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Paper Moon

Django Reinhardt - Paper Moon Audio CD

A fair review of the Django Reinhardt "Paper Moon" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Django Reinhardt reviews here, or go back to the Django Reinhardt tabs.

Band: Django Reinhardt
Title: Paper Moon
Rating:

Release Date: 2009-04-14
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: It's Only a Paper Moon - Paul Whiteman Orchestra 2: About a Quarter to Nine - Ozzie Nelson & His Orchestra 3: (It Will Have to Do) Until the Real Thing Comes Along - Leo Reisman & His Orchestra, Larry Stewart 4: Flirtation Walk - Dick Powell 5: Just One More Chance - Bing Crosby 6: One Hour with You - Jimmy Grier & His Orchestra, Donald Novis 7: I Found a Million Dollar Baby - Boswell Sisters, Victor Young & His Orchestra 8: Object of My Affection - Jimmy Grier & His Orchestra, Pinky Tomlin 9: Georgia on My Mind - Hoagy Carmichael & His Orchestra 10: Picture of Me Without You - Ken Darby, , Paul Whiteman 11: On the Banks of the Ohio - The Blue Sky Boys 12: My Mary - Jimmie Davis 13: After You've Gone - Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra 14: Let's Have Another Cup of Coffee - Enric Madriguera & His Hotel Biltmore Orchestra 15: Sunnyside Up - Johnny Hamp's Kentucky Serenaders, Frank Luther 16: Limehouse Blues - Django Reinhardt & the Quintet of the Hot Club of France 17: Are You in the Mood? - Django Reinhardt & the Quintet of the Hot Club of France 18: You're Driving Mer Crazy - Django Reinhardt & the Quintet of the Hot Club of France 19: When Day Is Done - Django Reinhardt & the Quintet of the Hot Club of France 20: Leieberstraum No.3 - Django Reinhardt & the Quintet of the Hot Club of France 21: Mystery Pacific - Django Reinhardt & the Quintet of the Hot Club of France 22: Improvisation - Django Reinhardt & the Quintet of the Hot Club of France 23: Minor Swing - Django Reinhardt & the Quintet of the Hot Club of France 24: Swingin' with Django - Django Reinhardt & the Quintet of the Hot Club of France 25: Echoes of Spain - Django Reinhardt & the Quintet of the Hot Club of France 26: I'll See You in My Dreams - Django Reinhardt & the Quintet of the Hot Club of France

"...I Found A Million Dollar Baby...In A Five And Ten Cents Store..."
"Addie" Loggins was played in the film by Tatum O'Neal (then only 10-years old) while her very famous dad - Ryan - played the hustler Moses "Pray" who takes on this mouthy, but winning orphan. Peter Bogdanovich's 1973 movie "Paper Moon" was based on Joe David Brown's Depression Era novel "Addie Pray". The movie's nostalgia appeal tapped into "The Sting" audience and rewarded Tatum with an Oscar nomination for best Supporting Role (the youngest actress to ever receive such an accolade - which she won).

The soundtrack to the movie (much like "The Sting") captured the imagination of the public for a short time because it was filled entirely with period songs mostly from the 1930's - scratchy 78's long forgotten yet still wonderfully touching. It troubled the lower regions of the American charts in August 1973 and has been a bit of a known rarity on vinyl ever since.

This Cherry Red/El Records reissue CD of April 2009 (ACMEM170CD) contains the full 15-track album and throws in 11 extras - it breaks down like this (79:58 minutes):

Tracks 1 to 15 make up the original LP "Paper Moon" released July 1973 on Paramount PAS 1012 in the USA and October 1973 on Paramount SPFL 290 in the UK

Tracks 16 to 26 are new remasters of DJANGO REINHARDT 78's (with his Quintet of the Hot Club of France) ranging from 1936 to 1939

The 12-page accompanying booklet features affectionate and informative liner notes by CHRISTOPHER EVANS; better still, however, is the song-credits which are now extended to give you more detailed information on the recordings (something you didn't get on the original LP sleeve). The sound is hardly audiophile (1929 to 1941), but that doesn't matter, because the music is timelessly charming.

Speaking of genius - when you listen to these postcards of bygone days, you realise that the magic of the songs lay in the brilliant arrangements and words. The orchestra would saunter in with a trumpet and a violin setting up the jaunty melody - this would go on for a minute or even a minute and a half (unheard of nowadays) - until the vocalist and lyrics kicked in to genuinely magical effect.

The words were so clever and skilfully written that they seemed to just roll off the tongues of the singers like it was the most natural thing in the world. "A Picture Of Me Without You" is a good example - check this out. . .
"Picture Henry Ford without a car. . . picture the firmament without a star. . .
Picture Paul Revere without a horse. . . picture a Hollywood marriage without divorce. . . " - brilliant!

One of my favourites is "I Found A Million Dollar Baby" which features THE BOSWELL SISTERS on vocals (lyrics are the title of this review). The only clinker for me is the genuinely bizarre and seriously sinister "On The Banks Of The Ohio" sung by THE BLUE SKY BOYS. It's an old-timey murder song where a woman gets her throat slit and then drowned because she won't marry some smuck! It's probably there to offset the relentlessly upbeat wistful feel of the other songs (the dark underbelly etc), but to me it's out of place. . .

The additional songs by the two-fingered guitar-playing genius Django Reinhardt compliment the set really well - very clever choices.

So there you have it - "Paper Moon" won't be everyone's cup of tea for sure, but I suspect if you succumb to its charms - this rather cool reissue will win its way into your heart.

Nice one. .

Finally available on CD with bonuses
The soundtrack was released on LP and cassette originally, and available for only a limited period of time. Paper Moon's soundtrack was assembled using original popular 1930s tracks, all difficult to find in good condition on their own, and incorporated into the movie in a piecemeal manner, with very few (if any) played to completion within the movie itself. We now finally have a CD release including all the tracks from the LP (through track 15) as well as 11 additional tracks of vintage 30's recordings from Django Reinhardt. The first 15 tracks are originals, not covers, and are from greats such as Tommy Dorsey (track 13), Hoagy Carmichael (track 9), and so forth.

Recording quality is high, but realize that these are 1930s recordings. Yes, they're cleaned up, but don't expect them to have the level of fidelity that you would expect from a new release. The CD booklet includes some detail of each track as well as a discussion of the rise and fall of Peter Bogdanovich.

Paper Moon came out 36 years ago (can that really be true?) so this CD release is long overdue. It has received appropriate attention and is well worth the purchase price whether you liked the movie or simply are a fan of the 1930s genre of music. .

Memories are made of these!
The songs are so evocative of the dust bowl era. I loved the movie and the soundtrack is just the ticket for revisiting an earlier time. I memorized this soundtrack as a kid and still enjoy it as an adult. Even the songs sound better in black and white!.

You can see a complete list of all Django Reinhardt discography, or go back to the Django Reinhardt tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.