Strictly instrumental, “The Boogie Bumper” is joined by other carefree celebrations of swing dancing (“Jump with My Baby,” “King of Swing” “Go Daddy-O,” “Mambo Swing”). The band credits someone called “Minnie the Moocher” with having a big heart.
The cigarette smoking, cocktail sipping “Mr. Pinstripe Suit” is revered for having answers to life’s deepest questions. The singer on “Please Baby” asks a woman for sex. While the band claims, “It’s time for us to go and get another beer” on “So Long Farewell Goodbye,” an even stronger endorsement of alcohol appears on the barfly anthem “You and Me and the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby).” The liner notes include drawings of a topless woman in hot pants and cowboy boots, a bevy of empty bar glasses, and several cigars-all symbols of a wild night on the town.
This six-man band out of Southern California has evolved from a little-known punk act to become a major player on the modern swing scene. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s contagious sound has been dubbed “psycho-swing” and “big band gone wild.” Lots of fun. If only these Zoot suiters had avoided references to sex and alcohol. For a great Christian alternative, check out It’s a Swing Thing by Andrew Carlton and the Swing Doctors.
