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The Atomic Mr. Basie

{{Infobox album

| name = The Atomic Mr. Basie

| type = studio

| artist = Count Basie and his orchestra

| cover = The Complete Atomic Basie.jpg

| alt =

| released = January {{Start date|1958}}

| recorded = October 21–22, 1957

| venue =

| studio = Capitol (New York)

| genre = Swing, big band

| length = {{Duration|m=39|s=30}}{{cite book|author1=Robert Dimery|author2=Michael Lydon|title=1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die|year=2008|publisher=Octopus Books, London|isbn=978-1-8440-3624-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/1001albumsyoumus0000unse/page/31 31]|url=https://archive.org/details/1001albumsyoumus0000unse/page/31}}
56:34 (1994 Reissue)

| label = Roulette

| producer = Teddy Reig

| prev_title = Count Basie at Newport

| prev_year = 1957

| next_title = Count Basie Presents Eddie Davis Trio + Joe Newman

| next_year = 1957

}}

The Atomic Mr. Basie (originally called Basie, also known as E=MC2 and reissued in 1994 as The Complete Atomic Basie) is a 1958 album by Count Basie, featuring the song arrangements of Neal Hefti and the Count Basie Orchestra. Allmusic gave it 5 stars, reviewer Bruce Eder saying: "it took Basie's core audience and a lot of other people by surprise, as a bold, forward-looking statement within the context of a big-band recording." It is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Will Fulford-Jones calling it "Basie's last great record." It was voted number 411 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).{{cite book|title=All Time Top 1000 Albums|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin|publisher=Virgin Books|date=2006|edition=3rd|isbn=0-7535-0493-6|page=153}}

Recording

The tracks were recorded October 21–22, 1957. The tracks on the original release were all composed and arranged by Hefti. Part of the second day was used for recording tracks by Jimmy Mundy - "Silks and Satins" and "Sleepwalker's Serenade". It also featured recordings of "The Late, Late Show", which had been a hit for Dakota Staton that year, also likely arranged by Mundy. These additional tracks were released in 1994 on The Complete Atomic Basie.{{cite work|author-link=Michael Cuscuna|title=The Complete Atomic Basie liner notes|first=Michael|last=Cuscuna|year=1994}}

Release

This was the first Basie album released by Roulette Records.

Reception

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r203799|first=Bruce|last=Eder}}

| rev2 = Disc

| rev2score = {{rating|5|5}}{{cite magazine |title=Best Basie |last=Hall |first=Tony |author-link=Tony Hall (music executive) |magazine=Disc |date=7 June 1958 |issue=18 |page=14}}

| rev3 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev3Score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=Omnibus Press|edition=5th|isbn=978-0857125958}}

| rev4 = The Penguin Guide to Jazz

| rev4score = {{Rating|4|4}}{{cite book |last1=Cook |first1=Richard |last2=Morton |first2=Brian |title=The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2006 |pages=91–92 }}

}}

The album won Best Jazz Performance, Group and Best Performance by a Dance Band awards at the 1st Annual Grammy Awards.{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.com/nominees/search?artist=&title=&year=1958&genre=All|title=1958 Grammy Winners|publisher=Grammy.com|accessdate=November 15, 2015}}

The success of the album led to Basie, Hefti and producer Teddy Reig collaborating together again six months later to record Basie Plays Hefti.

Track listing

All tracks composed and arranged by Neal Hefti, except where indicated.

{{Tracklist

| headline = Original Release (1958){{cite web |url= http://www.discogs.com/Count-Basie-The-Atomic-Mr-Basie/release/1207884 |title=Count Basie – The Atomic Mr. Basie (Vinyl, LP) at Discogs |accessdate=30 June 2012}}

| title1 = The Kid from Red Bank

| note1 =

| length1 = 2:38

| title2 = Duet

| length2 = 4:10

| title3 = After Supper

| length3 = 3:22

| title4 = Flight of the Foo Birds

| length4 = 3:21

| title5 = Double-O

| length5 = 2:45

| title6 = Teddy the Toad

| length6 = 3:40

| title7 = Whirlybird

| length7 = 3:46

| title8 = Midnite Blue

| length8 = 4:25

| title9 = Splanky

| length9 = 3:35

| title10 = Fantail

| length10 = 2:50

| title11 = Li'l Darlin{{'-}}

| length11 = 4:47

}}

{{Tracklist

| headline = The Complete Atomic Basie Bonus Tracks (1994){{cite web |url= http://www.discogs.com/Count-Basie-The-Complete-Atomic-Basie/release/2959624 |title=Count Basie – Count Basie – The Complete Atomic Basie (CD, Album, Mono) at Discogs |accessdate=30 June 2012}}

| title12 = Silks and Satins

| note12 = Jimmy Mundy

| length12 = 4:05

| title13 = Sleepwalker's Serenade (Alternative Take)

| note13 = Mundy, Hefti

| length13 = 3:37

| title14 = Sleepwalker's Serenade

| note14 = Mundy, Hefti

| length14 = 3:39

| title15 = The Late, Late Show

| note15 = Roy Alfred, Murray Berlin

| length15 = 2:52

| title16 = The Late, Late Show (Vocal Version)

| note16 = Alfred, Berlin

| length16 = 3:02

}}

Personnel

Notes and references

= Notes =

{{Reflist|group=lower-roman|100em|refs=

Basie's session for the Atomic album was at Capitol Studios Studio A (Capitol Records, Inc.), located in the Theater District, Midtown Manhattan, on the first floor (one floor up) in the Eaves Building at 151 West 46th Street. The Eaves Costume Company occupied the ground floor. ([https://books.google.com/books?id=kbufJrm6c9YC&pg=PA310&lpg=PA310&dq=%22studio+A%22+151+West+46th%22+%22capitol+records The Sound Studies Reader], Jonathan Sterne, ed., Routledge, 2012, pps. 310–311; {{OCLC|916524063}})

}}

= References =

{{Reflist}}

{{Count Basie Orchestra}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Atomic Mr. Basie, The}}

Category:1958 albums

Category:Roulette Records albums

Category:Albums produced by Teddy Reig

Category:Count Basie Orchestra albums

Category:Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album

Category:Grammy Award for Best Performance by an Orchestra – for Dancing