Swingin' On the Moon [Verve]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Tormé displays a grasp of a certain agreeable absurdity in this 1962 release's concept--songs with the word moon in their titles or settings--when, at the end of the album's self-penned namesake cut, he begins babbling references to the rest of the tunes in a prophecy of Bill Murray's lounge-singer character. Fortunately, this reissue has more to recommend it than an amusing datedness--not least Tormé's own aplomb and a small big band that includes players like altoist Bud Shank and drummer Mel Lewis. --Rickey Wright

Tracks:

Swingin' On The Moon
Moonlight Cocktail
I Wished On The Moon
Moon Song
How High The Moon
Don't Let The Moon Get Away
Blue Moon
A Velvet Affair
No Moon At All
Moonlight In Vermont
Oh, You Crazy Moon
The Moon Was Yellow

Amazon.com

Tormé displays a grasp of a certain agreeable absurdity in this 1962 release's concept--songs with the word moon in their titles or settings--when, at the end of the album's self-penned namesake cut, he begins babbling references to the rest of the tunes in a prophecy of Bill Murray's lounge-singer character. Fortunately, this reissue has more to recommend it than an amusing datedness--not least Tormé's own aplomb and a small big band that includes players like altoist Bud Shank and drummer Mel Lewis. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

A Delightful Collection.......2007-05-12

I've had this disc for a couple of years. It is nostalgic and fun and the perfect music for a night of moonwatching

Russell and Mel: a Winner!!.......2005-12-06

Having been for some time already familiar with and very taken with Sinatra's 1966 collection, MOONLIGHT SINATRA (which I very much prefer to THAT'S LIFE of the same year), this album by the great Mel Torme intrigued me. What also intrigued me was the credit to Russell Garcia, composer of the scores to two George Pal films, ATLANTIS: THE LOST CONTINENT and THE TIME MACHINE.

I almost didn't pick this up. Some of the other reviews emphasize the whimsy of a couple of these tunes above all else, such that one might think that the whole thing is a toss-off, not serious, but that wouldn't be the story here. To my ears, Torme is here an artist, not a cut-up, and quite earnest. He's in a zone with each and every number, and his voice is, as one should expect, clear, "Mel"-lifluous, and intonated perfectly.

And if I may get one thing off my chest: with all due respect, this is NOT a "concept" album; it's a THEME album --a moon theme. Just what and where is the "concept"? There is no "concept". SGT. PEPPER was a concept album. There have been few others of which I'm aware, but theme albums are common. Sinatra, Les Baxter, The Alan Parsons Project, Chet Atkins, the Boston Pops, Bob Dylan and legions of others have done theme albums of one type or another. Every Christmas album is a theme album. Jethro Tull has done a few that rather bridge the gap between the two... but enough already of this digression.

While I'm not one to mention every song, or even many of them (who needs that much information?), there is one which I MUST. I don't know whose idea this was, Garcia's or Torme's, but in "Blue Moon" the conventional late-in-the-song half-step rise is given a unique twist: it's begun, if I recall correctly, during the first measure AFTER the verse commences rather than before as is customary, and then, of all things, doesn't "take" -- the pitch falls right back to where it had been and then again modulates elsewhere!!! I have never heard this before. Phenomenal! The best "Blue Moon" of all time!

This is just a great recording, a tremendous effort, and surprisingly inventive; nothing in it is ordinary or customary. Get it!

Couple'a jiggers of moonlight..........2005-09-13

The concept album gone a little overboard, here's the concept-any song that contains the word "moon". The irony is that the best song on the disc is,"A Velvet Affair", and not one mention of the concept word "moon". These are minor quibbles for, this is a marvelous or "moonvelous" (trying to stay on concept) recording. Mel invites us to join him in swinging on the moon and swing he does. The majority of the selections are upbeat tunes, sprightly orchestrated and brightly sung by Mr Torme. If you are a certain age, you may recall that early in the sixties, space travel was a new frontier and everybody got aboard that rocketship so this is a tip of the old space helmet to those rocket propelled days. Fun album, Mel is is great voice and the cover is ..."out of this world".

A Blast!! To The Moon!!.......2002-06-30

Mel swings with skillful arrangements and talented musicians backing him! Great music, great Mel, great recording, great remastering, great fun!

A true Retro-Rocket!.......2002-01-09

An early Space Age atomic oddity, this Torme tuneage will make you feel right at home, whether you're vacationing on the Moon or Mars. All of the songs are Moon-themed, which makes the album a fun project for Torme to make, and a fun album for the listener to hear.

The whole thing is also an interesting artifact from the early days of the Space Race, when all of America was revelling in "Go-Fever", and everything in pop culture had a touch of rocketships and ray guns. You especially get this sense of the retro-rocket era when listening to the first two cuts. In the title track, Mel talks to his sweetheart about living in a crater, where they can "make [their] own satellite," and she can tell her mom that "her feller has gone inter-steller." And when describing the ingredients in "A Moonlight Cocktail", he makes it clear that the "number of kisses is up to you."

The packaging is nice, the processing clear as a viewport, and instead of being spaced out, the song selection glitters like stardust. Torme is having a great time, and you can tell on every cut.