Rating:
Genre: Vocal Music
Release Date: 11/06/2001

World War II and big-band pop-era compilations are released almost as regularly as Christmas albums, and the glut has caused more harm than good; it seems any good ones are quickly swallowed up by the racks full of short, ill-advised, uninformative collections. Though any single label could never do justice to the war years, with a little clever licensing the Capitol compilation Those Were Our Songs: Music of World War II transcends its slightly simpy title to deliver 40 great tracks of traditional pop. Most of the standards of the day are included: "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" by the Andrews Sisters, "Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition" by Kay Kyser, "G.I. Jive" by Johnny Mercer, "Long Ago (And Far Away)" by Jo Stafford, and "Sentimental Journey" by Les Brown (with Doris Day), though there's no Glenn Miller, except for his appearance on "Jukebox Saturday Night" by Tex Beneke. More than any other label, Capitol captured the can-do attitude of America during the early '40s, with a spate of classic songs poised halfway between jump blues and novelty big band, songs like Nat King Cole's "Straighten up and Fly Right," Ella Mae Morse's "Cow-Cow Boogie," Freddy Martin's "The Hut-Sut Song," Benny Goodman's "Jersey Bounce," and the Andrews Sisters' "Rum and Coca-Cola." Add the great liner notes of Will Friedwald and Those Were Our Songs: Music of World War II stands as one of the best -- and easily the best-sounding, courtesy of astonishing 24-bit remastering -- compilations of its era: just this side of definitive, but packed full of great music summoning the sound and feel of a nation at war.

~John Bush, All Music Guide

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The Andrews Sisters - Performer
Peggy Lee - Performer
Ella Mae Morse - Performer
The Pied Pipers - Performer
Jo Stafford - Performer
Ray Anthony - Performer
Les Brown - Performer
Benny Goodman - Performer
Harry James - Performer
Spike Jones - Performer
Stan Kenton - Performer
Kay Kyser - Performer
Freddie Slack - Performer
Helen Forrest - Vocals
Helen O'Connell - Performer
Dick Haymes - Performer
Andy Russell - Performer
Tex Beneke - Performer
Nat King Cole - Performer
Will Friedwald - Liner Notes
Johnny Mercer - Performer
Cheryl Pawelski - Producer
Cheryl Pawelski - Compilation
Martha Tilton - Performer
Pete Welding - Producer
Pete Welding - Compilation
Harry Babbitt - Vocals
Betty Hutton - Performer
Freddy Martin & His Orchestra - Performer
Marlene Bergman - Art Direction
Marlene Bergman - Design
Mark Chalecki - Remastering
Michelle Azzopardi - A&R
Red Dorris - Vocals
Bryan Kelley - Producer
Wendy Brueder - Project Manager

Great Records of the Decade: 50's Hits Pop, Vol. 1
    Various Artists / CD / 1990
Words and Music of World War II
    Various Artists / CD / 1991
Songs That Got Us Through WW2, Vol. 2
    Various Artists / CD / 1994
20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of the Andrews Sisters
    The Andrews Sisters / CD / 2000

Release Date: 11/06/2001
Genre: vocal