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Breaking It Up!
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0074646525920
Format: Original recording remastered
Label: Sony
Manufacturer: Sony
MPN: 65259
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Sony
Release Date: October 27, 1998
Studio: Sony
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Editorial Review:
The bulk of Louis Prima's finest, Vegas-era output for Capitol has yet to be reissued on CD, but this record--a true oddity in his discography--has somehow found its way onto the digital format. Catapulted to Columbia Records on the success of his self-released single of "Oh Babe"--eventually covered by Wynonie Harris, Kay Starr, and Lionel Hampton, among others--Prima recorded a handful of novelty sides under the production helm of Mitch Miller in the early '50s. This 1958 LP collects these tunes and showcases Prima's poppier, pre-swing sensibility. Heavy on the kitsch and light on the R&B and jazz, this is Prima at his most polished (thanks, no doubt, to Miller at the controls). It's hard not to enjoy "The Bigger the Figure" (Prima's ode to the overweight that's a play on The Barber of Seville) or the frolicking "Barnacle Bill the Sailor," comedic tunes with lightning-fast punch lines and plenty of semi-innocent sexual innuendoes. It's a must for Prima and Keely Smith fans--just don't expect the "Jump, Jive, an' Wail" of his later efforts. --Jason Verlinde
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Rare sides from Louis's big-band period. Swing fans and Prima collectors will like this
Similar to the Louis Prima "Say It with a Slap" album, "Breaking It Up!" presents Prima from the early 1950s (post-Dixieland Gang but pre-Vegas). At this time Prima was fronting a big, brassy band and specializing in novelty tunes. This CD captures 15 representative sides from this under-recorded part of Prima's career. Keely Smith joins Louis in several of the vocals.
If you know Louis Prima from his later nightclub-act recordings, these ain't them. The closest this album gets to Prima's ... Read More
Rating:  - Ooh-Dahdily-Dah!
Pre Sam Butera era. Some tracks feature Keely Smith. "One Mint Julep" was a big R&B hit (Count Basie, The Clovers), "Oooh-Dahdilly-Dah" is probably the best song and it is goddamn hot jump blues, "Chili Sauce" reminds me of Peggy Lee's "Mañana (Is Soon Enough for Me)", "Oh Marie" has different arrangement than the one that he recorded later with Sam Butera. It's slow! And of course there are novelty tunes like "Boney Bones", "It's Good As ... Read More
Rating: - More traditional style swing Prima -- NOT Butera era
Any Louis Prima music is great music and if you collect Prima and/or are a fan of big band/swing music you'll love this CD. But there really needs to be a BUYER BEWARE posted on it.
This is similar to the Frank Sinatra collections issued by Columbia. Sinatra was not exactly..ahem...delighted by working with Columbia's Mitch Miller, who liked novelty numbers and a more traditional sound. It was only when he switched to Capitol and Nelson Riddle that his career was reborn. If someone bought a CD with ... Read More
Rating: - An enjoyable set by Louis & Keely...
This set was masterminded by evil-genious Mitch Miller(who unfortionately produced middle of the road muzak for artists as diverse as Rosemary Clooney and Tony Bennett). He could take a great artist like Louis Prima and make him sing terrible songs backed by an all white "not swingin'" choir. However Louis Prima & Keely Smith got by(just as Rosemary Clooney did on many a session)even with Miller's middle of the road arrangements. Louis Prima is so influenced by Louis Armstrong(he's like ... Read More
Rating: - Worth adding to your Louis collection!
I thought I had all the Louis Prima music I needed....and I love it, but....then I heard this album and knew I needed this too! It's different enough to need but reliably Prima, so of course it's an instant mood lifter! I catch myself singing Basta and The Bigger The Better all the time!
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