ANDERS SISTERS

A Compilation

Three voices. One microphone. And absolutely no intention of behaving themselves.

The Anders Sisters come roaring out of that wonderful musical territory where close harmony meets swing, boogie, novelty songs, torch songs, dance-band brass and sheer vocal mischief.

The inspiration is obvious. The great sister acts—especially the Andrews Sisters—discovered that three voices could function almost like a horn section: one voice carrying the line while the others dart around it, answer it, push it forward and turn the whole arrangement into rhythm. The original Andrews Sisters became masters of exactly that kind of tightly interlocked vocal machinery.

But this collection isn’t intended as a museum piece.

The Anders Sisters have somehow escaped from the museum.

These recordings take that irresistible three-girl vocal-group idea and let it loose. Sometimes they’re sweet. Sometimes they’re swinging. Sometimes they’re ridiculous. Sometimes they sound as though somebody left three very talented women alone in a recording studio after midnight and neglected to remove the champagne.

That’s the fun of the compilation.

Listen especially to the interaction between the voices. A melody may belong to one singer for only a few seconds before another grabs it, a harmony sneaks underneath it, somebody answers from the side, and suddenly all three lock together into that unmistakable sound:

not three singers singing at once, but one musical creature with three mouths.

That’s the magic.

And beneath all the jokes, attitude and musical horseplay, there’s something worth noticing. Close-harmony singing demands extraordinary precision. The apparent effortlessness is the trick. When it works, you don’t hear the machinery.

You just start smiling.

So turn it up.

Move the furniture.

Warn the neighbors if you feel obligated.

The Anders Sisters are here.

And apparently nobody remembered to tell them to keep it down.

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Here’s the Bardo bus now!

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