"No musical instruments or mechanical devices used on this recording other than one guitar." This was the boast on many of the early phonograph records by the "Four Boys and a Guitar" - the Mills Brothers - and pertains to the great majority of the recordings in ths package.
What else can one say about the premier exponents of vocal group harmony? John, Herbert, Harry and Donald Mills did it all and did all of it first. Tight harmony singing, credible vocal imitation of several musical instruments - trumpets, trombone, tuba, and bass - all in close harmony, "scat" singing, even the "talking bass" usually attributed to the Ink Spots' Hoppy Jones, who subsequently perfected this particular art. And the tempo didn't matter, from ballads to jump numbers, they were the original masters. No practitoners of vocal group harmony can claim to have NOT been influenced, either directly or indirectly, by the Mills Brothers.
This package of early recordings, from their first in October 1931 through August of 1938, covers their work as a vocal group on records, radio and film, including work with other artists. The 5 CDs in this set were originally released individually and offered as "full price" items. I find it amazing that JSP manages to offer the package of 5 for about the price originally asked for any 2 CDs. A total of 116 tracks on the 5 CDs makes this set an outstanding bargain.
Some of the Mills Brothers' later "Soundies" are featured on the Rare Vocal Groups video, which is also reviewed on this Web site.
Disc 1 (JSP CD 301 - originally released in 1988) :
1. Nobody's Sweetheart (Oct 1931)
2. Tiger Rag (Oct 1931)
3. Nobody's Sweetheart (12 Oct 1931)
4. Tiger Rag (12 Oct 1931)
5. Gems From George White's Scandals, Part 2 (with the Boswell Sisters, Frank Munn & Bing Crosby) (25 Oct 1931)
6. You Rascal You (Nov 1931)
7. Baby, Won't You Please Come Home (Nov 1931)
8. Goodbye Blues (1932 Radio Ad)
9. Dinah (with Bing Crosby) (16 Dec 1931)
10. Dinah (with Bing Crosby) (16 Dec 1931)
11. Shine (with Bing Crosby) (16 Feb 1932)
12. I Heard (16 Feb 1932)
13. How'm I Doin', Hey-Hey (16 Feb 1932)
14. Rockin' Chair (8 March 1932)
15. Goodbye Blues (8 March 1932)
16. O.K. America, Part 2 (with Frank Munn, Fran Frey & the Boswell Sisters) (14 Apr 1932)
17. Chinatown, My Chinatown (14 Apr 1932)
18. Sweet Sue, Just You (14 Apr 1932)
19. Loveless Love (14 Apr 1932)
20. St. Louis Blues (14 Apr 1932)
21. Tiger Rag (1932 Movie Soundtrack)
Disc 2 (JSP CD 302 - originally released in 1988) :
1. Old Man Of The Mountain (May 1932)
2. Bugle Call Rag (May 1932)
3. Old Man Of The Mountain (June 1932)
4. It Don't Mean A Thing (June 1932)
5. Coney Island Washboard (June 1932)
6. Dirt Dishin' Daisy (21 Nov 1932)
7. Git Along (21 Nov 1932)
8. Diga Diga Doo (with Duke Ellington Orchestra) (22 Dec 1932)
9. I Can't Give You Anything But Love (22 Dec 1932)
10. Doin' The New Low Down (with Cab Calloway & Don Redman Orchestra) (29 Dec 1932)
11. Smoke Rings (25 Jan 1933)
12. Fiddlin' Joe (25 Jan 1933)
13. My Honey's Lovin' Arms (with Bing Crosby) (26 Jan 1933)
14. My Honey's Lovin' Arms (with Bing Crosby) (26 Jan 1933)
15. Anytime, Anyday, Anywhere (26 Jan 1933)
16. That's Georgia (2 Feb 1933)
17. I Heard (Feb 1934 Movie Soundtrack)
18. How'm I Doin'? (Hey, Hey!) (Feb 1934 Movie Soundtrack)
19. Dinah (with Alice Faye) (30 Nov 1933)
20. Swing It, Sister (24 Feb 1934)
21. Money In My Pockets (24 Feb 1934)
22. Jungle Fever (24 Feb 1934)
23. I've Found A New Baby (24 Feb 1934)
Disc 3 (JSP CD 303 - originally released in 1988) :
1. Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet (29 Mar 1934)
2. Sleepyhead (29 Mar 1934)
3. Lazybones (13 Jun 1934)
4. Nagasaki (13 Jun 1934)
5. Sweet Georgia Brown (12 Sep 1934)
6. Old Fashioned Love (12 Sep 1934)
7. Miss Otis Regrets (12 Sep 1934)
8. Sweeter Than Sugar (12 Sep 1934)
9. Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider (12 Sep 1934)
10. My Gal Sal (13 Sep 1934)
11. Some Of These Days (14 Sep 1934)
12. I've Found A New Baby (14 Sep 1934)
13. Limehouse Blues (14 Sep 1934)
14. Rockin' Chair (42 Sep 1934)
15. Tiger Rag (14 Sep 1934)
16. There Goes My Headache (14 Sep 1934)
17. Out For No Good (with Dick Powell) (Feb 1934 Movie Soundtrack)
18. Lulu's Back In Town (early 1935 Movie Soundtrack)
19. Sweet Lucy Brown (20 Feb 1935)
20. Don't Be Afraid To Tell Your Mother (20 Feb 1935)
21. Since We Fell Out Of Love (20 Feb 1935)
22. Moanin' For You (20 Feb 1935)
23. What's The Reason I'm Not Pleasin' You? (20 Feb 1935)
Disc 4 (JSP CD 304 - originally released in 1988) :
1. Lulu's Back In Town (28 Oct 1935)
2. Sweet And Slow (28 Oct 1935)
3. Old Fashioned Love (1935 Radio Broadcast)
4. Lazybones (1935 Radio Broadcast)
5. Rhythm Saved The World (23 Jun 1936)
6. Shoe Shine Boy (23 Jun 1936)
7. London Rhythm (10 Sep 1936)
8. Solitude (10 Sep 1936)
9. Swing Is The Thing (10 Sep 1936)
10. 'Long About Midnight (10 Sep 1936)
11. When Lights Are Low (15 Sep 1936)
12. Found The Thrill Again (Harry Mills solo) (15 Sep 1936)
13. Big Boy Blue (with Ella Fitzgerald) (14 Jan 1937)
14. Swing For Sale (3 Feb 1937)
15. Pennies From Heaven (3 Feb 1937)
16. Dedicated To You (with Ella Fitzgerald) (3 Feb 1937)
17. The Love Bug Will Bite You (7 Apr 1937)
18. Rockin' Chair Swing (7 Apr 1937)
19. Carry Me Back To Old Virginny (with Louis Armstrong) 7 Apr 1937)
20. Darling Nellie Gray (with Louis Armstrong) (7 Apr 1937)
21. Darling Nellie Gray (with Louis Armstrong) (7 Apr 1937)
22. In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree (with Louis Armstrong) (29 Jun 1937)
23. In The Shade Of The Old Apple Tree (with Louis Armstrong) 29 Jun 1937)
24. The Old Folks At Home (with Louis Armstrong) (29 Jun 1937)
Disc 5 (JSP CD 320 - originally released in 1991) :
1. Organ Grinder's Swing (23 Jul 1937)
2. Let Me Dream (23 Jul 1937)
3. Caravan (17 Dec 1937)
4. Little Old Lady (17 Dec 1937)
5. The Song Is Ended (17 Dec 1937)
6. Caravan (20 May 1938)
7. Flat Foot Floogie (with Louis Armstrong) (10 Jun 1938)
8. The Song Is Ended (with Louis Armstrong) (13 Jun 1938)
9. My Walking Stick (with Louis Armstrong) (13 Jun 1938)
10. Funiculi, Funicula (20 Jun 1938)
11. Asleep In The Deep (20 Jun 1938)
12. Flat Foot Floogie (Radio Broadcast 25 Jun 1938)
13. Side Kick Joe (29 Jun 1938)
14. Julius Caesar (19 Jul 1938)
15. Sixty Seconds Got Together (19 Jul 1938)
16. Elder Eatmore's Sermon On Throwing Stones (Louis Armstrong & Harry Mills) (11 Aug 1938)
17. Elder Eatmore's Sermon On Generosity (Louis Armstrong & Harry Mills) (11 Aug 1938)
18. Just A Kid Named Joe (19 Aug 1938)
19. The Yam (23 Aug 1938)
20. The Lambeth Walk (23 Aug 1938)
21. Shuffle Your Feet/Bandanna Babies (Harry & Donald Mills) (2 Feb 1933)
22. My Little Grass Shack In Kealakekua Hawaii (24 Feb 1934)
23. Sweet Lucy Brown (20 Feb 1935)
24. Caravan (17 Dec 1937)
25. The Song Is Ended (17 Dec 1937)
