I play this every time I want some sea food~ *not in the weird way alright, I didn't know fish and seafood meant something back then. I must say though, the mother is quite weird..
Lots of comments about the sexual nature of this tune. I can remember an interview, years ago, with one of the girls. She didn't talk about this tune, but admitted that the sexual aspects of Rum and Coca-Cola escaped them entirely. Think about it, if you can, it was a world where sex was confined to home (but not talked about), alleys downtown, and back seats (maybe). There was no sex in movies, and nobody used vulgarity in mixed company, and the phone and regular mail were the main ways to communicate (but mostly, the phone was way too expensive for long distance calls). Comments were made in the editorial sections of full-size newspapers, if the editor allowed it to be published. It was a different world, unimaginable to anyone under 50, maybe 55. For these wholesome, corn-fed, Minnesota girls, it would have been impossible for them to plumb the depths of the sexuality involved in this and the Rum song.
The Andrew Sisters had a tight harmony that apparently was the result of great training as well as familial closeness and intuition. That type of harmony doesn't seem to exist today. Their inimitable style along with a driving trumpet section as accompaniment make this the definitive version of Hold Tight for me.
The sound quality on this is amazing. In the 70's we were inflicted with the MCA records "fake stereo" re-issues of these classics.
Best in classic monaural sound.