Come On With The Come On kicks things off with brilliant and energetic big band swing. Thankfully, this musical excellence is enough for me to not worry about the very inane lyrics.
Similarly, the boogie-woogie goodness of Calloway Boogie is a treat. However, I'm not a fan of self-indulgent lyrics with nothing more thoughtful than to say than "our music is great". But the fantastic groove, beautiful horn arrangements and general big-band perfection more than makes up for this.
On the other hand, Hey Now Hey Now doesn't have much of musical interest to me, so the lyrics stand out like a sore thumb. The Call of the Jitterbug and The Jumpin' Jive also don't appeal to me, but this is just because I'm not a fan of this style.
Regarding the recording quality, I appreciate it is more an art than a science, with no "correct" answer... However this album's recording - which somehow achieves remarkable power, clarity and character at the same time - is simply perfect. I don't say that lightly and all of the very ordinary recordings of big bands that I've heard over the years makes this achievement even more incredible.
How Big Can You Get relies heavily on the main melody, since it's used for both the chorus vocals and the main horn line. But when the melody is this catchy and enjoyable, there is no complaint about this at all!
The combination of tickity-tack vaudeville and powerful, syrupy big-band horn sections works a treat for The Old Man on the Mountain. The nice little story is also enjoyable, making this my favourite song of the album.
On paper, Reefer Man and Tarzan of Harlem tick all the right boxes. Yet nether of them appeals to me, and I have no idea why.
The Ghost of Smokey Joe is a re-hash of Minnie the Moocher which, in my opinion, doesn't bring enough new to the table to be worthwhile. It also features some very awkward composition at times. As per BBVD's live album, their version of the original Minnie the Moocher is absolutely fantastic.
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