Despite undergoing massive lineup changes, among which were vocalist and guitar player Tom Maxwell going solo, the death of original trumpet blower Stacy Guess, and the birth of a daughter to bandleaders Jim Mathus and Katherine Whalen in May 2000, the Squirrel Nut Zippers persevered through all of it to release a wonderful, progressive (for them) album.
Granted, the hot jazz and Dixieland tunes that the band is known for are still present, but the first thing one hears upon listening to this album is a synthesizer and a Spanish guitar.
And how about some '70s funk and soul? Funky is the surprising quality of this work, which is why the album stands out among the group's past efforts.
Perennial Favorites had some good performances, but seemed more of a mere continuation of what was laid down on Hot.
Here, New Orleans-type funky grooves mix with a Spanish guitar on consecutive tracks, and the juxtaposition reminds the listener of just how magnificent and inspired the Squirrel Nut Zippers can be when they try to grow.
Perhaps those who were a part of the neo-swing "revival" of the mid- to late-'90s won't be so receptive to this album, but to anyone who enjoys spirited old-timey music (spanning a range of times), Bedlam Ballroom is a damn hoot.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bent Out of Shape | Squirrel Nut Zippers | Play | 02:47 | 6 MB | 14 MB |
| 2 | Stop Drop and Roll | Squirrel Nut Zippers | Play | 02:58 | 6 MB | 19 MB |
| 3 | It All Depends | Squirrel Nut Zippers | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 4 | Just This Side of Blue | Squirrel Nut Zippers | Play | 03:08 | 7 MB | 20 MB |
| 5 | Don't Fix It | Squirrel Nut Zippers | Play | 03:33 | 8 MB | 23 MB |
| 6 | Missing Link | Squirrel Nut Zippers | Play | 03:21 | 7 MB | 19 MB |
| 7 | Bedlam Reprise | Squirrel Nut Zippers | Play | 00:21 | 0 MB | 1 MB |
| 8 | Do It This A Way | Squirrel Nut Zippers | Play | 02:31 | 5 MB | 14 MB |
| 9 | Do What_ | Squirrel Nut Zippers | Play | 02:42 | 6 MB | 16 MB |
| 25 mins | 57 MB | |||||
| 25 mins | 154 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andrew Bird | Guest Artist, Strings, Violin |
| 2 | Jay Blakesberg | Photography |
| 3 | Stud Cole | Bass, Vocals (Background) |
| 4 | Michael Doret | Illustrations |
| 5 | Chris Eselgroth | Graphic Design |
| 6 | Phil Gould | Back Cover, Photography |
| 7 | Stacy Guess | Composer |
| 8 | Greg Humphreys | Vocals (Background) |
| 9 | Brent Lambert | Mastering |
| 10 | Jimbo Mathus | Composer, Vocals |
| 11 | Mike Napolitano | Engineer, Guitar, Mixing, Producer |
| 12 | John Pfiffner | Bass |
| 13 | Chris Phillips | Drums, Gong, Percussion, Sound Effects |
| 14 | John Plymale | Mixing, Producer |
| 15 | Giustino Riccio | Timbales |
| 16 | George Rossi | Piano |
| 17 | Tim Smith | Sax (Alto), Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor), Vocals (Background) |
| 18 | SNZ | Engineer |
| 19 | Squirrel Nut Zippers | Engineer, Mixing, Primary Artist, Producer |
| 20 | Gavo Tomasini | Congas |
| 21 | Katharine Whalen | Banjo, Baritone Ukulele, Vocals |
| 22 | Je Widenhouse | Trumpet |
| 23 | David Wright | Piano, Piano (Electric), Trombone, Vocals (Background), Wurlitzer |
| 24 | Lane Wurster | Art Direction |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |