[.ca] Ethel Merman Disco Album

From Amazon.com:
The title says it all. This is the disco album "the Merm" recorded in 1979, a few years before her death. Rumor has it that Merman couldn't stand the disco craze that was sweeping the nation in the late '70s, recording her vocals before the instrumental tracks were laid down. Masterminded by Peter Matz, who produced, arranged, and conducted the whole thing, Merman's disco album is one of those jaw-dropping, "what were they thinking?" UFOs that periodically land on the pop landscape. Merman (at her most bombastic, vibrato-laden) barrels through eight of her signature tunes. All are taken at breakneck speed, and even dramatic show-stoppers, such as "Everything's Coming Up Roses" (from Gypsy), become dance-floor burners. Whether you find the album simply horrifying or an entrancing testimony to the power of people to lose their heads as they fall prey to a dance fad, this collision between two completely different American musical traditions is nothing short of, ahem, breathtaking. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

So bad it's good? I think it's scary! Poor Ethel!:
. This will really date me, but I remember when Ethel Merman came to San Francisco to promote this album in gay dance clubs when it was first released! There she was, at about a hundred years old, dressed up as a glamorous disco diva (or so she thought) and lip-synching (not very well) to the tracks on this album in several of the biggest gay clubs in town. I don't know if she was on drugs at the time, or was just so old that she didn't realize what she was doing, but it was hysterical! Of course the gay crowds loved her, as she was quite the diva. But what must poor Ethel have thought of the huge throngs of young gay boys who came to the clubs to see her? (I don't even think she knew she was in gay clubs. She kept asking where all the girls were!) I can honestly say that this is one of those albums that's so bad it's good. And having been there when she first made this album, I can tell you that it was just as bizarre then as it is now. I still can't believe they re-released it on CD! Definitely a MUST-HAVE CD to add to the collection of any gay man or anyone who loves either show tunes, disco, or the truly bizarre! Everything's coming up roses for Ethel (although she's probably spinning in her grave, like a big mirrored disco ball)!

Only for laughs:
Even if you're a closet disco fan, this dreck is unlistenable. The beats are formulaic, even for 1979, and the parts w/o Ethel singing are indistinguishable. Simply brutal. Well worth buying if you're into such atrocities.

It's good - Merm Meets The Glittering Ball and Wins:
I don't find this CD campy or a joke. Ethel Merman sang well. Her voice isn't that of the typical disco diva but it sounds good with the music. One of the hallmarks of dance music is a thumping beat and a good strong voice rising through a danceable sound. This CD works best when the beats and melody are loud and hard and Ethel is singing in full voice. When you hear "It's Wonderful", you will find the Merm fits in sort of like any other disco diva of the time half her age. (It has the same kind of aura you get hearing Boystown Gang singing "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You".) Solid rhythms and strong singing also go on in "There's No Business Like Show Business" and "Coming Up Roses", and these are pretty good. The stinkers are "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and "I Got Rhythm". The soundtrack is quiet and sparse and The Merm sounds timid. Strangest and coolest honor goes to "I Get A Kick Out of You." This slow quiet song is sung fast and loud. In some parts of this, where the Merm holds notes for 8 or 12 counts, the disco drums and bells sound strange mixing with her voice - disco fans will find it intriguing. Non-disco fans won't get it. Plain old strange is the only way to describe "For The Boys". In summary, Ethel sings great and the tracks are fun, fast, and lush. Don't believe the hype - get this one and listen to a fine voice in a different setting.

It is fierce girl:
i likes it alot. i suggest you buy it- it is fierce!!!!!!!!!!

Ethel Merman's last big hurrah:
Ethel Merman's infamous disco album, simply called THE ETHEL MERMAN DISCO ALBUM, has now been reissued on the Fynsworth Alley/Varese Sarabande label, following years of being one of the most coveted and sought-after LP's for Broadway fans. The unstoppable Miss Merman belts out a handful of her biggest songs including tunes from GYPSY as well as her legendary, star-making turn "I Got Rhythm" from GIRL CRAZY. She's backed up by a chorus of singers as well as the droning, monotonous beats of the disco synthesiser. Merman apparently recorded her vocals separately with a piano accompaniment and her vocals were then mixed into the disco arrangements. Surprisingly, this album is quite fun, though Broadway fans are likely to be the only ones who'll really enjoy hearing these classic showtunes in an entirely different light. A great album...now how about a reissue of Mae West's infamous but oh-so-enjoyable GREAT BALLS OF FIRE album???!!!??...

• There's No Business Like Show Business
• Everything's Coming Up Roses
• I Get a Kick Out of You
• Something For The Boys
• Some People
• Alexander's Ragtime Band
• I Got Rhythm
• They Say It's Wonderful (Bonus Track)