The 1999 reissue of this title (CK 65625) is a major addition to
Anita O'Day's catalog and, secondarily, to
Roy Eldridge's and
Gene Krupa's CD profile. Anyone who has heard the previous releases of
Krupa's music from the early '40s on Columbia and OKeh knows how problematic they are -- the masters sound rough, and the band wasn't half as good as
O'Day or trumpet man
Roy Eldridge, who came aboard just about when
O'Day did and deserves as much credit for its success as she does. Every previous CD release has had a harsh sound and texture that made listening to
O'Day, fine as she was, a chore in that setting. Not so this edition, which is sweet and almost lyrical in timbre and brings forth the sultry quality in her singing.
O'Day was always known for her "rhythm numbers," and most of this CD just bounces along with a sound that's not too far removed from rhythm & blues, as she and the band keep the beat moving. Reissue producer
Nedra Olds-Neal has made the stuff truly sound better than it did on the day of its release, balancing the percussive texture of
Krupa's work (and his brief drum solo on "Green Eyes" is a complete mistake), the band's fundamentally broad sound, and
O'Day's sweet, sultry tone and sexy enunciation. On "Slow Down" you can even make out the cymbals clearly over the ensemble passages, the detail is so crisp, but there's also a smoothness to the sound that the digital remastering this time out has rescued. The result is a CD that's not only essential to any of
O'Day's fans, but to
Eldridge's audience (check out his acrobatics on "Watch the Birdie") and
Krupa's fans as well.