"I gave this CD 5 stars for one reason--FUN ! There was no one who sang like Mrs. Miller, for which I'm sure many people are grateful ! At the same time, she was a true original--that warbling, off-key vibrato, the dreadful timing, the astonishing whistling breaks--her voice was instantly identifiable.On this disc, she attacks a number of big hits from the 60s--the Beatles, Chuck Berry, Sinatra ( Frank and Nancy )--no one was safe ! Play this disc for your friends--they will listen in disbelief, then hopefully laugh a lot. As another reviewer advises, don't listen to Mrs. Miller if you are eating or drinking--choking is a definite risk !I understand that Mrs. Miller is no longer with us, but somewhere the angels are being hugely entertained. It was never clear to me whether or not she "got the joke". Some bad singers are just that--bad--with no redeeming qualities ( hello Yoko Ono ). Mrs. Miller is as much fun today as during her 60s heyday.So--if you have a good sense of humour--want to have the most talked-about disc at a party--or need to break your lease with a stubborn landlord--you can't go wrong with this gem."
Keeping It REAL! (before it was 'fashionable' to do so)
francinefishpaw | 04/21/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Coming from the UK, I had never heard of Mrs. Elva Miller. It was only by a chance listening of NPR's "Annoying Music Show" (streamed over the net) that I was 'introduced' to her. How could anyone so 'bad' get a record deal, I wondered? So I delved further into the net about her, and read her 'story'. What a wonderful, sweet woman she was (too much to go into, Google her, you know you want to!). There is a joy in these recordings, you can even hear her stifle a giggle in "Downtown". Sometimes she does sound 'extreme', and personally these are the recordings I prefer, but I do not find her 'funny', or these recordings to be comedy, but a pleasure to hear someone singing because SHE ENJOYS IT. I suppose she does remind me of my mothers embarrassingly terrible singing. However, everyone who hears her, swears that it sounds like their mother too. Believe me, after a crap day at work, kick your shoes off, put on the CD, and be transported to joy, Joy, JOY! I have become so obsessed, that my friends and I are going to celebrate her birthday, in a way that she would approve of. God bless her!Mrs Elva Miller
Oct 5, 1907 - July 5, 1997
A truly unique person"
MRS. MILLER COOKS UP SOMETHING SPECIAL IN THE KITSCHEN
Mitzi St. Bernard | US of A | 12/06/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Mrs. Elva Miller, the one-take-only vocalist, delivers her way-off-the-beat, off-key renditions of 60's ditties in this very special Ultra Lounge CD. Her jarring, sometimes-soprano, always-compelling voice of these cuts inspires cats to howl.The first cut, the soft, rhythmic 'Girl from Ipanema', begins innocently enough--soothing enough to nap to--and then Mrs. Miller jolts you with "Ohhhhh, but I watch her so sadly..." in her own inimitable, vibrato-drenched way. Even the 'Yellow Submarine' sound effects are more surreal than the original's, much like Mrs. Miller's vocal interpretations, where she rewrites the melody in the song's hook. And, as if country music wasn't bad enough, she totally crucifies it with 'There Goes My Reason for Livin', where she utilizes a double track of her vocals. I can't even describe what she does to 'A Lover's Concerto', because it's so, so bizarre.Ever since hearing her 'These Boots are Made for Walkin'' on the Ultra Lounge 'On the Rocks II' CD, I've tried to imitate her stylings and have failed miserably (and I'm no singer). I don't know how anyone can sing like this, no matter how bad they are. I only know she's a very special singer singing very groovy songs in this CD collection, and I whole-heartedly recommend it to music and kitsch lovers."
Otherworldly Vibrato From Joplin, Missouri
Robert I. Hedges | 11/02/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Elva Ruby Connes Miller was truly one of the most amazing voices of the twentieth century. That isn't to say that she has a great voice, or even a good voice, for that matter. What she has is an amazing penchant for an off-key vibrato intensive warbling that makes her second only to Florence Foster Jenkins for most hilarious soprano of the last century. Miller was a fixture in local community theater and amateur productions, and at one point even took her talent to Vietnam to entertain the troops. I am sure they were very entertained. Truly this woman had a heart of gold, even if she had a tongue of lead.
This compilation is stunning in its breadth. The treatment she gives to these songs cannot even be imagined until heard for oneself. She covers a variety of styles, with a heavy concentration of 1960s sugar-pop like "Monday, Monday", "Let's Hang On", and "Yellow Submarine". (Yes, it's true that Ringo sings substantially better than Mrs. Miller.) Particularly entertaining is the truly dreadful altered lyric masterpiece "Queen of the House." I can't imagine having been a supporting musician or recording technician that had to sit through multiple takes of these masterworks.
Listening to this CD is delightfully awful, and I recommend the experience highly to any audiophile who thinks they have heard it all.
Rock on, Mrs. Miller!
"
Ahead of her time...
Eddie Landsberg | Tokyo, Japan | 12/07/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you've ever heard of something called KARAOKE and have been forced to sit through it, you should know that Mrs. Miller lives in all of us, or maybe atleast many of our close acquaintences. I personally like Mrs. Miller but hate Karaoke.
Mrs. Miller was the epitome of a loveable housewife singing music with the most non-hip and non-understanding of innocence and that is what makes this album great... She tried so hard and was so diligent and serious. And the risks she took! Sure she could have sung opera or inspirational music, and got laughed at far less (actually probably ignored) - - but whether or not her recording career was a joke on HER, the fact that she accepted the challenge to record such unlikely (then) pop and rock and roll material is what made her GREAT.
In the end, Mrs. Miller was definitely the ED WOOD of vocal-dome period. Yet as bad as she was, it is so entertaining to hear her sing and share it with other people... for this reason I highly recommend this album... (P.S. Its ashame they never filmed her life story and got Shelley Winters to play her !)"