1.The Polkaholics Debut CD - 1988
CD includes:
Polkaholics Theme, Baby Doll Polka, Who Stole the Kishka, To All the Polka fans, Helena Polka, Happy Wanderer, 40 Years of Shots & Beers, Wicker Park Polka, No Beer in Heaven, Julida Polka, Beer Barrel Polka, E.I.O. Polka, Fanny Shake Polka
2.Polkas on Guitar - 2001
CD includes:
Polkas on Guitar, Polka Enemy #1, SoundGarden Polka, Old Style Polka, Existentialist Polka, Lucky Stop Waltz, Circus Polka, Try it You'll Like It, Doggy Doggy Polka, Stopped for a Beer, 10 Drinks to the Floor, Paul Konrad Polka, Milwaukee Waltz, polka! Polka! POLKA!
3.Polka Can't Die - 2003
CD includes:
May Miss a Note (but we never miss a party!), Polka Coup d'Etat, Polka Can't Die, We Drink 'Cause We Must Polka, Woodchopper Polka, Status Quo Polka, My Wife She Got Drunk, Dude Looks Like a Lady-hoo, Just Say Yes to Oktoberfest, Drinking With My Boss, Hula Hoop Polka, Gamera of Gladstone Park
4.Polka Uber Alles - 2006
CD includes:
Pimps of Polka , Beer Broads and Brats, Lookin' Good Polka, Stella at the Wheel Polka, Beer (Breakfast of Champions), All the Wild and Crazy Polka Fans, Party on Friday, (I Gotta) Get Old Disgracefully, Too Smart Polka, Watsch n' Platter!, Polka at the Metro, Polka Your Troubles Away, Let's Kill Two Beers with One Stein, Sauerkraut is Sweet
5.The Polkaholics Live - 10 Years to the Floor Live CD - 2007
CD includes:
Polkaholics Theme, Happy Wanderer, Ten Drinks to the Floor , Too Smart Polka , Hallelujah I'm a Drunk, Sound (of the Beer) Garden Polka, To All the Polka Fans, Old Style Polka, Unincorporated Ivanhoe Jazz, Pimps of Polka, Beer, Broads, and Brats, Polka Your Troubles Away, Fanny Shake Polka
6.Wally! A Polka-Rock Opera! - 2009
CD includes:
Son of a Gun, Caldwell Woods, Teacher, Division Street, Do it Yourself, Polka Superstar, Miami Beach, Sea and Sand, I Miss Chicago Again, Zakopane Waltz, The Day the Polka Died, King of Happiness
CD Review by Rob Savickis - www.bestpolkabands.com
For those few of you who may not be familiar with the Polkaholics, I must warn you. This is NOT your daddy's (or grandpa's) typical polka cd. This is a rock-sounding cd with some far-removed polka (and waltz) beats, some would even call it punk, but I think what they have done is great. Wally is the 6th cd released by the Polkholics and one of the few cds in the polka genre (though there are many in other genres) that has a conistent theme and story throughout (hence the name Opera). And they certainly do carry on, in their own words, the polka "tradition of do-it-yourself fun and good times."
Wally refers to Li'l Wally (August 1, 1930 – August 17, 2006), who was one of the top Polish-American polka musicians from Chicago. Although he had lots of hits, his most famous song was probably "No Beer In Heaven". Other hits included "I Wish I Was Single Again.", "Li'l Wally Twirl," "Johnny's Knockin'," "She Likes Kielbasa," "Seven Days and Seven Nights," "Take Me Baby," "Chicago Is a Polka Town," "Lichtensteiner Polka," "Two Bucks Polka," and "To Be in Love With Someone." Walter "Li'l Wally" Jagiello was renowned for his drumbeats and slower, more danceable tempo, which became a mainstay of "Chicago Style" Polish polka sound. His nickname was derived from his relatively short height (5 foot 6), especially during his youth, when he often stood on a picnic table to sing. He appeared several times on The Lawrence Welk Show, and was one of the first two inductees into the International Polka Association's Hall of Fame in 1969. In total, he collected 17 gold and 4 platinum records. In his later years, he retired to Miami Beach, Florida, but continued to perform and record nationwide. Li'l Wally died in 2006 in Florida at the age of 76.
The Polkaholics have taken the story of Li'l Wally and present it in a series of songs that pay tribute to his life from beginning to end.
The first 3 songs on the cd ("Son Of A Gun", "Caldwell Woods" and "Teacher") pay tribute to L'il Wally's childhood. I think that "Teacher" could easily be a good addition to a list of other school anthems such as the Ramone's "Rock & Roll High School, Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall Part 2" - ie. We don't need no education, and Brownsville Station/Motley Crue's "Smokin' In The Boys Room". Caldwell Woods refers to Chicago's northside district where Walter Jagiello grew up, and where as a boy he began singing with polka bands.
The next 3 songs document L'il Wally's rise to fame and is highlighted by a very imaginative interpretation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar" in this case replaced by "L'il Wally Superstar". The song ""Division Street refers to that part of Chicago referred to as "Polish Broadway". "Polish Broadway was the strip of Division Street between Ashland and Western where from the 40's to the late 60's Polish polka artists performed nightly in the many gin joints that lined the strip, and where it was that L'il Wally rose to fame.
The second half of the cd covers L'il Wally's later retirement to Florida with songs such as "Miami Beach" , "Sea And Sand" and "I Miss Chicago Again". The Polkaholics had brought him back to Chicago for a number of shows prior to his death in 2006. Two of the songs in this latter half are interpretations of L'il Wally's own compositions. "I Miss Chicago Again" comes from L'il Wally's own hit "Wish I Was Single Again" and "Zakopane Waltz" comes from the "Lucky Stop Waltz". "Miami Beach" should become an anthem, in my opinion, for, well, Miami Beach. Of course, "The Day The Polka Died" is about L'il Wally's own passing and the song evokes memories of the day Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper died in 1959, often referred to as the day that music died.
I am hoping (as I am sure are the Polkaholics too) that not only does this album become a big hit, but also that this music brings new legions of fans to the music of L'il Wally and polka in general. Just a few other notes: I think the artwork on this cd is incredible, one of the best I have seen in a while and it fits in perfectly with the theme of the cd. Also, when you get to the end of the cd, don't stop because there is a hidden 13th track. I had asked Don Hedeker, who heads up the Polkaholics about the 13th track and this is what he had to say: "That is a "hidden track" called "If Johnny Met Wally." It's about a fictional meeting of Johnny Thunders (my (ie. Don Hedeker's) favorite guitar player - and really our sound is kind of like a combination of Johnny Thunders and Li'l Wally) and Li'l Wally, and it was actually the first song that I wrote for this Wally project. However, after recording the other songs, it just didn't seem to fit well with the story line, and so we decided not to include it in the polka-rock opera. But since we did record it, we thought it might be fun to include it as a hidden track. so that's the long and short of it. "
