Originals - Musical Comedy 1909-1935
For those embracing the golden memories the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, a new Broadway release from Sony might be the perfect post-holiday present to purchase. A collection from 1909 to 1939 covers the comedic aspects of musical theatre with 16 tracks that (for the most part) hold up just swell. If that old time Jazz is not your cup of sarsaparilla, this album might actually convince you otherwise. Both the harmless ditties and scathing social satire still ring loud and clear and while you might not get the direct connotation, their purpose is clear.
Names like Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor might not get the respect as they did in their heyday, but those new to the genre get a peek into the height of entertainment during the toughest time in American history (expect for right now, I guess). London standards like “I’ve Got Rings on my Fingers” shows off the an early “Euro-pop” hit in America while Cantor’s hilarious lyric of “Hungry women/I feed them and weep” keep the laughs coming throughout the over 45 minutes of material.
Although this content is literally a century old, this music still works. Following the same structure and pace of contemporary music, popular hits have worked across the world for a reason: they grab your attention with great storytelling and catchy melody. By adding some comedic standards and a dash of The Depression strangely adds up to melancholy humor of titanic proportions, especially from the “Mr. Gallagher And Mr. Shean” is a battle of wits and verbiage between two gentlemen of the same names. A routine like this should be familiar to Abbot and Costello fans, or anyone in touch with their vaudevillian side. The dated puns and topical humor still holds weight with lyrics some recent Iraq and Afghanistan veterans might find truth in:
“On the day they took away/Our old canteen/Cost of living went so high/That it's cheaper now to die.”
The references during Cole Porter’s timeless “You’re The Top” will confuse and delight, as his joy of cellophane is hilarious and his ability to rhyme “Mahatma Gandhi” should be rewarded.
“You're the top!\You're Mahatma Gandhi\You're the top!\You're Napoleon brandy\You're the purple light\Of a summer night in Spain\You're the national gallery\You're Garbo's salary”
It probably will not break the iTunes Top 10, but I think every grandparent out there would enjoy some follies of the Ziegfeld variety before they forget they loved them. Anyone with a penchant for classics, especially those with a sense of humor, will adore this collection for decades to come.