CD Odyssey Disc 12: Swingers

I debated leaving out soundtracks, but decided to include them at the same level as "best ofs" - sort of someone else's mixed tape.

Disc 12 is...Sountrack from the Movie "Swingers"
Artist: Various

Year of Release: 1996

How I Came To Know It: It's a soundtrack, so not surprisingly, I saw the movie and liked the music.

How It Stacks Up: I have a whopping 23 soundtracks, as it turns out. This doesn't count scores, as I'm not subjecting myself to a bunch of scores. I'd say Swingers is top 5 or 6, but not the best. Still, it is pretty solid.

Rating: 4 stars.

Swingers was that movie about slacker 20 somethings trying to meet girls in the mid-nineties. It has the most painful, cringe worthy answering machine message gone wrong in the history of moviedom. If you haven't seen it, it is a pretty good movie - I'd give it 3 stars. Also, the characters play EA Sports hockey, which is a step in the cool direction - and it was the version where blood came out of your player if he lost a fight. Hey, EA sports programmers - put that back in!

Anyway, the soundtrack is all lounge and swing stuff. This was definitely an "in" sound in the middle of the nineties, and I was sucked into it along with many.

This soundtrack launched temporary stardom for swing band 'Big Bad Voodoo Daddy', who were pretty good in the day. They were so big, they even played at a Superbowl halftime show. BBVD had 3 tracks on this album, the best of which is "You & Me & Bottle Makes 3 Tonight".

The Jazz Jury also gets three songs on the album, but no career launch. Hey, as Bad Santa teaches us, they can't all be winners, kid.

This album is a solid mix of old favourites like Dean Martin, Bobby Darin and George Jones, mixed in with up and coming artists putting a new take on swing music.

It is very sing-a-long, which makes it great in the car. Who doesn't sing along when you hear "King of the Road"? All of you who put up your hands, be ashamed. I sang along today with the top down. No, I did not stop because I was at a red light. I'm sure everyone wanted to hear me, or they wouldn't have rolled down their windows...in 28 degree heat.

Best tracks: "You & Me and Bottle Makes 3 Tonight" by BBVD, "Knock Me a Kiss" by Louis Jordan, "Groove Me" by King Floyd, "King of the Road" by Roger Miller, "Pick Up the Pieces" by Average White Band. This last track is real funky.