The Andrews Sisters - The Very Best of the Andrews Sisters

A two CD set that shows us how great The Andrews Sisters truly were...

The Andrews Sisters started performing after their father's business was wiped out in the Great Depression; but they were so good and successful that once they began to sing they never looked back. They relatively quickly found their way into Radioland; and from there into movies with their flawless harmonizing and acting talents. This two CD set showcases perfectly their sweet sounds of The Andrews Sisters.

On the two CDs you get many standards that are frequently associated with The Andrews Sisters: "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön" which was their first big hit in 1938; "Hold Tight (Want Some Sea Food, Mama);" the playful and hip number "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" with its references to military life during World War Two and "Rum And Coca-Cola" which lets them sing of great fun in the warm Caribbean sun. Awesome!

In addition, we get many excellent songs that bear the unique interpretations of The Andrews Sisters. "Yes, My Darling Daughter" is an Americanized version of an old Yiddish tune; and the three sisters handle this with great skill. You will enjoy this number. "Lullaby Of Broadway" gets a swinging musical arrangement as The Andrews Sisters belt this number out with so much panache and such excitement that they make the tune positively infectious. Excellent!

"The Donkey Serenade" gets great treatment from the three singers as they harmonize to perfection with a big band arrangement; and "Rhumboogie" lets them sing about the latest Harlem jazz dance craze. "South America, Take It Away" is another hit that you will love, too.

This collection also includes two polkas that were rather popular at the time: We get "Beer Barrel Polka (Roll Out The Barrel)" and "Pennsylvania Polka." The sisters sing these numbers without a superfluous note all the while proving that they could perform a wide variety of songs with great ease.

Unfortunately, these tracks don't sound as if they were digitally remastered. If they have been remastered whoever did it did not do a very good job; therefore I must take off one star to make this a four star review. Some of the numbers have a distinctly "tinny" sound to them that disappoints me.

The liner notes include an essay about the sisters and you get the song credits, too. You even get their filmography! That impresses me.

The Andrews Sisters were such a powerful force that they could never be truly forgotten. They brought happiness to world weary Americans during the stressful war years of World War Two; and they could harmonize to perfection quite easily. Many of their songs remain charming numbers to this day and if you want to get acquainted with their artistry this two CD set is a great place to start. I also recommend this for fans of classic pop vocals. Fans of The Andrews Sisters will consider this two CD set to be a "must-have" for their collections.

Enjoy!
April 30, 2007

Three Little Sisters

It is hard to imagine the 1940's without the wonderful Andrew Sisters. Their great music was playing on the radio at the same time they were adding musical numbers to the films of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. And they were showing sacrifice, entertaining the troops overseas and helping keep spirits up so we could win the war. An awful lot of what was great about them is here on this collection.

Their vocal harmonies always seemed effortless even though it had to involve hours of practice and a lot of hard work. From the beautiful slow songs to the more fun and playful side of the girls, you get the best of them right here. You get the exotic flavored songs like "Rum and Coca-Cola" and "Aurora," the latter from the Abbott and Costello film, "Hold That Ghost." You get the sweet songs of missing those at war, such as "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree." And you get the girl's lovely harmony on songs like "Sleepy Serenade," also from the above mentioned film.

There will never be another girl group like the Andrew Sisters. It was a different, and to many people, better time. These songs will make you nostalgic but will also make you feel good. The Andrew Sisters always seemed to be having a good time entertaining us, giving us a wink as they sang their hearts out. This is a great collection to own, or give as a gift. Patty, LaVerne and Maxene are still entertaining us almost 70 years later, and it doesn't get any better than right here. Pick this one up and remember the time...... March 24, 2005

Not quite the very best but still excellent

Despite being sub-titled 40 greatest hits, this compilation (brilliant though it is) does not include Pistol packing mama, Don't fence me in or Hot time in the town of Berlin, which were three of their biggest hits with Bing Crosby, nor does it include Ferryboat serenade, I can dream can't I, I wanna be loved or I'll be with you in apple blossom time.

However, as these brilliant sisters clocked up well over 100 hits in the American charts, no compilation could possibly contain all of them and the omission of some obvious songs (available elsewhere) leaves more room for some of their other hits that sometimes get overlooked but which are also interesting.

Among the classic songs here are their number one hits Bie mir bist der schoen, Shoo-shoo baby, Rum and cocoa cola, Hold tight, Well all right, Boogie woogie bugle boy, Strip polka and Beer barrel polka (Roll out the barrel).

The strongest collection so far released is the double-CD Their all-time greatest hits, which includes all the big hits omitted from this collection, but this is now out of print. Nevertheless, this is an excellent compilation and there are plenty of others that are still available and which include those tracks. October 8, 2004

Not quite the very best but still excellent

Despite being sub-titled 40 greatest hits, this compilation (brilliant though it is) does not include Pistol packing mama, Don't fence me in or Hot time in the town of Berlin, which were three of their biggest hits with Bing Crosby, nor does it include Ferryboat serenade, I can dream can't I, I wanna be loved or I'll be with you in apple blossom time.

However, as these brilliant sisters clocked up well over 100 hits in the American charts, no compilation could possibly contain all of them and the omission of some obvious songs (available elsewhere) leaves more room for some of their other hits that sometimes get overlooked but which are also interesting.

Among the classic songs here are their number one hits Bie mir bist der schoen, Shoo-shoo baby, Rum and cocoa cola, Hold tight, Well all right, Boogie woogie bugle boy, Strip polka and Beer barrel polka (Roll out the barrel).

The strongest collection so far released is the double-CD Their all-time greatest hits, which includes all the big hits omitted from this collection, but this is now out of print. Nevertheless, this is an excellent compilation and there are plenty of others that are still available and which include those tracks. June 3, 2003

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