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27 Polkas and Obereks by Dennis Motyka's The Good Times Band.
Selections:
Kick In The Brass Polka
You're Gonna Be My Wife Polka
I Knew I Was Falling For You
To I Owo
Easy Does It Polka
Good Boy Polka
Moja Zosienka Oberek
Another Love Song Polka
Mister Neighbor Polka
Cruising Down The River
Dancing Together
Flew The Coop Oberek
Early Morning Polka
Who's Looking At Who Polka
Little Bitty Tear Polka
Good Time Charlie Polka
Margie's My Girlfriend
Bouncing Balls Polka
Farewell My Good Friend
Somebody Love U Oberek
I Had A Wife Polka
Use To Be Polka
Look At You, Look At Me
Your Heart Waltz
Sing and Dance Polka
Good Times Medley
So Long, So Long Polka
Once you start playing the new recording, Kick In The Brass, by The Good Times of Chicago, you may never stop. The "ring" of the accordion keyboard and rhythm of the bellow shake, the solid horns, the drive of the beat, the instrumentation and the easily identifiable vocal work, all do their part in making this a release deserving multiple plays. These musicians don't just play the songs, they feel what they play.
The accordion work of Dennis Motyka should never be ignored. He's so into the spirit of this music, it makes me almost forget the concertina. (I did say almost!) His creative, on beat, bellow shakes and accents are more than the normal rhythm fills you'd hear from other boxmen.
The melodic "I To I Owo" enters your mind and wants to stay there forever. "Good Boy" polka, is yet another Polish vocal that just works perfectly, especially with the style of the group.
Ed "Weasel" Wolinski's "Easy Does It" polka and "Flew The Coop" oberek are two songs that belong with this band but could have easily been cut by a Chicago band of 30 years ago. "Another Love Song," another from the musical pen of Wolinski offers solid trumpets, and is a great polka ballad.
Motyka has the knack of writing originals with melodies and lyrics that become familiar to the listener almost immediately. Great melodies with repeatable lyrics, have you singing along to cuts like "You're Gonna Be My Wife" polka and "Good Boy" polka. The Good Times know now to have fun with their music and "Who's Looking At Who?" polka by Motyka and Fornek is one of those tunes that could be trademarked as a Good Times' song.
The arrangement of "Early Morning" polka has polka soul and will easily take any true polka purist over the edge. Originals by this group have the riffs of Chicago from a time many years ago and the vocals are of an era when Maniu ruled the stage. Melodies make the music and The Good Times make create those melodies.
They even toss in a Buck Owens' tune, "I Knew I Was Falling For You" polka, that works and fits perfectly with the material mix of the recording.
Kick In The Brass is the seventh recording in the band's 27 year history. And, with this recording, the group has reintroduced the double trumpet/sax-clarinet sound. The Good Times band members include: John Fornek on sax,clarinet and vocals, Jim Sierzega and Ed Wolinski on trumpet, Roger Malinowski on drums and vocals, Lenny Kapka on bass and Dennis Motyka on accordion and vocals.
In a world of too many "copy cat" bands, The Goodtimes surface proud, powerful and with an identity all their own. Join them as they Kick In The Brass.
Review by Steve Litwin http://www.polamjournal.com/polka/bio.html
Source: http://www.polamjournal.com/polka/records.html#KICK
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Features
- Compact Disc
- 26 Songs
- Total Time: 74:00
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