Search - Various Artists :: Polka Dance Party, Vol. 2

Oldies but goodies; poor recording quality

Bill Smythe | Chicago | 11/13/1998

(2 out of 5 stars)

"It sounds as though someone grabbed several CDs, vinyl LPs, and perhaps even shellac 78s old enough to be in the public domain, and strung them together to make this CD. There are performances by Six Fat Dutchmen, Whoopee John Wilfahrt, Frankie Yankovic, and several lesser known artists. This CD does not do justice to any of the artists. Some of the better pieces, such as those by the Dutchmen and by Yankovic, are weak in the low frequencies and have a tinny sound. Those by Whoopee John are downright abysmal, which is a pity since Whoopee had some really fine recordings on 45s in the late 1950s and early 1960s. A few of the performances, if you can get past the poor recording quality, are quite good. This is the best performance of Yankovic's Blue Skirt Waltz I have ever heard, and I have heard at least six. Try It, You'll Like It, by Dick Rodgers, is a fine catchy tune. I wish I could find the original recordings so I could hear them the way they should be heard. There are dozens of polka albums better than this. I recommend Songs of the Polka King, Volume 2, by Frankie Yankovic; Polkatime, 20 of the Best, by Eddie Blazonczyk; and Country Polkatime, by Joey Miskulin."