Yodel-Ay-Ee-Oooo: The History of Yodeling Around The World »

Yodel-Ay-Ee-Oooo is the first book to address the question: How did a centuries-old, Swiss mountain tradition make its way into American country music? Along the way, the reader discovers that yodeling is not just a Swiss thing--everyone from Central African pygmies, Nashville hunks-in-hats, avant-garde tonsil-twisters like Meredith Monk, hiphop stars De La Soul, and pop stars like Jewel have been known to kick back and release a yodeling refrain. Along the way, we encounter a gallery of unique characters, ranging from the legendary, such as country singer Jimmie Rodgers, to the definitely different, including Mary Schneider ("the Australian Queen of Yodeling") who specializes in yodeling Mozart, Beethoven, and Brahms, and the Topp Twins, a yodeling lesbian duo who employ the sound in their songs aimed at battling homophobia. The book is both a serious study of the history of yodeling around the world and a fun look at how this unique sound has worked its way into popular culture. Yodel-Ay-Ee-Oooo promises to be a classic for fans of music and popular culture.

Library Journal

Writing like the manic, gonzo son of Nick Tosches, Plantenga here crams into his text just about everything one would ever want to know and then some about yodeling and yodelers. A DJ and amateur musicologist, he intends to trace yodeling from its Swiss origins to the upper registers of country, funk, folk, and pop, among other genres. Figures as diverse as avant-garde shriek-mistress Diamanda Galas, central African Pygmies, Jimmie Rodgers, and Patsy Montana have all yodeled. In his introduction, Plantenga touts this cross-cultural angle, but his conclusions are highly speculative; the text is sprinkled with too many "maybes," "possiblies," and undersubstantiated "probablies." As a thoroughly entertaining, throttle-at-the-red-line ride through the history of the various discrete styles of yodeling, however, this book scores a ton of points. The bibliography is thorough, and the annotated listening lists are highly eclectic and full of insight. Highly recommended for all public libraries and for academic libraries with significant popular culture or world music collections.-James E. Perone, Mount Union Coll., Alliance, OH Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.