Wake Up And Live! - The Songbook... The Energy... And The Blend ORIGINAL RECORDINGS REMASTERED SET

Last week I was browsing through a local antique shop, looking for any unusual records that I might not have in my collection. Among the treasures I found were a few new "old-stock" 78 rpm platters which, for all appearances, had never been played before. One in particular, a Decca record featuring the Andrews Sisters with Guy Lombardo and his Orchestra performing "I Wanna Be Loved" and "I've Just Got To get Out of the Habit," was so clean and bright that I could hear the sweet and soft sounds of words with "s" in them as well as sharpness of the letter "t." For those of us raised after 78 rpm records lost their popularity, it is easy to delegate these "artifacts" to the scratchy world of entertainment of our parents and grandparents. However, when a 78 was brand spanking new it had quite a wonderful sound. Every once in a while I come across the promo 78 records which, often, were made of a different material and sound even better than their commerical counterparts when they have not been played much.This week, I received through the mail a CD compilation from Jasmine Records titled Andrews Sisters: Wake and and Live: a four CD album of rarities of one of the most popular singing groups of all time. Upon first listening, I was a little disappointed with the very slight fog in the recordings that takes away from the clarity that might have been achieved if, the parent company, Universal Records, had instead remastered the selections from their master discs. Then I compared one song, "Jack, Jack, Jack," with another record company's CD featuring the same song. While the latter was clearer and without the "fog," I found that Jasmine's remastering retained what Michael Feinstein once referred to as the "warmth of Decca 78s." It must be quite difficult for the engineers and producers to know how far they should go in "cleaning up" these old 78 rpm records. That being said, I am extremely pleased with this new collection of songs, many of whch are quite rare. In fact, the first seventeen selections have never been reissued since their initial releases (1937-1942). In particular, "Jammin'," "Thee's a Lull in My Life," and "Wake Up and Live" with Leon Belasco and his Orchestra are wonderful surprises from 1937 as the records themselves are quite rare. Other rarities include excellent renditions of "Mean to Me," "The Nickle Serenade," and "At Sonya's Cafe." Each has that unique Andrews Sisters sound that we should expect yet with the added novelty of not hearing them before. It's like discovering new records only they are old.There are so many excellent songs here but a few worth mentioning are ""Down in the Valley," "Straighten Up and Fly Right," "The Turntable Song" (first introduced on the screen by Deanna Durbin), and, one of my favorites, "Carmen's Boogie," a quintessential "Boogie-Woogie" song. Also included are "live" recordings from their various radio and television appearances which also sound warm and clear.Later, when I have more time, I'll have to check with my Andrews Sisters discography to see which commercial recordings, if any, are missing from my collection. But between Jasmine Records' various other collections ("Now is the Time" and "Some Sunny Day"); Sepia Records' equally excellent CDs ("Music Lessons" and "Melody Time with The Andrews Sisters"); not to mention the various MCA compilations ("Rarities," "Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters", "All Time Greatest Hits," and the two volumes of their 50th Anniversary Collections) and "Mister Five By Five" from Empress Records (which includes the wonderfully dry but humorous "One Meat Ball") an Andrews Sisters listener can own most of their best recordings. (If I am leaving out any important CDs that are not simply rehashing their most popular songs, please, please write a comment so we can all be educated. Of course, there are also some wonderful LP records out there with rare material as well.) Meanwhile, enjoy the excellent "Wake Up and Live" which, like Jasmine's "Some Sunny Day," boasts "the songbook...the energy...the blend...and the warmth of these rare recordings by Patti, Maxine, and Laverne.

Listening to the Andrew Sisters reminds me of my youth. I can see Mom & Dad dancing to some of the songs. It's odd, when I was a kid I would listen to nothing but rock and roll and over the years gravitate to jazz and big band and now that I am much older I find the music of the Andrew Sisters soothing, relaxing and wonderful. I took a recent cross country trip (drive) to see my Mom and listened to this album twice all the way through. The songs stay in my head now. These sisters had a wide range of music and Jasmine did a wonderful job with the release. I look forward to more purchases.

I love this cd! If you like the Andrews sisters this is for you!

Speedy deliver. Product exactly as described and in great condition. Thank you.

So any songs n here I have not heard A great collection!!!

thank you

The Andrews Sisters reigned supreme as iconic close-harmony Queens during the Forties and beyond with their instantly recognisable vocal style embracing swing and boogie-woogie continuing to influence such luminaries as Bette Midler and The Puppini Sisters. This latest release confirms Jasmine Records has cornered the market as far as the trio’s recordings are concerned as this is the eleventh tribute collection dedicated to Patty, LaVerne and Maxine. Obviously, such diligence means for those established hits it will be necessary to look elsewhere as this four-disc set sets its sights on far more esoteric material, with no fewer than 124 songs tightly packed into this welcome anthology.Of course, allowing for the width and breadth of the trio’s rarer material over the twenty-five year period, it’s virtually impossible to name the songs; even those that particularly appealed to me so check Amazon’s accompanying track-listing. However, with Vic Schoen and his Orchestra generally accompanying the girls, exceptions include Billy May, Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, Russ Morgan, Guy Lombardo, Eddie Heywood, Jerry Gray, Billy Ternent, Carmen Cavallaro, Les Paul, and Joe Benuti etc. who were either in the recording studio or present for radio broadcasts, especially when the girls worked with other entertainers. Included on this collection are - apart from Crosby - Dick Haymes, Danny Kaye, Burl Ives, Ernest Tubb & The Texas Troubadours, The Harmonica Gentlemen etc.The twenty-five year coverage includes the trio’s earliest sessions especially the opening three platters recorded with Leon Belasco and his Orchestra; many Decca recordings never before on CD; live radio performances with Crosby plus interview; sessions/broadcasts with Dick Haymes; late ‘50’s and early ‘60’s post-Decca recordings which prove even changing times and soft-rock arrangements failed to smother the trio’s unmistakable sound and inimitable style with a hit medley of songs they performed on television’s PERRY COMO SHOW finally bringing the curtain down on CD4.Apart from excellent notes, recording dates are helpfully given although the tracks do not run in chronological order Allowing for recording sources, the sound remastering remains high throughout and this collection is a must for those who collect nostalgia of the highest order.

This collection follows plenty of compilations (over 150 in the CD era alone, apparently) of music by the Andrews sisters, and I've bought a few of those myself. This box may well fill whatever gaps existed previously in my collection, at least up to the end of 1962, but I won't worry about what if anything is missing. If they recorded anything after 1962, it doesn't matter (though I'd buy it if I find it) because all the really important music by the sisters pre-dates 1963.This is basically a rarities collection, containing songs I didn't know they had recorded, though I'm familiar with other versions, songs I don't remember hearing before, plus alternative versions and live versions of songs that they'e done elsewhere. the alternative versions include duets with different partners from the familiar versions - Dick Haymes instead of Bing Crosby, perhaps. I wonder why they did this, but the booklet doesn't say a lot.If you only want a best of compilation, this isn't it. This one is for fans who already own the obvious tracks, for whom this is a dream come true.

A great compilation of many rare, and previously unavailable, recordings. Keep these more specialised products coming!!