Track Listing

1. Hey Pachuco!
2. Zip Gun Bop
3. Mugzy's Move
4. I Love the Life I Live, I Live the Life I Love
5. Walkin' Blues
6. Beyond the Sea
7. Park's Place
8. Datin' With No Dough
9. Trouble In Tinsel Town
10. Topsy
11. Rise and Fall of the Great Mondello
12. Honey Child
13. Hey Pachuco! (Reprise)
14. Barflies At The Beach

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14979 in Music
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 1998-03-31
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com
Royal Crown Revue were between releases when the short-lived swing revival turned relative newcomers Cherry Poppin' Daddies and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy into household names. Originally released in the preresurgence year 1996, this collection finds Eddie Nichols's charismatic crooning and his band's revved-up revivalism in fine form. RCR favorites like "Hey Pachuco!" and "Zip-Gun Bop," which were both featured on the band's 1992 indie debut, are given the widescreen treatment here by Van Halen producer Ted Templeman. Other highlights include a cover of "Beyond the Sea" and "Barflies at the Beach," a wild remake of Louis Prima's "Sing Sing Sing" where Nichols sings the virtues of Flipper-laden tuna and other natural wonders. (Note: "Barflies" was added for this 1998 reissue.) As fate would have it, the band that launched the whole swing resurgence never really profited from its success. But as Nichols's heroes would say, that's show biz. --Bill Forman

Customer Reviews

....one of my favorite CDs
as a huge swing fan who owns cds from brian setzer, cherry poppin' daddies, indigo swing, and big bad voodoo daddy as well as royal crown revue, i can honestly say that this one's my favorite. great mondello is the only track that i consistently skip. and, royal crown revue ROCKS in concert. i saw them in cincy at a club and they raged! my dad has not stopped talking about the concert since. also recommended: indigo swing. but if you like swing, and haven't bought this rcr cd yet, buy it. it's well worth the price.

Excellent album from the Revue
This may be the best neo-swing album that came out in the '90s. The Royal Crown Revue had the songs, the musicianship, the charismatic frontman in Eddie Nichols, and were a great live band. All they didn't have was the success they truly deserved as they were the best neo-swing band period.

Mugzy's Move is their masterpiece. They perform both faster dance pieces and slower, more traditional swing with equal aplomb. Some of the faster tracks such as "Hey Pachuco!", "Park's Place" and "Mugzy's Move" are absolutely killer. The slower swing tracks like "Datin' With No Dough", "Honey Child", and "I Love The Life I Live" feel as though they're straight out of a 1930's movie. Their cover of "Beyond The Sea" is great as well. The playing is simply fantastic, particularly the horn section and drummer Danny Glass. Other strong tracks include "Zip Gun Bop", "Barflies At The Beach" and the instrumental "Topsy." I'd highly recommend this album to fans who like the more popular, but not nearly as talented bands of this genre like Cherry Poppin' Daddies and Brian Setzer Orchestra.

Swing Music, Swagger and All
It's a shame that Royal Crown Revue never got more credit for the Neo-Swing explosion of the mid-90's. While the Cherry Popping Daddys, Squirrel Nut Zippers and Bryan Setzer Orchestra put Swing on the charts, Mugzy's Move perfectly captures the gritty essence of the time frame better than any other CD. As a personal testament to the flavor of this album my Dad, a true zoot-suit hepcat in WWII era, loves when I play this CD because it takes him back to his heyday.
The visually impressive lyrics of Eddie Nichols, rich horn section and tight drum work of Daniel Glass pound out a hot collection of tunes with a swagger that proves Swing is more than a fashion, it's a way of life.