Artist: The Andrews SistersLP: Sing! Sing! Sing!
This isn't a collectors' item or anything, just a bunch of songs thrown together to cash in on the success of Patty and Maxene's hit Broadway show "Over Here!" in 1974. ("Piccolo Pete" was first issued as a single on the Decca label back in 1953.) I bought it mainly for the cool picture of the Andrews Sisters with '60s hair and makeup. If she were still alive, LaVerne (on the right in stripes) would be turning 98 today! Sadly, she was the first of the sisters to go—way back in 1967. (Her death is the proverbial "elephant in the room" in the LP liner notes, included below.) Maxene was the next to leave us, in 1995, but Patty (center, in yellow) is still alive and (hopefully) well. You can read about Patty, Maxene and LaVerne and their tumultuous-but-incredibly-successful career as The Andrews Sisters here. The sisters' legacy lives on even today—especially when Halloween rolls around.
THE BOOGIE WOOGIE BUGLE GIRLS ARE BACK!
Patty, Maxene and LaVerne Andrews, the swing sisters,
brightened a lot of corners in the '40s with their fascinatin'
rhythms and hepped-up harmonies. Now we've swung full
circle and two of the Andrews Sisters are back, in a bouncy,
bustling Broadway musical called "Over Here." It's a logical
progression: they'd already done movies (22), radio and
TV (their own shows), and, of course, records (900 sides
recorded, over 75 million records sold, with 19 gold records).
They're older and wiser but just as ebullient as they were
when they started out on the Minneapolis amateur hours.
From there they went on to the U.S. vaudeville circuit—Patty,
the youngest, was only 10 when they turned professional.
Their first smash, "Bei Mir Bist Du Shöen," was picked several
years later by their new-found manager, Lou Levy, who went
on to marry Maxene, and to find them other hits such as
"Rum & Coca Cola," "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree," and,
of course, "Sing, Sing, Sing" and "In the Mood," both
included on this boogie woogie record.
The Andrews Sisters were singing symbols of an era.
Patty says today, "We were such a part of everybody's
life in the Second World War. We represented something
overseas and at home—a sort of security." Crowds at the
Paramount and Roxy Theatres when they were doing five,
six, seven shows a day testified to their
ever-increasing popularity.
When the trio disbanded, Patty continued as a single and
Maxene taught theatre at a college in lake Tahoe as well
as forming a foundation to work with drug addicts and
delinquents. The glitter of the footlights has now captured
them again as a sister act, and they are captivating their
Broadway audiences and bridging the generation gap with
their happy harmonies and swinging syncopation. Bette Midler
recently revived one of their all-time hits, "Boogie Woogie
Bugle Boy," which is patterned so closely on the sound
of the Andrews Sisters that it's eerie.
If you want the original sound, look no further than this
album. This is vintage nostalgia, the genuine product, dating
back to the first heyday of the Andrews Sisters. Peppy,
perky pop tunes are here to tantalize your ear—right here,
so don't sit under the apple tree, just give a listen to
the original triumphant trio, the Andrews Sisters.
--Judy Granger
Patty, Maxene and LaVerne Andrews, the swing sisters,
brightened a lot of corners in the '40s with their fascinatin'
rhythms and hepped-up harmonies. Now we've swung full
circle and two of the Andrews Sisters are back, in a bouncy,
bustling Broadway musical called "Over Here." It's a logical
progression: they'd already done movies (22), radio and
TV (their own shows), and, of course, records (900 sides
recorded, over 75 million records sold, with 19 gold records).
They're older and wiser but just as ebullient as they were
when they started out on the Minneapolis amateur hours.
From there they went on to the U.S. vaudeville circuit—Patty,
the youngest, was only 10 when they turned professional.
Their first smash, "Bei Mir Bist Du Shöen," was picked several
years later by their new-found manager, Lou Levy, who went
on to marry Maxene, and to find them other hits such as
"Rum & Coca Cola," "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree," and,
of course, "Sing, Sing, Sing" and "In the Mood," both
included on this boogie woogie record.
The Andrews Sisters were singing symbols of an era.
Patty says today, "We were such a part of everybody's
life in the Second World War. We represented something
overseas and at home—a sort of security." Crowds at the
Paramount and Roxy Theatres when they were doing five,
six, seven shows a day testified to their
ever-increasing popularity.
When the trio disbanded, Patty continued as a single and
Maxene taught theatre at a college in lake Tahoe as well
as forming a foundation to work with drug addicts and
delinquents. The glitter of the footlights has now captured
them again as a sister act, and they are captivating their
Broadway audiences and bridging the generation gap with
their happy harmonies and swinging syncopation. Bette Midler
recently revived one of their all-time hits, "Boogie Woogie
Bugle Boy," which is patterned so closely on the sound
of the Andrews Sisters that it's eerie.
If you want the original sound, look no further than this
album. This is vintage nostalgia, the genuine product, dating
back to the first heyday of the Andrews Sisters. Peppy,
perky pop tunes are here to tantalize your ear—right here,
so don't sit under the apple tree, just give a listen to
the original triumphant trio, the Andrews Sisters.
--Judy Granger
[ Maxene Andrews: January 3, 1916 — October 21, 1995 ]
[ Patty Andrews: born February 16, 1918 ]
[ LaVerne Andrews: July 6, 1911 — May 8, 1967 ]
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