HELLS BELLS: SWING CANDIES FOR DOOMSDAY

It was neither a stormy Monday, nor a similar bad Tuesday, when the Retrograph got a call for doing the artwork of old pal Little Victor's Lo-Fi Recordings vinyl platter for Stag-O-Lee. They were in touch and shortly after, the idea of compiling weird stuff for the 5th season was born. It would have been way too easy concentrating on titles with Ghost, Spook, or Devil simply in the titles of often very boring and only fast or unbelievable lame tracks, so they went ahead doing something more subtle and special, spanning the decades from the 1920s through the 1940s in a very wild manner. At last, they kicked the term Halloween as it should be played the whole year through and every track is solid sending stuff for sophisticated Lindy Hop, Shag, or Balboa-dancing. It was so much fun digging through tons of old 78 rpm records, recording lots of material, and listening to them over and over again, kicking out, taking in, discovering stuff that was unheard over the last years and seemed sleeping til dawn. Then came the artwork and Stag-O-Lee wanted to do something special here as well, so they have taken an old Vocalion shellac sleeve from the '30s as a base for their own needs, trying to preserve the feel of old records from about eight decades ago. It is a nice anachronism in a time, where it is possible, to simply press a button on the telephone to make you hear whatever you like, almost everything and everywhere. Hopefully, there will be still lots of black holes in the world wide web in future. Features Fats Waller & His Rhythm, Count Basie Orchestra with Jimmy Rushing, The State Street Ramblers, Artie Shaw Orchestra with Helen Forrest, Sidney Bechet with Noble Sissle's Swingsters, Teddy Foster And His Kings Of Swing, Benny Goodman with Jack Teagarden, Woody Herman Orchestra, Llyod Smith's Gut-Bucketeers with Jabbo Smith, and Georgia Gibbs. - A1. Fats Waller & His Rhythm - There's Going To The Devil To Pay?A2. Count Basie Orchestra with Jimmy Rushing - Walking Slow Behind You?A3. The State Street Ramblers - Tiger Moan?A4. Artie Shaw Orchestra with Helen Forrest - Don't Fall Asleep?A5. Sidney Bechet with Noble Sissle's Swingsters - Ain't A Fit Night For A Man Or Beast?B1. Teddy Foster And His Kings Of Swing - Skeleton In The Cupboard?B2. Benny Goodman with Jack Teagarden - Dr. Heckle And Mr. Jibe?B3. Woody Herman Orchestra - Who Dat Up There?B4. Llyod Smith's Gut-Bucketeers with Jabbo Smith - Wake Up Sinners?B5. Georgia Gibbs - Old Man Mose