Editorial Review:

Album Description:
92 slices of prime Woody Herman focusing on the decade 1939-49 with recordings by The First and Second Herds, two of his most successful bands. Included is a 52 page booklet with extensive biographical notes, discography and rare photos. 2000 release. 4 standard jewel cases housed together in a deluxe slipcase.









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Disc 1:

1. At the Woodchopper's Ball - Woody Herman, Bishop, Joe
2. Big Wig in the Wigwam - Woody Herman, Alexander
3. Dallas Blues - Woody Herman, Garrett, Lloyd
4. Blues Upstairs - Woody Herman, Bishop, Joe
5. Blues Downstairs - Woody Herman, Bishop, Joe
6. Casbah Blues - Woody Herman, Bishop, Joe
7. Blue Prelude - Woody Herman, Jenkins, Gordon
8. The Golden Wedding - Woody Herman, Marie, Gabriel
9. Blue Flame - Woody Herman, Bishop, Joe
10. Bishop's Blues - Woody Herman, Noble, Ray
11. Woodsheddin' with Woody - Woody Herman, Martin, Lowell
12. Blues in the Night - Woody Herman, Arlen, Harold
13. 'Tis Autumn - Woody Herman, Nemo, Henry
14. Amen - Woody Herman, Hardy, Billy
15. Four or Five Times - Woody Herman, Gay, Byron
16. Down Under - Woody Herman, Gillespie, Dizzy
17. Do Nothin' Till You Hear from Me - Woody Herman, Ellington, Duke
18. Basie's Basement - Woody Herman, Sargent
19. Who Dat Up Dere? - Woody Herman, Kent, Walter
20. Noah - Woody Herman, Bishop, Joe
21. I've Got You Under My Skin - Woody Herman, Porter, Cole
22. I Get a Kick out of You - Woody Herman, Porter, Cole
23. Cryin' Sands - Woody Herman, Jackson, Milt

Disc 2:

1. Cherry - Woody Herman, Gilbert, Ray
2. Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet - Woody Herman, DePaul, Gene
3. Irresistible You - Woody Herman, Raye, Don
4. It Must Be Jelly ('Cause Jam Don't Shake Like That) - Woody Herman, MacGregor, Chummy
5. Goin' Home - Woody Herman, Steiner, Max
6. Ingie Speaks - Woody Herman, Matthews
7. Perdido - Woody Herman, Drake, Ervin
8. As Long as I Live - Woody Herman, Arlen, Harold
9. I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues - Woody Herman, Ellington, Duke
10. Laura - Woody Herman, Mercer, Johnny
11. Apple Honey - Woody Herman, Herman, Woody
12. I Wonder - Woody Herman, Gant, Cecil
13. Yeah Man (Amen) - Woody Herman, Hardy, Bill
14. Caldonia - Woody Herman, Moore, Fleecie
15. Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe - Woody Herman, Harburg, E.Y.
16. Goosey Gander - Woody Herman, Herman, Woody
17. Northwest Passage - Woody Herman, Burns, R.
18. I've Got the World on a String - Woody Herman, Koehler, Ted
19. The Good Earth - Woody Herman, Hefti, Neal
20. Put That Ring on My Finger - Woody Herman, Skylar, Sunny
21. Bijou - Woody Herman, Burns, Ralph
22. Gee, It's Good to Hold You - Woody Herman, Fisher, Doris
23. Your Father's Moustache - Woody Herman, Harris, Benny

Disc 3:

1. Wildroot - Woody Herman, Herman, Woody
2. Blowin' Up a Storm - Woody Herman, Hefti, Neal
3. Atlanta, GA - Woody Herman, Skylar, Sunny
4. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! - Woody Herman, Cahn, Sammy
5. Welcome to My Dreams - Woody Herman, Burke, Johnny
6. Panacea - Woody Herman, Burns, Ralph
7. Steps - Woody Herman, Norvo, Red
8. Igor - Woody Herman, Norvo, Red
9. Fan It - Woody Herman, Jaxon, Frankie 'Hal
10. Nero's Conception - Woody Herman, Norvo, Red
11. Lost Weekend - Woody Herman, Phillips, Flip
12. Pam - Woody Herman, Bauer, Billy
13. Sidewalks of Cuba - Woody Herman, Oakland, Ben
14. Lady McGowan's Dream, Pts. 1 & 2 - Woody Herman, Burns, Ralph
15. Romance in the Dark - Woody Herman, Green, Lillian 'Lil
16. Summer Sequence, Pts. 1- 4 - Woody Herman, Burns, Ralph
17. Everywhere - Woody Herman, Harris, Bill
18. With Someone New - Woody Herman, Phillips, Flip
19. Non-Alcoholic - Woody Herman, LaPorta, John
20. I Told Ya I Love Ya, Now Get Out - Woody Herman, Frigo, Johnny
21. Cherokee Canyon - Woody Herman, Charles, Dick

Disc 4:

1. I've Got News for You - Woody Herman, Alfred, Ray
2. Keen and Peachy - Woody Herman, Burns, Ralph
3. The Goof and I - Woody Herman, Cohn, Al
4. Lazy Lullaby - Woody Herman, George, Don
5. Four Brothers - Woody Herman, Giuffre, Jimmy
6. P.S. I Love You - Woody Herman, Mercer, Johnny
7. That's Right - Woody Herman, Candoli, Pete
8. Lemon Drop - Woody Herman, Wallington, George
9. I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good) - Woody Herman, Ellington, Duke
10. I Ain't Gettin' Any Younger - Woody Herman, Carter, Benny [1]
11. Early Autumn - Woody Herman, Burns, Ralph
12. Keeper of the Flame - Woody Herman, Rogers, Shorty
13. The Crickets - Woody Herman, Marais, Josef
14. More Moon - Woody Herman, Rogers, Shorty
15. Detour Ahead - Woody Herman, Carter, Lou
16. Jamaica Rhumba - Woody Herman, DePaul, Gene
17. Not Really the Blues - Woody Herman, Mandel, Johnny
18. The Great Lie - Woody Herman, Calloway, Cab
19. More Than You Know - Woody Herman, Eliscu, Edward
20. Tenderly - Woody Herman, Gross, Walter
21. You Rascal You - Woody Herman, Theard, Sam Lovin'
22. Rhapsody in Wood - Woody Herman, Burns, Ralph
23. In the Beginning - Woody Herman, Burns, Ralph
24. Lollipop - Woody Herman, Gibbs, Terry

Rating: - Pretty whimpy for the "Thundering Herds"
I'm no expert on Herman's bands, but I have several other collections and this is far and away the whimpiest. Well over half the songs are sentimental ballads or comic novelty numbers. If you like those kinds of songs, this is your collection. But if you're looking for the up-tempo, full-tilt, straight ahead swing that (I thought) Herman was best known for, this is a big disappointment.

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Rating: - 91 tracks on 4 cds, for less than 25 bucks!
If you never have bought a Proper boxed set, this one will probably get you on the road to buying many more! All proper box sets come with booklets that are more like mini books, 40-50 pages, many photos, and info you haven't read every single time you have read about the band before. The audio on this set is very good(The best audio is on the blownin' Up a Storm 2 cd set from Columbia, but there are many alternate takes, and the cost is about the same as this set) Proper also has great sets that are on the History of Drums, Guitarists, and Western Swing....check them out, you won't be sorry, except to see your credit card bills rise.

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Rating: - Another golden opportunity missed
Here we go again! As with the Blowing Up A Storm CD some of the sample tracks I listened to are not the definitive versions we are all familiar with.The Woodchoppers Ball is not the same version which is on the flip side of the Sidewalks of Cuba 78, nor is The Good Earth on the flip side of the Panacea 78.Wild Root and Blue Prelude are similarly flawed. Thankfully, for all connoisseurs of Woody Herman these annoyances have been rectified, albeit on several different CDs'