Anyone who tells you they don’t dig on the Andrews Sisters singing “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” might be an android. The sisters’ vocal harmony is a wonderful candy for the ears and only sourpuss drones with hearts of silicone aren’t swept away by its heavenly sound.
I’m no robot and when the forthcoming double-disc set by the Andrews Sisters and Glenn Miller came to me in the JazzTimes mailbag I put it straight into the office hi-fi and started skipping through its tracks in search of “Bugle Boy.” Sadly, it wasn’t on disc one, or disc two, but I wasn’t disappointed. The tracks in this BMG Heritage/Bluebird release that feature the Andrews Sisters sparkle with the same old-time beauty as my fave track by the trio and, actually, “Beer Barrel Polka” might knock “Bugle Boy” from its top spot on my list.
The set is officially called The Chesterfield Broadcasts, as these recordings were made not only to entertain swing-hungry music fans in 1939 and 1940 but to push Chesterfield cigarettes on them. An announcer with plenty of retro radio appeal is heard throughout the set’s 39 tracks, 19 of which are previously unreleased. Fourteen of those unreleased cuts feature the Sisters’ singing and when the girls aren’t aiding the sound Glenn Miller’s band kicks out hit jams like “Begin the Beguine.”
The collection comes out August 5 and will come with a booklet detailing the specifics of the recordings as well as rare pictures of Glenn with the girls.
Track list:
Disc one:
Introduction
Oh Johnny, Oh Johnny, Oh
I’ve Got No Strings
Begin the Beguine
Indian Summer
Chico’s Love Song
Bei Mir Bist Du Schon
Beer Barrel Polka
In the Mood
I Love You Much Too Much
The Donkey Serenade
Tuxedo Junction
Say “Si Si”
The Rhumba Jumps!
Hol Tight-Hold Tight
Yodelin’ Jive
One O’clock Jump
Closing Announcements
Disc two:
Introduction
Little Red Fox
Ciribiribin
South of the Border
It’s a Blue World
The Woodpecker Song
Well, All Right
South American Way
Little Brown Jug
Little Sally Waters
I Want My Mamma
Three O’clock in the Morning
Sweet Potato Pie
Down by the O-Hi-O
Let’s Have Another
Joseph Joseph
Runnin’ Wild
Run Rabbit Run
Do I Love You
Farewell Blues
Outro