Louis Prima & His Orchestra - 1945

Here's another piquant chunk of the Louis Prima legacy, focusing on the records he made with his big band in the spring and autumn of 1945 for the Majestic and V-Disc labels. The opening track, a feisty and rowdy "Brooklyn Boogie," is peppered with Prima's patented interjections and trumpet blasts, ultimately building to a raucous fever spike of excitement. The next six selections feature coy vocals by Lily Ann Carol, a capable singer who did her best work with catchy numbers like "Sentimental Journey" and "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe" but could also savor the sultry topography of a tune like "I Don't Want to Be Loved." Prima takes over as singer on his famous "Felicia No Capicia," one of many novelties that banked ruthlessly upon his ethnicity, and "You Gotta See Baby Tonight," a partial hijacking of Con Conrad's vaudeville-era opus "You've Got to See Mama Ev'ry Night." Of course, Prima found Lucky Millinder's fundamentally stupid sing-and-clap-along "Who Threw the Whiskey in the WellNULL" routine irresistible and had to try it on. Read More