THE MILLS BROTHERS: CHRONOLOGICAL VOL. 1

THE MILLS BROTHERS.
The Mills Brothers eram quatro irmãos todos nascidos em Piqua, Ohio -- John, Jr., em 1910, Herbert, em 1912, Harry, em 1913, e Donald em 1915. Seu pai possuía um barbearia e - apropriadamente - fundou um Barbershop Quartet, chamado Four Kings
of Harmony.Os filhos, obviamente, aprenderam as "close harmonies" em primeira mão, e começaram a se apresentar nas localidades próximas. Em um show Harry Mills esqueceu de levar o seu "kazoo"(uma espécie de flauta doce)- o acompanhamento costumeiro do grupo - e acabou imitando o instrumento, tapando a boca com a mão. Os irmãos foram surpreendidos pois o som produzido se assemelhava ao de um trompete, novidade que eles imediatamente introduziram em seus "shows" e expandiram as imitações; John emulando uma tuba; Donald um trombone e Herbert um segundo trompete. O MB foi um dos mais notáveis e influentes "Vintage vocal groups" com longa e durável trajetória na música popular americana, magnetizando seus admiradores durante décadas. Originalmente o conjunto se chamava "Four Boys and a guitar"; nas primeiras gravações do grupo, os discos vinham com com um aviso, alertando os ouvintes para o fato de que que não eram utilizados quaisquer outros instrumentos musicais alem de um violão. A advertência era compreensível, uma vez que os Mills Brothers eram tão competentes na imitação de trompetes, trombones, saxofones apenas com sua voz que os primeiros compactos como "Tiger Rag" e "St. Louis Blues" sugeriam que os intérpretes fossem um grupo de "Dixieland" e não um conjunto vocal. A novidade foi imitada por outros conjuntos no mundo inteiro.. (O som por eles produzido era, em essência, aquele de Duke Ellingtons, em que as "surdinas" utilizadas por Bubber Miley e Tricky Sam Nanton que - no sentido contrário - resultavam na reprodução de vozes humanas por seus instrumentos). John, Jr. morreu súbitamente em em 1936, perda que representou um grande golpe para o grupo, mas o pai John Senior, assumiu seu lugar como baixo (voz mais grave do grupo) e Bernard Addison foi admitido como guitarrista do grupo. Com o desgaste da "novidade sonora", os Mills Brothers começaram a gravar com orquestras tradicionais (geralmente conduzida por Sy Oliver, Hal McIntyre ou Sonny Burke). O grupo continuou sua trajetória nos anos 50 mas John Senior se aposentou em 1956. Como um trio, Herbert, Harry e Donald continuou atuando até a morte de Harry, em 1982, e Herbert's em 1989. Então, Donald - o único remancescente do grupo começou a atuar com a terceira geração da família - seu filho, John III, último estertor e princípio do fim dos Mills Brothers
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MILLS BROTHERS
An astonishing vocal group that grew into one of the longest-lasting oldies acts in American popular music, the Mills Brothers quickly moved from novelty wonders to pop successes and continued amazing audiences for decades. Originally billed as "Four Boys and a Guitar," the group's early records came complete with a note assuring listeners that the only musical instrument they were hearing was a guitar. The caution was understandable, since the Mills Brothers were so proficient at recreating trumpets, trombones, and saxophones with only their voices that early singles like "Tiger Rag" and "St. Louis Blues" sounded closer to a hot Dixieland combo than a vocal group. And even after the novelty wore off, the group's intricate harmonies continued charming audiences for decades. The four brothers were all born in Piqua, Ohio - John, Jr. in 1910, Herbert in 1912, Harry in 1913, and Donald in 1915. Their father owned a barber shop and founded a barbershop quartet as well, called the Four Kings of Harmony. His sons obviously learned their close harmonies first-hand, and began performing around the area. At one show, Harry Mills forgot his kazoo - the group's usual accompaniment - and ended up trying to emulate the instrument by cupping his hand over his mouth. The brothers were surprised to hear the sound of a trumpet proceeding from Harry's mouth, so they began to work the novelty into their act - with John taking tuba, Donald trombone, and Herbert a second trumpet. The act was perfect for vaudeville, and the Mills Brothers also began broadcasting over a Cincinnatti radio station during the late '20s. After moving to New York, the group became a sensation and hit it big during 1931 and early 1932 with the singles "Tiger Rag" and "Dinah" (the latter a duet with Bing Crosby). Dumb-founded listeners hardly believed the notice accompanying the records: "No musical instruments or mechanical devices used on this recording other than one guitar." Though the rather primitive audio of the time gave them a bit of latitude, the Mills Brothers indeed sounded exactly like they'd been backed by a small studio band. (It was, in essence, the flip side of early Duke Ellington material, on which the plunger mutes of Bubber Miley and Tricky Sam Nanton resulted in horns sounding just like voices.) John, Jr.'s sudden death in 1936 was a huge blow to the group, but father John, Sr. took over as bass singer and Bernard
Addison became the group's guitarist. The novelty had appeared to wear off by the late '30s; despite duets with Ella Fitzgerald ("Dedicated to You") and Louis
Armstrong ("Darling Nelly Gray"), the Mills Brothers' records weren't performing as well as they had earlier in the decade. All that changed in 1943 with the release of "Paper Doll," a sweet, intimate ballad that became one of the biggest hits of
the decade - twelve weeks on the top of the charts, and six million records sold (plus sheet music). The influence of middle-of-the-road pop had slowly crept into their material from the 1940s; by the end of the decade the Mills Brothers began recording with traditional orchestras (usually conducted by Sy Oliver, Hal McIntyre or Sonny Burke). The group soldiered on during the '50s, though John, Sr. retired from the group in 1956. As a trio, Herbert, Harry and Donald continued performing on the oldies circuit until Harry's death in 1982, and Herbert's in 1989. Then, Donald began performing with the third generation of the family - his son, John III.
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ALBUM COMMENTS: Although the Mills Brothers had a recording career that lasted for almost 40 years, their biggest impact was made initially, when the Ohio-based vocal quartet unveiled their unique sound in the early 1930s. The brothers discovered that they could use their voices to emulate horns in a strikingly convincing manner, as boldly evinced on the swinging "Nobody's Sweetheart," where "tuba, trumpet, and trombone" solos abound, even though the only actual instrument present is a guitar. Knowing how to run with a good thing, the Mills Brothers released a slew of singles during the era, and 15 of them are collected here. In addition to the aforementioned tune, CHRONOLOGICAL VOL. 1: 1931-32 includes "Tiger Rag," which sports some incredibly deft scat singing, and the beautiful (and surprisingly straightforward) "Rockin' Chair." While there are many Mills Brothers compilations that offer a much greater breadth of material, this disc focuses on the ensemble's initial, groundbreaking recordings with remarkable precision.
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MINHA OPINIÃO: Este album é o primeiro da série de cinco "Chronological"; semanalmente postarei os demais e então teremos, juntamente com o CD com a orquestra de Count Basie,já postado, um panorama de toda a bela carreira dos Mill Brothers, abrangendo desde os "early years" até as derradeiras gravações do seminal quarteto vocal.
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THE MILLS BROTHERS : CHRONOLOGICAL - VOL. 1 -(1931/1932)
Label Nostalgia Arts
Orig Year 2000
Catalog # 709382


THE MILLS BROTHERS:
John, Jr
Herbert
Harry
Donald

TRACKS/FAIXAS:
01 - Nobody's Sweetheart
02 - Tiger Rag
03 - Nobody's Sweetheart
04 - Tiger Rag
05 - Gems From George White's Scandals,Pt.2
06 - You Rascal You
07 - Baby, Won't You Please Come Home
08 - Goodbye Blues
09 - Dinah
10 - Dinah
11 - Shine
12 - I Heard
13 - How'm I Doin', Hey-Hey
14 - Rockin' Chair
15 - Goodbye Blues
16 - O.K. America - Part 2
17 - Chinatown, My Chinatown
18 - Sweet Sue, Just You
19 - Loveless Love
20 - St. Louis Blues
21 - Tiger Rag

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(*) Amigos: um raio caiu na rede (elétrica e telefônica) da minha casa e "derreteu" o modem do meu PC. Estou usando, temporariamente, um notebook mais lento e como estou assoberbado de trabalho, não me foi possivel baixar o file e depois "upar" para o RapidShare.Assim, a melhor opção de download é o MEGAUPLOAD (que eu detesto), porque o BADONGO, que usualmente é simples e rápido, desta vez nos surpreende com um pedido de login para autorizar o download. Este mesmo file e os demais da série de 5 albuns eu já tinha, há algum tempo, no Mediafire que APAGOU TUDO!
Peço desculpas e compreensão, mas são "cavacos do ofício".
CB