Let The Good Times Roll: The Anthology 1938-1953

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The two-disc, 46-cut Good Times does a great job of demonstrating how singer and saxophonist Louis Jordan's music evolved from the fairly straight swing of his early Decca sides to the jump blues that made him a father of rock & roll and soul. "Ain't That Just Like a Woman," for instance, features guitarist Carl Hogan giving birth to one of Chuck Berry's signature licks, while the likes of "Beware" and "Choo Choo Ch' Boogie" balance punch and elegance like the work of few bandleaders before or since. It would've been nice to see the mightily syncopated "Early in the Morning" (later covered by both Ray Charles and Harry Nilsson) taking the place of, say, "The Two Little Squirrels," but there really are few complaints to be made about this collection. --Rickey Wright

Tracks:

Barnacle Bill The Sailor
Doug The Jitterbug
At The Swing Cat's Ball
Honeysuckle Rose
The Two Little Squirrels (Nuts To You)
Pan Pan
Saxa - Woogie
Boogie Woogie Came To Town
Rusty Dusty Blues (Mama Mama Blues)
I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town
What's The Use Of Gettin' Sober
I'm Gonna Leave You On The Outskirts Of Town
Five Guys Named Moe
Ration Blues
Is You Is Or Is You Ain't (My Baby)
Mop -Mop
G.I. Jive
Buzz Me Blues
Caldonia
Salt Pork, W. Va.
Don't Worry 'Bout That Mule
Stone Cold Dead In The Market
Beware
Choo Choo Ch'Boogie

Tracks:

Ain't That Just Like A Woman
Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens
Let The Good Times Roll
Texas And Pacific
Jack You're Dead!
Open The Door, Richard
Boogie Woogie Blue Plate
Run Joe
Beans And Cornbread
Saturday Night Fish Fry, Parts 1&2
Blue Light Boogie Parts 1&2
(You Dyed Your Hair) Chartreuse
Life Is So Peculiar
Teardrops From My Eyes
Louisville Lodge Meeting
Bone Dry
Fat Sam From Birmingham
Cock-A-Doodle-Doo
Slow Down
Never Trust A Woman
Junco Partner
I Want You To Be My Baby

Amazon.com

The two-disc, 46-cut Good Times does a great job of demonstrating how singer and saxophonist Louis Jordan's music evolved from the fairly straight swing of his early Decca sides to the jump blues that made him a father of rock & roll and soul. "Ain't That Just Like a Woman," for instance, features guitarist Carl Hogan giving birth to one of Chuck Berry's signature licks, while the likes of "Beware" and "Choo Choo Ch' Boogie" balance punch and elegance like the work of few bandleaders before or since. It would've been nice to see the mightily syncopated "Early in the Morning" (later covered by both Ray Charles and Harry Nilsson) taking the place of, say, "The Two Little Squirrels," but there really are few complaints to be made about this collection. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

The Man Who Invented Little Richard.......2006-04-01

If i hear Little Richard Pop Off One More Time About How He Invented Rock & Roll( "i'm the the ayatolla of Rock & Rolla"!),i'll throw the cd and vid of "Caldonia" at him and tell him to SHUT UP!! The Imodest and Full Of Themselves always Steal and appropriate from others.Jelly Roll Morton also claimed he invented Jazz,and great though he was- he,Like Richard,was more concerned with self promotion and personal myth making.The Boastfull are never the first string artists.That takes sincerity and humility.And p.s. Jerry Lee Lewis(entertaining and raw as he is)got much of his deal from the Boogie Woogie piano playing-singing of Harry "The Hipster" Gibson-also from jordan's era.Why do these guys egos prevent them for giving credit to their progenitors.

The #1 R&B Artist Of The 1940's.......2004-06-29

This genius was the #1 selling African American artist of the 1940's. No one else sold more records or had more hits. He out sold The Mills Bros.,Nat Cole,Duke,Ella,Buddy and Ella Johnson,Satchmo, and Count Basie.He was the #1 R&B artist of the 40's with more top 10 hits and more #1's on the r&b charts than any other Black act of that period. Louis also had a total of 9 top 10 pop hits between 1944 and 1950 and he is the only r&b based artist to have 2 #1 hits on the country music charts(an astonishing feat back then). Those two songs are Jordan classics-1943's and early 44's classic "Ration Blues" and 1944's "Is You Is Or Is You Ain't Ma Baby".Both songs are included on this wonderful cd.The great Nat "King"Cole hit #1 on the Country charts in the mid 40's with his "Straighten up and fly right" but Nat was more of a pop singer than r&b singer. 'G.I.Jive" was a massive hit for him in 1944.It was #1 on both the r&b and pop charts that year. Some may think of Louis Jordan as a clown and that's a monumental tragedy-this cat was a musical genius and an incredible composer,bandleader,and saxophonist. The clown moniker could be easily applied to Charlie Chaplin,Jerry Lewis,Laurel and Hardy,and Harold Lloyd,but they were genuises as well. This cd is a must for any music lovers collection.

Great Compact Jive Package!.......2003-09-02

Starting as a member of the Count Basie band in the 1930s, Louis Jordan soon became known as sax player, vocalist, and jive man extraordinaire on his many solo recordings from the late 1930s until his death in the mid-1970s. This package focuses only on the years 1938 thru 1953, which is admittedly most of his best work, but it would be nice to hear some of his later recordings as well. In particular, two recordings of the classic "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens", cut in the 50s and 70s, improve by being taken at a faster tempo. Louis practically invented jump blues, and no less a giant than BB King has paid tribute with an album of all Jordan material. (Let the Good Times Roll). Building on Cab Calloway's earlier reputation as the king of jive language and music, Jordan creates an evocative, often hilarious picture of the trials and tribulations of the black performer of his day. His takes on trains ("Texas and Pacific", "Choo Choo, Ch'Boogie," and "Salt Pork, West Virginia"), drinking ("What's the Use of Being Sober?"), waitresses ("Boogie Woogie Blue Plate"), and life itself (the wonderful "Life is So Peculiar" duet with Louis Armstrong) still delight after all these years due to his irrepresible humor and jive language. So, if your budget only allows for a two-CD set, spring for this edition by one of the most upbeat, positive, and all around funny cats ever, and run, don't walk, to the nearest Saturday night fish fry.

great stuff - what a great discovery.......2002-05-14

I first heard this in a bar in New York as my wife and I were celebrating our wedding anniversary. The barman had a whole load of old music that he was playing - he was a real expert
Anyway every time we heard a tune that we really liked it turned out to be a Louis Jordan number so we went home and ordered this CD

We play it all the time: its very varied, there's some really neat period pieces which initially sound a little silly but they really grow on you - I find myself singing "barnacle bill" all the time. Great fun and a lovely change from the normal fare- try it

The True King of R&b -Essential!.......2001-06-30

DAMN Chuck Berry! LATER for Little Richard (he could just SHUT UP!) LOUIE JORDAN was the TRUE King of Rock and Roll and R&B! Listen to the wild preaching in "Beans and Cornbread" and try not to roll on the floor laughing. Dig "Open the Door Richard" and I DARE you not to sing along. Try keeping your feet still through "Salt Pork West Virginia" or "Don't Worry Bout That Mule." Trying to find a bad Louis Jordan record is like finding green snow and chicken's teeth! They don't exist!

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