craze and he presents a much softer, more sensitive version of the tough guy detective. It would have been fascinating to see how the radio detective genre would have continued to evolve if radio hadn't died in the early 60's.

3 comments about Unconditional Love.

1. ... But I went to the Neighborhood Playhouse with Rick. He was (and am quite sure, still is) a huge talent. I just happend to be thinking about him the other day and decided to google the name. I would highly urge anyone and everyone to by this CD. He has the purest soul of just about anyone I have ever met. I miss you Rick.
   Lisa



2. Rick Shapiro's comedy, like the Krell's apparatus from "Forbidden Planet", will expand your brain power to more than ten times its original power. He is so scary good, I can barely find the words. If you like Patton Oswalt, David Cross, or Bill Hicks, Shapiro will rock your world.



3. Rick Shapiro's album "Unconditional Love" isn't new but I just listened to it again and was reminded of how damn funny it is. Nothing quite captures the full experience of Rick's performance artistry like seeing him live. But if you can't do that, the album (or maybe his dvd if you can find it) is the next best thing. Rick Shapiro is not merely a stand up comedian. He doesn't really have a routine, per se. Really he just gets up on stage and explodes into a sort of stream of consciousness rant. During his performances, Rick unleashes the many characters living in his brain in a rapid fire purging that almost comes across as an assault. The former junky/prostitute turned actor-comedian has been called the Lenny Bruce of the East Village and it's a name that suits him. Fortunately for Rick, though, he is not living in the repressed age that censored and eventually ruined Lenny Bruce. Rick's act is so obscene and raunchy that it makes his predecessors look like girl scouts. But his humor doesn't just rely on obscenity. It's quick witted social criticism... with the occasional reference to fisting.

3 comments about Stars On Suspense - 60 Tales from Radio's Outstanding Theater of Thrills.

1. "Suspense" was an incredibly-popular mystery radio program that was on the air for 22 years (1940 through 1962). Dubbed as "Radio's outstanding theater of thrills", the show was/is the longest-running "mystery/anthology" series in network radio history.
   
   A large number of Hollywood's greatest stars put in time behind the microphone on the "Suspense" soundstage, and this large 60-show collection highlights many of these popular stars' appearances on the mystery program.
   
   The eerie series was hosted/narrated by a person known as "The Man in Black". Several different individuals served as "The Man in Black" over the years, including Joseph Kearns, who would later play "Mr. Wilson" on the TV series "Dennis The Menace". (He wasn't quite so "manacing" on "Menace", was he?) :)
   
   Each of these thirty Compact Discs contains two full-length "Suspense" broadcasts. My two favorite episodes included in this sixty-program collection are "Drive-In" and "Sorry, Wrong Number". .............
   
   1.) "Drive-In" stars a 24-year-old Judy Garland and was originally aired on November 21, 1946. Judy plays a waitress at a drive-in restaurant, and accepts a ride home with a stranger. She will later regret that decision. This is a dandy "Suspense" classic, with Judy utterly believable as the young woman in peril.
   
   2.) Agnes Moorehead is the star of "Sorry, Wrong Number" (which aired November 18, 1948). .... "Sorry" was performed a total of EIGHT times by Miss Moorehead on "Suspense", and is considered the most famous of all the plays in the radio series. Orson Welles, in fact, once called the popular Lucille Fletcher play "the greatest single radio script ever written".
   
   Moorehead is perfect as the woman who overhears the plot to her own murder due to criss-crossed telephone wires. This particular performance, in late 1948, coincided almost exactly with the time period when the movie version of "Sorry" was running in theaters. From data I can gather, the movie (starring Barbara Stanwyck in Miss Moorehead's role) opened in theaters on September 1, 1948, just 2.5 months prior to this "Suspense" radio performance by Moorehead.
   
   Among the various bits of info and trivia that can be accessed via this boxed set's lengthy booklet, we learn that Miss Moorehead -- after each "Sorry, Wrong Number" performance -- was so tense, it took her hours to unwind.
   
   Other chilling/thrilling programs occupying space in this set include: "The Black Curtain" with Cary Grant ... "Hitchhike Poker" with Gregory Peck ... "Night Cry" with Ray Milland ... and "Back For Christmas" with Herbert Marshall.
   
   This deluxe CD set was produced and released by "Radio Spirits" (of Schiller Park, Illinois) in the year 2000. The 7.25" x 7.5" all-plastic, "album"-style packaging securely holds the 30 Compact Discs. A 64-page booklet is included, with tons of facts and photos and backstory information on each of the sixty programs in the set.
   
   The packaging design makes it very easy to pick out which episode you want to listen to with just a quick glance at the back of the plastic case. Every show title is printed on the back, along with air dates, the guest stars, and the corresponding CD number.
   
   In 1998, another excellent batch of top-flight radio programs was produced and released by Radio Spirits. It's a healthy collection of 60 OTR mystery shows on 20 audio cassettes, entitled "Old-Time Radio's Greatest Mysteries". A similar product has recently been re-released on audio cassette and CD by Radio Spirits, bearing the exact same title, that includes a smaller number of total programs (40). But the cassette assortment I own has sixty shows, including three episodes of "Suspense", plus broadcasts from many other radio shows of the same genre -- e.g.: "Inner Sanctum", "Escape", "Lights Out!", "Quiet Please", and "The Shadow"; plus lots of others.
   
   But what makes that "Greatest Mysteries" pack extra special (IMO) is the inclusion on one of the cassette tapes of the 1950 "Suspense" broadcast "On A Country Road" (starring Cary Grant). That particular "Suspense" episode, more than any other I can think of, has the amazing ability to "turn on the television set" in the listener's mind. I can easily, and vividly, envision in my imagination every portion of that chilling radio play.
   
   Cary Grant stars with Cathy Lewis and Jeanette Nolan in "On A Country Road", which originally aired over the U.S. radio airwaves on November 16, 1950. Grant and Lewis play a travelling couple stranded on a deserted country side road in a driving rainstorm after their car runs out of gas. The couple's fears and concerns are heightened and further multiplied by the fact that an escaped mental patient, armed with a hatchet, is on the loose in the very same area.
   
   "On A Country Road" is one of my all-time favorite radio plays, and really quite a remarkable one, that leaves the listener glued to their radio (or cassette player in my case) for its entire thirty-minute duration. It's definitely a mystery program that is well-calculated to keep you in .... ~~spooky organ music goes here~~ .... "SUSPENSE"!
   
   Unfortunately, "On A Country Road" isn't included within this "Stars On Suspense" multi-disc pack. That's a shame, too, for in my view it truly deserves a slot on one of these 30 CDs.
   
   Radio Spirits puts out excellent-quality products --- Remastered and restored radio programs on CD (or audio cassette), along with smart and snazzy packaging with attractive artwork, and highly-researched text info via the booklets that are included with each boxed Old-Time Radio collection. Plus: Rare and "behind-the-mike" photographs that accompany the text in the collectible-style booklets.
   
   High praise goes to RADIO SPIRITS for providing posh collections like this "STARS ON SUSPENSE" CD set to "OTR" fans.



2. The very first "Suspense" broadcast took place on July 22, 1940 over all the CBS stations and featured "The Lodger," a popular Hitchcock thriller, with star Herbert Marshall. Twenty-two years later, it went off the air and left behind a trail of great stories and great acting. So it is appropriate that one of the latest additions to the Radio Spirits catalogue of "old time" broadcasts be titled .

   Here we have 60 episodes broadcast between 6-17-42 and 2-17-49. True to the policy of the producers, no crime goes unpunished (with one or two ambiguous exceptions) and there is no science fiction or fantasy, again with one or two exceptions.

   There is no doubt that the producers also loved casting against type. In episodes not included here, Fibber McGee and Molly played straight roles and Jack Benny appeared as a tongue-in-cheek Martian. But in general, the word among the brightest stars in Hollywood was that an appearance on "Suspense" would be an actor's dream. So in this Radio Spirits set you can hear Edward G. Robinson, Vincent Price, Cary Grant, Charles Laughton, Joseph Cotten, James Cagney, Judy Garland, and too many more to mention here.

   The two gems of the collection both star Agnes Moorehead. Of course, there is the famous "Sorry, Wrong Number" episode that has been hailed as the greatest dramatic performance on the radio, ever! The other is the even more frightening "The Yellow Wallpaper" that got an inferior treatment on Public Television a few years ago.

   This is not the first "Suspense" collection put out by Radio Spirits, but it is a valuable piece of history nevertheless. It is available as a 20-cassette boxed set or as a 3- CD boxed set. Each has its advantages and I have both, the tapes for the car and the CDs for playing my favorite scenes at elderhostels and talks on the history of mass media. Both sets contain the usual booklet crammed with background information about the series and about each individual episode, complete with photographs of the stars.




3. This collection is incredible! It not only has the first show of the series, but includes some of their better shows all around - including "The Hitchhiker" starring Orson Welles and "Sorry, Wrong Number" starring Agnes Moorehead (generally regarded as the best show of the series). Each episode stars a well-known actor or actress like Cary Grant, Orson Welles, Joseph Cotton, Jack Benny, etc. My only beef with the 30+ hours of programs is that they didn't include "On a Country Road", first broadcast with Cary Grant in 1950 and then rebroadcast in 1954 with Frank Lovejoy. THAT show was the best of the series, and absolutely empitomized what the series meant to do: keep you in...SUSPENSE! My suggestion is to buy this, and then see if you can find "On a Country Road" somewhere and give it a listen to get the best of the best.