The Amazing Rhythm Aces - Toucan Do It Too/Burning the Ballroom Down

'Toucan Do It Too' released in 1977 and 'Burning The Ballroom Down' the band's fourth album released in 1978 on one CD. First time on CD. Standard jewel case. 2000 release. Album Description

You Gotta Love 'em.

It's the sounds you remembered and loved. It's nothing you've never heard before but it's something you haven't heard in a while. Classic Aces-- what more can you say? I've still got it in vinyl but it never sounded this good. June 12, 2007

Toucan Do It Too/Burning the Ballroom Down

Two of the top Three albums this group made. Maybe the top 2.
The musicianship heard here is rarely felt or heard today.
The only thing that was ever bad about these albums,
was they did not get publicized well enough. February 6, 2007

Toucan Do It Too/Burning the Ballroom Down

The Amazing Rhythm Aces are still Amazing! I enjoyed them in the 70"s and now I can enjoy them again. It's great that the old albums are out on CD. November 6, 2006

Why don't you own this?

This, fellow ARA fans, is the real thing. The recordings are clear, the production very good and the songs are just as good as we remembered. There have been other recordings released on CD which should have never seen the light of day due to terrible original recordings, but don't worry this time. These recordings are a delight!

The Combination of "Stacked Deck" and "Too Stuffed to Jump" may overwhelm some people into thinking they have all of the classic ARA music if they own that CD. This is understandable because those two albums are incredible and have both of ARA's biggest hits: "Third Rate Romace" and "Amazing Grace (Used To Be Her Favorite Song)," but "Toucan Do It Too" combined with "Burning The Ballroom Down" is just as loaded with quality songs and performances.

My all-time favorite ARA song is "Burning The Ballroom Down" because of the music and, to me more importantly, from the stream of emotions that come from the singer's perspective. Russell Smith nails this song all the way from smugness ("I know why you're here by the look in your eye") at the beginning to near-desperation ("It might have to last me forever if I don't see you again") at the end. "Never Been To The Islands" kicks things off with a laid-back style that's easy on the ears, quickly followed by Smith's soulful rendition of "Never Been Hurt" for an excellent contrast.

Again, the musical styles vary across a wide spectrum with the music fitting the lrics and they are all good. The group that was too rock for country, too country for rock and just too eclectic for anywhere else was before its time, but it's given us some great songs.

Pick this up along with another great two-album ARA CD, "Stacked Deck/Too Stuffed To Jump" and their later, self-titled CD.
If you've never heard the Amazing Rhythm Aces, how do you know if you will like them? Do you like surprisingly thoughtful and often clever lyrics? Do you like excellent musicianship? Do you enjoy being exposed to different sounding songs on the same CD? You could do a whole lot worse than this CD and it would be hard to do much better.

August 21, 2005

Tops

I came to the Aces many years after they made their first recordings, and it felt like stumbling on a gold mine or discovering at age 40 that there was such a thing as chocolate. I first heard "Burning the Ballroom Down" on a bootleg tape, driving to Dulles Airport before daylight, and it was like being transported elsewhere. This is my favorite album of the 1000+ albums I own. April 5, 2002

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