After the Andrews Sisters reunited in 1956, they joined Capitol Records, which initially had them re-record their big Decca hits for the LP The Andrews Sisters in Hi-Fi, then followed with a more conventional effort, Fresh and Fancy Free, and a concept album, The Andrews Sisters Sing the Dancing 20's. Those last two Capitol collections are paired on this CD in reverse chronological order. That means, however, that the material itself is in rough chronological order by date of composition, since Dancing 20's, of course, finds the sisters covering songs from the decade before they became popular, albeit in souped-up arrangements by Billy May. All concerned have fun with songs like "That Naughty Waltz" and "Barney Google." Fresh and Fancy Free, on the other hand, is typical of the kind of albums Capitol labelmates like Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole were making around the same time. Again, Billy May handles the charts and the baton, and the songwriting credits are full of names like Gershwin, Kern, and Porter. May has the singers take the rarely used introductory verses to "Of Thee I Sing" and "Tea for Two" to give them a different feel. He introduces a Latin rhythm into "Let There Be Love," pacing the arrangement with bongo drums, and has the strings play in a Japanese tonality for "Younger Than Springtime" to evoke the Oriental aspect of the song from South Pacific. It is notable that, unlike so many of the Andrews Sisters' Decca recordings, these performances do not feature Patty Andrews singing a solo lead, accompanied by her two harmonizing sisters, Maxene and LaVerne. Instead, almost invariably, the songs are sung in three-part harmony throughout; only in rare instances is there a brief solo line. Maybe that was a condition of the reunion, since the sisters' early-‘50s breakup was precipitated by Patty Andrews' departure for a solo career; she is not spotlighted at the expense of her siblings here. by William Ruhlmann
Tracklist:
Sing the Dancing 20's (1958)1 Don't Bring Lulu 2:47
Lew Brown / Ray Henderson / Billy Rose
2 Me Too (Ho-Ho! Ha-Ha!) 2:34
Al Sherman / Charles Tobias / Harry Woods
3 That Naughty Waltz 2:59
Sol P. Levy / Edwin Stanley
4 A Smile Will Go a Long, Long Way 2:11 Harry Akst / Benny Davis
5 Barney Google 1:54
Con Conrad / Billy Rose
6 Collegiate 2:37
Nat Bonx / Lew Brown / Moe Jaffe
7 Last Night on the Back Porch 2:40
Lew Brown / Carl Schraubstader
8 When Francis Dances With Me 2:11
Billy May / Ben Ryan / Sol Violinsky
9 Back in Your Own Backyard 3:21
Dave Dreyer / Al Jolson / Billy Rose
10 Keep Your Skirts Down, Mary Ann 2:00
Ray Henderson / Robert A. King / Billy May / Andrew B. Sterling
11 The Japanese Sandman 3:11
Raymond B. Egan / Richard A. Whiting
12 Show Me the Way to Go Home 2:52
Jimmy Campbell / Reginald Connelly
Fresh and Fancy Free (1957)13 The Song Is You 2:17
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
14 You Do Something to Me 2:52
Cole Porter
The Andrews Sisters feat: Billy May
15 Comes Love 2:42
Lew Brown / Sam H. Stept / Charles Tobias
The Andrews Sisters feat: Billy May
16 Nevertheless 3:02
Bert Kalmar / Harry Ruby
The Andrews Sisters feat: Billy May
17 With Every Breath I Take 3:00 Ralph Rainger / Leo Robin
The Andrews Sisters feat: Billy May
18 Of Thee I Sing 2:16
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
The Andrews Sisters feat: Billy May
19 Hooray for Love 2:11
Harold Arlen / Leo Robin
The Andrews Sisters feat: Billy May
20 My Romance 2:42
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
The Andrews Sisters feat: Billy May
21 Tea for Two 2:27
Irving Caesar / Vincent Youmans
The Andrews Sisters feat: Billy May
22 I Could Write a Book 2:14
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
The Andrews Sisters feat: Billy May
23 Let There Be Love 2:57
Ian Grant / Lionel Rand
The Andrews Sisters feat: Billy May
24 Younger Than Springtime 3:10
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers
The Andrews Sisters feat: Billy May
