AMG Review of Swingsation

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

GRP's Swingsation sampler may not satisfy collectors and hardcore fans, who already have these 16 featured songs on original albums or comprehensive collections. Nevertheless, this is a good collection for casual fans and neophytes, since it contains eight selections apiece from the Decca recordings of Charlie Barnet and Jimmy Dorsey. It may not dig deep, but it does contain a good balance of the familiar and the obscure for each artist ("Skyliner," "You Always Hurt the One You Love," "Stompin' at the Savoy," "King Porter Stomp"), which makes it entertaining enough to be worth its budget price.