Ethel Merman - Ethel Merman Disco Album

The title says it all. This is the disco album "the Merm" recorded in 1979, a few years before her death. Rumor has it that Merman couldn't stand the disco craze that was sweeping the nation in the late '70s, recording her vocals before the instrumental tracks were laid down. Masterminded by Peter Matz, who produced, arranged, and conducted the whole thing, Merman's disco album is one of those jaw-dropping, "what were they thinking?" UFOs that periodically land on the pop landscape. Merman (at her most bombastic, vibrato-laden) barrels through eight of her signature tunes. All are taken at breakneck speed, and even dramatic show-stoppers, such as "Everything's Coming Up Roses" (from Gypsy), become dance-floor burners. Whether you find the album simply horrifying or an entrancing testimony to the power of people to lose their heads as they fall prey to a dance fad, this collision between two completely different American musical traditions is nothing short of, ahem, breathtaking. --Elisabeth Vincentelli Amazon.com

run and hide--quick !!!

The Ethel Merman Disco Album is probably not a CD that you should go running after anytime soon. Sure, Ethel Merman had lots of adoring fans; and yes, disco music made lots of people happy as they danced their cares away. But put the two together? Oh, wow, what a disappointment. My three stars is a generous rating for this CD. This is a CD of two polar opposites that just can't fit together. However, just in case you do want this album, the quality of the sound is excellent and the artwork is very well done.

"There's No Business Like Show Business" does indeed feature that awesome disco beat that I love--but not with Ethel Merman singing. It's just too much of a gap to listen to both of these sounds together. Ethel does, however, have excellent diction and this bolsters her singing; and the disco beat sounds great.

"Everything's Coming Up Roses" comes from Gypsy; and when Ethel sings this she really makes good--what a fine performance! Ethel Merman was born to sing numbers and classic pop vocals such as this tune. She performed in Gypsy at one point, too! The disco beat again sounds fine but the two of them together create a cacophony that I just can't get into--sorry, folks! In addition, there's also "I Get A Kick Out Of You." "I Get A Kick Out Of You" has Ethel singing at her very best--but why this with disco? No wonder Ethel recorded her vocals with just a piano accompaniment and then later on had these songs of hers copied and pasted onto the disco soundtrack! She was wise to know it would not sound good.

There's nothing wrong with Ethel Merman's singing on this CD--and the disco music is equally well done. Just not together, please, guys? This time I'm begging. Sigh. No relief in sight for me!

"Some People" comes from Gypsy, I believe; and Ethel Merman sings this with panache and lots of positive energy. She never misses a beat although one or two of her high notes don't seem to quite make it. Nevertheless, Ethel's performance remains a good one. Isn't it wonderful to have even more of that disco beat along with her singing? And do I want fries with that?

"Alexander's Ragtime Band" is a number that Ethel easily aces as she sings this to perfection--and beyond! This musical arrangement seems to work a little better than the others because of the horns in the musical arrangement. Oh, thank goodness--a small reprieve is much better than none!

" I Got Rhythm" has a better arrangement, too, thanks to the piano that runs through parts of this tune instead of the disco beat barreling through at a breakneck, nonstop pace. The CD also has a bonus track of Ethel doing "They Say It's Wonderful."

Hey, I hope you enjoy this album more than I did! I was frequently cringing when I listened to this--and I love so many different types of music, too! I personally think this the other reviewers are right--this is for diehard fans of Ethel Merman who want everything she did; and fans of show tunes may want to check this out as well. Other people like me? Well, I guess I better ease on down the road!
May 17, 2008

Ethel Merman Disco

Ethel Merman Disco Album I got to see her from 1970 on
in stage work almost all in new york pennsilvania some florida she still
had the ambition to work. She never let age defye her it is never more
evident than what she does here and her ambition to promote it. She was
way ahead of her time .maybe more later March 11, 2008

Oh Ethel... I still love you

If you are a fan of disco music, this is NOT the album for you.
If you are a fan of classic Ethel Merman, this is NOT the album for you.
If you like kitsch for the sake of kitsch, this IS the album for you! You can play this while staring at your Elvis on velvet portrait or while looking out over a lawn of plastic pink flamingos.

When I first heard of the existence of this album I thought, "What a brilliant idea! Merman and Disco would be that odd couple that charms everyone - like Johnny Cash singing Nine Inch Nails or Aretha Franklin singing "Nessun Dorma". But the reality is more like the coming together of an iceberg and the Titanic.

Merman's voice is, as usual, impeccable and larger than life. The disco arrangements, however, are lacking. No effort was made to incorporate Merman's standards into the disco orchestration. It is almost as though a singing Merman wandered into a lame disco club and, by coincidence, was in the right key. The result is a diminished performance of Merman, whose voice is lost in the monotonous and amateur disco background. For the average person, this album can only be listened to in small doses.

I still think Merman could have put out a great disco album, but with another production team. This CD is just for laughs, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but I was hoping for something I could listen to all the way through with pleasure. February 27, 2008

Let's Call It Unique

After listening to The Ethel Merman Disco Album, here's what I think happened: Some crafty record producer slipped acid into Ethel's Cracklin Oat Bran, then whisked her off to the studio to lay down these tracks while she was still tripping. "It's a full house! Everybody's here! Now get out there and give it all ya got, Ethel. It's Showtime!"

I'll rate this album at four stars out of respect for Ethel Merman's talent and for the wackiness of her agreeing to this project in the first place. Her voice is in excellent shape; it just doesn't mix with dubbed-in disco. The sound is formulaic, with drum machines, disembodied backup singers, and all the trappings of the cheesiest of the disco sound. "I Got Rhythm" begins with only piano accompaniment and is lovely, but sure enough, the drum machine kicks in again and we're back on Fellini's dance floor.

Listen for yourself!
March 3, 2007

It's like "Showgirls" but on vinyl

Listen to the music on this thing and you can understand why there was a backlash against disco in the late 1970's. The beats are robotic, indistinguishable, mind-numbingly dull and barely listenable. Plus, for a broadway star to make a disco-dance record is nuts; this woman was totally out of her element. This would be like Zamfir making a techno record. That said, it is God-awfully hilarious in the sheer depth of its badness. To sing with such conviction over such dreck and dreadfully wretched music tracks takes real balls. It's a performance that can only be rivaled by that of the multi-talented Elizabeth Berkley in "Showgirls". In other words, it's so bad that it just sucks you in and won't let you go. May 22, 2006

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