Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. That Old Black Magic
2. 5 Months, 2 Weeks, 2 Days
3. Should I/I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me
4. Closer to the Bone
5. Hey Boy, Hey Girl
6. You Rascal You
7. Autumn Leaves
8. Music Goes 'Round and Around
9. Just One of Those Things
10. Felicia No Capicia
11. Oh Marie
12. Greenback Dollar Bill
13. When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You)
14. Scuba Diver
15. Three Handed Woman
16. Lazy River
17. Embraceable You/I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good
18. Pennies from Heaven
19. Lip
20. Robin Hood/Oh Babe
21. Fee Fie Foo
22. (Nothing's Too Good) For My Baby

Disc 2:

1. I've Got You Under My Skin
2. Jump, Jive, An' Wail
3. Angelina/Zooma Zooma
4. Moonglow
5. I've Got the World on a String
6. Love of My Life (O Sole Mio)
7. John Ping Pong
8. Pump Song
9. Banana Split for My Baby
10. Too Marvelous for Words
11. Don't Take Your Love from Me
12. Buona Sera
13. Don't Worry 'Bout Me/I'm in the Mood for Love
14. There'll Be No Next Time
15. Shadrack
16. Basin Street Blues/When It's Sleepy Time Down South
17. You're Just in Love
18. Birth of the Blues
19. Them There Eyes/Honeysuckle Rose
20. Sing, Sing, Sing
21. (Nothing's Too Good) For My Baby
22. Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #62423 in Music
• Released on: 1999-06-08
• Number of discs: 2

Amazon.com
The back of this two-CD set may say "File under Lounge," but frankly, lounging will be the very last thing on your mind once you put Louis and Keely on. It's simply impossible to stand still while the duo, backed by Sam Butera and the Witnesses, gets going. When Keely sings "Hey boy, I can really cook," there's a tiny chance she's talking about something that takes place in the kitchen, but the galloping bass line behind her says that she really belongs to the dance floor. Whoo-hee! Cole Porter's "Just One of Those Things" is taken at a frenetic pace--do these people ever pause to breathe? The bulk of this collection was recorded between 1957 and 1962, and it makes for an explosive document of a now-gone era when men in sharp suits hung out at the Copa, babes with pointy rocket-launcher breasts at their arms. The sheer effortlessness of it all is still supremely exciting. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Customer Reviews

Fun with the swing masters
Louis Prima and Keely Smith with Sam Butera and the Witnesses constitute probably the single greatest influence on today's swing scene. I am not exaggerating. And this double-CD is a great place to start: Over two hours of remastered music, a great production design (neo-retro), and long liner notes. My only problem with the presentation is that the individual musician credits are left out. A must for all swing dancers and jazz musicians! ///// KOBY.

Louis Prima .... The Best and Greatest
Who knew that the husband-wife duo of Louis Prima and Keely Smith would have such an impact on pop culture? It's very easy to overlook this pair, although frequently featured in motion pictures, commercials, and covers of other artists. Prima and Smith's music will live on forever....especially in this set. All tracks have been excellently digitally remastered....it's doubtful that the original tapes sounded this good. Altogether, this collection has the most popular (and easily overlooked) hits of the duo, plus a few obscure and less common tracks. From Angelina (one of my favorites) to Jump, Jive and Wail (much better than Brian Setzer's overplayed remake) to Closer to the Bone. All are hits, all are classics.....all you will enjoy.

A trip to the Moon on nuclear wings!
What a blast!

This was my first introduction to Mr. Prima & Co. What a swingin' treat!

You can tell from each and every cut on this twin CD set that these guys were having fun. Many of the songs have little ad-libs between Louis, Keely Smith, Sam Butera, and the other band members. Louis jumps in between solos to throw out comments, he'll scat, even proto-rap, and is having such a good time he'll try to keep from laughing while he and Sam duel with brass. Only true professional musicians can get away with that sort of thing and make it sound good. Louis & Co. are top-notch pros.

Keely solos on a few cuts to round things out, and basically, you get the feeling of what it must have been like to be kickin' it in Vegas back in the swank era while taking in Louis Prima's act. Maybe tomorrow night, you'll catch Dino at the Sands, and take in Torme on Tuesday. Or, maybe you'll just keep coming back here to see Louis, Keely, Sam, and the Witnesses again and again.

Many of the songs are just plain fun ("Robin Hood/Oh Babe", "Banana Split For My Baby", "Felicia No Capicia", "Greenback Dollar Bill", "There'll Be No Next Time"), and even the old standards take on a wink and a smile when Louis gets ahold of them ("The Music Goes 'Round And Around", "That Old Black Magic", "Just One of Those Things", "Embraceable You")!

Get yourself a martini, sit back and relax, and get ready to be swung back to swanksville. This set is one swingin' good time, whether you're six or sixty!